2orMoreFebruary ‘08Small Group Ministry Outreach Idea

Small Group Easter Weekend Outreach Checklist:

Commission a few groups to assist with the flow of Easter services.One group could support your greeting team by serving as roaming greeters who go the extra mile in helping newcomers, e.g. walking them to the area where they check-in their kids or getting information that helps to answer questions they have. You could also have a group posted at exits to give-away take-aways (see final item for ideas) and tell your guests how great it was to have them this weekend. There’s usually always a need for extra volunteers with parking and childcare on Easter weekend too. This is more than recruiting volunteers…you’re building your Easter outreach task force (& community!) with small groups!

Reflect your church’s community life in what you handout or show on Easter weekend, e.g. church bulletins, inserts, etc. Cast a vision of a dynamic, life-giving community full of caring people in all of your small group promotional material. At least highlight a few groups via PowerPoint, especially new groups beginning in the spring.

Create a “user-friendly” process for people to plug-in. Brainstorm this question with your leadership team: “If you were a newcomer to our church on Easter weekend and you wanted to learn more about our church’s community life and possibly get involved, how would you go about pursuing these opportunities?” Invite your leaders to put themselves in the shoes of a first-time guest then discuss how you can make connection simple, clear, and appealing for those who are interested.

Have an updated master list of small groups available for guests to pick up on Easter weekend. Put hardcopies in a visible location in the foyer and at exit locations. Additionally, invite your guests to download this list from your website. (The more welcoming you come across in your communications the more welcomed they will feel, which increases the likelihood of their return.Sometimes people who are new to your church will take this material home so they can get a sense of what your church is like, what’s available, and if your church family is a fit for them. The greater the diversity of groups represented, the more likely it is somebody will find a group or ministry team they could imagine fitting into.)

Provide a “NEXT STEP” for your Easter guests. At the end of a newcomer’s experience at your church, you can say something like: “We loved having you. If you enjoyed being here, we’d love to see you again. Here’s how you can find out more about who we are and some next steps you can take to learn more about our church community and how you can experience more of God in your lives…”

  • A card or insert that lists ways guests can explore their questions further, learn more about the church, or get connected
  • After-service coffee and dessert for first-time guests where they can meet pastoral staff
  • Invite to a short-term spiritual growth opportunity (see next item for more)

Offer a short-term spiritual journey in a large/small group format. By April 6th, offer a 3-6 week growth opportunity that includes food and childcare. After people experience the teaching content as a large group, they breakout to smaller discussion groups.

  • What happened after Jesus’ resurrection? Use Ray Vander Laan’s Faith Lessons series: Volume 4 or 5 or The True Easter Story(
  • The Passion of The Christ 3-week study group (
  • Evidence for the Resurrection. Use Strobel and Mittelberg’s, The Case for Easter video ( and supplement with Faith Under Fire Volume 1 (

See example attached. Just reply back if you’d like to receive the complete package for hosting “Evidence for the Resurrection” and I’ll e-mail it to you at no cost.

Create a card or insert inviting guests to a growth opportunity like those listed in the previous point and put it in a take-away (examples follow) that you invite guests to pick up at no cost as they go. Include on the card your church’s service times, website, etc.

You can encourage your small groups to reach out this Easter by sending some or all of the following suggestions. The first three are ones any small group could do. The last two require some advance planning to order resources, schedule, and promote.

Small Group Outreach Ideas for Easter

  1. Invite your friends to an Easter weekend service– pray for each other as you extend invitations. Take time to talk about this in your group time and encourage each other. Share the names and stories of people being invited.
  1. Ask your pastor how your group could be of support on Easter weekend, e.g. serving together in the nursery, greeting, parking, etc.
  1. Go to a coffee house, restaurant, or other public space on the evening of Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, read Luke 22-24 together, and then celebrate communion. The Eucharist (meaning: “Thanksgiving”), tells the story of the Gospel and as the name suggests is our way of giving thanks for the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the Cross. Taking communion is a meaningful way to celebrate Easter and a powerful communication of the Gospel.
  1. Offer an Easter Egg Hunt in the neighborhood where your group meets. Be up front in all communications that you’re sponsoring this as a small group from your church. Let your guests lead the conversation. If they ask why you’re doing it, just be clear and concise in saying our church’s small group wanted to find a way to show people God’s love this Easter and thought this family event would be a nice thing to do on behalf of our community. Have free resources on hand that people can take home with them. Don’t attempt to distribute them…just have them available for people to take if they’d like. Here are some recommendations:
  • Living Water NT (
  • The Message of Hope (
  • The Case for Easter (
  • Easter is…for Me! (

Include invite cards in each of the first three items for adults.

  1. ShowThe Passion of The Christ film on Palm Sunday (March 16th). Tell your friends it’s a tradition you / your group is starting and you’d love for them to be a part of it. You can do this in your group’s host home or you can expand the circle of influence and prearrange to show the film at a local gathering place like your community’s library, public school, community center, city hall, etc. You are allowed to do this in public spaces – all you need to do is get on the schedule. Keep it simple:
  2. Social Time (15 minutes)
  3. Show Film (126-minutes)
  4. Study Option(

When offering the study option, let people know it is a 3-week commitment and you wanted to offer it so people could further explore facts, figures and themes presented in the film or ask any questions on their mind. Show a sample of the study and release people right away from feeling any obligation to participate, but encourage them if they have any interest. Be brief and simple in your explanation of what it’s all about. Give people time to consider it and let them know you’ll follow-up with them by Easter to work out arrangements for the study.