Halloween as a Ministry Opportunity – 5 Creative Ideas
Halloween is right around the corner — will your family be participating? And just for fun, or will you use Halloween as a ministry opportunity?
Whether or not Christians should participate in Halloween and how is a debate that rages every fall, and for very good reason – it’s not a cut and dry issue.
The Bible doesn’t talk about Halloween and Christianity specifically, and there are some really fantastic points on both sides of the debate.
(Curious what they are? Be sure to check out my article Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? for some good food for thought before you make your decision.)
And yet, what if “Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?” isn’t the right question to ask at all?
What if the question we should be asking is “How should we, as Christians, use this day to the glory and honor of God?”
Or better yet, “How can we use Halloween as a ministry opportunity to better reach a world in need?”
Because the truth is, it’s not like we can just pretend the day doesn’t exist. Just stay in bed, hide under the covers and refuse to come out until the calendar reads November 1st.
Every time Halloween rolls around, we as Christians have a choice.
- Do we stay quiet and just go on with our day as though it’s just another day?
- Are we loud and vocal about how evil the day is and how everyone who participates is a horrible sinner?
- Or do we find ways to be the salt and light in the midst of a dark, dark world?
Honestly, whether you choose to participate in Halloween or not (and how) makes absolutely no difference to me. I can completely see both sides of the debate, and whatever you choose is between you and God.
But if you DO plan on participating (our family does), why not do it in a God-honoring way? In a way that takes the spotlight off of satan and puts it right back on God – where it belongs.
After all, who says Satan gets his own day? Not me. Nope. October 31st is just as great of a day to glorify God as any. Maybe even more so, since it’s ripe with opportunity.
Ready to use Halloween for good? Here are 5 creative Christian Halloween ideas to help you make the most of this once-a-year ministry opportunity.
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1. Dress Up as a Biblical Figure or Concept
Planning on dressing up? Why not dress up as a Biblical figure or concept? Sure, it may not lead to others’ salvation, but it’s a conversation starter if nothing else. It’s also a great way to steal a little attention back from the dark side and put it right back where it belongs–especially if you and your family study the Bible character ahead of time.
Plus, with TONS of Christian Halloween costume ideas, you can really get creative!
(click any image to find costumes on Amazon)
Here are just a few examples:
- Jesus, Joseph or Mary
- An angel, wise man, or king
- A shepherd or sheep
Or you could get really creative and go with something like:
- The Holy Spirit (ghost costume with extra holes ? )
- Noah’s ark (dress all the kids up as different animals)
- One of the 10 plagues
The possibilities are endless!
2. Invite New Families Trunk or Treating
Is your church hosting a Trunk or Treat this Halloween? Why not invite one of the families in your neighborhood to go with you?
While I am typically not a fan of Christians sticking too closely in their own Christian bubbles, Trunk or Treats do provide the perfect, pressure-free opportunity to invite new families to your church – especially people who typically wouldn’t attend otherwise.
This is an especially great idea if you happen to know of a single, working mother or mother with disabilities who won’t be able to take her children trick or treating. You could offer to bring her kids along too, or all go together and chat on the way!
3. Pass Out Christian Goodies to Trick-or-Treaters
Halloween is the one night of the year when strangers literally show up on your doorstep looking for handouts. Why not make sure they walk away with something meaningful?
If you’re planning on handing out candy this Halloween, you could hand out a few tasteful tracts as well.
Sure, handing out tracts may not be the most effective evangelism tool (it’s better to take the time and develop a relationship, not just hand people a piece of paper), but apparently, they do sometimes work and it beats not saying anything at all.
One note, though – if you are going to hand out tracts, please get kid-friendly ones.
(These ones are pretty good: Fully Rely on God this Halloween.)
I’ve been hunting all over looking for some good ones to recommend and most of what’s out there is downright frightening! Yes, that can be effective and there are times for that, I suppose. But let’s remember the occasion. These are for children out having a good time with their families. Keep it light and encouraging!
(If you can’t find any good tracts, you can always go with Christian stickers, pencils, little games or books. That would work too.)
