Every December, people who have not been to church in years look up a Christmas Eve service. They search on a phone, usually the night before. If your website shows last year’s times or nobody answers their question, they pick another church or stay home.
Christmas is the one season when guests come to you. The work is making sure they find answers fast and hear from a real person afterward.
Here is a six-week plan. For 2026, Christmas Eve falls on Thursday, December 24, so week six starts the week of November 12.
Week 6: Choose one invitation
Pick the single next step you want a guest to take. A Christmas Eve service is the obvious one. Write it in one sentence: “Join us Christmas Eve at 5 PM. Kids welcome. Free parking.”
Then update your website. Put the service times, address and a Plan Your Visit button on the homepage. A smart church website turns that button into a short form so you collect a name and a way to reach the guest.
Week 5: Teach your AI assistant the details
Guests ask the same questions every December. What time does it start? How long is it? Is there childcare? Where do I park? Is the building accessible? What should my kids wear?
Write the answers down and load them into your AI assistant. Then test it yourself. Ask it the five questions you would ask as a stranger. If an answer does not sound like your church, fix it before anyone else sees it.
Week 4: Equip your congregation to invite
Most first-time Christmas guests come because someone they know asked them. Give your church family an easy way to do it: a shareable link to the service page, a short text they copy and send, a line in the bulletin and a few printed invitation cards for neighbors and coworkers.
Keep the tone warm and low pressure. “We would love to save you a seat” works better than any sales language.
Week 3: Reach your neighborhood
Post the service details on your church social accounts and your Google Business Profile. Add your Christmas Eve service to local community calendars. Make sure the same times appear everywhere. Mismatched times are the most common reason a guest shows up at the wrong hour.
Week 2: Confirm and remind
If guests register or reply, send a short confirmation text and a reminder two days before. Keep a person ready for anything the AI routes to staff, such as a prayer request or a question about faith. Those belong to a pastor, not an automated reply.
Week 1: Brief your team
Meet with greeters, ushers, parking volunteers and children’s ministry leaders. Tell them what a first-time guest feels walking in: a little nervous and watching for a friendly face. Decide who greets, who walks families to the kids area and who offers coffee afterward.
Put a QR code on the bulletin or a screen that opens a one-minute connection form. Guests who scan it enter your follow-up system without handing over a paper card.
Christmas Eve and the 24 hours after
Capture every guest you are able to. Then follow up fast.
Within minutes of a guest submitting the form, your automated follow-up sends a thank-you text. The next morning an email shares what to expect in January and how to join a small group. On day three, your team receives a reminder to make a personal call.
Speed matters here. A guest who hears from you the same day remembers you. A guest who hears from you in two weeks has already moved on.
Keep the people in charge
AI handles questions at midnight, confirmations and the first thank-you. Your pastors and volunteers handle everything that matters most: the handshake, the prayer, the coffee afterward and the call on day three. Marketing a church is stewardship. The guest is the hero, and your church is the guide.
What it takes to go live
Digital Pastor Starter is $149 a month and Growth is $349 a month. Most churches go live in under a week, which means you still have time if you start this week. See the pricing page for details.
Your first step this week
Open your website on your phone and search for your church the way a stranger would. Check the service times, the address and the Plan Your Visit button. Write down everything that is missing or wrong.
Then book a demo and bring that list. We will show you how to fix each item before Advent begins.
