Easter Promotion Plan for Churches: The Message Sequence That Helps People Invite Friends

Easter has built-in interest.

People who never attend church will consider going on Easter. The cultural momentum is there. The openness exists.

But they won't come because of your Facebook post. They'll come because someone they trust invited them.

Your job isn't to promote Easter to the community. It's to promote Easter to your congregation—so they promote it to their networks.

Here's the sequence that makes invitation easy.

4 Weeks Out: Announce and Equip

Lock in the details:

• Dates and times (Good Friday? Easter Sunday? Multiple services?)
• Special elements (baptisms? choir? egg hunt?)
• Childcare availability by service
• Any registration requirements

Then announce it all at once. Don't trickle out information that forces people to piece together the schedule.

Bulletin:

Featured section with full details. Include a QR code to a webpage with everything.

Email:

Hero placement. Not buried—the main thing. Date, times, what's special, registration link.

Social:

Dedicated announcement post. Pin it. Service times, location, what to expect.

Immediately provide invite tools:

This is where most churches fail. They announce Easter but don't equip people to invite.

Week one should include:

• Physical invite cards (lobby table, pass them out)
• Digital invite graphics (email and social links to shareable images)
• A shareable event link

The ask:

"Start thinking about who you'll invite."

Not "invite someone"—that feels like homework. Just plant the seed.

3 Weeks Out: Stories and Testimonies

Shift from information to motivation.

People don't invite because they forgot the date. They don't invite because they're not convinced it matters.

This week: cast vision. Remind them why Easter is worth inviting someone to.

Bulletin:

Testimony sidebar. A short story from someone who came to Easter last year and what it meant to them.

Email:

Story-driven content. Options:

• A pastoral letter: why Easter matters
• Last year's impact: "87 people made first-time decisions"
• A testimony: someone's story of coming to Easter and finding faith

Social:

• Quote graphic from a testimony (with permission)
• Short video: 60 seconds from someone sharing what Easter at your church meant to them
• "Why Easter matters to me" posts from staff or volunteers

The goal:

Emotional connection. Remind your congregation that inviting someone isn't a chore—it's an opportunity to change someone's life.

2 Weeks Out: Make It Easy

Remove every barrier to inviting.

By now, your congregation knows Easter is coming and why it matters. This week: give them the tools and clear the path.

Bulletin:

• "Invite cards available in the lobby"
• Reminder from the stage: "Grab cards on your way out"
• QR code to digital invite graphics

Email:

"Here's exactly how to invite someone."

Include:

• A short, copy-paste text message they can send
• Downloadable graphics for Instagram Stories or Facebook
• Link to the Facebook Event (create one if you haven't)

Make it so easy that the only thing standing between them and an invitation is pressing "send."

Social:

Shareable graphics. Not just promotional—designed for members to share.

Instagram story templates: "Join me at [church] for Easter" with date/time.

Logistics preview:

Answer questions before they're asked:

• Is there childcare? For what ages?
• What time should we arrive?
• Where do we park?

Include a link to your "Plan Your Visit" or Easter details page.

1 Week Out: Final Push

Urgency time. Easter is this Sunday.

Palm Sunday:

The last in-person touchpoint before Easter. Use it.

From the stage: "One week from today is Easter. Who will you bring?"

Invite cards in hand—literally hand them to people on the way out.

Bulletin:

"This is it. Who are you inviting?"

Email:

Final reminder:

• Service times
• Childcare info
• Parking
• "See you Sunday"

Social:

Daily countdown posts:

• "7 days until Easter"
• "5 days..."
• "This Sunday!"

Text (if you use it):

One message mid-week:

"Easter is this Sunday at [church]. See you there! [link]"

Volunteer coordination:

Make sure every volunteer knows their role. First impressions matter, and Easter brings more first-time visitors than any other Sunday.

Easter Week

Build anticipation Monday through Saturday.

Monday-Friday social posts:

• Behind-the-scenes: decorating, rehearsals, setup
• Countdown graphics
• "Getting ready for Sunday!"
• Staff or volunteer spotlights

Saturday:

"See you tomorrow!" across all channels.

Practical reminders:

• Arrive early
• Parking location
• Doors open at [time]

Easter morning:

If you have capacity:

• Live social posts as people arrive
• Service updates between services
• Quick photo posts

Post-service:

Celebration content:

• Crowd photos (exterior, gathering spaces—not worship close-ups without permission)
• "What a day!"
• Thank you to volunteers

Post-Easter Follow-Up

Easter was the beginning, not the end.

Visitor follow-up:

Move fast. Within 24 hours:

• Text: "Thanks for joining us today! We'd love to see you again."
• Email welcome sequence: start immediately

Easter visitors are warm leads. They were open enough to come. Don't let a week pass before you reach out.

Photo and video recap:

For people who missed it or want to share:

• Highlight photos
• Short video recap
• "In case you missed it" post

"What's next" messaging:

Easter can feel like a destination. Show them there's more:

• "Our new series starts next Sunday"
• "Small groups launch this month"
• "Join us again—we're just getting started"

Thank the congregation:

"Thank you for inviting your friends and family. Here's what God did this Easter."

Share numbers if you share numbers. Share stories regardless.

Track results:

• How many visitors?
• How many returned the following week?
• What worked in your promotion?

This informs next year's plan.

The 4-Week Summary

Why This Works

Traditional Easter promotion:

• Announce Easter
• Promote Easter louder
• Promote Easter even louder
• Easter Sunday
• Silence

This approach:

• Announce + provide tools
• Build motivation
• Remove barriers
• Create urgency
• Follow through

The difference: you're not just promoting an event. You're coaching your congregation to be inviters.

One personal invitation from a friend beats every Facebook ad you could run.

Easter is your best outreach opportunity of the year. Make it easy for your people to fill those seats with people they love.