That time of year is coming – Halloween – when all children’s pastors tremble in their boots. It isn’t the holiday, the scary movies, or the haunted houses that scare children’s pastors, it’s the parents and the members of the congregation. There are so many views about how to handle Halloween that no matter what you do, somebody is not going to like it.
I don’t have any answers to make the complaints go away. What I do suggest though is that you have a definite policy supported by your pastor that you follow.
Here’s some of the ways churches handle Halloween:
1 Halloween is a pagan occult holiday that Christians should not participate with in any way. Fear is of the devil, not of God.
2. Halloween is evil, but candy and costumes are cool. We have a party where children get candy and wear non-scary costumes.
3. Halloween is a great opportunity to witness to the lost. We have a huge outreach where we share the gospel, allow children to wear costumes, and give out lots of candy. We’re not afraid of Halloween. Instead we use it as a tool to shine light into the darkness.
4. People make too big a deal of Halloween. For years, Christian kids dressed in witch and ghost costumes and went trick or treating. Nobody made a fuss about it until the 1980′s.
So which policy have you decided to follow? Take this poll to find out what most churches are doing.
