Easter, for a church staff, is an administrative beast.

Whereas a normal staff meeting would cover multiple weeks and months of planning, most staffs devote an entire meeting (or two or three) to Easter alone. Planning details, follow-up, worship elements, volunteers, and extra chairs, churches pour great time and energy into Easter services.

Because we know that we have the chance to impact the lives of people who don’t regularly participate in our worship services.

And we want every note, every letter, every light to be perfect.

But sometimes, church staffs can get lost in the fog of planning. And that’s an incredibly dangerous place to be.

I don’t know about you, but my call to the ministry wasn’t a call to planning and administrative paper-pushing. My call to the ministry was a call to do. A call to be. A call to live the Gospel and proclaim it.

So here’s my open letter to church staffs everywhere.

 

Church staff and leadership,

As you prepare for Easter this year, don’t get locked down in the planning. Don’t get lost in the details.

Don’t let the fog overtake you as you rehearse.

Don’t let the glitz grip your heart.

The reason we have Easter services is because Jesus didn’t stay in the grave.

The tomb of death is empty.

The cross wasn’t the final chapter.

At the cross, our fears and failures and pain were killed.

Easter is more than just our biggest service of the year.

The fact that it’s the biggest service of the year means that more people get to inhale a fresh breath of life.

A fresh hook of hope.

And get to discover, maybe for the first time or the first time in a long time, how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:18)

Plan, scheme, and detail the mess out of Easter. But don’t lose sight of that empty tomb.

Sincerely,

Ben