Should Churches Use Easter Egg Hunts to Draw People on Easter?
A Biblical, Historical, and Cultural Examination**
Every spring, church lawns across America sprout two things: tulips and plastic eggs. For many congregations, the Easter egg hunt has become as expected as the sunrise service or the choir’s Hallelujah Chorus. Some see it as harmless fun. Others view it as a strategic outreach tool. Still others worry it dilutes the meaning of the resurrection.
So the question deserves honest reflection:
Is it biblical—or even wise—for a church to use an Easter egg hunt to bring people to church on Resurrection Sunday?
To answer that, we must look not only to Scripture, but also to history—Christian, cultural, and pagan.
1. What Scripture Gives Us: Discernment, Not Decorations
The Bible does not mention egg hunts, rabbits, or spring festivals. But it does command discernment:
- “Test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thess. 5:21)
- “Do not be conformed to this world.” (Rom. 12:2)
- “Let all things be done for building up.” (1 Cor. 14:26)
The question is not whether eggs appear in the Bible—they don’t—but whether the practice clarifies or confuses the message of Christ’s resurrection.
2. The History of the Easter Egg Hunt
From German Lutherans to Victorian England
The modern Easter egg hunt traces back to Germany, where Martin Luther is believed to have organized egg hunts in the late 16th century. Men hid eggs for women and children, symbolizing the women who discovered the empty tomb.
The tradition spread widely, eventually reaching England and America. Queen Victoria herself enjoyed Easter egg hunts as a child, a custom passed down from her German-born mother.
Eggs became associated with Easter for several reasons:
- In pre-Christian societies, eggs symbolized spring and new life.
- Early Christians adopted the egg as a symbol of resurrection—the empty shell representing the empty tomb.
- In medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent, making them a celebratory food on Easter Sunday.
Thus, the egg hunt is a blend of Christian symbolism, medieval practice, and German Protestant tradition—not a biblical ordinance.
3. The Easter Bunny: From Pagan Symbol to American Icon
The Easter Bunny—originally the Easter Hare—also comes from German folklore. The earliest written reference appears in 1682, describing a hare that delivered eggs to children.
German immigrants brought the “Osterhase” to America in the 1700s, where it evolved into the modern Easter Bunny.
But the hare’s symbolism goes back much further:
- In ancient Europe, hares were associated with fertility, rebirth, and even the Virgin Mary in medieval Christian art.
- In pagan traditions, hares were sacred to Eostre, the Germanic goddess of spring.
- Some ancient rituals involved hare burials, fertility rites, and spring festivals celebrating the return of life after winter.
The Easter Bunny, then, is a cultural symbol with layered pagan, folkloric, and Christianized history—not a biblical one.
4. Pagan Spring Rituals and the Festival of Eostre
Many Easter symbols predate Christianity:
- The word Easter itself may derive from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of dawn and spring.
- Pagan spring festivals celebrated fertility, renewal, and the return of the sun after winter.
- Eggs and rabbits were central fertility symbols long before they were connected to the resurrection.
As Christianity spread through Europe, missionaries often absorbed local customs and reinterpreted them through a Christian lens. Over time, pagan spring imagery became intertwined with the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.
This does not invalidate Easter—it simply explains why cultural symbols coexist with sacred truth.
5. The Early Church Grew Without Gimmicks
The first Christians had no egg hunts, no bunnies, no seasonal marketing. They had:
- A crucified and risen Savior
- A transformed community
- A message that turned the world upside down
The gospel has never needed props.
The early church attracted people not with novelty but with holiness, generosity, courage, and sacrificial love.
This does not mean modern churches must reject all cultural forms. But it does remind us that the power of the gospel has never depended on clever marketing.
6. Motive Matters More Than Method
Two churches can host the same event for entirely different reasons.
A church can use an egg hunt as a bridge.
A way to meet families who would never otherwise step onto church property. A way to show hospitality. A way to build relationships that lead to gospel conversations.
A church can also use an egg hunt as bait.
A way to inflate attendance numbers. A way to appear “relevant.” A way to entertain rather than disciple.
The outward activity may look identical.
The inward motive makes all the difference.
Jesus warned against practicing righteousness “to be seen by others” (Matt. 6:1).
Paul warned against building with “wood, hay, and straw” (1 Cor. 3:12).
The church must ask: Are we drawing people to Christ—or to a carnival?
7. The Church Must Guard the Meaning of Easter
Easter is not a sentimental holiday.
It is the blazing center of the Christian faith.
- The Son of God died.
- The Son of God rose.
- The Son of God will return.
If an Easter egg hunt becomes the main attraction, the church risks communicating—however unintentionally—that the resurrection needs a marketing boost.
It does not.
The empty tomb is compelling enough.
The danger is not the eggs themselves.
The danger is distraction.
If the event overshadows the message, the church has traded its birthright for a basket of plastic trinkets.
8. Hospitality Is Biblical—But It Must Lead Somewhere
Scripture commands hospitality:
- “Practice hospitality.” (Rom. 12:13)
- “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.” (Heb. 13:2)
- “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.” (Rom. 15:7)
An egg hunt can be an expression of hospitality—an open door, a warm welcome, a way to bless families.
But biblical hospitality is never an end in itself.
It is a pathway to something deeper: the proclamation of Christ.
If a church hosts an egg hunt but never shares the gospel, never invites people into discipleship, never points families to the risen Lord, then the event becomes a cul-de-sac rather than a bridge.
9. So… Is It Biblical? A Balanced Conclusion
A church may use an Easter egg hunt as a tool for hospitality and connection.
A church must not use an Easter egg hunt as a substitute for proclamation.
The Bible does not forbid the practice.
But it warns the church to guard its motives, its message, and its mission.
The real question is not,
“Is the egg hunt biblical?”
but
“Is our church being faithful to Christ?”
If the answer is yes, then even a basket of plastic eggs can become a doorway to resurrection hope.
10. Looking Ahead: From Eggs in April to Santa in December
The church’s task in every generation is the same:
to discern what is cultural, what is biblical, and what is merely sentimental—and to keep the gospel at the center of all three.
Easter egg hunts, the Easter Bunny, and the spring rituals that shaped them are not inherently evil, nor are they inherently evangelistic. They are cultural tools. And like all tools, they can be used wisely or foolishly, faithfully or superficially.
If they serve the proclamation of Christ, they can be redeemed.
If they overshadow the proclamation of Christ, they should be reconsidered.
Either way, the church must remember:
Easter is not about eggs. It is about an empty tomb.
And as we continue exploring how the church engages with cultural traditions, we’ll turn our attention in December to another beloved figure with a tangled history of folklore, faith, and festivity:
Santa Claus.