How to Setup Christmas Workflow - 2026

Objective

This article walks a church through configuring the Christmas Plan Your Visit workflow, confirming all required custom values, and enabling the supporting app and notifications. The goal is to ensure every visitor receives timely communication and the team can respond quickly to new leads.

Video walkthrough:

Step-by-step walkthrough

1. Log in and locate the Christmas workflow 0:00

• Log in to the account and allow 30–45 minutes to complete setup.
• Go to Automations where all workflows live.
• Search for Christmas to find the correct workflow.
• Open Christmas Planner Visit Messages, version 2026.
• Ignore the keyword workflow if it appears; it is not used for this process.

2. Confirm the workflow is in draft and understand its purpose 1:24

• Verify the workflow is currently in draft mode.

  Understand that this workflow handles the core visitor communication process:

  • confirmation text/email
  • internal notifications
  • reminder messages before the event
• Publish later only after all required fields are reviewed and updated.

3. Set the Christmas event date and time 2:12

• Open the Set a Christmas event date action.
• Select the correct event date from the calendar.
• Enter the correct event time using military time.
• Click Confirm and then Save action.
• Make sure both steps are completed or the date/time will not save.

4. Review and customize the confirmation text message 3:27

• Open the confirmation text action.
• Review the message to ensure the wording matches your church’s tone and event name.
• Update any placeholder language so it reflects your actual Christmas service.
• Keep the contact’s first name personalization in place unless you intentionally change it.
• Save the action after editing.

5. Align manual follow-up with the automated text 4:24

• Understand that the system sends an immediate confirmation text when someone plans a visit.
• Plan to follow up personally within 15 minutes for best results.
• Make sure any manual text or call does not conflict with the automated message.
• If you send a text from your phone or church number, ensure the wording is consistent with the workflow message.

6. Review and customize the confirmation email 6:02

• Open the confirmation email action.
• Confirm the sender name, sender email, and church name are correct.
• Review the body copy and update any language that does not fit your church.
• Keep custom values intact unless you are intentionally changing the workflow structure.
• Save the action after making edits.

7. Review the internal notification and follow-up guidance 7:31

• Open the internal notification action.
• Confirm it sends to the correct Plan Your Visit coordinator.
• Review the included internal notes and phone-script guidance.
• Use the message to build excitement and encourage a personal connection.
• End follow-up texts with a question such as: “Is anyone else coming with you?” to encourage replies.

8. Verify the 24-hour and 1-hour reminder timing 9:06

• Review the 24-hour before event wait step.
• Confirm it is based on the event date/time entered earlier.
• Leave the timing as-is unless you intentionally want a different reminder window.
• Review the 1-hour before event text and email reminders.
• Make sure the event time is correct, since these reminders are calculated from that time.

9. Publish the workflow when ready 11:24

• Once all edits are complete, click Publish to activate the workflow.
• If the workflow is still in draft, it will not send messages.
• Save any final changes before leaving the workflow.

10. Download the mobile app for quick response management 11:38

• If using an iPhone, download the Churchfuel app from the Apple App Store.
• If using Android, download the LeadConnector app from the Google Play Store.
• Log in using the same credentials used for the web account.
• Use the app to call and text contacts directly from the church number.

11. Turn on text notifications so you do not miss replies 13:03

• Enable conversation/text notifications in the account settings.
• Go to Settings → Users → Edit → Notification settings → Conversation notifications.
• Turn on the notification options that alert you when someone replies.
• This ensures you receive a text on your personal phone when a visitor responds.

12. Confirm the church phone number and reply from the app 15:22

• Verify the church’s outbound number in Settings → Phone system.
• Use the app to open Conversations and reply to visitor messages.
• Respond from the church number, not your personal number.
• Use the app to call or text directly when a visitor asks a question.

13. Improve the account’s optimization score 16:45

• Go to Setup and review the optimization score.

  Complete the following sections:

  • questions/setup prompts
  • photos and brand assets
  • voice and story
  • Google Business Profile
  • frequently asked questions
• These items help landing pages and related tools perform better.

14. Update Christmas custom values 18:01

• Go to Settings → Custom values.

• Search for Christmas to find the relevant fields.

  Update the following as needed:

  • Christmas name
  • Christmas service times
• Make sure the service time value matches the actual Christmas service schedule.
• Save each update before leaving the page.

15. Confirm the Plan Your Visit coordinator 20:24

• Verify the correct Plan Your Visit coordinator is assigned.
• If needed, edit the contact so notifications go to the right person.
• Confirm the coordinator receives the internal alerts and follow-up details.
• This person should be responsible for responding to visitor leads quickly.

16. Add the Christmas offer stack 21:01

• Open the offer stack section.
• Add the Christmas offer stack content so it appears on the Christmas landing page.
• Copy the content if you want to reuse it in emails or text messages.
• Use the offer stack language to build excitement and increase attendance.

Cautionary Notes

• Do not skip publishing the workflow; draft mode will not send messages.
• Confirm and save are both required when setting the event date/time.
• Make sure the event date and time are accurate, because reminder messages depend on them.
• If you change the automated text/email, ensure your manual follow-up does not conflict with it.
• Use the correct church number for outbound communication; do not use a personal number.
• If your church does not have guest parking, welcome center language, or a specific service format, edit those details before publishing.
• Custom values must be updated in addition to workflow text; changing one does not update the other automatically.

Tips for Efficiency

• Search Christmas in Automations to find the workflow faster.
• Use the mobile app so you can respond to visitors while on the move.
• Turn on all conversation notifications first so you never miss a reply.
• Keep the follow-up message simple and conversational to encourage responses.
• Use the same wording across text, email, and personal follow-up for consistency.
• Review custom values before publishing so you only have to edit once.
• If your church has multiple services, choose the service time that best represents the main gathering for reminder timing.