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18 Impressive Church Christmas Program Ideas

January 2, 2023 by Chinny Verana Leave a Comment

Church Christmas program ideas example: play of Christmas story inside a Church

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! With the advent season and the merriment everywhere, December is indeed the most fabulous time of every year. This is the time when friends and family would gather to celebrate the season together.

The Holiday Season is also a busy time for churches. Celebrating Christ’s birth is a perfect opportunity to engage the whole congregation and to reiterate the real reason for the season. Here are some Christmas program ideas your church can try out.

What Makes an Impressive Church Christmas Program

Before jumping on to some of the most engaging and fun program ideas, let’s first consider the factors that make your program exceptional.

Christ, not Santa

We must never forget what is the reason for the season. Who is the reason for the celebration? For a lot of Christmas programs, Jesus Christ gets left out because of gift-giving, merriment, reunions, etc.

Remember that the reason why we are celebrating is because of the birth of Jesus. We can have a lot of church Christmas program ideas but as event planners, we must always bear in mind to highlight Christ in our programs.

Community not only church

It is a great time for the church to get engaged in the community . Consider the community in the planning process. Christmas outreach should be among the top priorities when planning for the Christmas program. Being event planners, think of ways to connect with your community and make it known that the church is here to give back to the community.

Call (Invite) people

Whatever activities you may come up with, take into account that these programs and events are opportunities for the church to be able to share the love of Christ with others. Encourage everyone to find someone to invite.

That plus one should be family members or friends who are not yet a member of the church. This is a great opportunity to reach out to others and start to build relationships with them to win them to Christ.

Convenience factor (Go live)

The holiday season is the most festive time of the year, yet it is also the busiest. Make your church Christmas program convenient for everyone by considering a hybrid approach. Since the advent of live streaming, going live with events is now a convenient way to engage with church members who can’t get to the church and those who may be out of town.

You can have your Christmas event live-streamed on social media and reach not just your community but everyone around the globe.

Changed lives (The Greatest Miracle)

As an event planner, allotting time for testimonies should be a must because the greatest miracle we can experience is transformed and empowered lives. Those who have become members of the church within the year may testify of the goodness of the Lord.

They can share their story and how they got connected with the church.

Christmas Eve Service

Christmas Eve service is desired but not required. The Church Christmas program does not necessarily have to fall on Christmas eve. Although it is expected on Christmas eve, you can schedule it anytime before the eve since people might be busy with the preparations.

Conceptualize/ Create a Theme

Make your church Christmas program epic by having a theme. Setting up a Christmas theme will help you simplify the planning process. When you have already chosen a theme, you can easily create the program and identify the materials and manpower that you will be needing.

Everyone can still participate in the theme if your program is more presentational. Because a theme does not have to be so elaborate and demanding as in the case of a costume party. It can be as simple as a color theme where everyone can wear that theme color to the event.

Kids from a church childrens ministry singing a christmas song during service

Christmas Carols

When one mentions a Christmas program, Christmas carol would always be the first to come to mind. Print out classic Christmas carols so that church attendees can sing along as the choir sings. This is also a way to tell the story of Jesus through songs .

Let your event be a time of remembrance of what Jesus did at the cross by having communion on your program. Christmas is a great opportunity to not only celebrate His birth but an opportunity to remember and accept His sacrifice as His greatest gift to all.

Care for aftercare

It’s important to show appreciation to the clean-up crew and volunteers. These are the people who are least appreciated and least acknowledged. Make them feel cherished and admired by giving them recognition for their effort. Help them after the service. Treat them to lunch the day after and give them gifts. Or have the congregation fill out a thank you card for the cleaning crew .

The 7 Cs in Planning Your Church Christmas Program

Create an objective

Identify what your goal for the program or event is and how you want it accomplished. It may be just a celebration of the holiday season, or an opportunity to spread the Christmas spirit, or a reminder of what Christmas is all about, or you want to reach a specific number of attendees, or you can use it to raise a specific amount of funds by hosting a church fundraising event .

Come up with a budget

After identifying your goals, it’s important to calculate all possible expenses and incorporate them into your budget plan.

Come up with a theme

Make the church Christmas program as grand as you’d desire or as undemanding as you’d like. Just bear in mind the congregation’s availability and willingness.

Call out volunteers

Church events can be a great way to serve and give. Furthermore, it helps foster relationships between members and creates new ones.

Choose songs

Choose only Christian songs to play, since these events are hosted by the church.

Care for the visitors

Create a non-threatening atmosphere for the visitors and give them VIP treatment.

Construct Christmas activities for the kids

If activities are designed for adults, have the kids in a separate room with kid-friendly activities.

Sample Activities for Christmas Season in the Church

Here are some creative things you can do to make your Holiday events unforgettable. We hope you can find inspiration from these. You may even create your own as your creativity leads you.

Presentational:

These activities require selected members of the church. You can ask the ministry volunteers, music team members or choir members, church elders, kids from the children’s ministry, and the pastor/preacher to try doing the following:

Night of Caroling/Choir

Tradition plays a huge part in Church Christmas events. Caroling and choir should always be on top of the activity options as this is one of the most traditional ways to celebrate Christmas. Christmas won’t be complete without a merry Christmas song.

Live Nativity (The Greatest Story Ever Told)

Reenacting the birth of Jesus is also one of the most celebrated traditions during Christmas time. Have preselected people from the congregation act out the nativity scene. You can ask about the participation of both the young and old alike.

This will not only create opportunities to showcase talent but also act as a beautiful reminder of the greatest story ever told: the birth of the Messiah.

Candlelight Church Service

True Christmas Sermon

Christmas service won’t be complete without a Christmas message. A simple yet powerful preaching sermon will not only move the hearts of your congregation but will also transform their lives. And this is the true essence of the church: being God’s instrument in changing lives.

Christmas plays and pageants

Stage plays and dramatics are not only limited to live nativity, although it is the most desired. You can have family-themed skits, Christmas-themed skits, or short stories from the Bible. Let the kids perform and load up on the cuteness factor that everyone will surely enjoy.

The lighting of the Advent Wreath

Christmas becomes even more meaningful when families gather together. Call every family in the church and allow the pastor to pray for them upon lighting the advent wreath. This act symbolizes that the true light has come to the world.

Encourage every family to do so in their homes after the service. Light one candle of the four candles on the wreath on the first Sunday. Then light another one the succeeding Sunday until the last candle in the center is lit.

Christmas Story Read Along

Print Christmas stories to give out to church members upon entering the church. Then let members read along as a volunteer reads aloud. The volunteer should have an animated voice and must have good voice quality. Serve hot drinks with cookies after for fellowship.

Blue Christmas

Honor members of the church who have passed away within the year. Celebrate their contributions and volunteerism in the church by remembering them and dedicating a Blue Christmas for them. Have a solemn prayer of thanksgiving for their lives and the impact they made.

Holiday-themed movies

Spend time with each other by having a holiday-themed movie night, not just for church members but for everyone in the community. Have the pastor share a short message to grab the opportunity to win visitors and first-timers to Christ.

Talent Show

Recognize the talents of church members by having your own “Church Got Talent.” Every aspiring singer, dancer, instrumentalist, etc. gets to showcase their talent in a fun and creative way.

Participatory:

Some members might be left out during church presentations. However, when you plan activities that will involve everyone in the church, you’re making sure that nobody feels excluded while promoting unity within the group.

Gift Giving

It’s the giving season, after all. Receiving Christmas gifts is one of the most anticipated (if not the most) parts of the Christmas season.

Hand out gifts to everyone who is part of the church. Pick gifts that don’t only come from the heart but would actually help people build their faith. This can be as simple as a Bible, a journal notebook, a mug with a printed verse, and others.

Attach a personalized Christmas card to make the gift more impactful. Also, don’t forget to prepare gifts for any visitors and first-timers. Encourage everyone to bring gifts to church so that they can participate in this activity.

Bond over food by having church members bring in their favorite homemade dish to church for everyone to share. This will promote church friendships and create new ones. Level it up by announcing that the most unique and creative dish gets an award.

Wreath hanging or hang the greens

It is a traditional Christian ceremony where everyone brings in their Christmas decorations such as a wreath or green plants to decorate the church and prepare it for the holidays. Include verse readings, prayers, and worship hymns as the greens are being hung in your program.

Wreath making

A wreath is not just a beautiful Christmas adornment but it is a representation of eternal life. This activity is a great reminder for church members of the free gift which is eternal life. Prepare materials and hold a wreath-making activity in the church.

Christmas Countdown Challenge

Elevate excitement by having a countdown challenge. Everyone who will join must document all the preparations they did before Christmas Day. Then you can present it during the church service.

Some challenge that your church can try is 25 days before Christmas which involves giving out 25 encouraging cards to 25 of your co-workers. Another one is 24 days before Christmas where participants get to treat 24 kids in the community with ice cream, and so on.

Carols Sing-a-long

You may also come up with Christmas carols sing-a-long with the choir. Provide lyrics of traditional Christian Christmas songs and let everyone sing along with the choir. Choose songs that carry the gospel message.

Church-wide Kris Kingle

Have an online registration for members to register their gifts. Then let them draw the name of the person to give their gift. To assist you with online registration, partner with Event Smart . Manage your church Christmas program or any future church events with the assistance of Event Smart and have hassle-free online registrations.

Church decoration party

If hanging the greens is not to your liking as it limits your creativity to only the color green you can try mixing it up with other adornments. Get the creativity of the congregation going by letting them bring in their favorite Christmas decorations like Christmas lights, candy canes, Christmas balls and others to church. Then have a church decoration party with a hearty meal.

Competitions

Have a healthy competition by hosting Christmas games. Select a panel of judges to assess presentations with compliments to encourage the development of skills and talents. Hold dance competitions, singing competitions, art competitions, etc. among church members. Make it a winning event where members can bring in their friends and loved ones to church.

Create a Memorable Church Event with Event Smart

Since Christmas is the most momentous time of the year, come up with the most festive and memorable church Christmas program ideas. Everyone in the church will surely not just enjoy and relax but also get to bond with family and friends and win others to Christ.

Ready for the most joyous church Christmas celebration? Collaborate with Event Smart to make your Christmas events or any church events stress-free and hassle-free. With Event Smart you get it all, from event registrations, seating limits, ticketing options, and more. Create a event website today for free to get started .

