Planning a Christmas service can require significant planning and attention to detail – that’s exactly why we created this guide to help! This guide can be shared with your staff, volunteers, and anyone involved in the planning process. Follow along as we discuss the process of putting together a smooth, impactful service and a meaningful celebration of Jesus’ birth.
Vision & Preparation
To start your Christmas service planning, you want to have a general idea of your message, how to share it, when your service is, and the general feeling you want your guests to walk away with. It is important to lay a solid foundation to start your planning! Don’t rush your decision planning, but don’t procrastinate either.
Set the Theme
After drafting a general vision of your Christmas service, you should choose a unifying theme for the Christmas season that resonates with your church’s message. Asking yourself and your team the following questions is a great way to make sure you are on the right track when choosing your theme:
Is this theme rooted in your church’s mission?
Does this theme speak to both your congregation and your community?
Assemble Your Team
Getting the right people involved in this process is crucial for creating a hassle-free Christmas service. To start, you want to identify key volunteers and staff who are willing and able to add their strengths to the mix. When creating your team, clearly define the roles you need to fill and their responsibilities and communicate this with those chosen. Some questions that are helpful to ask are:
Does your worship leader have the support they need?
Do you need to find a media coordinator or an event planner?
Host Initial Planning Meeting
Once your team is in place, meet to discuss special events and important dates. Be sure to brainstorm with your team and share initial ideas. If you make decisions, don’t forget to delegate responsibilities to your team members!
This is a good time also to discuss the overall service flow of your Christmas service(s):
When will you hold your leading Christmas service?
Will you also have a Christmas Eve service?
How many Christmas play performances will there be?
What changes does your team need to make for your Christmas worship service?
Determine Media Needs
Once you organize your vision, assemble your team, and pick the theme – you and your team should start curating the visual elements that you need as soon as possible. Select video backgrounds, countdowns, and sermon titles that align with your theme. Find appropriate mini-movies that will complement your worship services. Shift Worship has everything you need from beginning to end of service!
Select Music Choices
Along with media, your team must also start planning your music selections. Work with your worship leader to determine worship sets and special music performances. Consider how these choices to the following questions will complement your sermon and the overall worship experience.
How will your Christmas Eve worship service differ from your Sunday worship service?
Does your worship team need time to learn new songs?
Launch Outreach Strategy
Develop a plan for inviting the wider community. Whether you use social media campaigns, print invitations, or even go door-to-door, ensure your strategy is inclusive and wide-reaching. Social campaigns (paid or not) are a modern approach to reaching many different demographics quickly and efficiently. Social graphics posted on social media can be shared amongst many people without a strong effort on your part.
Printing invitations and door-to-door invites are a more traditional way of sharing information, but are still effective. They require more effort from your congregation and decent weather.
Content Creation & Communication
It’s time to shift your team’s focus from planning to creation and communication as Christmas approaches.
Finalize Service Outlines
Once you have your content planned, it’s time to nail down the order of service for each event you plan on holding. Incorporate multimedia elements like videos, countdowns, and sermon titles, ensuring they align with your chosen holiday theme.
Create Custom Media
Use the Shift Worship Quick Editor to customize your media! This will ensure all slides, backgrounds, and social graphics are consistent and on theme.
Hold Rehearsals
Schedule and hold rehearsals for music and special performances. Give your team ample time to refine their presentations for a seamless final worship experience. (This helps get out all the nervous jitters).
Final Promotional Push
Finalize and distribute promotional materials. This includes your digital (e.g., social media graphics, email reminders) and physical (e.g., event flyers, signs, and banners).
Begin Outreach Communication
Launch your community outreach with email blasts, social media posts, and event invitations. Keep your messaging consistent with your theme. Remember to include dates, times, and your address!
Final Touches
As you get closer to Christmas, focus on refining the final details and ensuring everything is ready for the big day.
Meet with Volunteers
Ensure all volunteer roles are filled with thoroughly trained volunteers and/or staff who understand them. This will be necessary for a smooth execution of services and events.
Begin Event Setup
Start decorating the church and setting up needed media equipment. Arrange your seating to accommodate expected attendance. Do this before your run-throughs and dress rehearsals so that everyone involved is comfortable with their setting.
Hold Technical Run-Throughs
Conduct full rehearsals with all technical elements—lighting, sound, and media. This is crucial for identifying and resolving any issues beforehand.
Launch Final Promotion Push
Continue to invite the community. Remind your congregation frequently about upcoming services and events. Use these final days to create a surge in awareness and attendance.
Show Time!
The day is here. With everything prepared, confidently hold your planned services and event. Rely on your well-rehearsed teams and your carefully selected media to create a memorable experience.
And don’t forget to celebrate along with your church. Planning for Christmas takes a lot of work–don’t let yourself lose sight of the reason for the season!
Wrapping Up: Final Thoughts
You can prepare for a meaningful Christmas season this year with your pastoral staff, worship team, and volunteers. By following this planning guide, you can streamline your preparation process and make sure every detail is thoroughly considered and executed with care.
The steps here are designed to help you create a memorable experience for your congregation and community. As you work through this guide, remember that your goal is to share the Good News of Christmas. With careful planning and a committed team, your church can provide Christmas services and events that touch hearts and foster community through celebration.