6 Ways To Build Momentum Toward Christmas - and Beyond
According to Lifeway Research, nearly half of U.S. adults (47%) typically attend church at Christmastime. And among those who don’t, 56% say they would likely attend if someone they know personally invited them.
Think about what that means for your church. A neighbor, coworker, or family member may be more open to an invitation than you realize. And when they arrive, they’ll bring their questions, expectations, and real-life struggles with them.
As church leaders, we spend hours planning music, messages, decorations, and service times. Alongside those decisions, we need to ask: Who are we preparing to welcome, and how can we help them take a step toward Jesus?
Here are six practical ways to plan for Christmas with your congregation and community in mind - from the first invitation to preparing meaningful worship to conversations that continue after Christmas.
1. Plan for spiritual curiosity.
Pew’s latest Religious Landscape Study found that most religiously unaffiliated adults have spent at least some time thinking about God and religion. That creates an opportunity to speak to honest questions. Pew Research Center
Practical idea: Explain familiar Christmas language like Emmanuel and Savior, briefly introduce why you light candles, and build the message around a question such as, “What does it mean for God to be with us when life feels uncertain?”
2. Make room for the Christmas people are actually experiencing.
A guest may be celebrating a new baby, navigating a divorce, spending the holiday alone, or facing the first Christmas without someone they love. Barna’s holiday guidance highlights the importance of recognizing different family realities. barna.com
Practical idea: Include a brief moment acknowledging grief and unmet expectations. Connect “God with us” to those realities and offer prayer with a real person after the service.
3. Give people a moment of stillness they can participate in.
Consider what a deliberately unhurried moment could bring to your service. Where can people reflect, pray, or respond personally?
Practical idea: Follow the reading of Luke 2 with 30 seconds of silence and a guided prayer. Let one familiar carol be carried by the congregation’s voices. Build participation into the service from the beginning.
4. Deploy your congregation.
Help your people think personally about who they could invite to Christmas Eve. A neighbor, coworker, or friend may be open to coming but simply waiting for someone to ask. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, encourage everyone to identify one person, pray for them, and extend an invitation.
Also, an invitation becomes more personal when someone offers to meet a guest outside, sit with them, and introduce them afterward. Encourage members to make a specific invitation: “Come with us at 4p. We’ll meet you at the entrance, and you’re welcome to join us for dinner afterward.”
Practical Idea: Close a service leading up to Christmas with a “Who’s your one?” moment. Give everyone a card with space to write someone’s first name, then take a minute to pray for those people together. Invite members to take the card home as a reminder and make a personal invitation that week. Provide Christmas Eve service times and a simple graphic or website link they can text along with a personal message.
5. Give guests a reason to come back before they leave.
As you plan Christmas Eve, think about what you’re inviting people into afterward. “Join us again next Sunday (or in the new year)” is an invitation, but sharing what they’ll experience helps guests understand why they might want to return. Consider the questions a spiritually curious person may be carrying and how your upcoming message or January series could speak to them.
Practical Idea: Prepare a brief invitation for the end of your Christmas Eve service that names the next message or series and why it matters. Pair it with one simple opportunity to connect, such as coffee with a pastor or a January newcomers gathering. Include the date, time, and what to expect.
6. Give guests a reason to come back before they leave.
Before Christmas arrives, decide who will follow up with guests, when they’ll reach out, and what they’ll say. A thoughtful message can help continue the relationship that began on Christmas Eve. If someone shares a prayer request or personal need, make room for a personal response. Encourage members who brought someone to reach out as well.
Practical Idea: Assign a team to send a warm thank-you within 48 hours to guests who choose to share their contact information. Keep it simple: thank them for coming, offer a way to ask questions or request prayer, and share the next invitation. Equip your congregation with an equally simple text: “Loved having you with us on Christmas Eve. Want to sit with us again Sunday or in the new year?”
In Summary
As you plan Christmas this year, picture the people who will sit in your congregation. Someone may be exploring faith for the first time. Someone may have attended Christmas Eve services their whole life and needs to hear its message with fresh ears. Someone may be carrying grief nobody else can see. Someone may have come simply because a friend cared enough to invite them.
Let those people shape your preparation.
You don’t have to reinvent your entire Christmas service. Start by choosing one or two areas where your church can be more intentional.
The service may last an hour, but the relationships that begin there can continue long after the decorations come down. Plan with that possibility in mind.