Throughout our Easter series (revisit Part 1 and Part 2 if needed), we have emphasized the importance of preparation in the Easter service planning process, and it is no different when it comes to your post-Easter follow-up method.

REMEMBER THE PRINCIPLE OF SPIRITUAL READINESS
Have you heard of the Principle of Spiritual Readiness? It contends that God will never give you more than you are prepared to receive.

This concept applies to your Easter service because if you are prepared to follow up with a large number of first-time guests, God will be much more likely to send them your way. Why would He send many guests to a church that doesn’t have a plan in place to offer the best opportunity to know Him?

As you prepare, make sure you have a plan in place to follow up with guests and especially people who said yes to Christ, which leads to my next point.

DON’T DELAY FOLLOWING UP
When an unbeliever makes the decision to give his life to Christ in your church, follow up right away. This new Christian may not fully understand the decision he just made or know what to do next. God has positioned you in his life to provide tools to help him begin his Christian walk.

By utilizing Connection Cards, as we discussed in Part 2 of this series, you can have every new believer indicate their decision on the back of their card. Doing this allows you to email them to congratulate them on their decision by Monday afternoon. You can also give them a resource to help them get started. For example, I send a link to an online Bible study.

Then, later in the week, send them some material in the mail. I include a book I wrote for new believers, The Next Step for Your Journey, and information on our church as well as on baptism. (To request more information about this book, send an email to info@churchleaderinsights.com.)

Ensure that they take the next step of baptism within a month or two, and focus on answering their questions and getting them connected. And, in the case that you don’t see or hear from a new believer for a month, give them a call. You don’t want your Easter outreach efforts to fizzle out after God has given you a harvest of new believers.

BE INTENTIONAL IN YOUR FOLLOW-UP
When it comes to following up with the guests God brings you on Easter Sunday, it is important to be strategic. Here is a follow-up process you can use:

36-Hour Email Response: By the Tuesday following Easter, send each guest an email thanking them for attending your church and inviting them back.

96-Hour “Snail Mail” Response: By Thursday afternoon, make sure every guest who listed a mailing address receives a personal, handwritten note and a small gift to “wow” them. You may also want to include a postcard about the series you kicked off on Easter.

One-Month Follow-Up Letter: For the guests who didn’t make it back to your church after Easter, send a one-month follow-up letter to remind them of their experience at your church, give them a little more information, and invite them back one last time. Remember, just because you haven’t heard from them in a month does not mean they aren’t interested in returning.

Have a plan to follow up with the guests God brings you on Easter Sunday as well as on any other Sunday. Don’t let new people slip through your fingers: they (and God) deserve better. Jesus’ open tomb gives us the opportunity to cooperate with God in connecting people to our churches in a fresh way so that they may come to understand the significance of the empty tomb in their own lives.

By implementing the strategies shared during this series, you will see big results for your Easter service. Happy Easter!

Your partner in ministry,
Nelson

P.S. If you found this article helpful, please forward it to others.

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© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.