10 Christmas Program Ideas For Church | Tithe.ly

Christmas is a time for family, friends, and – of course – the Church. It's not always easy to think of something creative to do after running countless Christmas programs. We’ve collected our favorite Christmas program ideas below to help you brainstorm.

Christmas is a time for family, friends, and – of course – the Church. Given that the true meaning of the season is to celebrate the birth of Christ, many churches hold special Christmas programs to remind us of and share the significance of Jesus’ arrival over two thousand years ago.

But it's not always easy to think of something creative to do after running countless Christmas programs. You may even be out of new ideas and feeling stuck trying to come up with a Christmas program your church hasn’t seen before.

We’ve collected our favorite Christmas program ideas below to help you brainstorm.

10 Christmas Program Ideas for Church

Most churches do the usual Christmas Sunday worship service of singing Christmas songs and listening to a message on the significance of Christ’s coming. Some may even spice it up with a choir cantata or a play.

But if you want to do something entirely different this year, here are 10 Christmas program ideas to consider:

1. A Live Nativity Scene

One of the most traditional ways to celebrate Christmas is to reenact the nativity scene. You can have your congregation act it out, use puppets, or even integrate live animals if you feel extra festive. No matter how you choose to do it, a live nativity scene is always a beautiful way to remember what Christmas is truly about.

2. Hanging of the Greens Service

Another time-honored tradition is the "hanging of the greens" service, where members bring evergreen plants and wreaths to church as a symbol of our new life in Christ. The activity can be accompanied by music and Scripture readings. It's an excellent interactive Christmas program that everyone can participate in.

3. A Children's Pageant

A children's pageant is always a winner with kids and adults alike. Start with a Sunday school game where the children dress up as different Bible characters from the Nativity story, then have them strut their way into the sanctuary as part of the Christmas worship service. Parents will love seeing little ones perform, children will appreciate being part of a church-wide program, and everyone will get a kick out of the cuteness factor.

4. A Movie Night

Hold a movie night for church members to spend quality time with each other. You can choose classic movies like It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street or modern favorites like Elf or The Polar Express .

If you have ample parking space, you can even have a drive-in movie event, opening the screening to anybody in the neighborhood who wants to join. Don’t forget to start with a short message from the pastor to grab the opportunity to reach more people.

5. A Salvation Army Bell Ringing

Encourage your congregation to give back this holiday season by signing up to ring bells for the Salvation Army. This activity allows them to spread the meaning of Christmas while raising money for a good cause.

6. A Cookie Walk

While Christmas cookies are often associated with snacks for Santa Claus, turn the narrative around and hold a cookie drive for your members to bake and sell homemade cookies.

7. Social Media Christmas Challenge

Challenge your members to a 25-day Christmas challenge where they'll complete a task and post about it online. Some church Christmas social media ideas include reflecting on the Scriptures, sharing pictures of homemade gingerbread houses, or working at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.

8. A Christmas Carol Sing-Along

Hold a sing-along and provide the lyrics for everyone to follow along (like how Chris Tomlin did it). You could even have a prize for the best singer!

9. A Toy Drive

A toy drive is a fantastic way for your church to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. You can team up with a local toy drive or have members donate toys to share with families in need. Alternatively, you can host a food or coat drive to give essentials to other families – effectively turning your Christmas program into an outreach .

10. A Christmas Potluck

Have a potluck dinner at your church, and encourage everyone to bring their favorite holiday dish. Members will form new friendships and bond over their love of food and community.

Ideas for Small Churches

The ideas above cover general Christmas programs. But if you're a small church with less than a hundred people, you have other options to consider. Here are three Christmas program ideas for small churches:

1. An Advent Wreath-Making Class

Advent wreaths are a beautiful way to count down the days until Christmas. So, why not hold a workshop at your church where members can make their own wreaths to take home?

Prepare the supplies and host a class to make advent wreaths together for your members. As they reflect on the meaning of Advent, encourage them to share how Christ's salvation has changed their lives for a meaningful Christmas program.

2. A Cookie Decorating Party

Instead of a cookie walk where you sell snacks, you can have your members decorate their own cookies at church. You can provide the cookies and frosting or have everyone bring their own. Doing so allows members to socialize, get into the holiday spirit, and even share cookies around the community to spread the Christmas message.

3. A Church-Wide Secret Santa

This classic Secret Santa activity will involve the whole church in giving and receiving gifts. Set a budget limit, have everyone draw names, and ask them to buy a gift for the person they get. Then, set a time for everybody to exchange gifts during the Christmas program. It's a great way to spread holiday cheer and make new friends!

Ideas for Christmas Eve Service

Most churches will have a Christmas Eve service on top of the Sunday morning service, where the program is dedicated to celebrating the holiday. If you’re wondering how you can create a different atmosphere for the evening service, here are three ideas:

1. A Night of Caroling

Gather your members and send them out to sing carols around the neighborhood. Visit houses and invite as many people as they can back to church. Once everybody's settled in and enjoying hot cocoa, your pastor can give a sermon on the true meaning of Christmas before the clock strikes midnight.

2. A Candlelight Service

Christmas Eve candlelight service ideas are a beautiful and peaceful way to celebrate Christmas. You can have a traditional service with hymns and readings or opt for a more contemporary service with modern worship songs. Either way, lighting candles is a powerful symbol of Christ's light coming into the world and bringing hope to all.

3. Christmas Handbell Choir

Handbell choirs are a beautiful way to add flair to your Christmas Eve service. They can perform Christmas carols while alternating with short messages from your pastor for a mix of singing and listening to God's word. Having the choir perform in between segments adds cheer and vibrance to your Christmas Eve service.

Christmas Themes for Church Program

Activities are a great addition to any church program, but a beautiful Christmas theme will tie it all together. You can spruce up the church with traditional Christmas decorations, but consider these unique themes for a different feel:

1. White Christmas Theme

For those churches in warmer climates, having a white Christmas may not be possible. But that doesn't mean you can't bring the magic of a white Christmas to your church!

Decorate your sanctuary with twinkling lights, snowflakes, and other wintery decorations. You can even have a fake snow machine to help create the illusion of a winter wonderland. Consider turning down the temperature and asking church members to wear winter clothes for the full "white Christmas" experience.

2. Bethlehem Theme

Bring the Nativity story to life with a Bethlehem theme decoration. Recreate the scene by setting up a manger in the sanctuary, filling it with realistic animals, and spreading hay everywhere.

3. Advent Calendar Theme

Another great way to engage your church members during Christmas is by having an advent calendar. You can do this digitally or through a physical calendar that people can hang up in their homes.

Each day leading up to Christmas, your members will open a new door or window to reveal a different message, reading, or activity. Encourage them to complete the activity with their whole families.

Celebrating Christmas in Church

Christmas is a special time of year when many people come together to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. From traditional church services to more festive programs like caroling and cooking selling, Christmas is one of the most meaningful Christian holidays we celebrate in church.

No matter which activity you choose, the most important thing is that all your Christmas programs celebrate the birth of our Savior. As long as you get the key message across, everything else is just icing on the gingerbread house.

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Need a Last-Minute Christmas Presentation? Try This Original, Two-Person Skit

December 12, 2013

Christmas is a time for traditions. But not all traditions work for all churches.

The church I pastor seldom does Christmas plays. And when we do, they’re anything but traditional.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But we live within driving distance of Disneyland, Hollywood, major music venues and massive megachurches. I can literally hear the fireworks from some of the world’s biggest, most famous, multi-million-dollar Christmas spectacles from my backyard.

Teenagers in bathrobes singing Silent Night can’t compete with that. So we don’t try.

Instead, we stick with simple get-togethers . And sometimes we’ll come up with an idea no one else has tried and give it a shot.

One of the most successful skits we’ve ever done is one I wrote last year.

I know this is late in the season, but if there’s one thing I know about Small Churches it’s that a lot of what we do happens in that last-minute scramble. If your church is looking for an off-beat way to re-tell the Christmas story, here’s an idea. It’ll help people see the birth of Jesus as told in the Gospels in a way they’ve never seen it before – while honoring the biblical narrative.

The premise of the skit is that there’s an entire epic’s worth of wonder, joy and excitement packed into the very few verses that make up the biblical Christmas story .

All you need is two actors willing to go a little over-the-top and two non-speaking volunteers. The only props are a laptop (or a notepad) and a phone. The only staging needed is a desk and two chairs.

Here’s the entire script of the play. It lasts about 20-25 minutes.

It’s also available to print as a Word document or in PDF version .

The One-Page Christmas Epic

There are two speaking roles in this play and two non-speaking roles that happen very quickly at the end. The speaking roles are a movie producer (MP) and a screenwriter (SW).

The speaking roles are written according to the genders of the original actors, but can be played by either gender.

A movie producer is pacing in his office, talking frantically on a cell phone.

Movie Producer: That’s right, send me a screenwriter! I have an idea for the greatest movie epic of all time! What…? She’s on her way? Then why isn’t she—

A woman comes in, carrying a laptop computer.

MP: Never mind. Here she is. (He ends his phone call, then looks at the phone and says sarcastically) Lots of help you were.

Screenwriter: Hello, sir (reaching out her hand to shake) It’s an honor. I’m —

MP: (Cutting the woman off) Sit down and take notes. (He motions to a chair on the other side of the desk from his chair.) I’m on no sleep, 10 cups of coffee, 2 cans of Redbull and a bag of Twizzlers for lunch, and I’ve come up with the greatest movie idea of all time. All time!

The woman sits down and opens her laptop on the desk. Throughout the conversation, she will rotate back-and-forth between typing and talking.

MP: There’s a man and a woman – and a baby – a special baby.

SW: A special baby? You mean, like a seed-of-the-devil baby?

MP: No, the opposite.

MP: He’s special, but in a good way. No, a great way!

SW: OK, that could be an interesting twist to work with. A family movie, maybe with a love story between the baby’s parents.

MP: Oh yeah… the baby’s parents. (Suddenly) Ooh! The baby’s parents-to-be have to travel to the father’s hometown, but when they get there, there’s some kind of crisis and all the hotels are closed, so they end up in a warehouse, a shipping container…

SW: Nice! Like an art-house, bohemian kind of feel. Set design will love that.

MP: Then there’s a crisis… let’s see…

SW: I know! She goes into labor at the worst possible time.