And another thing: Do NOT give out tracts instead of candy but in addition to it. For kids, Halloween is allllll about the candy. Do not be THAT stingy person. Make the tract a bonus — give out candy too. And be generous. We are Christians, after all. Remember, the world is watching.
4. Teach Your Children About the Darkness
Of course, as Christian parents, we DO need to talk to our own children about the less pretty parts of Christianity, such as the devil, demons, spiritual warfare, sin and all that at some point, and Halloween is the perfect time to do it.
You can vary the topics and depth of your conversations based on your children’s ages, but whether your children are young or nearly grown, there are plenty of things you could talk about.
With younger children, you might simply share how the ghosts and goblins they see aren’t real (they’re just costumes), but that there are bad things out there in the world. Superheros might not be real, but witches actually are – and they’re not like what you might think. (They’re not green and they don’t wear black, pointy hats)
If your children are older and you’re feeling brave, however, you can actually take your children to something called a Judgement House. The Christian alternative to haunted houses, Judgment Houses portray gruesome and graphic scenes and situations in an attempt to share the real evils of the world and to bring people to Christ.
(PLEASE do your research before you go though. These can be quite terrifying, and not all of them may share the right message.)
5. Get to Know Your Neighbors
On a friendlier note, Halloween is also a great time to simply get to know your neighbors.
Take your kids trick-or-treating at their houses. Have them trick-or-treat at your house. Host a neighborhood get-together complete with a bonfire and yummy treats – it’s up to you – just do something.
Even if you don’t have a good chance to share the Gospel Halloween night (which is completely fine), it is a good chance to start building real relationships with those all around you – not just to make them your “missions project,” but to get to know them and love them, just like Jesus would.
Is your family planning on celebrating Halloween this year? What do you have planned?
I’ve read your article and I deeply disagree with the reasons brought in.. I think we can do the “trunk” activity for another celebration dedicated to God (like harvest, thanksgiving etc), and dress up in various costumes (why not choose a different day like Christmas, Easter or any other day to do that..hmm).. I don’t give satan any credit for October 31, but why should I associate with all the things (or some of them) of the darkness people do on that day.. Let’s be firm on naming things as they are and don’t try to sweeten the works of the darkness but destroy them as Jesus did…
But yes, Halloween is a great opportunity for outreach and every opportunity should be used as being a witness…like we do any other day by having a living relationship with Christ that shines around 24/7.. why not? But we don’t need to conform to this world Romans 12:2
Let’s show the love of God and tell the truth in love! Bless you!
Thank you for your feedback. What a great idea to host a “trunk or treat” type of event for other holidays! Any opportunity to share about Jesus is one we should make time to do.
My kids and I go door to door and hand out the Truth! We hand out homemade tracts, with the Romans Road on them! Mostly all the doors we go to are grateful to get something. As they aren’t expecting this❤️
We go into the darkness with the light of Jesus🙂
That’s awesome! Such a practical way to share about Jesus. I love that your kids can be a part of that too.
Being a former elementary school librarian, I have given out books and candy the past few Halloweens. I sit in my chair by the porch with candy and boxes of books pre-k through jr. hi. I collect them all year. The look of astonishment is unbelievable. Some books are hardcover. Parents are thrilled. Some kids dived when they spotted a favorite title. It was truly magical and blessed. My neighborhood gets hit by about 200 – 300 treaters. Be prepared. Again, a blessing!
What a great idea! I love that you give out books to trick or treaters!
I love the one of a kind tracks but they seem to be sold out everywhere. any suggestions?
I don’t have any suggestions but maybe another reader does. I hope you can find some in time for Halloween!
When we bought our house and started building relationships with our neighbors, we spent a lot of time praying about what to do with Halloween. We never had a peace about “hiding” from it with the lights off, but felt compelled to engage our neighbors. Last year the kids dressed up as missionaries they had studied (Ida Scutter and Amy Carmichael), we blasted worship music, mixed homemade tracts into the candy bowl (they all were taken) and asked visiting neighbors if they had prayer requests. We felt the presence of God in our driveway, and know that our neighbors did, too. On a night when people are most aware of their own connection to darkness, letting our light shine clearly helps them see the contrast and the hope.
What an awesome idea! I love how you let your light and love shine for Jesus on Halloween! Thank you for sharing!