If you’ve seen a mom in action, you know that they are pretty amazing. They are typically the ones running around, taking care of everyone else, and thinking of themselves last. While moms deserve appreciation every day, your church has a great opportunity to reach out to the moms in your church once a year and make your Mother’s Day church service exceptional.
However, it’s also important to remember and be sensitive to the needs of your congregation. Mother’s Day can be a difficult day for people who have recently lost their mom, are having fertility issues, have experienced miscarriage, or don’t have a good relationship with their mom. Don’t shy away from this during your Mother’s Day church service, instead acknowledge the hurts and be available to minister to those who need it.
This year, we wanted to compile a list that helps you think outside the box. While flowers and applause are always nice gestures, what can you as a church do to truly make your Mother’s Day church service special?
Here are ten Mother’s Day church service ideas to get you started:
Motherhood is not a “one size fits all” calling. There are many different types of moms and people fulfilling the role of a mom. If you can make people feel seen and acknowledged in your Mother’s Day church service, it will make it memorable.
A few specific groups to include and acknowledge could be first-time moms, adoptive moms, foster moms, grandmas, those who lost a mom/grandma this year, those who want to be and will be moms, among others.
Find a way to minister to each group uniquely. One of our favorite ways to do this is to read this poem by Amy Young that acknowledges different people during your Mother’s Day church service. You could also have cards or bookmarks with specific Scriptures tailored to bless each group.
Nobody relates more to motherhood than other moms. One of the best ways you can make your Mother’s Day church service exceptional is to choose a few moms in your church to share their stories. Select mothers from various stages of life—pregnant moms, new moms, seasoned moms, grandmas, moms who have experienced infertility or miscarriage. Having a wide range will help more people relate and feel included.
First, find a few moms who would be willing to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of motherhood. Secondly, designate a time in your service where they can speak (in person or on video). Lastly, encourage them to be open and encouraging. This is a time to enjoy, celebrate, and reveal a dependence on the Lord through the journey of motherhood.
This is sure to be a crowd favorite, because who doesn’t love funny or heartfelt videos of kids?! Plus, this gives your church staff the opportunity to get a little creative and compile a video that will make you laugh and tug at your heartstrings all at the same time.
Before conducting the interviews, be sure that you have parental consent. Then have a list of questions prepared. A few examples of potential questions include:
Have your children’s pastor or another member of your staff sit down with kids of different ages to ask the questions and film the answers. Then, compile them all into a Mother’s Day video for your church service.
If you are looking for a more traditional way to celebrate moms during your church service for Mother’s Day, give them a gift. This doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. A simple, thoughtful gift will mean a lot.
Here are a few of our favorite Mother’s Day gift ideas for your church service:
Talk about relaxation for busy moms! If you truly want to make your Mother’s Day church service exceptional, set up a chair massage station that all moms can stop by before or after the service. Many local massage schools will send students to come and give chair massages for a reasonable price, so be sure to look around.
This will not only show moms that you value them, but it will help them feel pampered too!
Another great way to make a difference this Mother’s Day is to take up a special offering designated to a ministry that supports moms, women, and/or children.
Maybe your church already supports a ministry that helps moms and children, or maybe you need to do some research in your area. Either way, be sure that the special offering is going to a cause that will be meaningful to the mothers in your congregation. While the offering is taken up, lead your congregation in a Mother’s Day prayer or song for your church service.
The key to hosting a meal for your Mother’s Day church service is to ensure that the moms are not responsible for the planning, cooking, or cleaning! Whether you choose to do breakfast, lunch, or brunch, recruit the men in your church to get involved.
The meal doesn’t need to be anything fancy (though it can be if you want). It just needs to be good food that moms don’t have to prepare or clean up after. This is a gift in itself!
If your church is anything like my church, you typically have coffee available. However, this coffee is usually the mass-produced bags that are in ginormous coffee makers. To make your Mother’s Day church service special, consider setting up a special coffee station for moms.
At this coffee station, you could have fancy creamers and sugars and offer different brews. If you want to get really fancy, consider hiring a barista to come in and make specialty coffees like lattes and mochas for the mothers in attendance. Or, if your church already has a café, offer free coffee and tea drinks to the mamas.
As a mom, I know how hard it is to actually be in a picture. Usually, moms are the ones behind the camera taking pictures of their kids. However, to make your Mother’s Day church service exceptional, make a photo booth or backdrop and offer to take pictures of mothers with their families. Get creative and make the photo space cute for moms and kids alike.
This is a great way to capture the holiday and make mom feel special. Not to mention a wonderful keepsake for years to come.
Lastly, be sure to appreciate moms everywhere you possibly can on that day. Include a note to moms in your Mother’s Day church service bulletin and preach a Mother’s Day message for a church service.
It’s also a good idea to center the sermon around motherhood or parenthood in general. Be sure to announce this on your church website so people will know in advance that there will be a Mother’s Day theme during your church service. The more places that you can put this information the better!
Updated April 2022