I still remember the year I had a birthday party and no one came–well, one friend did–after I called her and told her we were going to the pool. Pitiful, huh? Obviously scarred me for life. Looking back, I’m hopeful it wasn’t because no one liked me, but perhaps because we didn’t invite anyone until the day of my birthday (or maybe the day before)!
Another time I remember having a huge event at church with LOTS of friends! Great, huh? Sort of. While we had lots and lots of people who attended, we also had lots and lots of people who left–before everything was cleaned up–and a very few, very dear friends who hung around out of sympathy to help me clean up!
All that to say, DON’T LET THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOU!!!
Below are 5 tips to help you steer clear of the debacles that happened to me.
- Make sure you even need to have the event. Does it serve a purpose? Is it in line with your church’s ministry statement and your vision for your ministry? If not – don’t do it! If so, carry on …
- Look at calendars—your calendar, the church’s calendar, school calendars, sports calendars, local community calendars—you’re never going to have a day that’s perfect for everyone, but try to schedule a good date for as many people as possible.
- Invite people ahead of time! Advertise the event any and every time you can, and in as many different ways as you can. People need to hear or read about an event at least 7 times before they are truly connected.
- Don’t do it by yourself. Enlist people – for jobs from start to finish. You’ll have some people who can’t attend, but who are willing to help set up before or clean up afterward.
- Enjoy the party! You’ve got enough help that you don’t need to be everywhere at all times. Take time to talk with kids and their families—church members as well as guests! (Remember to follow up with those guests to invite them to future activities at your church.)
And one bonus tip: be sure to evaluate afterward so that it can be even better next time!
Now, let’s get this party started!
Klista Storts serves as an Editorial Ministry Specialist for Lifeway Kids. Before coming to Lifeway, she served as the Weekday and Preschool Specialist at the Tennessee Baptist Convention and as Director of Preschool Ministries at churches in Oklahoma and Tennessee. Klista has a passion for equipping leaders to share the love of Christ and lay foundations for conversion in the lives of kids.
