Easter is the biggest attendance day on the church calendar. And most churches spend exactly zero dollars and zero minutes promoting it online.
Not because they don’t care. Because nobody ever showed them how. The phrase “Easter funnel” sounds like it belongs in a marketing agency, not a church staff meeting. But all it really means is this: a simple path that takes someone from “I saw your church online” to “I’m walking through your doors on Sunday.”
Here is the complete walkthrough. One afternoon. Three pieces. Real copy you can steal. A budget smaller than your coffee line item. Let’s build it.
What an Easter Funnel Actually Is (And Why It Works)
A funnel is just a series of steps that move someone closer to a decision. In your case, the decision is “I’m going to visit that church on Easter.”
Most churches skip this entirely. They put up a Facebook post that says “Join us for Easter!” and hope for the best. The post reaches 200 people who already attend. Nobody new shows up.
A simple Easter funnel fixes that by doing three things in order. First, it puts your church in front of people who don’t already know you. Second, it gives them a place to say “I’m interested.” Third, it follows up so they actually show up on Sunday.
That’s the whole concept. Three steps: an ad, a landing page, and a follow-up. Each one takes about 30 minutes to set up. You don’t need a marketing degree. You don’t need a big budget. You just need to do it.
Step 1: Build Your Easter Landing Page
Before you spend a dollar on ads, you need somewhere to send people. Not your homepage. A dedicated Easter page.
Your homepage has your sermon archive, your giving link, your staff bios, your event calendar. That’s great for someone who already attends. For a first-time visitor deciding whether to show up on Easter, it’s too much. They need one page with one purpose.
Here’s what goes on your Easter landing page:
A clear headline. Something like “Easter at [Church Name]. You’re Invited.” Not clever. Clear. The person seeing this page has never heard of your church. Tell them exactly what this is.
Service times and location. Front and center. Not buried in a footer. Not hidden behind a “Learn More” button. Right there, visible without scrolling.
What to expect. Two sentences. “Expect casual dress, real conversations, and a worship experience the whole family will enjoy. Kids programming available for ages 0-12.” That’s enough. People just want to know they won’t feel out of place.
A Plan Your Visit button. This is the most important element on the page. Big. Obvious. Above the fold. When they click it, they land on a short form (name, email, “how many people are coming?”). That form is how you capture their info so you can follow up.
On FaithMade, you can spin up an Easter landing page with a Plan Your Visit form in about 15 minutes. The templates are already built for this exact use case. You swap in your church name, your service times, and a real photo. Done.
If you’re using a different platform, that’s fine too. Just make sure the page is mobile-friendly (most visitors will see it on their phone), loads fast, and has that one clear call to action.
Step 2: Run a Simple Facebook Ad ($30-$50)
This is the part that scares most church staff. It shouldn’t. Running a basic Facebook ad is simpler than setting up the church projector on a Sunday morning.
Here’s exactly what to do.
Go to Meta Ads Manager (not the “Boost Post” button on your Facebook page. Boosting sends the ad to people who already follow you. That defeats the purpose).
Set your audience. Target people within 5-10 miles of your church. Ages 25-55. Exclude anyone who already likes your page. You’re looking for the family that just moved to town, the couple who hasn’t been to church in years but is thinking about Easter, the mom whose kids keep asking about it.
Set your budget. $30-$50 total, running for 7-14 days before Easter. That’s less than a yard sign order by a long shot, and it will reach hundreds of people in your zip code who are actually likely to visit a church.
Write the ad copy. Keep it short. Here’s a template you can use right now:
“This Easter, bring your family to [Church Name]. [Service time]. [Address or neighborhood]. Everyone’s welcome. Tap below to plan your visit.”
Use a real photo. Not a stock photo. Not a graphic with fourteen fonts. A warm, real photo of your actual church. People in the seats. The building from the parking lot. Your welcome team at the door. Authentic beats polished every single time.
Link the ad to your Easter landing page. Not your homepage. Not your Facebook page. The Easter page you just built in Step 1. When they tap the button, they should land on a page that matches exactly what the ad promised.
That’s the whole ad setup. Budget set. Audience targeted. Copy written. Photo chosen. Page linked. You can have this running in about 30 minutes.
Pro tip: Skip the image and record a welcome invite video instead. Doesn’t have to be perfect and polished, but make it fun and feeling personal.
Step 3: Set Up Your Follow-Up Sequence
This is the step most churches skip. It’s also the step that makes the biggest difference.
Someone saw your ad. They clicked. They filled out the Plan Your Visit form. They’re interested. And then… silence. You don’t email them. You don’t text them. Easter comes. Maybe they show up. Probably they don’t.
Research from Lifeway suggests that first-time church guests who don’t hear from a church within 48 hours rarely return. The same principle applies before they even visit. If someone fills out your form on Monday and hears nothing until Sunday, you’ve lost momentum.
Here’s the follow-up sequence that works:
Immediately after they submit the form: Send an automated email. Keep it warm and short.
“Hey [First Name], we’re so glad you’re planning to join us for Easter! Here’s everything you need to know: Service is at [time] at [address]. Parking is [where to park]. When you walk in, [what to expect]. We’ll have someone at the door to welcome you. See you Sunday!”
Two days before Easter: Send a reminder text or email.
“Hey [First Name], just a quick reminder that we’re expecting you this Sunday for Easter! Service starts at [time]. We can’t wait to meet you.”
That’s it. Two messages. One confirms. One reminds. Both make the person feel expected, not just invited. There’s a real difference between “come if you want” and “we’re looking forward to meeting you.” The second one fills seats.
If you’re on FaithMade, the Plan Your Visit form triggers the confirmation email automatically. You write it once, and it sends itself every time someone fills out the form. For the reminder, you can schedule it to go out to everyone who submitted the form. Easy peasy.
Why This Works Better Than What Most Churches Do
The typical church Easter promotion is a Facebook post to existing followers, a bulletin announcement to people who already attend, and maybe a banner on the homepage that blends in with everything else.
None of that reaches new people. None of it captures contact info. None of it follows up.
The funnel you just built does all three. It puts your church in front of strangers in your community. It gives them a low-friction way to say “I’m coming.” And it follows up so they feel expected, not anonymous.
The best part? You set it up once. The ad runs. The page collects. The emails send. You focus on the sermon, the kids’ programming, the parking team, all the things that make Easter Sunday actually great for the people who walk through your doors.
Your Easter Funnel Checklist
Here’s the whole thing in one list:
Build your Easter landing page with a Plan Your Visit form (30 minutes). Set up a $30-$50 Facebook ad targeting 5-10 miles, ages 25-55, linking to that page (30 minutes). Write your confirmation email and schedule your pre-Easter reminder (20 minutes).
Total time: about an afternoon. Total budget: less than lunch for two.
Easter is coming soon. You have time. And your community has people who need a church and don’t know yours exists yet. This funnel is how they find you.
Try FaithMade free and build your Easter funnel today. Your landing page, Plan Your Visit form, and follow-up emails are all built in. One afternoon, and your Easter outreach is running.
