Easter Follow-Up: The #1 Action to Turn Easter Visitors into Engaged Members

For many churches, Easter is one of the most highly attended services of the year. Families and individuals who may not regularly attend church often feel inspired to reconnect with their faith during this meaningful season. 

This presents an incredible opportunity for church leaders to engage with visitors, but without intentional follow-up, many may never return. In fact, statistics suggest that up to 94% of first-time guests won’t come back. 

So, how can faith leaders nurture relationships with Easter guests and encourage them to take the next step in their spiritual journey? In this article, we’ll explore five practical Easter follow-up strategies to turn Easter visitors into active members of your church community. 

But first, it’s important to recognize why Easter is such a key opportunity for church growth and engagement.

Recognizing the Easter opportunity 

Easter Sunday is a pivotal moment in the Christian faith and church attendance reflects that sentiment. In fact, a Lifeway Research report found that 52% of pastors said that Easter was their most attended worship service.  

Regardless of the worship style, delivering a message of sacrifice, forgiveness, and redemption remains at the heart of many Easter services. However, beyond delivering an inspiring message, the opportunities made available by an attentive crowd cannot be ignored when it comes to strengthening your faith community.  

• Grow membership: Many Easter visitors may be searching for a church home or feeling drawn to deepen their faith journey. And a growing church not only increases opportunities for service and ministry outreach but also fosters a strong sense of community and belonging. 

• Expand evangelism: Word-of-mouth is always the best review. Visitors may be inspired to share the good words they heard with others. By creating a meaningful and memorable service, churches can encourage attendees to spread the message, extending their outreach beyond the walls of the sanctuary. 

• Increase giving: Easter is a time of reflection and renewed faith, making it a natural moment to highlight the connection between generosity and spiritual growth. By providing simple and accessible ways to give, churches can encourage visitors to support missions, outreach efforts, and financial needs beyond a one-time Easter offering. 

5 key Easter follow-up strategies to engage visitors

Easter is more than a single day of worship — it’s a powerful opportunity to foster deeper relationships, strengthen your church community, and inspire long-term engagement. But meaningful connections don’t happen by chance. They require thoughtful and intentional follow-up. 

Let’s explore five key Easter follow-up strategies to help you turn visitors into engaged and active members of your church community. 

1. Follow through with timely Easter follow-up 

Once the last echoes of a sermon have faded away, church leaders should take intentional steps to show Easter visitors why their church is the best place to nurture their spiritual needs. 

The days and weeks following Easter are crucial for making a lasting impression. Here’s how to ensure your follow-up is warm, personal, and inviting:

• Make a personal call: There’s nothing like a personal phone call to thank a visitor for attending your service. It’s a direct and heartfelt way to express your gratitude and make them feel valued. Engage in active listening to answer any questions and invite them to upcoming events, such as Mother’s Day services or small group gatherings. 

• Send an Easter follow-up email: Email is a quick and convenient way to stay in touch. A well-crafted follow-up email can include a warm message of gratitude, highlights from the Easter service, and an invitation to return for future events. Personalizing the email with the visitor’s name and any interests they shared can make it even more effective. 

• Offer text updates: Provide visitors with the opportunity to opt-in to text message updates regarding upcoming services and community events. Consistent engagement can help keep Easter visitors informed and connected with your church. 

2. Invite Easter visitors to take the next step 

Easter often sparks a renewed sense of faith for many visitors, but without a clear path forward, they may not know how to stay engaged. Providing welcoming, intentional invitations can make all the difference in helping them feel connected and involved.

Here are some ideas you can implement to help Easter visitors take the next step: 

• Encourage small group participation: Invite guests to attend a small group, Bible study, or community event where they can build deeper relationships beyond Sunday services. Make it easy for them to join by providing a list of available groups, their meeting times, and how to sign up. 

