7 tips for an engaging & exciting Advent sermon series

September 24, 2025

Every year, church leaders eagerly anticipate the Christmas season—not only for its spiritual significance but also for the unique opportunity it brings. Christmas services consistently rank among the most highly attended gatherings of the year! They draw both faithful members and first-time guests. 

With so many new faces walking through the doors, the holiday season offers a powerful incentive to plan Advent and Christmas services that inspire, connect, and maximize engagement—helping leaders set their church up for success in the future. A well-crafted Advent preaching series not only keeps your messages focused but also invites people into a spiritual journey leading up to Christmas. 

Pastors understand the familiar challenge of preaching fresh, life-changing messages from the Christmas story year after year. To inspire your Advent sermon series this year, let’s turn to seven practical ideas to meaningfully connect with your congregation, keep the gospel front and center, and make this year’s message for Advent both engaging and exciting!

7 tips for an engaging & exciting Advent sermon series

1. Consider your congregation

Church leaders are called to know what their church members are experiencing and walking through in the present. A generic sermon series is not applicable and may easily miss the mark. 

As you consider your church members’ various life circumstances, struggles, victories, and current topics of conversation, look for a common theme. Great preaching happens when timeless truth meets present reality. To choose your Advent sermon series topic, you can ask, “Where does my congregation most need the hope of Advent right now?” 

For example, if your community is experiencing uncertainty, highlight God’s faithfulness through Christ. If families feel weary, emphasize the rest Jesus brings. By tying the Christmas message to real struggles, your Advent preaching series feels less like tradition and more like transformation. 

This pastoral sensitivity ensures your message for Advent speaks directly to people’s lives.

2. Consider your newcomers & visitors

Christmas is one of the few times each year when people who don’t normally attend church step through your doors. That means your Advent sermon series isn’t just for your regular congregation—it’s also a chance to make a meaningful first impression on your visitors, potentially leading to lasting engagement. 

Keep your Advent message clear, welcoming, and free of insider language that may confuse new guests. Share the hope of Christ in a way that is both accessible and deeply powerful. You may also consider adding a short introduction at the beginning of each service that explains the Advent preaching series theme so guests can follow along. 

By designing your Advent series of sermons with visitors in mind, you’ll create an environment where visitors feel included and are encouraged to return after Christmas.

3. Utilize the full Advent season

Advent season is the four weeks leading up to Christmas. If you’ve ever attended a church service during December that didn’t mention Christmas, then you know how confusing that can be. That’s why it’s important to use each Sunday of Advent for your sermon series! 

Instead of focusing solely on Christmas Eve, use the entire Advent calendar to build momentum in your preaching series. Each week can highlight a different theme—hope, peace, joy, and love—or follow the journey of biblical characters preparing for Christ’s birth. 

This progression allows your Advent series of sermons to create a sense of anticipation and spiritual growth, drawing people deeper each week. You can also incorporate traditions like Advent candles, weekly devotionals, or service projects that align with your sermons. 

By fully embracing the Advent season, your Advent message becomes more than a single moment—it becomes a journey your congregation can walk together leading up to Christmas Eve.

4. Promote your Advent series online 

Don’t let your Advent sermon series stay within church walls—extend it online to reach more people! There are many ways to promote your Advent sermon series online, including:

  • Running online ads to reach your local community 
  • Posting short reels to add a personal touch 
  • Promo videos created quickly through Pulpit Ai to get the word out & invite newcomers
  • Utilizing free holiday graphics for your Advent series
  • Encouraging your members to share posts & event pages 

A digital presence not only boosts attendance but also prepares hearts before they walk through your doors. Promotion ensures your Advent preaching series reaches new people beyond Sunday mornings.

5. Provide seasonal opportunities for engagement & connection 

Advent is a special and meaningful time of year that provides unique opportunities for your congregation to be engaged at your church! By providing opportunities for engagement and connection, you can invite your congregation into the story of Advent while inspiring visitors to be a part of your church. 

