How to Host the Best Christian Movie Night

Church drive-in movie night

Why Have a Church Movie Night?

A church movie night is an amazing opportunity to gather in fellowship, welcome newcomers, support charities, and have fun with your community. Sometimes, it can be difficult encouraging people to visit church; maybe they feel discouraged or nervous about attending a regular service. Throwing a movie party is a special opportunity to welcome all different types of people in your community, whether they’re members of your church or not. It’s the perfect icebreaker to socialize with newcomers and bond with everyone together. For 20+ years, we’ve helped put on movie nights for customers across the nation. Many of them have been associated with churches, and we’ve seen firsthand the joy that such an event brings to a crowd when they gather to enjoy an outdoor film. Follow our guide for all the best tips on how to host the best Christian movie night!

Welcome Your Community to a Church Movie Night

One of the best aspects of holding a movie party through your church is the chance to welcome newcomers to such an event. Many pastors have tried putting on movie nights in hope of attracting visitors to join them but have failed to reach such a crowd. Why are they unsuccessful in their efforts? There are two major reasons why churches are failing to welcome newcomers to their movie night:

  1. The film is a popular secular choice that people have seen several times, and are sick of watching over and over.
  2. When an overtly “Christian” film is shown, there is little to no appeal for a non-Christian to attend such an event.

The movie choice will greatly affect the type of crowd that attends your party. So, what kind of movie should be shown to welcome everyone?

Movie Night Ministries

Movie Night Ministries is a faith-based organization whose ultimate goal is to provide excellent, newly released movies directly to churches throughout the United States. Some of their exclusive films are directly inspired by a Christian theme, while others are simply entertaining for anyone to enjoy. Movie Night Ministries’ newest release, Daddy Daughter Trip, is a hilarious, family-friendly comedy starring Rob Schneider and his daughter, Miranda Schneider. This movie is perfect to show at your church movie party due to it being a new release that many people haven’t seen yet, and it’s enjoyable for anyone of any faith background. We at FunFlicks are proud to partner with Movie Night Ministries in support of our shared goal of bringing people together in celebration of high-quality films. Movie licensing is 10% off for any FunFlicks customer who purchases licensing through Movie Night Ministries.

Movie Night Ministries Logo

An indoor movie party is a great choice for intimate gatherings. Imagine getting cozy with guests gathered in the living room, including lots of blankets and pillows to create a warm ambiance. In addition, the indoor environment provides more control over the mood, with soft lighting and comfy seating that improve the movie-watching experience. Having the option of moving your event inside as a backup ensures that the fun lives on when it’s too windy or stormy.

Black FunFlicks® Logo
Movie Night Ministires website logo

Church Movie Night Fundraiser

Not only are church movie nights fantastic for fellowship, they are also a great opportunity to raise money for your parish or support your community with a charity drive. If your church is planning on constructing a new building, taking people on a mission trip, seeking to help those less fortunate, or struggling to fund activities such as an outdoor movie night, then consider asking people to donate or buy movie tickets in support of your cause. If you plan on selling tickets, be sure to advertise the price and what the funds will go towards beforehand. Accepting monetary donations is not the only way to promote your cause. A nonperishable food or clothing drive is a thoughtful idea to support those who are homeless or who cannot afford goods. There are many ways that you can help others with an outdoor movie night.

Planning a Christian Movie Night

FunFlicks outdoor church movie party

Choose a Location

To start planning your church movie party, find the best location to hold your event. There needs to be enough space for the expected crowd and audiovisual equipment. If there isn’t enough space on your church’s property, consider holding your event at a nearby park or field. Be sure to ask for permission beforehand when planning to use someone else’s property for your movie party. It's just as important to be mindful of surrounding neighbors and follow local noise ordinances when having an outdoor movie party. The comfort of everyone should be your highest priority. Supply proper seating or tables if you plan on catering food at your event. Guests should be encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets if seating won’t be provided. Once decided, the location of your party should be clearly advertised so that there won’t be any confusion when guests arrive.

Anticipate Weather

Follow the forecast before choosing the best date for your event. Most of the time, weather can be extremely unpredictable. That is why FunFlicks offers FREE weather related rescheduling or cancellation. Simply contact your local FunFlicks the morning of the event to change plans. High winds above 15mph, rain, hail, or excessive snowfall are all weather conditions deemed unsafe to set up our inflatable movie screen equipment in. It’s always a bummer when the weather causes a change of plans; that’s why we’ll work with you to make the party happen on a brighter day. If it is going to be cold out, encourage guests to wear layers, bring blankets, and consider providing hot cocoa or portable heaters. If it will be hot, provide plenty of water and fans for cooling. The safest bet to combat the outside conditions is to hold your event indoors if there is enough space.

