Christmas is one of the easiest times to invite people along to church.
Statistics show church attendance by Australians increases by two and a half times at Christmas, so can our churches better use this Government-sanctioned celebration of the Christian message?
The Rev Stuart Robinson, the Anglican Church's National Missioner, says there is a community expectation that local churches will creatively retell the Jesus story.
"We’re more than happy to comply," he says. "We want to ensure that at every event a simple and succinct presentation of the gospel is made."
Your.Sydneyanglicans asked four key evangelists how churches can best use Christmas to reach people with the gospel.
"What' works best?
The CEO of Evangelism Ministries, the Rev Jim Ramsay says good planning is essential to running any evangelistic event.
"Planning for Christmas should begin in March or April," he says.
"It's not a question of resources, it's a question of resourcefulness. Even with limited finances, a church can use good planning to put on an event that is culturally relevant, that builds good relationships and preaches the gospel clearly."
Mr Ramsay says being culturally sensitive will help give visitors a good first impression of church.
"If everything up the front is done by little children, parents might love it, but it will just look like a school concert. If men visit and only women are singing, reading the Bible and praying, it will seem like a women's domain," he says.
"If it's a church in a multicultural area and only Anglos are doing things then the new Australian will think church is not for them. A diversity of people must be involved in any church event."
The Rev Dominic Steele, author of the evangelistic program Introducing God, says that churches should be realistic about their goals for Christmas events and see them as a "scooping activity'.
"It’s crucial to get your goals right as a church. The goal for a Christmas event should be to "make a little ground' rather than see people move all the way from out of relationship with God to commitment," he says.
The scene: "where' works best? 
Stuart Robinson aims to hold as many events as possible on church property to make people more comfortable to attend church services.
"After having people to the "Jazz Night' in the church building on the Friday night, for example, it's not overly difficult to ask them to the same place for an invitation service on Sunday night. They are familiar with the layout and the ambience," he says.
Dominic Steele agrees.
"As people come through your doors and discover that it's safe and friendly they are much more likely to return to future events like church or Introducing God," he says.
New Year follow up
Jim Ramsay says churches often fail to put sensitive and courteous follow-up policies in place.
"A church might have 50 non-Christians come through the door. They might offer them a cup of coffee then say good bye but there is no real attempt to relate to them," he says.
"At Christmas churches should be promoting the men's breakfast coming up in January or the kids' club beginning in February."
Andrew Barry, who works with Dominic Steele, is using three of the Christmas-themed events at Annandale to promote the Introducing God course they are running in 2007.
"At each event we are screening a promotional video for Introducing God," Andrew says.
"Following a presentation explaining that Jesus is both Lord and Saviour we encourage people to indicate on a feedback card whether they would like to be invited to one of our Introducing God courses starting in late January."
So should we be seeing January as a time of leisure and rest, or one of the most strategic times of the year for evangelistic follow-up thanks to the need to build relationships with our Christmas contacts?
The Rev Andrew Barry will be moderating an online forum discussing how churches can provide better Christmas follow up.
