For most churches, Easter is the best-attended Sunday of the year and many of those in attendance will be those who only attend on Christmas and Easter. Each year at this time I would ask myself what kind of series should I begin on Easter Sunday that would hopefully make everyone present make spiritual decisions and motivate them to want to come back the following week to learn more. I encourage you to start a new sermon series on Easter Sunday that will encourage your guests to come back to hear the rest of the series.

Most nominal Christians who only attend services on Christmas and Easter usually only hear Christmas and Easter messages. While starting a message series on Easter, you can still incorporate the resurrection story through a short video, children’s message, and the songs you sing, but hopefully peak the interest of those C&E’s along with regular attenders by beginning an exciting new series. You can let all who are gathered for your Easter services why it is important for them to come back and hear the rest of the series. List the upcoming topics of the individual messages coming up so when they leave your church so they can think about coming back.

Some years back years back I started a series on Easter called “Operation Spiritual Freedom.” It was at the time our country was involved in a military conflict called Operation Iraqi Freedom. I even had a logo designed which looked like the patch worn by our country’s armed forces. We made stickers that resembled those patches and highlighted 2 Corinthians 3:17. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

As our nation was about to go to war to ensure the freedom of the country which it was liberating, I wanted to present a series that would speak to the way that a relationship with Christ sets us free indeed. So, on Easter I preached about how Jesus frees us from our fear of death (the empty tomb) and over the next few weeks, I continued to preach on how God sets us free from worry, guilt, materialism, addictions, etc.

On another Easter I started a new series called “No Fear” echoing the angel’s words to Mary Magdalene on that first Easter morning. Over the ensuing weeks I spoke about how God can help us overcome our fears of failure, the future, and commitment (a great one to preach when promoting tithing, baptisms or new members classes).

Easter season is also a time when Hollywood often releases their “faith based” films. I recall that in 2004 when The Passion of the Christ was being released. Our church purchased every seat in the theatre on Palm Sunday afternoon after I preached that morning on the last week of Jesus’ life. If you recall the movie concludes with a spectacular rolling away of the stone scene that paved the way for the message series I began on Easter Sunday on “Resurrecting Your Relationships” 

In February of 2014 when Mark Burnett and Romy Downey produced the movie Son of God, we showed clips of it previewing the accompanying message series I ended on Easter Sunday in early April.   

That same Easter Sunday we showed clips from the newly released Heaven is for Real film. We gave away movie passes to all who came and began a new series on the reality of heaven. Interestingly, Lee Stroebel has released the documentary, The Case for Heaven, based on his book by the same name, just in time for Easter 2022.

We also started new message series on the heels of Hollywood releases like God’s Not Dead, The Bible, and Stroebel’s, The Case for Christ. (Note: we avoided blockbuster flops like Russell Crowes, Noah.)

Your church will likely have its biggest visitor day of the year this Easter. Don’t let it be a one and done deal for your guests. Help all who attend Easter services make their next spiritual step and give them a reason to return by kicking off a strategic message series.