Invite Your Guests

Throw your party on a weekend night for the highest attendance rate. Most people tend to be free from work or school on Friday and Saturday nights. After the event has been booked and plans have been finalized, it’s time to let everyone know about your party. We recommend announcing your event at least two weeks before the date. To attract a broader audience, advertise details with groups outside your church. Handing out invitations or placing posters in public spaces will welcome newcomers to join as well. Spread the word on your church's website, in the newsletter, on the calendar, and on social media. Your invitation should be clear about the start time, location, and film of choice; that way, guests can anticipate what to expect. If you need help creating invitation graphics, visit our party invite page for premade downloadable invites, or contact us for custom graphic designs.

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Prepare the Area

Make sure that trash cans are available throughout your party location. Having a proper amount of trash cans is crucial in minimizing the after-party cleanup. Especially if your event is being held on someone else’s property, you do not want to leave a mess. Leaving your event with no trace left behind is not only the respectful thing to do, but it will also show your appreciation for being able to use the property. That way, future events will be encouraged to be held in the same spot without a problem.

Theme for a Christian Movie Night

Indoor Christmas movie party at a school gym

Every party needs a theme. The theme is essential to tying everything together. If you’re going to be watching Daddy Daughter Trip, then throwing a daddy-daughter night with a dance floor, laser lights, color-coordinated streamers, and family-appropriate music is the perfect idea. Celebrating a religious holiday is a popular reason why a church would want to throw a party. Christmas and Easter being two of the most celebrated ones with Christians around the world. For a holiday get-together, don’t hold back on making your party reflect holiday spirit. Bring joy to others by joining with other churches and all people within your community to celebrate a movie party. There are many creative ways to incorporate a theme. Our rule of thumb is to make sure every aspect reflects your theme for the most immersive party experience.

Activities for a Church Movie Night

Family-friendly New Year's Eve party drive-in

Bring on the Concert

Bring out your choir, church band, or anyone in the community to play music at your church’s movie party. People love live music, and many churches have the resources to make it happen. Set the stage and celebrate with fun music before your movie party.

Video Game Tournament

Get ready for some competition with a video game tournament on the big screen. Our audiovisual setups can display your video games as long as your console is compatible with HDMI. Smash Bros., Street Fighter, Just Dance, and Mario Kart are popular choices for fun party games to play others in. Enter contenders in a tournament-style showdown with a big prize for the champion to make things interesting.

Karaoke Showdown

Test your vocal chords with a little karaoke. We can display lyrics on our screens, amplify your voice with our microphones, and blast the tunes with our high-definition speakers. During the holidays, people love to sing Christmas carols, and karaoke is a great chance to goof around and do so.

Event Rentals for Your Christian Movie Night

FunFlicks® Inflatable Movie Screen Rentals

Inflatable movie screen rental drive-in

FunFlicks® inflatable movie screens are professional quality at an affordable price. There's a size for everyone, whether you're throwing a massive film festival with thousands in attendance or a small birthday with family at your house. To make sure everything runs smoothly, a local FunFlicks® event technician will arrive at your location on time, set up the screen, oversee the technology, and pack it all away at the end of the screening. Booming high-definition sound, crystal-clear laser projection, and a larger-than-life display are all included when you book an event with us.

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Backyard 16'
12'x7' Display
100 Guests
20 Cars

Premiere 21'
16'x9' Display
250 Guests
50 Cars

Blockbuster 26'
20'x12' Display
500 Guests
75 Cars

Elite 32'
26'x15' Display
750 Guests
100 Cars

Epic 40'
30'x17' Display
1500 Guests
150 Cars

Xtreme 50'
40'x22' Display
3000 Guests
250 Cars

FunFlicks® LED Screen Rentals

LED screen rental event among palm trees

FunFlicks LED screens are perfect for day or night display in almost any environment. Utilizing electroluminescent technology, our LED screens generate light effectively at any time of day. Each panel is rated IP65, meaning they are both rain and dustproof. Day or night, rain or shine, you get to decide when the magic happens. All of our mobile LED trailers have onboard generators for portable power. Therefore, no power supply is needed. Similar to our inflatable screens, our fleet of LED screens comes in a variety of dimensions for a variety of crowd sizes. Local event technicians across the country are available to bring our LED trailers anywhere for you to enjoy video games, live sports, movies, advertisements, or almost everything else!

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8'x5' LED Trailer
75 Guests
15 Cars

12'x7' LED Trailer
100 Guests
20 Cars

15'x8' LED Trailer
250 Guests
50 Cars

17'x10' LED Trailer
500 Guests
75 Cars

23'x13' LED Trailer
750 Guests
100 Cars

FunFlicks customers get 10% Off Movie Licensing through Movie Night Ministries!

Movie Night Ministries is a family-oriented organization whose ultimate goal is to provide excellent, newly released movies directly to communities throughout the United States.

Click Here to Learn More