The amusement and leisure industry has learned that birthday parties are a huge attraction and profit generator for their businesses. It’s an important lesson that we can incorporate to increase our ministry. There is more demand for birthday party destinations than supply.
When my daughter Claire turned six, we decided to host the party at
Bethesda Community Church in Fort Worth, TX, which had just opened a wonderful new children’s facility complete with a huge indoor play attraction, café and game zone. It was one of the best parties we ever had for many reasons. That day I realized that there’s a huge potential for churches to host birthday parties not only to reach the community but also generate revenue. If we enjoyed our experience so much, then so would other families. Bethesda has had a wonderful birthday ministry for three years now.
Forty percent of families will have at least one “out of home” birthday party each year.
Typical facilities that host these events include roller-skating rinks, family entertainment centers, arcades, waterparks and more. Several non-traditional facilities have been getting into the birthday market lately such as children’s museums, ballparks, clothing retailers and more. More businesses are entering the market because the demand is higher than the supply. And parents are always seeking a new and different destination to host their child’s party. Churches can set the standard and raise the bar for party experiences. Imagine your church becoming known as “the place” to have a birthday party on the weekend.
New families each weekendThe reason this new ministry will be so successful is that it will bring in new children and families to your facility every weekend that you would not have reached otherwise. Each time a party is hosted at your church, the host will invite friends, neighbors, soccer/baseball/cheer team members, relatives and more to come to the party. Every one of the kids and parents who attend the party will enter your facility, see your ministry, see how you care about kids and learn more about your church.
Based on a typical party of 12 to 15 kids, this would result in about 18 to 20 new visitors to your facility for each party hosted on Saturday. If you host five parties, that would be close to 100 on a weekend. How else would your church be able to reach 100 people every Saturday and get them to your facility? How much money is your church spending on other marketing efforts to bring in this many people?
Everyone has a special memory from a birthday growing up. There’s a funny moment or situation that we can probably remember every detail. We remember so well because a birthday party is an experience that creates memories that last a lifetime. How many other events in life create such long lasting memories? Churches are not in the birthday business, but are in the business of life transformation. And one of the best times to accomplish life change is on that special day in everyone’s life.
Four steps to a successful party 1. Scheduling: You need a point person who handles all the scheduling.
First Baptist Church in Grapevine, TX, hired a “Birthday Party Coordinator” as a part-time position to help with all the logistics. They turned an existing chapel into a family entertainment center and it stays booked for Saturday parties six months in advance. Kirsey Bass, coordinator, says, “Ninety percent of our attendees have not attended church here previously.” The amount of coordination will vary depending on the number of parties your space can host, supplies needed, cleaning and other variables.
2. Activities: Decide what your main draw or attraction will be. Some churches are blessed enough to have a modular play feature, which is fantastic for a high capacity and lots of play value. However, there are tons of other activities that can be used too. This could include outdoor playgrounds, inflatable bounce houses, interactive demonstrations such as cooking or painting, performance acts such as magic or jugglers and many more. With enough creativity and the right host almost any space will suffice.
3. Make it an experience: It’s important to set the atmosphere for the party. Make it a celebratory experience with music playing and colorful balloons everywhere. Make a dramatic first impression. Members of your congregation act as ambassadors to greet guests, organize games and more. Treat the parents as honored guests and let them enjoy the birthday party as much as their kid without having to work the whole time. A memorable experience is much more likely when your ambassadors connect personally with the guests.
4. Marketing: We all get mailers from local churches announcing new sermon series. But how often do you hear about a local church advertising about their new birthday destination? Let kids at your local schools know with “take homes” or coupons. Hosting other events such as lock-ins, community free play, mom’s play days and more can also help get the word out. Each guest attending a birthday party will receive an information packet about your church to take home. This will include details about your children’s ministry, upcoming sermon series and a coupon for redemption when they come back. It’s another opportunity to share your message with hundreds of new people every week.
Word will start to spreadIn addition, good old-fashioned word of mouth will grow the ministry.
Collin Creek Community Church in Plano, TX, started their birthday party ministry several months ago and it didn’t immediately take off. But as a few families had their party there and word started to spread, they quickly filled up and now the facility is booked up several weeks in advance.
One of the best attributes of a birthday ministry is that you are using what you already have for ministry outreach. The vast majority of the time this ministry can be started using facilities and activities that the church has already invested in for Sundays and Wednesdays. If you already have it, there’s not a huge upfront capital outlay.
Birthday parties cost an average of $8 to $16 per child at a typical family entertainment center. It’s not uncommon for parents to spend $300 or more for their child’s party. If your church hosted just three parties on a Saturday, with an average of only $150 per party, that’s $450 per weekend; multiply that by 40 weekends and a church could generate about $18,000 per year in revenue. There will be costs such as supplies and personnel but overall there’s a significant
opportunity to raise funds.
I’ve worked with churches that have started this ministry in order to generate revenue by charging fees. I’ve also worked with churches that only accept donations. But in most every case the new ministry generates additional revenue that can be used to maintain the attractions, raise money for events and more.
I highly recommend that churches begin a birthday ministry right or don’t begin it at all. It’s better to not host a party than to host one and do it wrong, giving people a bad impression of your church. Churches should be a place to minister to families on the weekend.
Reagan Hillier is president of Worlds of Wow, Bartonville, TX, a company that creates themed environments for churches, and is founder of the Faith Based Amusement Association. [worldsofwow.com] [fbaa.tv]
Tax and legal ramifications- Check insurance and liability coverage requirements
- Visit with your tax professional
- Make sure the ministry is being used as intentional ministry
- Unrelated business income is acceptable for any church but be aware of threshold vs. overall income
- Discuss legal ramifications with church counsel
- Have each child/parent sign a waiver or release form when attending