MP: Yeah. I love it! They can’t find a doctor, so they need some kind of makeshift crib, yada yada yada… Oh! Then some blue collar guys in town come by to help.

SW: Blue collar…

MP: Working stiffs. You know, welders, dock workers… I got it! Farmers!

SW: Farmers? Coming to a warehouse in the middle of a city?

SW: Uh… why?

MP: (In a grandiose manner) Because only the common man knows that this baby is special!

SW: OK… I think I get where you’re going now. Something the regular working person can relate to. And the farmers come to help out, somehow?

MP: Help out, hang out, I don’t know. Something like that. You’re the writer. You figure it out. (Excitedly) Oh, I’ve got it! The birth scene ends with a long, pullout camera shot of the father, mother, baby and the visitors in the warehouse, for an iconic final shot.

SW: Nice. That could work. So what does the baby do that’s so special?

MP: Nothing.

SW: Nothing?

MP: Nothing… (with a big smile) yet.

SW: Oooh, I see a sequel coming!

MP: Can you do it?

SW: Sure, it’s sparse, but I can make something of it. It’s a great premise. A feel-good story. It sets up a sequel. I can make it into a full-length movie or book – maybe both.

MP: Actually, let’s add a little more to punch it up.

SW: OK. But I don’t need anything else. I’ve started with a lot less.

MP: I want the birth itself to be special.

SW: Like an Alien/Fringe thing where the kid comes exploding out of—

MP: No (thinking…) not the birth… the conception.

SW: Uh huh… You want the conception to be special? Like Boom-Chicka-Wow-Wow? That’s an entirely different movie, sir. That could cause problems with the ratings board.

MP: Boom-Chicka-Wow-Wow? What’s wrong with you? (With a nod to the audience) There are kids here.

SW: Kids? Where? We’re in your… office …remember?

MP: There will be children watching this movie. I want this to be PG, PG13 at the most. So no Boom-Chicka-Wow-Wow. The opposite of that.

SW: What kind of special conception is the opposite of… that?

MP: You’re the writer. You figure it out. (Suddenly, so it surprises the screenwriter) Taxes! I hate taxes! (Looking at the screenwriter, who’s just staring at him, shocked) Why aren’t your writing this down?

SW: Uh, well… So, it’s political?

MP: (Suddenly, again) Animals! I love animals!

SW: Animals? You mean, like a dog or a cat? I know… a talking pet who rescues the baby.

MP: A talking animal? Please. Be realistic here.

SW: Yeah right. That would be the crazy part…

MP: No… just…you know…some place where there’d be livestock around… I know! We need exotic visitors from another land! With fancy gifts!

SW: So it’s a huge costume drama now? You know this budget will be through the roof, right?

MP: A crazy king! And he does something so evil, people will gasp in horror.

SW: Now it’s a horror movie? I don’t know sir…

MP: An escape! To a foreign country! Now that’s a huge epic, right?

SW: “Epic” isn’t the word I’d use (under her breath) more like schizophrenic.

MP: What was that?

SW: Nothing sir. But you’re talking Hunger Games size here. 3-4 books and movies. If I can get all of this to make sense in the same story. I don’t know…

MP: A star !

SW: Yes! Now you’re making sense. If we could get a big star to sign on, we might be able to get this greenlighted… I’m thinking Russell Crowe, Jennifer Lawrence…

MP: No. Not that kind of star. I mean a star in the sky. Like a comet!

SW: Hurtling towards earth to destroy it? Like a disaster movie?

MP: The opposite of that.

SW: What’s the opposite of th—?

MP: Ooh! And angels! Angels coming and going all over the place! And a musical number!

SW: You mean, like Broadway?

MP: Bigger!

SW: (Sarcastically, to herself) Maybe I’ll just have the angels do the big musical number.

MP: That’s perfect! (His eyes get big, like the greatest idea of all time has hit him, then he speaks softly and deliberately) Listen to this… It. Splits. History. In. Half.

SW: (Looks at him like he’s crazy, then down at her screen like she’s given up) So you want a feel-good, family, love story, arthouse, political, costume drama, horror, escape, disaster-that’s-not-a-disaster, supernatural, musical, historical epic (searching through the laptop screen) …with animals and angels… (sarcastically) Anything else?

MP: (Calmly) Peace.

SW: (Rolling her eyes) Uh, yeah. Peace, man.

MP: (Seriously) No. The story. It brings peace to the whole world.

SW: Of course it does.

MP: What would it take to do all that?

SW: (Sarcastically) You mean, aside from like, a billion dollar budget?

MP: (Not catching the sarcasm) Yeah. Aside from that.

SW: OK… This is Lord of the Rings territory now. We’re talking 3-4 huge books, 5-7 movies, maybe a theme park… we’re practically creating a new religion here.

MP: Oh no! We’re not doing that. The last thing the world needs is a new religion.

SW: OK… it’s nice to know you draw the line somewhere. But I gotta tell you, I don’t see how any of it will make sense in the same story…

MP: Well, work on it and get back to me in a week.

The screenwriter leaves the stage.

SCENE 2: One Week Later

The Movie Producer is in his office, talking on his phone again. He is now behaving rationally.

MP: Thanks Doc. I’m feeling a lot better now. You’ve helped me so much this past week. This is my first day back in the office since my…episode. I’m waiting on a screenwriter to come in. I think I scared her a little last week and I need to apologize. Then I’ll take that overdue vacation, like you recommended.

The screenwriter enters holding a sheet of paper. She’s excited, but not in a crazy way.

MP: (Into the phone) Oh, here she is. Gotta go. Thanks Doc. (He ends the call and turns his attention to the screenwriter.) Hello, miss… You know I never did get your name (as he reaches out to shake her hand)

SW: (So excited she doesn’t notice his outstretched hand) Never mind that. Here! (She hands him the piece of paper.)

MP: Uh, what’s this?

SW: It’s our screenplay! And I have to say, I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever written!

MP: (Looking at the page, turning it over to see it has writing on both sides) You mean this… this… single piece of paper is a screenplay?

SW: Yep! And it’s all there!

MP: What’s all here?

SW: Everything we talked about! (She gets giddy as she says this) It’s a feel-good, family, love story, arthouse, political, costume drama, horror, escape, disaster-that’s-not-a-disaster, supernatural, musical, historical epic (pauses for a breath) with animals and angels!

MP: Uh huh… (Pulls out his phone, turns his back to her and speaks quietly into it) Security, I have a code red. (He turns back to her) Listen, last week when I had you in here, I wasn’t exactly myself. And I may have said some things that were a little bit… I don’t know…

MP: Well, crazy is a little strong..

SW: Oh, no sir. You were crazy. Then I started thinking about it and, I don’t know… something just came over me and I started writing it. Please sir, I know this sounds…

SW: Fair enough. But just give it a read, please?

Two security guards show up. The producer points them to the screenwriter.

MP: (Condescendingly) Sure… sure I’ll read it. But for now I have a couple friends here who are going to take you to see another friend of mine, OK?

The security guards take her by each arm and start to lead her out.

SW: Wait a minute! What’s—? Oh, I get it. No sir, you don’t understand! (As she’s almost out the door) Just read it, sir! Please! Read it! (She’s gone off stage)

MP: (Looks at the page as if to crumple it up, then pauses) I guess it couldn’t hurt.

What’s written on the page is the Christmas story blended from Matthew and Luke, plus a few verses from John 1. He starts to read it casually, then grows more interested and touched by the story as he reads it, pausing to smile as he recognizes each of the “crazy” parts they talked about.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And he gave him the name Jesus. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “’But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Close that out with a 10 minute message to personalize the story and you’ve got a Sunday service or Christmas Eve to remember.

If you like it, print it and use it. But if you do use it, let me know. I’d love to hear how it goes.

( Christmas Star photo from Steve Johnson • Flickr • Creative Commons )

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8 virtual christmas program ideas for churches – 2021 holiday season.

Although many places have lifted COVID restrictions many churches are continuing to offer virtual Christmas programs and experiences. Last year, many Christmas programs were completely virtual, but this year, many churches are taking a hybrid approach.

By live steaming traditional holiday events, attendance is open to anyone with access to the Internet. Comment start This allows parishioners to tune in at home or attend in person.

In this post, we’re going to discuss some Christmas program ideas for churches in 2021. We will start by discussing why you’d want to live stream church Christmas programs before we get into the different Christmas program ideas. To wrap things up, we will discuss a few of the top tips for making your church live streams a success.

Why live stream christmas programs for churches.

Christmas Plays and Pageants
Choir and Other Music Performances
Youth Programs
Christmas Films
Live Nativity
Christmas Sermons
Advent Wreath Lighting
Charity Events

Tips for a Successful Virtual Christmas Program

Live streaming your church Christmas programs open up attendance to people who are safer at home or cannot physically attend for any other reason. It allows you to expand your audience and maximize your reach.

For youth programs, pageants, and plays, in particular, live streaming makes it possible for friends and families of the children to tune in, even if they aren’t local.

The ability to host virtual events is particularly useful this year when many people are still avoiding large crowds. It will give you, as a Christmas event organizer, the ability to spread the cheer without packing your venue with people.

8 Virtual Church Christmas Program Ideas for 2021

There are a few different types of virtual Christmas programs that your church can live stream to find the perfect balance between secular festivities and the real “Reason for the Season.”

Here are a few of the top virtual Christmas program ideas for 2021 .

1. Christmas Plays and Pageants

First up on our list of Christmas program ideas for churches are Christmas plays.

Putting on a play or pageant is an engaging way to involve the whole congregation in a Christmas-themed activity. Christmas plays are popular for many reasons.

First, they’re fun to watch and participate in, and they can set the scene for lifelong memories. Additionally, they can teach powerful lessons that are hard to digest in other mediums.

There are dozens of great plays available online based on both new stories and the Bible. For example, one good source for play ideas is The Skit Guys , which includes a list of plays and links to purchase the scripts.

In terms of streaming live church services, Christmas plays are ideal not only because of the “fun” component. They can easily be recorded and added to the archives for playback for years to come. For more ideas on this, in particular, you can check out Ministry to Children’s online archive of Christmas play for youth .

2. Choir and Other Music Performances

The power of voices raised together in song is impossible to ignore. That’s why choir performances can be another great content idea for streaming live church services. During the Christmas season, it’s the perfect time for beautiful choirs to sing together in harmony.

