FRANKLIN — Churches should consider “putting all their eggs into one basket” and making Easter Sunday morning worship “the main event of the year,” according to Wayne Causey.
“Since we believe Easter Sunday morning is the pinnacle event of the church year, our churches should make the day as special as possible,” said Causey, retired associate pastor of music and worship at Forest Hills Baptist Church in Nashville and contract music and worship specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
Roc Collins, director of strategic objectives for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, agreed that Easter Sunday is a prime time for sharing the gospel with unchurched people.
“Many people will visit church on Easter who never come any other time,” Collins affirmed. “Family connections or a feeling that they should go to church will often draw unchurched people to visit on Easter.”
Collins observed that Easter “is a great time to offer multiple worship services.
“If you usually do one worship service on Sunday, add an early or later service on Easter. If you do two services, add a third,” he suggested. “The reason is to get more people in the door to hear the gospel.”
A 2012 study by Lifeway Research confirmed Collins’ assertion.
In a national poll of 1,000 Protestant pastors, Lifeway Research asked what the three highest attendance Sundays were throughout the year. Easter was the highest at 93 percent, followed by Christmas at 84 percent and Mother’s Day at 59 percent.
“Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Collins said. “Because the very essence of Easter is the atoning death of Jesus on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead, Easter is naturally an evangelistic opportunity the church should never miss,” he maintained.
“Being intentional about presenting the gospel is the heart of Easter, he said.
Collins encouraged pastors to give “clear and simple invitations to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ” and to have multiple counselors prepared and ready to help lead people to Christ.
Causey said many churches and pastors are seeing now that “Easter and really all of Holy Week is a great opportunity for unchurched people, who are genuinely curious about the Christian faith, to get a first-hand look at the gospel of Christ.”
While Christmas “has always held more emotional and commercial pull for church and community, the events of Holy Week beautifully portray the loving gospel of Jesus Christ.
“The actions and events of Holy Week tell the ancient story of the Triune God choosing to redeem the world through the subsitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ in clear terms,” Causey said.
“When we use the beautiful visible symbols that accompany events and actions of Holy Week, a church can involve more of the human senses in creatively retelling the gospel story,” he continued.
The traditional and most celebrated components of Holy Week include:
• Palm Sunday, celebrating the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem,
• Maundy Thursday, remembering the Last Supper and betrayal of Christ,
• Good Friday, remembering the passion and death of Christ, and
• Easter Sunday, celebrating Christ’s victory over death!
“By taking an opportunity to focus on a few of these events of Holy Week our churches are inviting their community to actually step into the gospel story,” Causey said.
He encouraged churches to think outside the box. Many churches will have special decorations with a cross and flowers, Causey noted.
“There will be many families present for Easter so why not set up a beautiful photo backdrop for the family pictures. I know one church this year that is decorating a huge 10-foot cross with beautiful spring flowers to remind us of the new life we have in Christ! What a great photo backdrop that will be,” he suggested.
“Be creative in your thinking, while considering the context of your congregation, and think of ways you can invite your community to your church for Holy Week and Easter while holding firm the integrity of the Church and the gospel,” Causey said.
Collins agreed. “Leading up to Easter is a great time to blitz your community with special invitations for all to come and worship,” he said.
He noted that providing special events such as music and drama presentations and Good Friday services “are just a few examples of celebrating and offering multiple opportunities to share the gospel.”
“Use everything at your disposal to present Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection and invite them to start a relationship with Jesus,” Collins said. B&R