Each year around Easter, many churches host community egg hunts. For some believers, this raises an important question: Should churches participate in these traditions involving eggs and bunnies, which some believe have pagan roots? Are chocolate treats and Easter baskets distracting from the truths of Resurrection Sunday?
Throughout my life, I have attended and served on staff at several churches, and every church has approached this question a little differently. In my ministry experience, what I have learned is that the most important question is not simply what we do, but why we do it.
God knows the intent of our hearts. With any event hosted by a church, the goal should always be the same:Jesus at the center.
An Easter egg hunt should never replace the true meaning of Easter, which is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead. However, it can serve as a meaningful opportunity to point people toward the hope of the resurrection, and it can create beautiful moments of laughter and fun for our church families.
And so, below are a few reasons many churches choose to host them.
A Powerful Outreach Opportunity
Community events create natural opportunities for connection. Easter egg hunts often draw families who may not normally attend church, but are looking for something fun and meaningful for their children.
Over the years, we have hosted egg hunts both on our church campus and in local parks. Each setting provided opportunities to meet neighbors, build relationships, and invite families to Easter services.
When a church intentionally engages the community, conversations happen. Those conversations can lead to encouragement, prayer, and ultimately opportunities to share the Gospel. Many churches also incorporate tools like resurrection eggs, which help tell the story of Jesus’s death and resurrection in a way children and parents can understand. With this evangelism and discipleship tool, plastic eggs are filled with symbols of the story of Christ, instead of candy. Each tiny object prompts a different aspect of the story: a nail to symbolize the nails of the cross, a stone to remind us of the stone used at Jesus’s burial, an empty egg recalling the empty tomb, and so forth. Tools like these are available to buy for your ministry, or you can make your own.
When done with the right heart, an egg hunt becomes more than a game. It becomes a doorway for Gospel conversations.
Creating Connections Between Pastors and Young Families
While building connections outside your church walls is vitally important, another meaningful reason to host an egg hunt is relational connection within the church.
Pastors often have limited opportunities to interact personally with children during the regular rhythms of Sunday services. Adults tend to fill most of the conversation space. Hosting something like a pastor’s egg hunt creates a relaxed environment where pastors and ministry staff can spend time with young families.
For children, having a positive personal interaction with their pastor can be significant. It helps them see their church leaders as approachable and caring, and it strengthens the sense of belonging within the church family.
Moments like these may seem simple, but they help build relationships that last far beyond the event itself.
Creative Ways to Share the Resurrection Story
Many churches also use egg hunts as an opportunity for a creative Gospel-centered outreach.
One example is a “You’ve Been Egged” neighborhood outreach. Volunteers hide eggs in yards throughout the community. Neighborhood families get to enjoy a quick egg hunt and some tasty treats, and one of the eggs is intentionally empty, representing the empty tomb.
Attached to the door is a note explaining that twelve eggs have been hidden in the family’s yard, with one left empty to remind families of the most important truth of Easter: The tomb is empty. Jesus is risen.
Inside the bag is also an invitation to attach Easter services at the church.
Simple acts like this can spark curiosity, joy, and meaningful conversations about the true meaning of Easter with your neighbors.
Keeping the Right Perspective
Egg hunts should never be the focus of Easter, nor should they ever replace the message of the cross and the resurrection. But when used intentionally, they can serve as pathways, opportunities to connect with families, serve the community, and point people to Jesus.
In the end, the most important question for any church event is this: Is Jesus at the center?
When the answer is yes, even something as simple as an Easter egg hunt can become a tool God uses to open life-changing conversations.