While experiencing live music in person is best, catching a performance via streaming video isn’t far behind. With good quality recording equipment, your favorite choir performances can live on for years to come.

Relatedly, another suitable content type for streaming live church services is Christian music in general. It’s a good idea to provide a nice source of background music for those watching your stream.

A good source for finding Christian music videos is the music section of www.GodTube.com . Please keep in mind that you’ll need to secure rights to these videos before you play them to your congregation. The only exception to this rule is for music marked for “fair use.”

3. Youth Programs

Reminding kids that Jesus is the reason for the season is important for many churches. Luckily, there are many Christmas program themes that churches can go with to reach the younger members of the community.

Some churches, for example, choose to record important Sunday School lessons and activities. Then, they can play these back via video stream during a designated time for children’s programs.

You can create Christ-centered Christmas content that shares the true meaning behind the holiday. Of course, the secular elements like Santa and related traditions are fun, but it is important to tie in your faith to give the children an enriching experience.

In terms of content options, these programs can be interactive and involve singing, repeat-after-me, or other techniques to help educate and engage youth in a fun and accessible way.

4. Christmas Films

People have been celebrating Christmas for centuries upon centuries, so naturally, there is a plethora of Christmas-related content that already exists. Your church can live stream Christmas films and videos with the quick adding of a source.

This way, your congregation can watch a movie together even if they are not physically together.

We recommend checking out That Happy Certainty’s list of 15 excellent Christmas videos to start. These musical and uplifting productions are sure to be crowd-pleasers.

Another 45 great Christmas videos can be found at Communicate Jesus , a website dedicated to digital inspiration for ministry. This list contains some content that churches must purchase before you can play it at your church or on a live stream. Nonetheless, the prices are reasonable and likely affordable for many churches.

Additionally, there are other forms of shared video material your church can use. For example, let’s say you saw a sermon, play, or choir performance at another church that was particularly moving and powerful. You may be able to contact the church that produced the material and request a recording.

Most churches will provide this sort of content without charge as another way to spread the word. Others may ask for nominal fees to help them cover the costs of production.

5. Live Nativity

Live nativity reenactments are a great way to remember the “reason for the season.”

The cool part about live nativities is that you can do shape them to make sense for your audience. If you want to reach the kids of your parish, you can use language and references that help them better understand the story. In fact, you can even bring the kids in as actors.

You can also put on more serious live nativity plays to allow older audiences to connect with the spiritual significance of the birth of Christ.

Some churches add a special touch to their live nativity scenes by using real barn animals instead of fake props.

6. Christmas Sermons

The sermon is part of the core of every church, and for good reason. It’s rare in modern culture that people sit in quiet contemplation while spiritual leaders offer guidance in navigating the troubles of the world.

Today, we recommend that every church records its sermons. In fact, about one-third of parishioners today first learned about their chosen church services online .

Video recording equipment is too accessible to make excuses anymore. Plus, you never know when your pastor is going to touch inspiration and deliver the homily of a lifetime.

As you likely know, church attendance increases by almost 50% during Christmas. However, it’s possible to reach an even greater audience using live streaming and VOD streaming solutions .

Live sermons allow you to reach members of your church who are traveling or even reach new audiences around the world.

7 Advent Wreath Lighting

Advent is a huge part of the holiday season for some churches. Different ceremonies and rituals are carried out in order to help believers prepare their hearts for the birth of Jesus.

Lighting the Advent wreath is a sacred tradition that involves lighting one candle each Sunday during the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Typically, this ceremony takes place during the mass or church service. However, it is possible to light it as part of a special prayer service, as well.

Live stream your Advent wreath lighting as a special Christmas program for your house of worship.

8. Charity Events

The holiday season is a great time for giving to those in need. Some churches sponsor or host charity events, such as food drives, toy drives, and other fundraisers. While the purpose of these events is to raise money for a special cause, they can make for entertaining and engaging church Christmas programs.

You can live stream fundraising events to encourage remote participation and online donations. It is also possible to host paid live streams and donate the revenue.

New to live streaming? No worries. Here are a few tips for making your church’s virtual Christmas program a success.

Do Test Runs

Before you stream your virtual Christmas program, it is wise to do a test run. It will help you get familiar with your streaming setup. It also allows broadcasters to identify any snags in your setup before you go live.

If this is your first time live streaming a church function, we recommend doing a couple of trial runs to get the hang of it.

Leverage Social Media

Social media can be a valuable tool for promoting and sharing your church’s virtual Christmas programs. You can promote your Christmas stream on social media during the weeks leading up to the event.

Focus on the platforms that you have a following or community on. For example, some churches have large Facebook followings whereas others are more popular on Instagram.

Even if you aren’t charging an “admission” fee to your virtual event, it is a good idea to ask people to RSVP so that you can send them reminders with the link to the stream when it is time to get started.

We also recommend simulcasting to Facebook and YouTube to reach your existing audience and maximize your viewership.

Enhance Your Setup

There are a few simple things that you can enhance your streaming setup. First, invest in an external microphone for improved audio quality. This can be as simple as a $20 lapel mic, but it makes a significant difference in the quality of the audio.

We recommend using OBS Studio, a free and open-source streaming software, to add professional elements to your stream. Also, no matter what encoder you use, make sure you follow your online video platform’s suggested encoder settings .

Christmas is a special time of year. Aside from the festivities that you know and love, this season offers an ideal opportunity to expand your reach with streaming live church services. Live streaming will help you bring your events to the members of your community who are unable to join the celebrations in person.

Your church may have a tech team, but you may not have anybody with prior live streaming experience. With the help of professional live streaming software for churches , this should be no issue at all.

With Dacast, for example, starting a live stream is as easy as creating an account , configuring streaming settings, and clicking “Start Streaming.”

You can try Dacast risk-free for 14-day to see how it could work for you this holiday season. Sign up today to start streaming.

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For regular live streaming tips and exclusive offers, you can join our LinkedIn group .

If you have any questions or comments about streaming virtual Christmas programs for your church, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Fanny Elise Lagarde

Fanny Elise was a part of the Dacast engineering team, and with her technical knowledge, helped the marketing team to engage readers with streaming content.

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Christmas Service Ideas For Small Churches

Oct 13, 2023 | Outreach | 0

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission from purchased products at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure here .

The Holidays are commonly one of the busiest times of the year for first-time visitors or people who traditionally only attend church on Christmas and Easter. Why are people attracted to church at these times of the year?

Polls and surveys tell us the traditions of singing carols, seeing the decorations, and being with family are some of the top reasons. Others are motivated by a sense of obligation, even though they may have no personal relationship with Jesus.

As we understand these statistics, we should realize Christmas is one of the best times of year for our small churches to reach out to those who don’t usually attend and to make sure we are clearly sharing the message of Jesus and God’s love.

This Is Our Small Church Christmas Service

Most churches have some sort of traditional Holiday services, whether it be on the week before Christmas, Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. The possibilities of what elements to include in your program are exciting to think about.

Candlelight
Children’s Program
Christmas Choir
Waiting & Expecting
Readings & Monologues

Some churches use their children’s Christmas program as part of their service. Others host a traditional candlelight service. One church may opt for a choral and musical presentation. Another goes with an out-of-the-box service and offers something new. The key is to choose the service that best fits your small church.

Small Churches Share Their Best Ideas

As you read these programs that work for some of our small church members, be encouraged to step out on your own. Host a Christmas service that embodies the personality of your small church while sharing the message of Jesus’ birth with your community.

Pastor’s Family Gift Of Christmas Eve Service

Would you like to hear how a traditional Christmas Eve Service turns into a gift from the Pastor’s Family to the church? Linda Reynhout, her Pastor-husband Marty, and members of their extended family run the entire Christmas Eve service.

They do this so the volunteers can enjoy the service while seated with their families. They perform special readings, special musical numbers, and accompaniment for congregational singing. God blessed this family with the gift of music and worship, and they generously share this gift each Christmas.

If you are not musically gifted, worship acoustics and videos with lyrics are readily available online. You can add readings, prayers, and candle lighting to make a special evening your small church family might enjoy.

Include The Neighborhood In Your Christmas Program

The church Jeanie Foster attends combines their children’s Christmas program with an outreach flare. The kids in their Wednesday night program, most come from the apartment adjacent to the church, are the actors in this simple Nativity program. A congregant reads the Christmas story while the children re-enact it in costume.

If you have children in your programs with special needs, here are some great Tips To Include Children With Special Needs In Christmas Activities .

Parents and families are invited to attend and watch their kids. The church is packed! Jeanie tells us following the service, they serve a simple meal for everyone. This gives their church folks time to connect personally with the families of these children.

For added fun, set up a photo backdrop for families to capture a special memory.

Bring Passover To Your Small Church Christmas

Try this out-of-the-box thinking for a Christmas program. Amy Kass and her church invited Jews For Jesus to do a presentation about the Passover meal. It gives a very interesting perspective on God’s big plan of bringing Christ to this world to be our Messiah. It’s a very educational and enriching way to look at Christmas. They share the traditional Passover meal while celebrating the coming of the Messiah!

Christmas Candlelight Service Ideas In Small Churches

While thinking about what your small church would like to do, consider the area you live in. What are the traditions or special places your town loves at Christmastime? Is there a holiday gazebo or park everyone decorates? These could be great venues to offer carols and a Christmas message. Do some research and make some observations that could help your small church present a unique Christmas service!

Adre Hurst’s small church hosts a Family Style Christmas Eve Service. They have a traditional candlelight service but provide age-appropriate candles (battery-operated and flameless). They also provide “Christmas bags” for the children that have activities and books along with Christmas fidgets as a special gift.
Donna Pendley’s small church hosts a candle service with a bit of a twist. They involve their youth with a ‘live-silent nativity’ scene that comes together during the service. The message of the birth of Jesus is shared. The congregation participates with song and the service is closed out by singing, ‘Oh, Holy Night’. Following the service, they ask all the guests to stay for refreshments and fellowship. This is a simple and beautiful service tradition.
Check out Christmas By Candlelight: An Advent Event for a small group meeting. Read about it in Christmas Ideas For Outreach And Connection .

New England Church Celebrates Christmas Without Electricity

Becky Sargent shares about a small church in New England. Each Christmas Eve, they use a historic church in their town for their candlelight service. The building is normally only used for weddings and historical tours.

