Strategies for Easter—Part 3

More Easter thoughts with part 3 of “A Strategy for Easter.”

Don’t Try To Do Everything On One Day

The reality is this…you only have so much energy to work with. You have to be smart about how you spend that energy.

It is possible to “over plan” your services. Yes, we should have really cool activities going on for our kids, and yes, it should be special. But if you and your volunteers are stressed over the five object lessons, two egg hunts, a dunking booth, dramatic presentation and a video clip you made yourself, then who is going to connect relationally with the kids? That’s what they want more than anything. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to establish a relationship with visitors because the day was too “busy.”

Activity does not necessarily mean Productivity.

This will be a battle for those who have Sr. Pastors who view activities as a mark of kingdom productivity. That’s why I suggested a “Strategy” in part 1 of this discussion on Easter. If you don’t have a strategy, your Sr. Pastor will develop one for you and from his perspective, it may be “activity driven.”

Here is the bottom line…it’s not in the kid’s best interest for us to give them two months’ worth of teaching and activities in our 1½ hour setting.

Don’t “over-plan” your services on Easter. Leave margin and energy to connect with the kids, to listen to them and to pray with them. Give them a great service experience and give the day everything you have, but keep this in mind:

• Don’t do so much that you have nothing to invest in the kids relationally.
• The framework of the service should be an expression of your strengths and the strengths of your volunteers. In other words, be yourself, not someone else.
• Make sure the kids visiting your church know they are important even more important than an object lesson that might mean a visit from the fire department (been there, done that).

You have a lot to offer your kids this Easter…the love of Christ. Lets make sure they know it.