How to Plan A Successful Christian Event

Christian events can take on a variety of forms from Church socials, missions,women’s conferences,  youth rallies, conventions are just a few examples of the kinds of events that exist to cater to believers. Although most people who attend these events probably take it for granted, there’s usually a lot that goes into planning such events and planning time even though varied can be from a few months to even a year depending on the size and type of event.  If you’ve been to a few gatherings like these, you know not all of them turn out as well as expected. Why is that?

Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances which are completely unavoidable. A surprising weather forecast has ruined more events than we’ll ever be able to count. Other times, the planning seems to go perfectly, but the event doesn’t turn out the way it was planned.  The joy of seeing an event turn out successful is not just seeing it happen once but to be able to replicate that success and build on it in the future.  The goal of this writeup is to help and is no way  a quick fix.  Maybe, just maybe though, one or all of these points will help in future event planning. Let’s take a look at some of the ways to improve your Christian events.

Pray, Plan, and Pray Some More

As believers  we know that prayer is important. When a family member is sick, we pray. When we’re worried about trying to know how to pay our bills we pray. Christians have no problem turning to God in a time of need. We’re also pretty good about praying for our leaders, cities, and churches. Not  many people think  about the importance of prayer when it comes to Christian events. 

Let me define what kind of prayer I am talking about. I don’t mean a simple opening prayer at the start of your event.  Prayer should be the  bedrock upon which our actions and plans should be laid. When it comes to planning Christian events, we pray about everything. This means praying for the right speaker to be available, good weather, provision, the food ( if any is being served) the will of God to be done, the attendees and anything else.

In addition before the planning process begins, be sure to pray for wisdom, efficient meeting times to plan the event, divine appointments in the planning and execution, and any other need that fits your specific circumstances. Once you begin to plan, take into account everything that you need to pull the event off. Then, think of everything that could go wrong and pray against it. There is indeed power in prayer.Continue to pray for a positive outcome for your event till the event occurs and don’t forget to thank God after the event is over. 

Know your Audience

Since these are Christian events, we want to remember that the ultimate audience is God. Just like everything else in life, our actions should both glorify him and seek to make His name known. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” This is something we should take into account every day, but especially when we are hosting Christian events. We’re not just trying to throw a successful function, but we are working heartily as unto the Lord.

Embrace Change

It’s easy to get attached to your “perfect plan” but do your best to be open to change and to go with the flow. Just like a conversation is much more natural if it’s not going off a precise script, the same goes with your event and your schedule. Be willing to make adjustments for your audience.

One of the scariest phrases to hear in a meeting at a church, school, or business is “That’s how we’ve always done it.” In most circumstances, this phrase is the last defence offered for a program or idea that simply isn’t working anymore. Tradition is a wonderful thing. If you take a moment, you can probably think of several traditions in your life that don’t really make a whole lot of sense. You simply do them out of habit.

No one is saying that Christian events or their hosts should change their values, but we should be constantly evaluating how we are getting the message out and what effect we are having on the world. Don’t fear change, as it just might be the saving grace for your event