The church building has no electricity, so the candlelight is both beautiful and necessary! The pianist is skilled and able to play the old pump organ. The visiting church occasionally brings a guitarist and vocalists to add to the ambiance.

A small wood stove in the back of the church provides the only heat. (This church is in New England, so it’s chilly!). Every year, this church is packed with standing room only. The people in the community love the tradition and the ability to participate in something unique.

This small church capitalizes on the community’s desire to participate in a quaint Christmas tradition while being faithful to share the gospel message and the true joy of Christmas to all those who attend!

Celebrate & Shine Your Light For Jesus

We shared several ideas with you, and now it’s time for your small church to respond with your own celebration of the holidays! Whatever you choose to do, and however you choose to reach out to your community, do it with the light of Jesus shining brightly!

Isaiah 60:1 tells us “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

So, let’s get up and bring that light to a world full of darkness and no hope. This Christmas, bring them the only answer that can brighten lives and give them eternal hope, peace, and joy! To all of you who serve in small churches, we can’t wait to hear how you reach into your communities this Christmas season.

We love to share your stories to encourage others. Post your pictures in our Facebook Community, Creative Solutions for Small Churches . Oh yes, and Merry Christmas!

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About The Author

Becky Sargent

Becky Sargent is a Mother of 3 adult children and Nana of 4 beautiful grandkids. She loves to serve the Lord as a Pastor’s wife, mom of a special needs child, church admin and leader in women and children’s ministry. Becky has experience working in the floral design and crafting fields, which she loves to translate into ministry whenever she can. She has been blessed to have served in small church communities for over 30 years.

11 Amazing & Creative Christmas Service Ideas for Church

So, we’ve given you a few Christmas service ideas, but maybe you’re just begging for something that is off-the-charts creative. Here are some awesome, amazing, and insanely creative ideas. You may not have the time to prepare for all of these, but you can maybe try one, and begin planning now for more next year. Hopefully, we can help you find something or spark an idea that will make your Christmas service unforgettable.

11 Amazing & Creative Christmas Service Ideas for Church

Last updated: november 2017, 1. create a winter wonderland on the stage.

Christmas is one of the most fun times for churches as they get to decorate the stage, sanctuary, and foyers with Christmas decorations, trees, snow and nativity scenes. Consider getting a whole bunch of real trees and putting them on your stage and covering them with lights and fake snow. This will really help bring the feeling of a winter wonderland and will bring that Christmas tree smell to your services. You can also set up your stage to accommodate a more acoustic style for worship. If your drummer is normally in a “cage”, remove the cage for Christmas time, and narrow down the drum set to a 3-piece and set up a smaller, intimate stage that will encourage a Christmas sing-along worship set.

2. Host A Christmas Decoration Party

Dedicate a weekend or Saturday evening to decorate your church as a church family and congregation, classically called “The Hanging of the Green.” The last weekend of November is a great time to do this. You can play Christmas music, have Christmas cookies and snacks, and if you’re a smaller church with limited resources, ask the people in your congregation to each bring some decorations they love. Together with the help of volunteers, everyone can take part in decorating the church for Christmas. You and your congregation will be so proud of the work each week of the season.

3. Create An Alternative Worship Set Or Service

With all the different technology that is easily accessible, come up with some fun ways to incorporate it into your worship service. Try having the worship team play Christmas songs entirely using Garageband on iPads. Or go the more technology free direction and have it be 100% acoustic, maybe with a drum circle of Cajuns and djembes, jingle bells, and guitars. Your congregation will love gathering around and singing Christmas carols!

4. Write A Christmas Skit Or Christmas Play

Christmas is a fun time to gather together as one big church family and remember the true meaning of Christmas – Jesus Christ! One of the most fun ways to remember the birth of Jesus Christ is through a Christmas skit or play. Especially seeing the children of the church dressed up and reenacting the birth of Jesus, the wise men coming to worship Him and the shepherds in the fields being encountered by angels! Coordinate with your Sunday School director and come up with a few different plans throughout December. Perhaps it’s one big play, spread out over the whole month of December with different parts being done in each service.

5. Encourage Thanksgiving During Christmas

As your church gathers together during the Christmas season to remember Jesus’ Incarnation, encourage your congregation to reflect on all of the powerful and mighty things God has done in each of their lives. Set aside time to have an “open mic” for your congregation, allowing each person 30 seconds to say what they are thankful for. You’ll find that a thankful heart encourages others to reflect on God’s good blessings.

6. Have A Church Feast/Dinner

Choose one Sunday in December to host a Christmas feast, after a church service. It can either be potluck style, where everyone brings their favorite holiday dish, or you can assign specific dishes to families. Let it be a time that encourages friends, family, and neighbors to join together. You can even extend an invitation to other churches in your community.

7. Have A Candlelight Communion Service

Similar to a candlelight service, invite your church congregation to gather together for Christmas carols sung by candlelight. Include a time for your congregation to gather with their family and loved ones to partake in communion. Allow for 15-30 minutes while the worship team plays softly in the background. Encourage the leaders of each household to lead their families in communion, prayer, and giving thanks to God for everything He has done in their lives. You’ll be amazed at the outcome of this since many families have a hard time setting aside quality time during this very busy season.

8. Bless Your Community With Baked Goods

Gather together as a church family and come up with a game plan to make some delicious baked goods and take them out to your community. You can take these baked goods to nursing homes, schools, fire stations, missions, or even another church in your community. You’ll love seeing the smiles on their faces as you give them Christmas cookies and other goodies! Consider attaching some invites to your Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service as well.

9. Christmas Caroling

After one of your church services, gather together and go Christmas Caroling in your community. You can go to nursing homes, shopping malls, grocery stores or other public places. Plan this ahead of time and coordinate your attire and come up with a list of songs and the locations you are going to go caroling at. You can even go the old fashion route and gather together on a street corner in a heavy foot traffic area.

10. Give To Those In Need

Come together as a church family and buy, wrap, and deliver Christmas gifts to families who are struggling financially. Consider single-parent households, elderly or those physically challenged, the local community center, or the homeless shelter. Open up a conversation about their needs or wants, and consider blessing them with prepared meals too.

11. Have A True Christmas Service

Dedicate your entire Christmas church service to serving others. This is a great time to get the whole church involved in serving. It can be simple. For example, collect blankets and hand them out to homeless people or host a feast for another church or the homeless in your community. You can also volunteer at a homeless shelter or children’s home. Doing one of these acts of kindness in place of your traditional Christmas service will send a message of love and provide your church congregation with a Christmas experience they won’t forget. After all, Christmas is about when Jesus Christ came in humility to serve those in need.

4 BONUS Ideas

12. christmas eve-eve service. .

While many churches still have a Christmas Eve service, more and more families are spending time together at home. Encourage your church congregation to spend quality time together as a family on Christmas Eve by having a Christmas Eve-Eve service instead. This also frees up your church staff from working/serving on Christmas Eve and allows them to spend time with their families on Christmas Eve or even attend a Christmas Eve service somewhere else in your community.

13. Give The Opportunity To Give

Open up your church services to allow for opportunities to give. Perhaps it’s raising funds for a community project or a church in need of a new roof or better heating. Maybe it’s a family who can’t make ends meet. Whatever the need, remind your congregation of the importance to stop and serve. After all, Jesus came to us with the intent to serve us and not be served by us. This is the reminder at Christmas, that we serve the least of these. By creating opportunities to serve as a ministry, people will inherently slow down and be able to enjoy the moment rather than rushing to the next event. Find local partners in your surrounding area that could use a hand.

14. Integrate Social Media Into Your Christmas Services

Facebook and social media provide a fantastic and easy way to communicate with others. Consider creating some fun quizzes or questions to ask your church congregation on your social media platforms. You can even create some professional social media graphics and share them directly to Facebook with our Sharefaith Designer ! Try creating 12 different images with Bible verses about the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for the “12 Days Of Christmas” and posting one each day leading up to Christmas.

15. Upgrade Your Church Service

Consider new visual effects for your service. Christmas Motion Graphics are constant moving images that loop throughout the duration of your song. The setup is very similar to a regular worship background. This is a great way to engage your congregation especially if this is something completely different for your service. But the main thing you want to remember is to use backgrounds that complement the entire service theme. If you already use motion graphics consistently, we encourage you to continue learning and trying new techniques and finding new technologies that can assist your service.

Whatever your Church does for special services throughout the year, be unpredictable. Even if it seems like the same thing every year, our call is to make it new as Jesus makes all things new. It doesn’t mean we abandon tradition. Rather, we can weave in ways to help people interact with the truth of the Gospel: God made flesh and dwelling among us, as John says. That way, we will help people to stop, think, reflect, and give space for the Holy Spirit to work in their lives to believe.

How is your church navigating the wilderness? COVID was a tricky time for churches. Is there a new normal? Download the free eBook, “Churches in the Wilderness: Navigating COVID-19 and the New Normal” now. In it, you’ll learn how to plan for a new normal and the changes that came with COVID-19.

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5 Critical Elements of a Christmas Service Presentation

With all the preparation you’re putting into your Christmas services , don’t forget one of the most important elements: presentation slides.

What should you keep in mind as you build your service slides for Christmas and Christmas Eve?

Here are five tips we recommend for a cohesive, memorable service. These are all simple to do in our church presentation software, Proclaim .

1. Pick a Christmas presentation theme

Choosing a theme for your Christmas services serves your congregation by giving them one truth to focus on, and it makes your planning easier.

You could make your theme something more abstract like light, hope, or love, or you could be more concrete, perhaps focusing on a character in the Luke birth narrative or on a particular Bible text.

Whatever your theme, you can then build your song and slide choices around it. Searching for your theme in the Proclaim Media Browser is a great place to start.

For example, I searched “Light” and immediately saw several design themes I can use across my whole service.

2. Fit songs to your theme

You can use Faithlife Music to search worship songs by theme, which could help you narrow down your Christmas song choices .

When you’ve selected your songs, you can instantly add your lyric slides in Proclaim simply by typing the song title. (This is true for everyone through the Faithlife Music database, but it works with even more songs if you link your CCLI account to Proclaim.)

3. Use Christmas Bible verse art

Another element of Proclaim ideal for Christmas services is Bible Art.

