Responding to Halloween as a Believer
As the days cool off and the season transitions into Fall it is not rare that believers, pastors, and churches wrestle with an appropriate response to Halloween. There is plenty of history of how various churches and organizations have chosen to respond to the holiday along with myriad opinions on the proper response to it by believers. In reality, whichever side you choose to take there are biblical passages that support your opinion. That is what creates such a challenge in crafting your church’s approach to the evening. Yet, how often do your congregational members have their neighbors willingly coming to their front porch? As you approach Halloween this year there are several ways that you can respond.
A Very Brief History
Halloween as a celebration dates back a couple thousand years to the Celts in what is now Great Britain. They came together with bonfires and costumes to ward off the dead at their new year, which was October 31 and signified the end of summer and transition to winter for them. They believed the dead interfered with the crops and harvest. As the Catholic Church spread they eventually adopted an “All Saint’s Day” or “All Hallows Day.” In time they moved their celebration of it to November 1 and the night before became “All Hallows Eve.” The move was intended to help ease the transition of the Celtic people into the church. The United States didn’t celebrate the holiday much until the Irish Potato Famine and large scale immigration of Irish into the country. Over the years since the holiday has become one of the biggest grossing ones in the nation each year with billions of dollars spent.
Yet, as believers, we face several options when deciding how to respond to the celebration. There are four ways to respond. As believers, and as a church or church leader, you should take time to pray through how God would guide you to respond. The Bible teaches that wisdom should be used when engaging the culture around you and that there is permission to be involved, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is beneficial (1 Corinthians 10). Trust the Holy Spirit to guide you to the right response.
REJECT
Reject is not just ignoring, but to fight against it. You might not do an active protest to your neighbors but you put posts on your social feed, or actively talk to people about how you believe it is wrong to participate in the holiday.
COUNTER
Many churches every year seek to counter the Halloween holiday with kid and family friendly events on campus as alternatives to the neighborhoods. The church might do a big festival style event with candy, games, and inflatables. Another option is the “trunk or treat” where members design fun themes for their vehicle trunks, or tailgates, and families come through those to collect candy. These events will typically be scheduled on Halloween night, or close by so that families can have a fun time together.
ACCEPT
Perhaps this could be called the “stick your head in the sand” approach? Ultimately, many believers will simply accept that the holiday will happen, that kids will roam their neighborhood asking for candy dressed as all sorts of characters. However, they will not turn their porch lights on and won’t distribute candy or anything else. You basically ignore it and decline to participate.
ENGAGE
The final option as a believer is to intentionally engage with your neighborhood community that evening. There are few nights each year that your neighbors will actively show up at your house. It can be a great opportunity to connect with people who otherwise might never darken your doorway, much less your church’s doorway. Engaging gives you the chance to bring a safe and friendly event to your own front lawn for the neighborhood. It can be a tremendous time to create a pathway for your neighbors back to the church. Now, if you feel like engaging your community on Halloween is the right thing then please make sure it is worth it.
Light up the front of your house/driveway.
Set up a fun game, or games, for kids to play.
Talk with the parents and introduce yourselves.
Give out great candy and include a card, or info piece, about your church.
Maybe your neighborhood is not a big trick or treat neighborhood. But what if your community group, Sunday school, or fellowship group came together at one of the houses where there is a lot of activity? Halloween creates an interesting challenge to the believer. Few nights each year provide the kind of interaction with people that Halloween does. It could be a great opportunity for you, and your church, to make relationships outside the walls that lead to life changed by Jesus.