Easter Sunday has passed and prayerfully, it was a tremendous victory for the kingdom and your church. Now it is time to nurture, develop, and mobilize those new converts, and ride the wave of momentum built up this past weekend. Here are eight things you must not miss as you move forward:

Affirm the Staff and Volunteers. Quite a bit of work went into Easter weekend. The Maundy Thursday service, the Easter egg hunt, the sunrise service. All the singing, dancing, and hours of volunteer time should be commended. The pastor is probably exhausted. Now imagine the staff or volunteers, some of them attended or worked behind the scenes at every event. Give them a heart-felt “thank you” and if possible, treat them to a meal or a small token of appreciation.

Assess the Service(s). Schedule a specific debriefing time (please not Monday) with the staff, volunteers, and even a member-at-large (or two). Get feedback on how the weekend went, what can be done better in the future, and take time to celebrate what the Lord did. Be prepared to listen, write everything down, try not to solve every problem in that meeting. Set that aside for planning Easter 2018.

Allow a Day of Recovery. Give the staff Monday off while alerting them to the importance of not losing momentum. Give the staff and volunteers a day for prayer, reflection, or rest. This should be a day of rest for the pastor as well. Hit the ground running the next day but allow opportunity for everyone to catch their breath.

Articulate the Vision. The weeks following Easter are a great time to remind people about the overall vision and mission of the church. Those who are new will be brought up to speed and veteran members will be reminded of the church’s purpose and direction.

Ask Questions. The momentum being high, it is a great time to conduct a brief, simple survey. Be intentional on what information you want to gather. For instance,conduct a resource survey asking people what they do for a living, their passion, and their dreams. You might discover new ministries, professionals, or resources that can help get people plugged in, which increases the chance of them sticking around and helps you to get to know them better.

Assimilate the New Members. We know that many people join on Easter and Mother’s Day. If “Easter members” don’t return it could be the church’s fault. We tend to expect them to drift away only to be seen annually. I contend part of the reason people visit but do not return is the church fails to follow-up. Check out this earlier email about how to reach out to newer members.

Advance the Kingdom Agenda. You have a wave of momentum right now. Use Easter momentum to push the mission of the church, encourage discipleship classes, solicit volunteers, and encourage the people to tell others about Jesus and your church. You can never share the gospel too much and by doing so, you are literally reflecting the days after the resurrection by letting others know He lives!

Affirm the Staff and Volunteers (part 2). Did I mention how important it is toaffirm those who worked diligently to make Easter a success? Don’t forget to thank the parents for the numerous children’s rehearsals, the ushers and greeters for standing through multiple services, those who helped baptize, thank the deacons and ministers, and your family for being by your side.

Finally, let me applaud YOU for your service to the body.There is nothing like serving in leadership for God’s kingdom. You are greatly appreciated. Please get some rest, get refreshed, and get ready for the harvest that is a result of your hard work.

Let me know if your church needs any help, I am here to serve,

Anthony C. Cobbs[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]