What to Do Right After Easter
Whether you’re a church pastor, a ministry leader, the spiritual leader in your home, or any other kind of believer, I’ve found that the post Easter haze leftover from amazing church services and running from one family celebration to the next can often leave us all with that “What’s next?” feeling. But, I think there are a few things we can do to stay focused on what God is doing as we capitalize on that awesome Easter weekend feeling in the months to come.
For the Lead Pastor:
Celebrate by thanking the Father.
On the Monday after Easter, I was working in the yard at my house. I spent most of the day just worshiping and thanking the Father for what He had done over the weekend. I don’t know about you, but our church had a lot to celebrate! That’s not a brag on us, but it is a brag on the move of the Holy Spirit!
(Side note: if you feel like nothing happened in your church this weekend to celebrate, please reach out to me. I’d like to encourage you!)
I’ve learned not to jump into the next thing until you’ve celebrated the current thing. Jesus is still in the business of changing people…I saw it firsthand this weekend! That’s worth stopping and celebrating right now!
Celebrate your team.
Ministry is 100% a team sport. We can’t do this on our own. I’ve learned that taking the time to thank people, celebrate them, and remind them of what they just invested in goes a long way. When people feel appreciated and part of something bigger than themselves, they look forward to what’s next. I’ve found individual calls, texts, and even 30-second thank you videos from my wife and I mean more than you’d think. Also, taking the time to celebrate and talk about what just happened as a team is huge! I plan to do that at our staff meeting this week. Yes, there is more on the way and we’ve got plenty of ministry in front of us. But, it’s okay to slow down and celebrate before moving on! It keeps our energy up.
Spend time with your family.
Most pastors’ families miss out on a lot with the Lead Pastor on Easter weekend. Make sure you take extra time to spend with your wife and kids post Easter. They need it…but you need it as well! My kids refresh my soul (most of the time). I took mine to school late on Monday so we could just lay in bed together that morning. My seven, five, and two-year-old and I talked, laughed, and had a tickle war. We fed our goats together. I made sure I took the girls to school and my two-year-old jumped on the tractor with me to cut the yard. I don’t ever want my wife and kids to feel like they are second to the church. They definitely aren’t and they can’t be. Don’t forget to prioritize them coming out of Easter and they won’t resent the church as they grow. When you do this, your wife won’t feel like she’s the side chick instead of the main chick!
For the Church:
Remember the tomb is still empty.
We should remember daily what we focused on this Easter weekend! That tomb is still empty! Don’t just shout on Easter Sunday about that! Turn everyday into an empty tomb praise party. On your way to work, listen to praise and worship. Write a verse on your mirror in your bathroom that reminds you of the resurrection power you’ve been given access to. Set reminders on your phone that tell you to stop and pray for that same power to move and flow through your life. Take Easter and make it work everyday in your life.
Don’t stop inviting.
At Bold City, we encourage our people to invite like crazy on Easter weekend and they do! But, don’t wait for the “next big service” to invite again. Inviting people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus is what the invite is really about. That should be something we do often, not just occasionally! Don’t stop inviting because Easter is behind us on the calendar. The message of the Cross carries the same power 365 days a year, 24/7! Keep inviting people to step into something that will change them forever!
Stay faithful.
There is a reason why the Bible tells us the first church met together weekly in Acts Chapter 2. It strengthened the believer and it also grew the Church. It says they added people (Church growth) daily because the Church was faithful. Keep the pedal to the metal when it comes to Sunday service, CityGroups throughout the week, and daily prayer, worship, and Bible reading. Don’t get lazy because Easter is gone and summer is on the way! Keep growing in every season.
(Note: When I capitalize the “C” in Church, it’s because I am referring to THE worldwide Church, the bride of Christ whom He is coming back for!)
For the “FTG” (first time guest):
Come again!
Seriously, go back and try it again! In most cases, someone is going to remember you by your second or third visit. (This is an especially good reason to read my second point here - go to the connections center at your church and let them know you are there. We call ours The Hub.) It’s huge when someone makes a personal connection within a church family. People actually want to go to church where they have friends. I promise you will find your people if you keep coming. When you find a friend that follows Jesus, you’ve most likely found someone that is going to encourage you, pray for you, hold you accountable, and help you grow closer to Jesus! So, come again...because you’ve got a friendship waiting on you!
Make yourself available.
Fill out a connection card so the church leaders can connect with you. This is the best way to find out more about the vision of the church, how to get going on discipleship, and where you can begin to help! (Yep, I’m already inviting you into ownership! That’s how Jesus did it.) You need to know and understand the vision of your church if you are going to truly call it “home.” You need to be available for discipleship because that’s what the Church is called to make - disciples. You need to become the Church, not just go to one. Ownership keeps your passion up. It also requires you to keep two things a priority: the Father and people. When you begin to serve in your church, you must keep your relationship with the Father growing consistently. If not, your heart will grow hard and callous towards people. The Father and people are always a priority when it comes to ownership within the Church family.
Find another church.
Really. If you didn’t like the one you visited, go try another one! Just because one church wasn’t “your type,” doesn’t mean another isn’t. Trust me, you need the Church and Church needs you! Don’t wait until Christmas service to try again. Go visit another one this week. If that’s one isn’t for you, try another one. Ask around. Eventually, you will find a place to call home. Just one thing, make sure you aren’t showing up looking for the “perfect church.” People are the Church, so you will always see imperfections in the church building in Sunday, at least until Jesus returns for His bride. Try not to be so critical. I say find something authentic that speaks to you and jump all in. Whatever you do, keep going to church until you find something real.
Here are three things I personally look for in a church:
Preaching from the Bible
Passionate worship together
Serving their city
Those three things that tell me the church is alive, advancing, and on mission.
Don’t let your faith get into a slump after Easter! A wise man once told me what you feed grows and what you starve dies! Feed your faith and fuel the flame of what God wants to do through you in community.