There are several Christmas-related passages with Bible Art that you could add to your presentation, either in the pre-service loop or in the service itself.

4. Include church announcements in your pre-service roll

Anytime your church gathers, it’s good to reinforce important information and ways to get involved.

Additionally, with many visitors potentially in your midst, displaying 4–5 announcements is a good way to help them see what the Church (and your church) is all about—whether they are Christians without a home church or do not yet believe in Jesus.

If they see mention of Bible studies , service projects in your community, youth group events, etc., they’ll see that church isn’t just about coming and learning. They’ll learn that your church is a vibrant community full of love, living out its faith—a compelling sight for non-believers and visitors alike.

So to not include announcements at some point in the service is a missed opportunity, both for regular attenders and first-time visitors.

In Proclaim, you can set up a pre-service roll that will cycle through your announcements repeatedly until the service begins.

5. Record your sermon

I’ve written about why it’s important to record your sermon during the Christmas season , but I’ll reiterate it again here.

Simply put, it’s a service to those who are out of town and miss your sermon, as well as to anyone who heard the sermon but wants to listen to it again.

You never know who may be in the service and how the sermon may touch them. Giving them an opportunity to continue engaging with the Word is important, and in Proclaim it’s as simple as a click.

You can accomplish all of this easily in Proclaim ; start your free trial today.

Proclaim 4: Create Excellent Presentations Every Week. Click to see what's new in Proclaim church presentation software.

Matthew Boffey

Matthew Boffey (MDiv, Trinity International University) is the pastor of worship at Christ Church Bellingham. He is also editor-in-chief of Ministry Team magazine, has edited several books, and has written for several blogs and publications, including Relevant online, the Logos blog, and the Faithlife blog.

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Home » Celebrations » Creative Christmas Program Ideas for Church Youth

Creative Christmas Program Ideas for Church Youth

23 July 2023

Christmas is a special time of year for church youth to come together and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Planning a creative and engaging Christmas program can help capture the attention and imagination of young members of the congregation. In this article, we will explore a variety of ideas to make your church youth Christmas program truly memorable.

Engaging Youth in the Christmas Story

One of the first and most important aspects of a church youth Christmas program is to engage the participants in the story of Jesus’ birth. This can be done through various means, such as reenacting the nativity scene or performing a play that depicts the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. Including youth in the planning process and giving them opportunities to take on different roles can foster a sense of ownership and excitement.

Additionally, incorporating interactive elements into the program can captivate the attention of the youth. For example, you can create a live nativity scene where church members can visit different stations and interact with the characters, asking questions and learning more about the significance of each person’s role in the story.

Interactive Nativity Scene Performances for Church Youth

Nativity scene performances are a classic part of Christmas programs, but to make them more engaging for church youth, consider adding interactive elements. Instead of a traditional static nativity scene, allow the youth to take on the roles of the characters and act out the scenes. This not only helps them connect with the story on a deeper level, but also showcases their talents and creativity.

To make the interactive nativity scene even more engaging, encourage the youth to incorporate their own interpretations and ideas. They can create new dialogue or even modernize the story while still maintaining its core message. This gives them the opportunity to express their unique perspectives and allows the audience to see the Christmas story in a fresh and relatable way.

Fun and Festive Christmas Skits for Church Youth

Another entertaining and interactive way to involve church youth in the Christmas program is through skits. Skits are a versatile format that allows for creativity and can be tailored to different age groups and abilities. Consider organizing a skit competition where youth groups come up with their own short plays centered around the Christmas theme. This not only encourages teamwork and cooperation but also sparks creativity and problem-solving skills.

Themes for skits can range from humorous interpretations of the nativity story to exploring the various aspects of the Christmas season. It’s important to encourage youth to think outside the box and incorporate elements that resonate with their generation, such as popular culture references or current events. By doing so, the skits will not only entertain the audience but also provide meaningful messages that young people can relate to.

Incorporating Music and Dance into Youth Christmas Programs

Music and dance are powerful tools for conveying emotions and spreading the joy of Christmas. Including youth in choirs or dance groups can bring a vibrant energy to your church Christmas program. Collaborate with the youth to select both traditional and contemporary songs that celebrate the birth of Jesus. Encourage them to explore different musical genres and experiment with arrangement and choreography.

Consider incorporating technology into the music and dance performances. Utilize audiovisual equipment to enhance the visual and auditory experience. Visual projections, synchronized lighting, and even simple props can amplify the impact of the performances. This not only creates a visually striking experience but also allows youth to engage with technology in a positive and constructive manner.

DIY Crafts and Decorations for Church Youth Christmas Programs

To foster creativity and provide tangible expressions of the Christmas spirit, consider incorporating do-it-yourself (DIY) crafts and decorations into your youth Christmas program. Set up stations where young members can create their own ornaments, nativity scenes, or even design their own Christmas cards. Provide a variety of materials and encourage them to personalize their creations.

In addition to the hands-on activity, you can also organize workshops or tutorials led by experienced crafters. This gives youth the opportunity to learn new skills and techniques while creating meaningful keepsakes. Display the finished crafts and decorations in the church or during the Christmas program to showcase the talent and creativity of church youth.

Inspiring Youth to Share the True Meaning of Christmas

While the Christmas season has become commercialized, it is important to remind church youth of the true meaning of Christmas. Encourage them to think about the significance of Jesus’ birth and how they can actively share this message with others. This can be done through community outreach programs, such as organizing visits to nursing homes or hospitals, or even by participating in charity events that support those in need.

Use the Christmas program as a platform for youth to share their own reflections and experiences related to the true meaning of Christmas. This can be in the form of personal testimonies, spoken word performances, or even short films. By empowering youth to share their stories and perspectives, they become ambassadors of the Christmas message and inspire others to embrace the true spirit of the season.

Creative Ways to Involve Youth in Church Christmas Carols

Church Christmas carols are an integral part of the holiday season. To involve youth in these traditional hymns, consider combining them with modern music styles or incorporating new arrangements. This can include adding contemporary instrumentation or encouraging the use of creative vocal harmonies.

Youth can also be involved in leading the choir or even arranging their own performances. Encourage them to suggest new ways to present familiar carols, such as incorporating dance or visual elements. By involving youth in the caroling process, you not only make the performances more vibrant and engaging but also provide them with an opportunity to connect with the rich traditions of the church.

Planning a Memorable Christmas Pageant with Church Youth

A Christmas pageant is a popular choice for church youth Christmas programs. However, to make it truly memorable, consider involving the youth in the planning and decision-making process. Allow them to contribute their ideas for the storyline, costumes, and set design. This encourages them to take ownership of the production and fosters a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Additionally, consider making the pageant more interactive by incorporating audience participation. This can be done through sing-alongs, asking the audience to join in certain scenes, or even using modern technology, such as live polling or interactive screens. By involving the audience, you create a sense of community and allow them to actively participate in the Christmas story.

Advent Activities to Prepare Church Youth for Christmas Programs

The Advent season is a time of preparation and anticipation leading up to Christmas. Use this time to engage and prepare the church youth for the Christmas program through a variety of activities. These can include weekly youth gatherings that focus on different aspects of the Christmas story, such as studying the prophecies of the Messiah or discussing the significance of Jesus’ birth.

Additionally, organize advent-themed workshops where youth can explore different artistic mediums, such as painting, writing, or even multimedia projects, to create works that reflect their understanding and interpretation of the season. These activities not only deepen their understanding of Christmas but also provide experiences that can be shared during the program itself.

Engaging Games and Icebreakers for Church Youth Christmas Gatherings

As part of the Christmas festivities, organize gatherings and events that bring together church youth in a relaxed and fun environment. Use games and icebreakers to create opportunities for socializing, building relationships, and fostering a sense of community. Tailor the games to the Christmas theme, such as a Christmas-themed scavenger hunt or a trivia game centered around the nativity story.

When planning these activities, ensure they provide opportunities for youth to interact with one another and with mentors or older members of the church. This helps create a supportive and inclusive environment, where youth feel valued and connected to the larger church community.

Teaching the Importance of Giving through Church Youth Christmas Programs

Christmas is a time of giving, and it is essential to instill this value in the church youth. Organize service projects or charity drives as part of the Christmas program to help youth understand the importance of giving to those in need. This can include collecting non-perishable food items or organizing toy drives for local families or children’s hospitals.

Use the Christmas program to showcase the impact of these service projects. Share stories of individuals or families who have benefited from the generosity of the church community. By doing so, you not only teach youth about the joy of giving but also inspire them to continue giving beyond the Christmas season.

Developing Leadership Skills through Organizing Church Youth Christmas Events

Organizing a church youth Christmas program provides valuable opportunities for leadership development. Encourage youth to take on different roles, such as event planning, stage management, or even public speaking. This allows them to develop essential skills such as communication, organization, and collaboration.

Mentoring and providing guidance throughout the planning and execution of the Christmas program can help youth build confidence and resilience. Encourage open dialogue and create a supportive environment where they feel comfortable expressing their ideas and taking on responsibilities. By nurturing their leadership skills, you are not only empowering them for the Christmas program but also equipping them for future endeavors.

Collaborative Storytelling Techniques for Church Youth Christmas Programs

Storytelling is a powerful tool for conveying the message of Christmas. Involve church youth in the creation and performance of original stories that explore different aspects of the holiday season. Collaborative storytelling activities can include brainstorming sessions, writing workshops, or even improvisation exercises.

Encourage youth to draw inspiration from their own experiences or to use their imagination to create fictional narratives that revolve around the themes of Christmas. By involving them in the storytelling process, you empower youth to become active participants in the program, fostering a deeper connection to the message being conveyed.

Exploring Different Cultural Traditions in Church Youth Christmas Celebrations

Christmas is celebrated around the world, with various cultural traditions adding diversity and richness to the holiday season. Use your church youth Christmas program as an opportunity to explore and celebrate these traditions. Organize workshops or presentations where youth can learn about different customs, foods, and rituals associated with Christmas in other countries.

Incorporate elements of these traditions into your program, such as including songs or dances from different cultures or showcasing traditional costumes. This not only educates the youth about the global nature of Christmas but also fosters an appreciation for diversity and promotes a sense of inclusivity in your church community.

Using Technology to Enhance Church Youth Christmas Presentations

Incorporating technology into your church youth Christmas program can add an exciting and modern touch. Use audiovisual equipment to create visually stunning presentations or to amplify the sound during performances. Consider using projectors or screens to display visual elements that complement the program, such as images, videos, or lyrics.

