A Communications Guide to Planning for Christmas

The Christmas season is a special time, yet it can be hectic, especially for busy families and others in your community. As a church, you have a unique opportunity to offer respite, joy and meaningful content and connections.

Here are four ideas to propel your ministry and communications forward this Christmas.

1. Address People’s Real Challenges and Offer Encouragement

Throughout the holiday season, there is so much to do and people struggle to have enough time, energy, money and patience.

Topics to consider addressing:

• Give people simple ideas for finding moments for quiet reflection and prayer despite the stress that often accompanies the holidays.
• Provide tips for managing conflict and difficult personalities during family gatherings and in the midst of holiday planning.
• Suggest how to find meaningful moments with children. Share about creating family traditions that focus on gratitude and togetherness.

2. Repurpose All of Your Content through a Mix of Media

Your church has so much content that you are developing and using this Christmas season - from sermons to prayers to worship to small group studies to kids’ and student’s content to staff meeting devotionals and more. Look for ways to repurpose all of this content in multiple ways in-person and online.

Reach your congregation and community through a mix of media. Share your stories, devotionals, prayer guides and more through your worship services, events and in-person gatherings, yes! And share this content through your church’s blog, podcast and website, organic and paid social media efforts, email and text campaigns, too, so people can access 24/7.

3. Plan Meaningful Opportunities to Connect with Families

Most families don’t need more scheduled activities, but they do need deeper connection and purpose. So consider what you can offer this holiday season to bless families with opportunities for meaningful conversations and time together with family and friends. Then, make these opportunities as accessible and convenient as possible for your congregation and community.

Consider offering:

• A service project for families (all ages): Organize service projects that involve the whole family. Activities like assembling care packages for those in need or participating in a local food drive can be powerful ways to live out the Christmas message and create shared, meaningful experiences.
• Childcare for parents: Support families by caring for their children at the church and giving the adults extra margin for shopping, errands or even a date night. 
• An interactive experience: Create a Christmas or worship experience that is memorable for families, with interactive elements to bring the Christmas message to life for them in a significant way.

4. Follow Up After the Holidays

“How can we serve our congregation and community later in December or in early January?” This question should guide your church’s follow up! Below are some follow-up ideas for your church.

Reach out with gratitude: Send thank you notes or text messages to those who participated in your Christmas activities or engaged with your content. This shows appreciation and helps maintain the connection made during the holiday season.

Offer continued engagement: Provide opportunities for ongoing connection with additional content online. Encouragement for the New Year is a great place to start, with content about new routines, healthy habits and finding more purpose for the new year for yourself and your family! Or, invite families to join new or existing groups, classes or service opportunities at your church. Highlight upcoming events or programs that align with their interests or needs.

Reflect and evaluate: Assess the success of your Christmas activities through feedback from participants. This can be done via surveys, informal conversations or feedback forms. Use this information to improve future planning and to continue refining your approach to engaging with your congregation and community.

Share highlights and stories: Celebrate and share the success stories and highlights from your Christmas events. This could be through social media posts, a blog article or a video story that is shared in services and online.

How is your team’s Christmas planning coming along? What idea will you try to increase connection and engagement with your congregation and community? We’d love to hear from you!

We’re praying with you - that this Christmas season will be a breakthrough for many in finding the hope and joy of Christ.