Easter Operations Checklist

How to Prep Your Systems, People, and Logistics for the Biggest Weekend of the Year

Easter weekend is coming fast, and it’s one of the biggest system stress tests of the year.

You’ll have more guests, more giving, more kids check-ins, more volunteers (and more “where do I go?” questions) than a typical weekend. And that’s exactly why a little preparation now can create a smoother weekend later—so your team can focus on ministry moments instead of last-minute fixes.

Below is a practical, ministry-minded Easter Operations Checklist you can use to get ready.

Guest Experience Systems: Make it easy to say “yes” to the next step

Easter guests don’t just show up to just attend; they show up to evaluate (“Is this a place for me?”). Operational clarity helps people feel cared for.

• Define the guest pathway: Arrive → Welcome → Connect → Next Step

• Confirm where and how you collect guest info: connect cards, QR codes, kiosk sign-ups, texting a keyword, etc.

• Assign ownership: Who “owns” guest follow-up? Who sends? Who calls? Who tracks?

• Prep your follow-up content: one short “thanks for coming” message within 24–48 hours and a clear invitation (next service, next steps class, small groups, etc.)

• Confirm your environment supports the flow: signage, parking flow, greeters at decision points, info booth staffed

• If you do multiple services: plan for a consistent guest experience across every service time

Pro tip: Don’t design your flow for your regular attenders. Design it for someone who has never been in your building.

Data Integrity: Clean data is pastoral care (seriously)

Easter often creates a surge of new profiles: first-time guests, kids check-in households, new givers, new email subscribers. If your database is messy, the ministry impact is real: follow-up falls through cracks,  families get duplicated,  kids check-in gets slower, and reports become hard to trust.

• Reduce duplicates (people + households)

• Standardize required fields:  name, phone, email, household, address (as needed), campus/service preferences

• Confirm kids check-in fields are accurate:  guardians, authorized pickup, allergy/medical notes (as applicable)

• Review list hygiene:  outdated tags, broken automations, “ghost” lists, and unsubscribes

• Test the full workflow: add a fake guest → see what happens next (email? task? follow-up list?)

If your church is planning to do any “Easter outreach follow-up,” data cleanup is one of the most strategic prep moves you can make.

Finance Systems: Make giving smooth and reporting even smoother

Easter giving is often one of the highest weekends of the year, which means the experience needs to be easy for donors, and the backend needs to be clear for staff.

When finance systems aren’t working well, teams usually feel it in three places: gifts are hard to categorize, end-of-day processes are unclear, and accounting reconciliation becomes a headache.

• Test giving end-to-end: mobile giving, text-to-give, in-person giving (if applicable). Confirm receipts work properly

• Confirm designations:  “General Fund,” “Missions,” “Building,” “Easter Offering,” etc. mapped correctly

• Prepare for volume: who counts, who verifies, who approves, who deposits. Documented process per service

• Confirm integrations: does giving data flow cleanly into accounting (or does someone re-enter manually)?

• Plan reporting: what does leadership expect to see Monday/Tuesday? Who pulls the report? What’s the format?

Volunteer Onboarding: Right people, right roles, ready to serve

Easter usually requires extra hands. The most common “volunteer pain” isn’t a lack of heart, it’s a lack of clarity.

• Confirm the weekend roster: Which teams need extra volunteers? How many per service?

• Build role clarity: one-sentence purpose + top 3 responsibilities per role

• Create a simple onboarding flow:  application → screening → approval → training → scheduling

• Reduce day-of confusion:  call times, locations, who to report to, what to do if they’re lost

• Train for common scenarios: late volunteers, sick kids, guest questions, overflow seating, tech issues

• Run a short “service day huddle” plan: 10 minutes, every service, same talking points

Pro tip: Give every new volunteer one “win” they can accomplish easily on day one. Confidence is contagious.

Logistics + Operations: The behind-the-scenes stuff that makes everything feel calm

This is the section most teams don’t write down… and then pay for later.

• Parking + traffic flow plan (especially for peak arrival times)

• Signage audit: Where do guests naturally hesitate? Add signs there.

• Seating plan + overflow plan: Who opens overflow? When? How is it communicated?

• Kids ministry capacity plan: check-in stations staffed, room ratios, supply restock, security procedures

• Safety + escalation: medical response plan, security roles, who has radios, who makes calls

• Communication plan:  service producer/point person, key contacts list, run-of-show per service

• Supplies: connect cards, pens, lanyards, labels, offering supplies, volunteer snacks (yes, snacks)

Want a simpler way to put this plan in front of your team? Download the printable Easter Operations Checklist, a one-page guide you can review in a staff meeting, share with ministry leaders, and check off as you prepare.