Most pastors and church staff members will spend a large chunk of their time, energy, and budget on Easter Sunday; to the point where they forget about the sermon after Easter. Having a great week after Easter is just as important (if not more important) than Easter Sunday service, itself.
If you can get visitors back for the next service, there’s a better chance they’ll get involved in the life-changing community of your local church.
One way to do this is by planning and promoting an intentional, captivating sermon series to start the week after Easter. What will grab the attention of guests, compelling them to return? What subject naturally flows from the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
In this article, we have some ideas for how to get people to return. We also provide you with a collection of sermon series that are a great fit for preaching after Easter Sunday.
Excel Calendar Worksheet
Plan a year’s worth of sermon series in advance with this simple, but powerful spreadsheet!
You and your team will be in the best position to know what the needs of your people are and the needs of your larger community — use these ideas plus your contextual knowledge to create a preaching calendar plan that gives a compelling reason for those who maybe only attend church once or twice a year (Easter & Christmas) to return for the next Sunday.
Get People to Return After Easter
For many churches, Easter is one of the highest attended Sundays of the year. But the week after Easter doesn’t always draw the same crowd. Your church is not alone in that struggle. That’s why it’s important to plan a sermon after Easter that will bring people back.
An entire episode of Hello Church! is dedicated to this specific topic! This 23-minute episode provides you with a collection of thoughts from other churches and pastors that you can then apply to your own church and congregation.
Watch the episode below.
If you’re not convinced of the importance of the week right after Easter, think about it from this perspective. “When we put all our eggs in the Easter basket, we do a disservice to our community. Consider your ministry from a holistic perspective: overall, you don’t want people to come for just one day. You want them to come back, become part of your community, and be discipled.”
The week after Easter can feel like a great time to take a break after a huge week of ministry! And you do deserve some rest – you and your team put a lot of work into Easter Sunday. You want to present your best to the guests who come back, without exhausting your staff – and that’s why we put together this list of post-Easter sermon topics and ideas for you.
Topics to Consider for After Easter Sermons
Easter Sunday is the perfect time to present the Gospel message – after all, that’s what the holiday is all about! People are open to hearing about the meaning of Easter, and you have the opportunity to share and lead them to salvation.
But don’t make Easter a stand-alone week of ministry. Keep the momentum going by choosing a follow-up topic that flows from this powerful Sunday. The book of Acts follows right after the Easter story in the New Testament, so the early church may be a great topic for your church to discuss. Or build on your Easter topic by following it with a sermon series about salvation (and its meaning, purpose, and power).
Or, go in the direction of next steps. Talk about how to live with the mission of the Gospel at the forefront of our lives. Preach a series breaking down the Great Commission and send people into their communities to share the Good News even further. Or preach about God’s character, telling new believers who He is and reminding longtime church members of His faithfulness and goodness.
You could also choose a topic that will catch the attention of a new believer. For example, you could preach a sermon about unity (because there is so much division in today’s world). You could preach about God’s sovereignty even in the midst of suffering and chaos, or contentment in a materialistic world. Address a tension people feel in their everyday lives. Or choose something culturally relevant, based on a movie, TV show, or popular album.
Sermon Series Ideas for Preaching After Easter
No matter what topic you choose, remember that the ministry you do this Easter will not be a one-week event. God is continuing to work in you and through you the week (and many weeks) after Easter! The sermon series you preach after Easter has the opportunity to bring guests back and help them continue to take next steps in their faith.
In this article, you’ll find many sermon series ideas to make your post-Easter planning easier. These series are all a great fit to follow Easter Sunday. Remember, this isn’t just a one-time event – the story isn’t over!
Chapter 2: What Comes After Salvation
“Chapter 2” is about the next steps after salvation, the gifts God graciously provides for us to grow closer to him and into greater Christlikeness—his church, the discipleship of other believers, and his gracious work of sanctification in our lives. Your Easter service introduced your new visitors to the Gospel, compelling some of them to take next steps. Follow Easter with this series to continue to lead them in their new journey.
Therefore, Go
The resurrection ignites the Christian church to spread the message of Jesus. This four-week series looks at the Great Commission and the first few chapters of Acts to help listeners understand and participate in the mission of God. These are the perfect topics to cover after your Easter Sunday sermon – inviting people to invite others!
So You’re a Christian?
This three-week series is both an introduction for new believers and a reminder to more mature believers about the work God continues to do in our lives after salvation. Lead your congregation in a discussion about what comes next after Salvation, and take the conversation deeper with a small group discussion guide for mid-week application and discussion. Don’t leave people wondering what’s next.
All In: Taking Your Next Steps With Christ
Keep the excitement going after Easter Sunday! “All In” is about the next steps after salvation, the gifts God graciously provides for us to grow closer to him and into greater Christlikeness—baptism, giving, church community, and the importance of serving. Help people take their next steps to get connected to the church and grow deeper in their faith.
