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5 Creative Trunk-or-Treat Themes for Churches

5 Creative Trunk-or-Treat Themes for Churches

One of the prettiest and most colorful seasons of the year is the fall season. The cooler temperatures and beautiful colors displayed among the leaves on all of the trees can be a motivator for getting outside and enjoying God's handiwork. At the same time, this particular season also includes a holiday that some Christians would prefer to avoid and others embrace as simply being a cultural event. With more and more parents feeling that trick-or-treating during the Halloween holiday puts their children at risk for potential harm, the church can choose to use a Halloween alternative such as trunk-or-treat as an outreach to the community and also share the Gospel.

Part of the fun of trunk-or-treat is coming up with a creative theme. The church might want to have a brainstorming session for themes. Each person providing a decorated vehicle trunk can have their own variation of the theme as they make candy available for the children who visit their display. Here are 5 creative trunk-or-treat themes for churches.

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  • moses and the burning bush

    1. Feast of Trunks

    The idea behind this one is that it borrows from when God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt (and later instituted The Feast of Booths in Leviticus 23:33-43). There's a lot to work with here from the burning bush to the plagues to the Red Sea to the Promised Land. So, the story may need to be abbreviated, depending on the number of decorated trunks. But a connection can be made that just as God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt and provided for all their needs in the wilderness (even the Manna they collected every morning when it wasn't the Sabbath), He wants to save us and deliver us from sin so that we can be in a right relationship with Him. 

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  • roman centurion

    2. The Romans Road

    For those who haven't heard of The Romans Road, it knits together several scriptures in the book of Romans that are often used as a witnessing tool to lead someone to Christ. This idea might be great for small churches because you could get away with a smaller number of trunks. However, there are enough concepts and scriptures that it can work for a larger number of trunks, too. In a nutshell, it illustrates that;

    • Evil exists, and people are separated from God and can't be in a relationship with Him outside of Jesus because of sin.
    • Christ is the hope of our salvation because He paid the penalty for our sins.
    • We only need to tell Him in prayer we're sorry for our sins and ask Him to forgive us and be the Lord of our lives.
    • He extends His forgiveness to us so that we can be in a relationship with Him. 

    For additional details on The Roman's Road, click here. 

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  • man carrying camels through desert, ephron

    3. The Eye of the Needle

    You've heard of "The Eye of the Tiger" song from the old Rocky movie. Well, this is about kids, camels, and the eye of a needle. This theme is coming out of Matthew 19:13-26. It lets children know that they hold a special place in Jesus' heart but also explains that salvation isn't by works. The rich young ruler thought he could gain eternal life by his works. After Jesus explained that work won't cut it and it's easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter God's kingdom, the disciples wondered who could be saved. 

    "With men, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible," Jesus answered.

    Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Ortaly

  • Statue of the archangel Michael

    4. Warrior Angels and Mighty Men

    Psalm 34:7-8,22: "The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, 

    And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned."  

    This could have some interesting and creative imagery: a blend of mighty warrior angels, camo, and some favorite Bible characters such as Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Deborah, Sampson, David and Goliath, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, and others. 

    Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/MoosyElk

  • 5. Shine and Dine

    5. Shine and Dine

    The focus for this one is taken from John 8:12: "... I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." 

    Many things can represent light: twinkle lights, glow sticks, illuminated lighthouses, replicas of the sun, moon, and stars, light-up balloons, disco lights, and more. The dine part would be the treats passed out, although it could also involve an actual cookout or pizza.  

    Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/myrrha

  • family trick or treating in neighborhood on halloween

    Trunk-or-Treat Add-ons

    Churches can also offer other activities for children to do that really turn the evening into an event where memories are made and relationships are built. For example, churches could offer various yard games such as Giant Jenga, Corn Hole, 4-in-a-row, volleyball, and wiffle ball as additional fun activities after trunk-or-treat time is finished.  

    A bonfire and an opportunity to roast hotdogs, as well as marshmallows for s'mores, is also a possibility.

    Ideally, people in the neighborhood would be piqued by the idea; they might decide to visit on Sunday morning and eventually be led into a relationship with Christ.

    One really lovely resource for detailed information on how to organize a successful Trunk-or-Treat event can be found at New Start Discipleship.

    Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/FamVeld

    Elizabeth Delaney Author HeadshotElizabeth Delaney has been a freelance content writer for over 20 years and has enjoyed having her prose published in both the non-fiction and fiction markets. She has written various types of content, including Christian articles, healthy lifestyle, blog posts, business topics, news articles, product descriptions, and some fiction. She is also a singer-songwriter-musician. When she is not busy with writing or music, she enjoys spending time with friends or family and doing fun social activities such as hiking, swing dancing, concerts, and other activities.