8 Easy Christmas Outreach Ideas to Reach (and Retain) More People

Christmas is the perfect opportunity to reach your community.

During Christmas, people are more inclined to visit your church.

According to a survey conducted by LifeWay Research, nearly three in 10 people with no religious affiliation have plans to attend a Christmas service. What is more, based on the same survey, 57 percent of the people polled said they would attend church at Christmas if they were invited.

This is HUGE.

Think about it:

Thirty percent of the people in your community—who are not affiliated with a church—plan on attending a Christmas service and 57 percent will attend a service if they are invited.

How many people live in your community?

Hundreds?

Thousands?

Take a moment to do the math, and you’ll see why Christmas is a big opportunity for your church to preach the gospel and make disciples.

Here’s the deal:

Leading people to visit your church during Christmas is one thing—encouraging them to stick around is an entirely different ballgame.

In this post, I’m going to walk you through eight practical steps you can take to reach people during Christmas and encourage them to stick around.

Let’s get started!

1. Begin with your guests in mind

To reach your guests with the gospel during Christmas, you have to start with them in mind. I know this may sound counterintuitive. But hear me out.

During your Christmas service, you must worship with non-Christians in mind (this is also a good idea for every worship service).

I’m not suggesting for you to water down the gospel or hide your Bibles. That’s not the case at all. What I’m suggesting is to make your worship service easily understood by your guests and non-Christians alike.

Practically speaking, here are some ideas:

• Worship with skeptics in mind
• Use everyday language
• Explain the service as you go along
• Celebrate deeds of mercy and justice
• Strive for quality aesthetics
• Welcome guests
  

I’ll expand on a couple of these ideas below.

But here’s the takeaway:

Make it easy for your guests to know what’s going on.

Beginning with your guests in mind will make it easy for them to celebrate Christmas, be open to hearing the gospel, and consider returning for another visit or take a step toward getting involved with your church.

2. Provide multiple worship services

Everyone is busy at Christmas.

From school events, family get-togethers, and just getting ready for the holidays, everyone's schedule is jammed packed with activity.

To make it easier to reach people in your community, it’s best to hold more than one Christmas service. Hosting multiple services provides ample opportunity for people to visit your church’s Christmas service.

I’m not saying you need to offer 12 different Christmas services. Instead, consider holding more than one worship service to reach families with different needs.For example, some families may be tied up with morning activities whereas other families will have plenty of time to worship during the morning.By offering more than one Christmas service, you’ll be able to accommodate more people, which means you can reach more people with the gospel.

Talk about a win-win situation.

Increasing the number of your Christmas services will place a burden on your volunteers, but the next idea may can alleviate this problem.

3. Hold brief family-friendly services

Holding multiple Christmas services will be exhausting for your church’s staff and volunteers.

To accommodate the needs of everyone and to allow people to spend time with their family, consider reducing the time of your worship service to 40—45 minutes.

Reducing the time of your Christmas service will decrease your staff and volunteers  workload, and allow people to spend time with their family.

Also, if you currently don’t encourage children to participate in your worship service, consider inviting children to join their parents or guardians. This little pivot will reduce the number of volunteers you need to run your Christmas services, and it can also create an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

4. Update your digital presence

Did you know that more Americans search for “church” around Christmas and Easter than at any other time?

To capture the attention of people searching for “church,” it’s best to update your church’s website for Christmas. Here are five ways you can get your church website ready.

Know what else?

It’s also a good idea to make sure your social media platforms are up to date. Be sure to include promotions for your church’s Christmas services along with your regular social media updates.

5. Empower your church to bring a friend

Know the most powerful way to lead someone to visit your church?

If you answered Facebook Ads, you’re wrong.

It’s just inviting someone to attend—that’s it.

Based on one study, 82 percent of non-Christians said they would likely attend a church if a friend, co-worker, neighbor, or family member invited them.  

Let that sink in. 

Eight out of the 10 people you ask to attend your church’s worship service will attend. Call me crazy, but that’s a crazy good batting average any professional baseball player would die for. 

Not sure where to start? 

Here are simple ways you can empower your congregation to invite a friend:

• Challenge them to invite people
• Provide your church with invitation cards
• Create shareable social media graphics

It will never be easier for people to invite their neighbors, co-workers, and family and friends to a worship service than Christmas. Now’s the time to compel them to action.

6. Run social media ads

The vast majority of people in your community are on social media.

In fact, seven out of 10 adults spend time on social media, and Facebook is by far the most widely used social media platform.

Here’s the deal:

The most cost-effective way to promote your church is with social media ads. They’re highly targeted, and they won’t bust your church’s budget.

Here are just a few ideas you can pursue:

• Run targeted ads in your community
• Boost posts promoting your Christmas and Easter services
• Retarget people who visited your website

When it comes to retargeting people who visited your church’s website, consider running an ad that expresses appreciation for visiting your website and consider using a video to invite people to learn more about your church.

Related: 5 Overlooked Reasons Why Your Church Needs to Run Facebook Ads

7. Prepare your next step

What's the next step a visitor should take after your Christmas service?

In other words, what’s the best way someone can get further involved with your church?

As for your church, you need to make this step as clear (and compelling) as possible.

Do you want them to join you for a new sermon series?

Is it best for someone to get involved in a small group or Bible study?

Do you have an ideal upcoming church event?

When thinking through this next step, keep in mind what’s best for your visitors.

For example, if you’re expecting an influx of parents and children, consider preaching through a family-oriented sermon series in January. This is an easy way you can faithfully teach the Bible, meet the practical needs of your guests, and create a natural next step for them to take.

Now that your plan is in place, there’s one next step you need to take.

8. Follow up with first-time guests

During your Christmas services, you will have the opportunity to welcome first-time guests.

You made a great first impression.

You collected their contact information.

But now what?

Simple:

Follow up with your visitors.

This isn’t a complicated process.

All you have to do is obtain your visitor's contact information and follow up with them afterward.

To do this, you can:

• Send them an email
• Make a phone call
• Send a push notification (assuming they downloaded your app)
• Mail a letter
• Encourage your church to follow up

By following up with your visitors, you will significantly increase the likelihood of them taking the next step with your church.

So don’t leave your guests hanging.

Let them know you’re thankful for their visit, and that you’d love an opportunity to get to know them better.

Need help keeping track of your visitors?

With Tithe.ly Church Management, you can easily keep track of your visitors.

For example, you can create a process to make sure you follow up, and delegate a staff member or volunteer to oversee it.

The follow-up process you create can look something like this:

• Send a welcome email
• Make a phone call in several days
• Schedule a meeting with a pastor
• Invite them to a church event or worship service

Creating a system like this will make it easier for your church to stay in touch with your first-time guests.

Over to you

There you have it.

Eight ways to reach more people during Christmas

1. Begin with your guests in mind
2. Provide multiple worship services
3. Hold brief family-friendly services
4. Update your digital presence
5. Empower your church to bring a friend
6. Run social media ads
7. Prepare your next step
8. Follow up with first-time guests

This list isn’t exhaustive, and we know there’s a lot more your church can do.

Share with us in the comments below what you’ve found helpful.