I Witness
This series highlights four events that occurred after the resurrection of Jesus and the importance of these events in how Christians understand who Jesus is and why the faith matters. Everyone knows what it means to be an “eye witness,” but unpack what it would have been like to have witnessed the events right after the resurrection – and how those events change our lives today.
To the Ends of the Earth: The Book of Acts
The Gospels are immediately followed by the book of Acts – so why not follow Easter Sunday by unpacking the spread of the kingdom of God in Acts? From Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the world, Jesus has commissioned every one of his followers to be his witness by the power of the Holy Spirit. Today, we continue to be his witnesses and have a vital role in the continuing story of Jesus’s unstoppable kingdom.
Proclaim: The Gospel Has Come
What did the early church’s first proclamations of Jesus look like? You will discover in them a consistent message of sin, grace, and salvation in the name of Jesus. Through this seven-week series, lead your congregation to examine seven sermons in the book of Acts and grow through their stories and truth.
On Mission
Start this four-week series after Easter to explore Jesus’ teaching about being on mission for him. Your congregation will discover how to “brag on” God, represent the body of Christ to our community, participate in and be grateful for the church, and be welcoming agents of grace to others. This is a great series for both new and mature believers and will continue the excitement and passion after a great Easter Sunday.
Vivid Sermon Series
When we receive new life in Christ, we should view the world differently. This 5-week sermon series explores what it looks like to see others through the spiritual lens of Christ. This is a great follow-up to Easter Sunday. It’s creative, bright, and answers the “What’s my next step?” question that new believers often ask.
Corinthians: The Power of Unity
The week after Easter is a fantastic time to go into a discipleship message set. This 10-week series over the book of 1 Corinthians teaches that true unity in the body of Christ only comes when believers commit their lives wholeheartedly to Jesus. The idea of growing deeper in God’s Word is the best motivation for some, and this series does that.
God on Film
Movies capture our imagination. They make us laugh and cry. They make us happy and sad. This 4-week series uses four 2016 summer/spring films to illustrate important truths from the Bible. This series is a lot of fun and might be the attention-grabber some people need to come check out your church a second time.
The Age of Heroes
We’re getting ready to enter the spring and summer—AKA superhero alley. Using the imagery of superhero films, this 4-week series looks at three prominent heroes in the Bible—examining their strengths, weaknesses, and how Christ succeeded where they failed.
Esther: God Remembers You
Many of the guests in your Easter service are lost, hurt, and lonely. They feel like God has forgotten about them. This 5-week series, through the book of Esther, emphasizes God’s sovereignty, love, and protection—even though we don’t always see it. When you hit a pain point in the lives of your people, they’ll come back to hear the Answer.
Additional Resources for After Easter Sermons
Illustration Ideas
- First Fruit Sermon Illustration – Jesus is “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep”. This video about growing apples talks about the various stages of growth for the fruit trees
- Be Transformed Sermon Illustration – a reminder that we are to be transformed and not conformed to the ways of this world.
- Our Comforter Sermon Illustration – use this illustration to reinforce the point that even in a difficult world, God’s Spirit brings us comfort
Topics on Ministry Pass
- Sermon Series about Salvation
- Sermon Series about Resurrection
- Sermon Series about a New Creation
- Sermon Series about Acts
- Sermon Series about the Church
Additional Resources
- After Easter: How Christ’s Resurrection Changed Everything – this book describes the impact of Christ rising from the dead and includes small group discussion questions. If you plan to launch a small group after Easter, this book is a great resource to consider.
- That Sunday After Easter | Desiring God – “[in the weeks after Easter], there is less excitement, less panache, less décor — and more resemblance to that original Easter so many Sundays ago.” This article reminds us of the week after the original Easter Sunday.
- From Now On: Living Out Your Faith – When Jesus saves someone, He calls them into a new life, an abundant life, shaped by his freedom, love, and grace. Use this Youth Sermon Series to lead your students to consider what this new life looks like.
Make the Sunday After Easter Count
Easter Sunday is a busy day for all involved. Obviously you and the staff have been building a great service in the weeks leading up to the day, but consider just how busy and distracted attendees will be?
There is a reality that no matter how great Easter Sunday goes, the message will go in one ear and out the other ear for so many in attendance. It’s not your fault. It’s not their fault. It’s just what happens on big family celebration days.
Focus on preaching a nice message that provides a good experience and delivers truth. Then, make a compelling case for people to return the following week. For those who do return, you now have a second opportunity to connect with them, and this time there will be fewer distractions and competing agendas.
Make the most of it – the story doesn’t end here!
Excel Calendar Worksheet
Plan a year’s worth of sermon series in advance with this simple, but powerful spreadsheet!
