You’re prepping your Easter Sunday message, finalizing the worship set, cueing up the slides, setting out crafts for kids’ ministry—and trying not to forget the flowers. But in the middle of all the chaos, there’s one team that often gets overlooked: your greeter team.
And yet, they’ll be among the first people your Easter guests interact with.
On the biggest Sunday of the year—when attendance swells and unfamiliar faces fill your lobby—your greeters aren’t just handing out smiles. They’re setting the tone for every new person who walks through your doors.
So how do you set them up for success?
1. Prepare for Congestion Before It Happens
Let’s be honest—congested entrances and clogged lobbies on Easter morning are a good problem. They mean people are showing up. But they can also cause friction, especially for guests who are already unsure if they belong.
Walk your team through the plan ahead of time. Where does traffic tend to bottleneck? Which entrances can you open early? Do you have enough greeters on hand to help move people along with warmth and intention?
Consider drawing people into the building with a coffee bar, a photo spot, or something engaging deeper into the lobby. And if the weather forecast looks grim, be ready with umbrellas and a plan to keep people dry and moving.
2. Treat the Parking Lot Like It Matters—Because It Does
The parking lot is the first impression you never meant to make.
If it’s chaos out there—no signage, no flow, no space—your guests might never make it inside. A well-coordinated parking plan is more than logistics; it’s ministry.
Deploy greeters with bright vests and clear instructions. Use signage to create intuitive traffic flow. If space is tight, partner with nearby businesses or schools for overflow parking, and consider a shuttle to ease the walk.
Your team doesn’t need to be perfect. They just need to be prepared.
3. Don’t Let Kids’ Check-In Be the Bottleneck
Few things will frazzle a new family faster than a long, confusing check-in line.
Easter Sunday is prime time for young families to give church another shot. Let’s not meet them with forms, delays, and frustration.
If you can, offer pre-registration. Keep it optional but highlight the benefits—namely, skipping the line. When a family pre-registers, have their tags ready and their experience smooth.
And regardless of pre-registration, staff your check-in area like you expect a crowd. Open extra stations. Train greeters to help rather than just smile. Make check-in a moment of clarity and kindness—not chaos.
4. Make Seating Simple
Imagine walking into a full sanctuary, scanning for a seat, and realizing no one’s going to help you. It’s uncomfortable—and for a guest, it’s an easy excuse not to come back.
Don’t let that happen. Station greeters inside the sanctuary to help seat people. Encourage your regulars to move to the middle of the row and make room. And if your room fills, have a plan—overflow seating, folding chairs, lobby monitors, whatever it takes.
Even more important: empower your team to make decisions in the moment. Don’t make them hunt down a pastor to set up extra chairs. Equip them with authority and clarity.
5. Make It Obvious Where to Go
If people don’t know where to go, they’ll feel like outsiders.
That’s why signage and personal guidance matter. Use clear, visible signs for key areas—bathrooms, kids’ check-in, auditorium, guest services. Position greeters at turning points and intersections where people might hesitate.
And anchor it all with a clearly marked spot for new guests. A welcome table. A connection center. A banner that says, “Questions? Start here.” Make it obvious and inviting.
The goal is never just direction. It’s connection.
Easter is one of the best opportunities you have to reach new people. But if we’re not intentional, we can miss the chance to turn guests into regulars—and regulars into committed disciples.
So yes, prep your message. Fine-tune the slides. Polish the music.
But don’t forget your greeters. Equip them. Empower them. And remind them: they’re not just saying hello.
They’re opening the door to life change.