This year, you can connect your Advent sermon series directly to unique Christmas activities. There are many ways you can connect your Advent sermon series to encourage church engagement and connection, including: 

  • Offering seasonal volunteer opportunities for the Advent season, such as parking attendants, sign holders, Christmas program designers & extra greeters.
  • Hosting unique kids ministry events, including a children’s Christmas choir, a children’s Christmas play, or special Christmas activities during the Sunday service
  • Putting on a live Nativity scene at your church. This one takes many months of planning! 
  • Hosting special holiday gatherings, such as Christmas parties, men’s and women’s ministry events, or a live-action retelling of Christmas. 
  • Raising money for year-end campaigns or local charities, such as providing meals or presents to local families in need.

By connecting your Advent sermon series to the unique activities of the Christmas season, you highlight how the Gospel is coming alive at your church through real-life actions and examples. 

6. Share relevant resources for small groups

Your Advent preaching series can have lasting impact if you find ways to carry the message into people’s daily lives. An Advent sermon series is most impactful when it goes beyond the pulpit and invites people into the Christmas story all week long.

Extend your Advent message beyond Sunday by offering sermon resources people can use at home. Consider using Pulpit AI to turn your Advent sermons into over twenty pieces of original content, including video clips, social media posts, discussion questions, devotionals, and discussion guides that reflect on your weekly Advent message. 

Encourage small groups, families, or individuals to use these resources during the week, reinforcing the truths shared on Sunday. You might also record short video reflections or podcast episodes that unpack your Advent sermon series ideas in more detail. When families and groups carry the Advent preaching series into their daily lives, the truth of Christmas takes root in practical, transformative ways.

7. Make church tech a part of your Advent sermon series 

The Christmas season is one of the best opportunities for outreach at church—which makes it essential for churches to embrace technology that meets people where they are. Innovative tools not only make it easier to stay connected during Advent but also ensure your message is heard by both regular attenders and first-time guests.

There are many ways to ensure your church is ready to reach people by coordinating your Advent sermon series with digital innovations. Integrate technology and digital engagement strategies throughout your Advent sermon series and all the way up to Christmas Eve, including: 

  • Offer live streaming: Consider live streaming your services so that visitors who can’t make it in person can still connect. Additionally, you can post the streams online after church to meet more people throughout the week. 
  • Update your church website: A well-designed church website needs to stay relevant, especially during the Advent season when people are searching online for what church to attend. Make sure your church website is up-to-date with all the information visitors will need to stay informed, engaged, and connected during Advent. 
  • Utilize a church app: Church apps give people easy access to sermons, schedules, and devotionals, while media libraries let your congregation rewatch messages and share them with friends.
  • Make online giving easy: The holidays are proven to be when generosity is at its highest! That’s why it’s so important your church is prepared to provide easy and convenient digital giving options for your church. Whether it’s in your church app or with a simple tap of a smartphone, when generosity tends to rise, your church can offer seamless giving options to help people respond to the message.
  • Utilize church management tools: From child check-in to volunteers and service planning—make sure every Advent service runs as smoothly as possible. Event registration systems can streamline holiday gatherings and outreach efforts, while group messaging for small groups and other teams keep people connected midweek. 

Make the most of your Advent sermon series 

Every Advent, pastors face the joyful challenge of preaching the Christmas story in fresh and meaningful ways. By choosing the right topic, connecting it to your congregation, and using creative strategies, your Advent sermon series can bring new life to familiar truths. With the right preparation and promotion, your Advent message won’t just fill a season—it will transform hearts. 

Subsplash gives you a full toolset to grow engagement and reach during Advent—so your Advent preaching series doesn’t just happen on Sundays, but resonates every day of the week. 

From preparing and sharing your Advent preaching series with Pulpit AI to reaching people through digital tools that foster connection and generosity, your church can maximize the impact of Advent, and touch lives for years to come. 

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Author

Lyndsi Bigbee, Marketing Copywriter

Lyndsi is a lover of words, books, and poetry, and is passionate about the local church. Originally from Nashville, she has served in Methodist, Presbyterian, and nondenominational churches across the U.S. and loves to use her experience to help churches through her work at Subsplash. Lyndsi received her M.A. from Asbury Theological Seminary and is deeply committed to the local church’s role in transforming hearts and lives.

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