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5 Best Practices For Leading Worship For Christmas

Wondering how to lead worship during the Christmas season? It’s that time of year again, where we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the culmination of Advent. Here are some key practices to consider: 1. Follow Advent’s progression, creating anticipation. 2. Discover fresh versions of beloved carols that resonate with…

7 Ways to Slow Down This Christmas

As the familiar frenzy of the holidays descends once more, it meets us still shaking off the weariness of recent seasons of turmoil. Pandemic, unrest, isolation – the early 2020s extracted heavy tolls, leaving spirits longing for respite during Christmas. Yet busyness still beckons as Thanksgiving gives way to the…

8 Christmas Gifts Worth Giving to Church Pastoral Staffs

Pastoral ministry can be demanding. Supportive and joyful relationships amongst church staff teams make the journey well worth it. Certain key ingredients seem to help cultivate healthy staff dynamics that bless both pastors and their congregations. Ahead are 8 incredible gifts you can give a pastoral staff (spoiler, they’re all…

Nine Updated Trends about Christmas Eve Services

The Christmas season brings packed church pews and familiar carols, even for those who rarely darken a church’s doors. And Christmas Eve services – with their traditional and spiritual focus – draw growing numbers of churched and unchurched alike. As pastors and church leaders notice this yearly uptick in attendance,…

10 Rules for Keeping Christmas Simple

The holiday season is a hectic time for church leadership. In our well-intentioned efforts to make Advent extra special, we often overextend ourselves and our teams. Is the excessive stress worth it? Jon Nicol offers practical advice – both “do’s” and “don’ts” – for keeping things simple so Christmas stays…

Christmas Eve on Sunday: The Big Opportunity

Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year – don’t scale back, go bigger! With holiday-minded guests and wandering prodigals likely attending in greater numbers, this rare alignment is a pivotal chance to make welcoming hospitality your best investment. Keep services short and encouraging, solve scheduling dilemmas simply, and leverage…

How A Worship Service Is Like A Meal

Think of planning a worship service like crafting a well-balanced meal – the songs are the courses, each with a unique flavor and purpose. Fill up on Christmas songs alone and you miss the main dishes of declaration and surrender. This year, limit holiday tunes to just a few per…

Getting and Keeping Volunteers for Christmas

Christmas services require extra volunteers, but relying solely on your regular team may leave you shorthanded. Deborah Ike is here to help. She offers practical strategies for recruiting the helpers you’ll need, from identifying roles to personal invites and follow-ups. Feed volunteers and send handwritten notes afterwards to show appreciation.…

Embrace Tradition for Your Christmas Celebration

Zip up your ugly Christmas sweater and cozy up to tradition this season. When it comes to the holidays, people crave the classic – timeless tunes, candles aglow, familiar phrases from Luke. So embrace what they expect. There’s power in keeping things simple. Don’t reinvent the manger scene – let…

Deeper Worship With Christmas Hymns

Christmas means tradition. This year, gift your congregation the nostalgic, soul-stirring worship experience they crave by embracing classic Christmas hymns. Reintroduce timeless carols that connect generations and tap into warm holiday memories. Modernize the melodies if you’d like, but retain the familiar lyrics that tell the Christmas story in a…

[PODCAST] Christmas Eve is on a Sunday in 2023. What Should My Church Do?

The calendar offers churches a great opportunity to reach more people on Christmas Eve in 2023. On this episode of the Church Answers Podcast, Thom Rainer discusses how the church can make a few great decisions to make it evangelistically effective this year. Listen to the podcast.

10 Ways to Prepare for Your Christmas Services

Christmas is coming, even if it doesn’t quite feel like it yet! For church leaders, now is the time to start planning for your Christmas services and series. Getting a head start on preparation can pay huge dividends down the road. In this article, church leaders from a variety of…

5 Surprising Ways Churches Are Increasing Attendance

While most churches have seen declines since the pandemic, a few outlier congregations are bucking the trend with surprising practices that are increasing attendance. Find five unorthodox methods these churches are using to grow against the current. From strategically subtracting and adding ministries, to consistent invitation campaigns, to starting new…

Planning Christmas Programs For The Un-Churched

Challenging the notion that inviting unchurched friends to church is the best way to reach them, and rethinking Christmas programs to genuinely connect with unchurched people where they are. Author Becky Stephen shares a story of celebrating Christmas in North India without the typical externals. This led to visiting friends’…

Streaming Christmas Programs and Worship Services

Explore the best streaming license options for churches this Christmas season. Streaming your holiday events and services can help maximize your reach and impact at this special time of year. The article looks at a variety of factors to help you share your message as broadly as possible. With the…

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