Youth can also utilize technology in creative ways, such as creating digital artwork or designing multimedia presentations to enhance the overall experience. This provides them with opportunities to learn and develop skills related to technology and multimedia production.

Building Community and Fellowship through Church Youth Christmas Programs

A key aspect of any church youth Christmas program is building a sense of community and fellowship. Provide opportunities for youth to gather before or after the program, allowing them to connect with one another and build relationships. Organize social events, such as dinners or festive gatherings, where youth can celebrate together in a relaxed setting.

Additionally, encourage mentorship between older and younger members of the church. This can be done through pairing younger youth with mentors who can provide guidance and support throughout the program. By creating a nurturing environment, you foster a sense of belonging and encourage youth to continue participating in the church community.

Nurturing Creativity and Talent in Church Youth during the Holiday Season

The Christmas season is a time when church youth can showcase their talents and creativity. Encourage them to participate in talent shows or open mic nights dedicated to the Christmas theme. This provides them with a platform to express themselves and share their gifts with the church community.

Provide workshops or training sessions where youth can develop their talents further. For example, offer vocal coaching for those interested in singing or provide guidance on instrument playing techniques. This helps to nurture their talents and build confidence while deepening their connection to the Christmas program.

Integrating Service Projects into Church Youth Christmas Program Activities

In addition to service projects aimed at giving to others, consider incorporating service activities into the Christmas program itself. This can include organizing a day of volunteering at a local charity or coordinating fundraising initiatives for specific causes. By integrating service projects, you not only teach the importance of giving but also provide youth with a hands-on experience that emphasizes the true spirit of Christmas.

Allow youth to take charge of planning and executing these service activities, giving them an opportunity to develop project management skills and a sense of responsibility. By engaging in service, you empower them to make a positive impact on the community and encourage a lifelong commitment to helping others.

Celebrating the Joy of Christ’s Birth with Church Youth through Drama and Mime

Drama and mime performances are unique and powerful ways to convey the joy and wonder of Christ’s birth. Encourage church youth to explore these art forms and incorporate them into the Christmas program. Drama performances can include skits or plays that explore different perspectives or interpretations of the nativity story.

Mime performances, on the other hand, can be used to convey emotions and express the deeper meaning of Christmas without the use of words. Mime can be particularly effective in highlighting the symbolism and spiritual aspects of the story. Encourage youth to use body language and facial expressions to captivate the audience and create moments of awe and reflection.

In Conclusion

Planning a creative and engaging Christmas program for church youth requires thought and preparation. By involving youth in the process and providing opportunities for them to showcase their talents and creativity, you create a program that not only entertains but also deepens their understanding of the true meaning of Christmas. From interactive nativity scenes to incorporating technology and service projects, the possibilities are endless. By fostering a sense of community, fellowship, and inclusivity, your church youth Christmas program will be a memorable and transformative experience for all involved.

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3 Church Christmas Speeches to Share the Good News

Inspire your church community with Christmas speeches that speak to the true meaning of the holiday.

Sally is a prolific non-fiction and fiction writer, who has appeared in multiple print and digital publications.

Learn about our Editorial Policy .

Christmas is a magical time of year, and if you're religious, it probably has an even deeper meaning for you. Give a speech at your church's Christmas service or celebration to spread the good word. Each of these original Christmas speeches conveys the importance and true meaning of Christmas, sharing different but equally important messages.

Three Christmas Speeches for Church to Print

Each speech is available as a free Christmas downloadable PDF file for you to modify and print. Just click on the image of each speech and save the PDF file to your computer. If you run into any problems, you can use a detailed guide to Adobe printables .

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God's Christmas Plan

Anyone can recite this speech for a Christmas church service or celebration. It's an excellent segue into a Christmas program, such as a cantata. This speech discusses why Jesus was born and the plan God had for His son's life and every soul.

Welcome and Merry Christmas! It is wonderful seeing so many familiar and new faces tonight [insert morning, afternoon, or evening].

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son."

The birth of Jesus the Christ was prophesied in the Old Testament. It is the fulfillment of this prophecy that brings us together to celebrate Christmas. That wondrous birth of God's only begotten son! It was God's plan, as explained in John 3:16, part of what I just quoted. The love that God has for this world, for each of us, and for you is so great that he was willing to sacrifice his only son for you, for me, and for all people in this world.

Think about that for a moment.

Consider the enormity of that kind of love because we know that God loved his son. Just as you love your children, your parents love you, and you love your parents. For us, it's impossible to comprehend the greatness of God's love for us. His love was so deep that he willingly sacrificed his son for the souls of all humanity for the sake of your soul.

During Christmas, when we consider the birth of Christ, it isn't just a celebration of him being born as the son of God, although that within itself is an amazing event! But Christmas is also the celebration of the birth of redemption for all human souls.

Jesus was born for this reason and this reason alone. His birth means, as the rest of that Bible verse states, "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Each of you was given the keys to heaven on the day Jesus was born. If you believe Jesus the Christ child was the only begotten son of God and the only reason he was born into this world was to take away your sins, then you are given the ultimate Christmas gift — life eternal.

So, on Christmas Day, we rejoice in the amazing birth of the son of God, and we also rejoice in our salvation, knowing that through his birth and sacrifice, we will join him and God in heaven for all eternity.

Why Jesus Was Born in a Stable

This original speech is perfect for children between the ages of six and ten. It explains the significance of Jesus being born in a lowly stable with a manger for his bed. After hearing this story, children may gain a better understanding of the meaning of Christmas and why Jesus was born into this world.

Use this speech for a Sunday school class, an introduction or part of a children's nativity play, or before the children's choir Christmas performance.

Merry Christmas! It's so wonderful to see each of you here today [tonight]. It's good for us to come together on this holiday to celebrate.

Christmas is a special time for us as Christians because we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus. Since Jesus was the son of God, most of us would think he should have been born in a palace or castle because, after all, he was God's son. But he wasn't born in a stately castle, was he?

No. Jesus was born in a stable, a type of barn for farm animals, like sheep, cows, and chickens. Instead of having a brand-new beautiful crib to sleep in, Jesus had to sleep in a manger. Does anyone know what a manger is? (wait for children to respond.) A manger is like a slanted box with legs. It's where hay is placed for the animals to eat.

Imagine not being born in a hospital but a barn, and your crib is a dirty bin where animals are fed. It's difficult for us to understand why God would allow his only son, whom he loved very much, to be born in a barn with smelly farm animals. But the way Jesus was born is a very important part of the Christmas story. Do you know why? (allow children to answer)

God allowed his only son to be born in a barn because he wanted the world to know his son was a gift to everyone, not just the rich and powerful people of the world. God wanted the average person who worked in fields, who tended sheep, who worked in shops, and who prepared meals to know that Jesus was their savior as much as he was for a king or queen.

Jesus Christ was born for everyone because, in God's eyes, all of us are equals. No one is better than anyone else. And so, God wanted his son to be born in a place that was common to the average person.

That's why our Christmas church plays are about how Jesus was born. We retell the story of how Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem. Mary was about to give birth to Jesus. They needed a nice room with a bed, but all the rooms in the inn were rented. Instead, they had to stay in a stable, a barn for animals.

This is an unusual and humble beginning for the son of God, but it was important that Jesus be born as a common person so he could fulfill God's plan to save the world, to save each of us from sin.

When we sing Christmas hymns, we're singing about our joy and happiness that God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to save our souls and give us eternal life. We're also singing thanks to Jesus for the difficult burden he took upon himself to come into our world and ultimately give up his life for each of us — for each of you.

And there were three wise men who understood this. These kings traveled a very long distance to bring priceless gifts to Jesus because they knew he was the son of God. They wanted to pay their respects to Jesus and thank him for coming into the world to save them. And so, we give each other gifts in that tradition of gratitude.

While these kings were kneeling before Jesus and bestowing him with priceless gifts, shepherds in the fields saw an angel in the night sky singing and announcing the birth of the Christ child. The shepherds hurried to the stable to also pay their respects and give thanks. And, soon, people were coming from all over to see Jesus.

This is the scene we call the nativity. It's a snapshot of Jesus's birth that shepherds, villagers, and kings all kneeled before him and sang songs of thanksgiving. So, let us give thanks as we sing our Christmas hymns and keep Christmas in our hearts every day.

Christmas Hope

Christmas is a message of hope to the world and the great sacrifice that God and His son Jesus made for every soul. You can convey that message with this speech at any Christmas service. It could be the opening for an afternoon or evening cantata, a candlelight Christmas service , or the opening speech for a Christmas church play .

Merry Christmas! Welcome to our Christmas (insert service, play, cantata, etc.)

Christmas is one of the most sacred holidays of the church. Like other church holidays, it's a time when we come together to celebrate and rejoice in our love for God and Jesus. Unlike other church holidays, Christmas marks the beginning of hope for the world.

Now, there are all kinds of hopes, such as "I hope I win the lottery tonight" or "I hope Aunt Mae doesn't make her famous chocolate cake for the family Christmas dinner." Everyone who knows Aunt Mae is probably hoping the same thing. But those examples aren't really about hope. Are they? They're more like wishing. Not real hope.

Hope is defined as a positive or optimistic expectation. And this expectation is often about a circumstance or an event that usually has some kind of impact on your life. That definition fits nicely with the birth of Jesus.

Jesus is the hope for the world. That hope is that we continue to exist after death. Through Christ, God has given us hope of an eternal life. Without Jesus's birth, that hope simply would not exist for us Christians today.

Imagine what the world would be like without hope. But today, we have great hope! This is the day Jesus was born. It's the day God gave his only begotten son, Jesus, the Christ, to wash away your sins.

Jesus's birth signifies our journey back to God, our creator. Jesus restores hope to the world. He paved the way for us. When we believe in Christ, we accept that message of hope proclaimed on Christmas morning that the Christ child was born.

This birth of hope makes Christmas so much more than hymns, Christmas trees, presents, and turkey dinners. It is this sacrifice by God and then his son, Jesus, that delivered hope to the world. The hope of eternal life for all who believe.

So, this Christmas, let's make a joyful noise unto the Lord! Let us give to others in the same spirit of the Christ child. Let us love one another. And most importantly, let us give thanks for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Christmas hope he gifted to us.

