Church Communications Articles

Practical guides for bulletins, email, social media, texting, and visitor follow-up. Written for busy church staff.

Church Text Message Templates for Every Situation (Reminders, Follow-Up, Volunteers, Giving)

Text messages get 98% open rates.

text templates

Text-to-Connect for Guests: A Simple Workflow to Capture Info and Start a Relationship

"Text CONNECT to 55555."

text visitors

When to Text Your Church: Timing Rules That Increase Replies (and Reduce Opt-Outs)

Text at the wrong time and you'll lose subscribers.

text strategy

Why is your church not reading the emails you send to them?

I’m trying to think of the last email that I got from my mom that I deleted without reading. I’m trying to think of the last email that I got from my mom that I deleted without reading. Thankfully it seems like the era of inane email forwards about the newest virus...

Welcome Email Series for Church Visitors: A 7-Day Plan to Turn Guests into Returners

The week after someone visits is your window.

email visitors templates

Volunteer Scheduling Texts: How to Reduce No-Shows and Fill Gaps Faster

Your volunteers are juggling a lot.

text volunteers

Volunteer Recruitment Campaign: A 30-Day Communication Plan to Fill Teams Before Fall

Every ministry leader needs more volunteers.

volunteers strategy

Visitor Follow-Up Texts: What to Say After Someone Visits (Without Being Awkward)

Text is the fastest way to follow up with a visitor.

text visitors templates

VBS Promotion Playbook: A 4-Week Countdown That Increases Registrations

VBS fills up with kids from your community—if they know about it.

events strategy

Turning Church Photos Into Better Posts: A Simple Shot List for Volunteers

You have a volunteer with a phone who's willing to take photos.

social

The "Write Once, Publish Everywhere" Workflow for Churches (Without Hiring More Staff)

You're writing the same announcement four times.

strategy

The Weekly Church Comms Checklist: What to Publish, When, and Where

Every week has the same rhythm: bulletin, email, social, maybe a text. The challenge isn't the work—it's remembering what needs to happen when.

strategy templates

The "Sunday to Saturday" Social Plan: Turn One Service Into 7 Days of Content

Everything you need to post this week happened on Sunday.

social strategy

The "One Purpose Per Email" Rule: How to Stop Sending Newsletter Novels

If your email has 14 things to promote and no clear ask, nobody will do anything.

The Church Announcement Copy Checklist (So You Stop Getting "Need More Info" Emails)

Every "quick question" email you get about an event means your announcement was missing something.

bulletin templates

The 160-Character Church Text Formula: Clarity, Warmth, and One Next Step

You have 160 characters.

text templates

Stewardship Campaign Communications: How to Talk About Giving Clearly and Pastorally

Nobody loves the money talk.

email events

New Here Page + Follow-Up: The 3 Things Visitors Want to Know Before They Return

First-time visitors leave with unasked questions.

visitors

Message Prioritization for Church Announcements: A 3-Tier System That Gets Results

When you have twelve announcements on Sunday and they all sound equally important, none of them land.

bulletin strategy

Last-Minute Change Playbook: How to Use SMS for Cancelations and Weather Updates

It's 6am Sunday. Ice on the roads. Services are canceled.

text

How to Write Church Announcements That Get People to Actually Do Something

Every announcement competes for attention.

bulletin

How to Write Captions for Church Posts That Get Comments (Not Just Likes)

Likes are nice. Comments mean people actually read your post.

social

How to Write a Church Bulletin People Actually Read

Most church bulletins get folded into paper airplanes by kids or stuffed into purses and never seen again.

bulletin

How to Use Facebook Events for Churches: A Checklist That Improves Attendance

Facebook Events are free, discoverable, and include built-in reminders.

social events templates

How to Segment Church Emails by Life Stage Without Making It Complicated

A college student and a retired widow don't need the same emails.

email strategy

How to Repurpose a Sunday Sermon Into a Weekly Email People Want to Read

You create 30-45 minutes of original content every single week.

email social

How to Promote Small Groups to Newcomers Without Overwhelming Them

Small groups are where people actually connect.

visitors email

How to Measure Church Communication Effectiveness (Without Getting Lost in Analytics)

You could track fifty different metrics. Most of them don't matter.

strategy

How to Make a Digital Church Bulletin [2026 Guide]

Digital bulletins help churches communicate better with clickable links, no printing costs, and access for everyone. Here's how to create one.

bulletin

How to Invite Visitors Back Without Pressure: Language That Sounds Like a Real Human

"We'd LOVE to have you back!"

visitors email

How to Collect Announcements from Ministry Leaders Without Herding Cats

Friday afternoon. Your inbox:

bulletin strategy

How to Build a Church Communications Calendar That Prevents Last-Minute Chaos

It's Friday at 4pm.

strategy

How Often Should a Church Send Emails? A Practical Cadence for Small to Mid-Size Churches

Send too often and people unsubscribe. Send too rarely and they forget you exist.

email strategy

Follow-Up for Families with Kids: What to Send and What to Offer in Week One

Families with kids make church decisions differently.

visitors email

Easter Promotion Plan for Churches: The Message Sequence That Helps People Invite Friends

Easter has built-in interest.

events strategy

Create a Church Style Guide in One Afternoon

Your bulletin says "Men's Group." The website says "Men's Ministry." The email says "Guys' Night."

strategy

Connection Card Questions That Increase Responses (Without Feeling Invasive)

If your connection card asks for address, phone, email, prayer requests, and interest in 12 ministries—people leave it blank.

visitors bulletin

Church Visitor Follow-Up Plan: The First 48 Hours That Drive Second-Time Visits

Most first-time visitors don't come back. Here's how to change that.

visitors email text

Church Social Media Post Ideas You Can Repeat Every Week (Without Creativity Burnout)

You don't need 365 unique post ideas.

social

Church Social Media Guidelines: What to Post, What to Avoid, and Who Approves What

Without guidelines, social media becomes a free-for-all. Or nothing gets posted because nobody's sure what's okay.

social strategy

Church Event Promotion Email Sequence: 3 Emails That Fill Seats Without Being Pushy

One email announcement doesn't fill events.

email events

Church Email Subject Lines That Increase Opens (With Patterns You Can Reuse)

Your open rate is decided in 5 words or less.

email templates

Church Email Newsletter Template: The Sections That Drive Attendance and Engagement

Your newsletter competes with 100 other emails in their inbox.

email templates

Church Communications Team Roles: Who Owns What When You Have a Small Staff

"Communications" is on everyone's job description and no one's job description.

strategy

Church Communications Plan Template: A Simple One-Page Strategy for Busy Staff

You don't need a 20-page communications strategy.

strategy templates

Church Bulletin Template: A One-Page Layout That's Clear, Modern, and Easy to Update

You don't need a graphic designer to have a clean bulletin.

bulletin templates

Church Bulletin Design Mistakes That Make People Tune Out (And What to Do Instead)

Your bulletin might be visually overwhelming before anyone reads a word.

bulletin

Church Apps — Are They Helpful? Or Just A Waste Of Time?

Does your church have an app? They’re supposed to be “the thing” to do when it comes to connecting to your congregation, but I have to wonder — do they really work?

strategy