5 Simple Ways to Prepare Your Church for Mothers Day

The day of days approacheth! No, I’m not a numerologist predicting the return of Jesus. I’ll be steering clear of that silliness, thank you very much.

I mean Mother’s Day! It’s a big deal, not just for moms, but for churches, too. Is your church ready to make the most of it?

Pastors have a few “Super Bowl Sundays” throughout the year. Christmas and Easter get all the attention. There might be a special vision-week that gets some love, but most other Sundays are pretty routine.

But we also know that special Sundays are great opportunities for people to invite the people they love to attend church with them. It’s a chance to make a big deal about showing up with a family member or tagging along with a friend.

That’s why, as a pastor, you should be looking for opportunities to create more special Sundays throughout the year. Of course, you don’t want to do it too often, because too many special things makes nothing special.

I encourage you to share it with your staff. Specifically, send this link to your pastor, children’s pastor, youth pastor, leader of greeters and ushers, and your worship director. Those folks will need to read this, too.

Why Mother’s Day is a Big Deal for Churches

If you’ve not taken Mother’s Day seriously as a church before, you might be wondering what all the hype is about. Why should you treat Mother’s Day differently than any other weekend?

First, moms live for special days and Mother’s Day is right up there with their birthday in terms of specialness. Appreciation shown to mothers on this special day is like putting cash in a high-yield savings account. Your future self will thank you.

Second, it’s an incredible opportunity to show that you value women in your church. Churches tend to be heavily male-led, leaving women to sometimes feel sidelined. Take the chance on Mother’s Day to dispel that concern.

Third, any time you can honor people who live sacrificially is a time when you can encourage that trait in others. Mothers, by nature, sacrifice significantly year-round. That’s something we want rubbing off on others in the church.

Most churches relegate Mother’s Day recognition to a small mention during the church service. That’s a mistake. There are many ways to make this Sunday special.

Prepare Your Greeters to Greet Mothers with a Smile and a Special Gift

Everyone loves a little gift, but mothers do especially. Since you know the general demographic of who will be getting a gift on Mother’s Day, choose something that makes sense.

Here’s my rule: soaps, scents, and sentimentals are all winners. Every woman loves things that smell nice, make them smell nice, or make them feel warm and fuzzy. There’s no need to make it overly feminine or patronize mothers with cliché gifts, but you can’t go wrong with those things.

Prepare Your Worship Leader to Welcome Mothers to Church

The worship leader, or whoever does the welcome during the worship service, should be ready to greet mothers. It might feel silly, but a joke and a genuine word of appreciation for mothers goes a long way. It doesn’t take much time and doesn’t distract from the reason you’re all there (to worship).

Prepare Your Children’s Volunteers to Greet Mothers at Child Drop-off

For Mother’s Day, there might be no better gift than actually taking their kids off their hands with a worry-free drop-off experience. Of course, every Sunday your children’s volunteers should help parents relax with an encouraging drop-off experience, but Mother’s Day is unique. Give mom a chance to breathe a sigh of relief as they walk away from the nursery.

Prepare Your Church’s Youth to Give Mom a Break

The youth pastor has a great opportunity to rally the youth to make Mother’s Day special before they even arrive at church. Your middle and high schoolers can help mom show up to church in a great state of mind by waking up early to make breakfast, get themselves dressed on time in something nice looking, and having a good attitude. A hug and a word of gratitude to their moms is also a great way to give mom some encouragement.

Prepare Your Preacher to Be Gracious to Women Who Aren’t Mothers

Finally, the preacher needs to be ready to not only show appreciation for mothers, but also show grace to women who aren’t mothers. Many women find Mother’s Day to be uniquely saddening. Maybe they can’t have children of their own, they’ve lost a child, or they are estranged from a child. Some even forego church on Sundays to avoid hearing yet-another-Mother’s-Day-sermon.

Let those women know that God loves them. God knows their pain. He cares and wants to carry their burden. There is nothing lost for mothers when you acknowledge and show grace to women who find Mother’s Day painful.

Moms often invite their adult children to church on Mother’s Day. That means you have the chance to share the gospel with a lot of people who may not often attend church. Don’t spend that Sunday only talking about moms. Spend that Sunday talking about Jesus. The mothers in your congregation will appreciate you sharing Jesus with their unchurched kids.