akeemMost of us remember this scene from the movie Coming to America in which Prince Akeem meets Lisa McDowell for the first time (if not, click the image for a quick laugh). Though Akeem can change Lisa’s life forever, his first encounter with her leaves a strange impression. Instead of wowing her with his charm, he is immortalized with the line, “When you think of garbage, think of Akeem”.

Epic fail.

Easter Sunday is just three weeks away and for many churches, it is the main opportunity to garner a favorable (or first) impression with visitors and those who infrequently attend. Though you may have a great church, great sermon prepared, and great worship planned, missteps can lead to an “Akeem-like” impression. Here are three things to avoid on Easter Sunday:

Overdoing the Welcome. Make sure you greet visitors and welcome them to the church but don’t overdo it.Welcome them like you normally do on Sundays. Anything more reeks of desperation (“Please, please, please join our church!”). Also, do not alienate the visitor by making comments about “I haven’t seen you since last year” or “We welcome our CME (Christmas/Easter/Mother’s Day) members”.

Over-production. Easter Sunday is huge for the local church. Obviously, you want to highlight the resurrection of Jesus, but you don’t want the production of worship to overshadow the one being worshiped. You may have kids dancing, streamers, guest soloists, and skits planned. Does the church normally do these things? Be realistic and keep in mind the person visiting may be blown away and enticed by what they experience but remember the Sundays after Easter are coming. What will they experience then?

Over-promising. Easter is a great day to show what your church is all about. Unfortunately, churches sometimes fall into a trap of promising new ministries that do not exist (“We are going to have a youth center one day…”). Or, trying to start a new ministry that has not been well planned (“Today is the first day our nursery has ever been open, so take your precious babies in there!”). Be honest with where you are and what you have. If you have not managed to get that ministry going all year, don’t say anything about it until it is ready to launch.

Can you think of something else that should be on this list? Comment below and let me know.