Churches offer electronics, gift cards to increase Easter attendance

Some churches are not only offering to save souls, but giving people the chance to win popular and pricey electronic items in an attempt to increase their congregation size on Easter Sunday.

Easter is one of the busiest days of the year for many churches. According to The Daily Beast report, more Americans attend church on Easter Sunday than any other day of the year, increasing the average congregation size anywhere from 25 to 50 percent.

The competition between churches to increase membership is so fierce that some megachurches are sweetening the deal by holding high-end raffles on Easter. The Daily Beast reports that Christian Life Church in Lexington, Okla., was offering all Easter attendees a chance to win one of several prizes, including flat-screen televisions and Nintendo Wii systems. All first-time visitors to Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., would receive a $5 Starbucks gift card.

Churches tempting worshippers with consumer goods is not such a new trend, according to The Daily Beast. Over the last few years, churches have given away everything from cars to vacations in order to gain new followers.