Religious Christmas Stories to Share the Holiday Spirit

Bible Verses as Companions to Speeches

You may want to add some Bible verses as part of your speech or as a Christmas reading after your speech. Quote a line or two from one of these Bible verses in your speech to illustrate a point, like the prophecy of Jesus's birth or the angel Gabriel's visit to the Virgin Mary.

You can read about the birth of Jesus Christ in Luke 2:4-19 .
The story of the Three Wise Men is found in Matthew 2:1-11 .
The prophecy about the birth of Christ can be read in Isaiah 7:13-16 .
The explanation of why Jesus was born can be read in John 3:16-21 .
You can also read about how Mary fulfilled the prophecy about the Christ child in Matthew 1:22-23 .
You may wish to include the story of the immaculate conception of Mary, the mother of Jesus, by reading Luke 1:26-37 .
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Christmas Speeches for Church Are Important

A Christmas speech for a church service, Sunday school class, or play is an important way to convey the meaning of Christmas. Read one of these sample speeches or modify it to fit your event and/or style. You can even use scripture to reinforce the significance that the Christmas story has on modern Christians. Make it your own, and it will undoubtedly resonate with your congregation.

Christmas Guide

Jump into creating your own christmas theme with these free editable design templates from the pro church media team. includes editable psds for a 4×6 postcard and a 4k digital graphic., light of the world, editable 4k photoshop file, editable 4×6 postcard file, pre-made 4k sermon graphic jpeg, fonts: lato (free), joyful traditions, fonts: proxima nova (free with adobe creative cloud), look inside the doors and sanctuaries of christmas design implemented in churches from around the world. sort through everything from sermon series graphics, stage designs and more..

Ready-To-Use Christmas Visuals

Christmas is such a special time for the Church as we celebrate the birth of Jesus and spread hope to our communities. As your ministry prepares for this exciting season, we are here to help you look great with eye-catching templates, graphics, motion packs, and more.

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New templates for 2023 available now, over 300 sermon & announcement designs to choose from, psd & jpeg / 3840 x 2160 / print quality.

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New social graphics for 2023 available now, over 500 social squares & stories that will spark engagement, psd & jpeg / 2500 x 2000.

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Mini movies, 3 new christmas mini movies available now, 12 engaging videos to choose from, mp4 / 4k, hd1080 & hd720.

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Bible Lessons

Over 100 Christmas Ideas for Your Children’s Ministry

Published: December 13, 2019

God gave Jesus at Christmas because of love! And because we love you, here are over 100 Christmas ideas for children’s ministry! Enjoy!

9 Children’s Message Ideas for Christmas

3 Christmas Prayers Throughout this season, help your kids discover the power of talking to God.

Christmas Candy Cane Story Use this children’s message in big church or your Sunday school class at Christmastime.

Christmas Quiet Help kids focus on the real meaning of Christmas.

Does God Give Us Presents? Use this children’s message to help children understand the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

God Loves You After all, isn’t this what Christmas is all about?

Light of the World Teach kids that the Light of the World can be the light of their life…especially when they are afraid of the dark.

Waiting for Jesus Use this children’s message to help children remember the Prince of Peace this Christmas.

4 Christmas Craft Ideas

Christmas Angel Ornament Make this easy Christmas Angel Ornament with kids in your ministry this year. You only need five easy-to-find supplies.

Christmas Around the World Take your kids on a celebration of Christmas around the world with these nine amazing crafts from different countries.

Christmas Tree Ornament Preschoolers and their parents will treasure this gift with the child’s photo.

Tree-Mendous Blessings This cute Christmas craft will encourage families to count their blessings this Christmas.

22 Christmas Games, Snacks, and More Ideas

Christmas Gift Wrap Race Game This is a fun children’s ministry game that will help kids get into the spirit of Christmas.

Christmas Star Cookies You’ll love making this Bible Snack with kids that involves no baking!

20 Countdown to Christmas New ideas to celebrate Christmas in your children’s ministry.

25 Christmas Ideas for Families

5 Tips for Working With Modern Families Over Christmas If you lead a children’s ministry, check out these 5 tips for working with modern families over Christmas.

20 Christmas and Thanksgiving Family Night Ideas Give these 20 Christmas and Thanksgiving Family Night Ideas to slow down the craziness of this time of year–and focus on God. Or use them yourself!

4 Christmas Programs

Christmas Play: Tis the Season This is somewhat nontraditional, but it’ll allow more kids to participate with less preparation and lead your congregation into a unique experience of celebrating the newborn King.

Instant Christmas Pageant Use this instant Christmas pageant to relive Christmas with your entire congregation.

Our Easy, Easier, and Easiest Christmas Programs You’ve got a lot on your plate! And that’s why we created easy (almost instant) resources for Christmas that’ll make your job easier — and still wow your church and community!

Preschool Christmas Play During December, kids can prepare for this preschool Christmas play and present it to parents at Christmastime.

A Stocking Full of 30 Kinds of Christmas Ideas

3 Gifts for Jesus This is a great guide to send home to families so they can remember the gifts of the wise men as they prepare for Christmas.

5 Tips for Kids’ Worship With Christmas Music As the great movie character Buddy the Elf says, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”

7 Tips to Thrive During Thanksgiving and Christmas Avoid the craziness! Here are 7 tips to help you not only survive, but also thrive, during the holidays.

12 Days of Christmas Let kids experience the true excitement of Christmas with these crafts, games, reflections, and object lessons.

Top 3 Stories About Christmas While they’re no substitute for opening up the Bible and reading, the top 3 stories about Christmas can help your kids discover what Christmas is all about in different ways.

12 Christmas Sunday School Lessons

4 Free Christmas Sunday School Lessons Enjoy these 4 FREE Christmas Sunday school lessons — one for each Sunday leading up to Christmas. Each lesson is from one of Group’s bestselling curriculum . It’s our gift to you! Enjoy!

An Angel Appears to Mary Use this lesson to teach kids that God uses ordinary people. This lesson comes from the award-winning Hands-On Bible Curriculum .

Celebrate Jesus’ Birthday Use this fun lesson to help children celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

Christmas Sunday School Lesson Use this creative lesson with preteens.

Prophets Foretell Jesus’ Coming Use this lesson to help kids learn how Jesus fulfilled God’s promise. This lesson comes from FaithWeaver NOW Sunday School .

Shepherds Learn That Jesus Is Born Use this lesson to teach kids to tell others about Jesus. This lesson comes from Living Inside Out , Group’s large-group/small-group curriculum.

Through His Eyes Use this Christmas lesson with preschoolers.

What Makes Jesus Happy? Kids will enjoy this Christmas Sunday School Lesson: What Makes Jesus Happy—from Children’s Ministry Magazine.

What Would Jesus See? Use this Sunday School lesson with preteens.

Check out all these Christmas ideas !

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2 thoughts on “ Over 100 Christmas Ideas for Your Children’s Ministry ”

Thank you for your your wonderful lessons and Sunday School materials. They are much appreciated and a Blessing, especially to small churches. Every lesson is usable and appropriate for the specific need. My prayers are with you.

Thank you so much for your faithful work, Madelyn!

Over 100 Christmas Ideas for Your Chi...

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Home Collections Special days Christmas Christmas Church Slides

Effective Christmas Church Slides PowerPoint Template

Elegant Church PowerPoint Slide

This Christmas Church Slides template is perfect for the Christmas season. It comes with beautiful visuals and an eye-catching design. The Festival template is easily customizable and can be used for any church-themed presentation. It is easy to download and use! Make your Christmas celebration more memorable.

About this template

The Christmas Church Slides can make your Christmas celebration memorable and unique. It is designed using beautiful church image background. You can use this design to create an attractive presentation on the church, Christmas, and festival. It is 100% customizable in which you can add attractive images and clipart. Download more such beautiful Christmas designs from SlideEgg.

Feature of this template

The Slides are available in different nodes & colors.
This slide contains 16:9 and 4:3 format.
It is easy to change the slide colors quickly.
It is a well-crafted template with an instant download facility.
The best PowerPoint theme template.
It is a well-designed Xmas presentation template.
Christmas Church
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The Effective Church Communication ministry from Yvon Prehn provides inspiration, training, and resources to help your church create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission. It focuses on Bible-based and timeless principles and strategies that work no matter what digital or print channel you use to create your communications. The site has links to many free TEMPLATES and other resources, plus links to free TRAINING VIDEOS , and a RESOURCE LIBRARY for church communicators.

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Christmas Follow up Postcard or insert card: Because He didn't Stay a Baby
Christmas Follow up Bulletin insert or flyer: Because He didn't Stay a Baby
Christmas Follow up Postcard, invitations to interact

Christmas Thank You Cards

Christmas Cheese balls, a recipe card give-away to guests

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: Christmas Letter to Share Jesus

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: PDF Christmas Carol Postcards and MS Pub and Christmas Carols Instagram and jpg files

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: 2017 Christmas Regular Size Business Invitation Cards

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: 2017 Christmas Square Business Invitation Cards

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: Mini Christmas Business Invitation Cards 5

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: Christmas Postcards Horizontal

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: 2017 Christmas Postcards, vertical

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: jesus-postcard

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: 2016-why-invite

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: NEW Why Invite

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: hark-bulletin-inserts

FOR MORE about this communication and how to use it most effectively: https://wp.me/pDky9-6En

Note: these are not Connection Cards, which are below. These are cards people can fill out for a drawing and you can get their contact information at a more informal event.

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: 2017 Christmas Event Registration Card

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: 2016-connection-cards

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: 2017 Christmas Connection Cards

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: 2017 Christmas Bookmarks, what we do regularly

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: Christmas, Bulletin Insert, what we do regularly

Christmas Follow up Postcard or insert card: Because He didn't Stay a Baby

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: 2017 Christmas Follow up Because He didn't stay a baby event insert card

Christmas Follow up Bulletin insert or flyer: Because He didn't Stay a Baby

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: 2016-Because-he-didnt-stay-a-baby

Christmas Follow up Postcard, invitations to interact

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: Christmas Follow Up Cards

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: christmas-thank-you-cards

Christmas Cheese balls, a recipe card give-away to guests

CLICK following to download the ZIP FILES: Cheese Ball Recipe Cards in Full Color, Spot Color, JPEGs and Editbable MS Publisher Files