When properly done, an anniversary can be a bonding experience for the church and can have many lasting benefits for the congregation. A church anniversary celebration is a lot of work and should be headed up by a very organized person. The church should allow at least a year to complete the task with maximum results.
Organizing an anniversary celebration involves the 3 Ps: Prepare, Plan, and Pull It Together.
PREPARE
Appoint a committee: All the major areas of the church should be represented by a member on the committee. The pastor should serve ex officio, and while the committee need not be chaired by the history committee chair or church historian, both those people need to be on the committee. Committee members should have an interest in this activity, and they should be capable of giving input into the process.
Get the event on the church calendar: While the observances may be scheduled for a single day, or a week or month, it needs to come to the attention of the full church as soon as possible to make sure that other activities do not get scheduled against it that might take volunteer energy away from the anniversary.
Decide the objective: Is this celebration intended to look back only, or to provide a springboard into the future? If you want your congregation to come away from the celebration invigorated, it is important to show them how far the church has come.
Decide on the program: The type of program a church chooses to use in commemorating the anniversary will determine the number of days for the celebration.
PLAN
Compile church history: A church history is crucial to the success of an anniversary celebration. If no up-to-date history exists in a church, one should be prepared, either by the history committee or the church historian, or by a subcommittee of the anniversary committee. If a church does not have a history committee or historian, this may be an opportune time to get them in place. If a history is already prepared, copies should be available for church members who do not have one.
Prepare a brochure or booklet: If your church history has recently been updated, preparing a brochure or booklet giving the historical outline of the church may be enough to distribute during the anniversary observance. Pictures of historical interest could be used for illustration. Think about including programs from the anniversary services as part of the booklet.
Plan the activities for the observance: These may include a pageant depicting historical events from the history of the church, a banquet or reception to honor special guests from the church’s past, or a reenactment of early services in the church.
PULL IT TOGETHER
Send the invitations: Usually churches invite former pastors who are still living or their children to represent the family. Be sure to include a portion of the celebration to recognize those guests, and some may even be included in the program.
Promote the event in the church: Put up historical exhibits in the weeks before the celebration to raise awareness of the event. If the church does not have an archives or history room, this celebration can spark interest in starting one.
Gather and display a visual history: Display pictures of former pastors, church buildings, charter members, and other photos of interest. If the church does not have any of these pictures, this interest may cause the members to come forward and donate any materials they may have.
Spread the word: Publicize the event locally to encourage former members to come and to spread word-of-mouth to others who may have moved away.
A church’s anniversary can be a time of uniting to celebrate the growth of God’s kingdom.
This information is courtesy of The Missouri Baptist Historical Commission, which exists to facilitate churches in remembering their past by assisting in the preservation of church records, and by recognizing special anniversaries.