• Share service and volunteer opportunities: If visitors expressed interest in serving, provide details on how they can get involved in church ministries or community outreach programs. Highlight opportunities that align with their skills and passions and introduce them to ministry leaders who can guide them in their involvement. 

• Create a clear next-step pathway: Some visitors may need more guidance on their spiritual journey. Offering a structured pathway, such as a “Next Steps” class or discipleship program, can help them understand how to grow in their faith and become more involved in your church community. 

3. Prepare your Easter follow-up strategy in advance 

First impressions are lasting ones. And creating a welcoming environment that inspires Easter visitors to join your church begins with the messaging you craft before a single person walks into your sanctuary.  

Some Easter visitors may already be familiar with your church but haven’t attended, while others may be completely new to the area. Either way, ensuring communication tools are current and easy to understand may be their first introduction to who you are.  

Your church’s website, social media, and printed materials play a key role in how visitors perceive your community. Before Easter, take time to update and optimize these communication tools: 

• Church website: Your church’s website will often serve as the first glimpse into your ministry for visitors. Take an objective look and consider a visitor’s user experience. Are your links active? Is your calendar current? Are your images dynamic and reflective of your membership? Are service times easy to find? 

• Social media: Leveraging social media is one of the easiest ways to engage visitors since many will access it to learn more about your church and congregation. Beyond service times and dates, social media pages are the perfect place to leave personalized messages for visitors and share how excited you are to welcome them back for future services.  

• Mailers: A bright and colorful postcard grabs attention and serves as a tangible reminder of your church. Increase their effectiveness with a QR code that links to more information about your ministry or even points of contact for questions about your church. 

4. Build lasting connections during Easter service 

When the sanctuary doors open for Easter services, creating a welcoming environment becomes more important than ever. A space where visitors can envision themselves long-term fosters feelings of belonging and leads to sustainability for your ministry.  

The way visitors experience your Easter service will shape their decision to return. Consider these ways to create a welcoming and engaging environment: 

• Train friendly greeters: Warm smiles from friendly and informative greeters can leave an impression on visitors and help them feel at ease. Be sure they are ready to answer questions about seating areas, children’s services, bathroom locations, quiet rooms for those with sensory concerns, and other information. 

• Recognize visitors: Recognizing visitors during the service lets them know you’re happy they chose to worship with you. Whether it’s a simple welcome announcement from the pastor or encouraging congregation members to extend a handshake, these actions lay the foundation for the personal connection many are looking for when considering a church home. 

• Provide a “welcome packet”: While offering a visitor’s card for guests to leave their information is standard, a thoughtfully designed welcome packet can make an even greater impact. Include essential details about your church, upcoming events, and ways to get involved, along with a small gift such as a magnet, bookmark, or journal. These personalized tokens serve as a warm reminder of your church and encourage visitors to stay connected. 

5. Highlight what makes your church unique  

With more than 370,000 religious congregations in the United States, visitors to your church made a conscious decision to attend your Easter service. However, many may visit multiple churches before deciding where to return.

To inspire them to join as new members, take a few moments to think about your church from a visitor’s perspective. Help them see why your church is the right place for them by emphasizing what makes your community special: 

• Is your pastor known for delivering compelling sermons? Showcase how they make messages relevant, engaging, and impactful.

• Do you offer diverse ministry opportunities? Highlight how members can connect through various programs and outreach efforts. 

• Is community service a big part of your mission? Emphasize ways your church makes an impact beyond the sanctuary. 

Taking a fresh look at what makes your church stand out is a strategic way to capitalize on the unique factors that could attract new members. 

Build lasting connections beyond Easter service 

For many, Easter is a time of reflection, hope, and celebration. By intentionally following up, faith leaders can foster ongoing relationships with visitors who are seeking spiritual growth and a place to belong. Draw inspiration from these strategies to help Easter visitors see the value of joining your church and embarking on a fulfilling spiritual journey.

Looking for help with your Easter follow-up? Explore our Easter toolkit for best practices and resources to turn one-time givers into faithful stewards.