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

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

You need one page that answers four questions:

1. Who are we talking to?
2. What channels do we use?
3. When do we publish?
4. Who's responsible for what?

That's it. One page. One hour to complete. Years of clarity.

Most church communications "plans" fail because they're too complicated. Someone spent weeks creating a comprehensive document that covers every possible scenario, and now it sits in a Google Drive folder that nobody opens.

A useful plan fits on one page and gets referenced weekly.

Here's how to build yours.

Step 1: Define Your Three Audiences

You don't have twelve audience segments. You have three.

These are people who've never been to your church or have only come once or twice. They're asking: "Is this place for me? Will I fit in? What do I need to know?"

These are your consistent crowd. They come most Sundays, they know people, but they're not deeply involved yet. They're asking: "What's happening that I should know about? How do I stay connected?"

These are your most engaged people. They serve, they give, they're in groups. They're asking: "What do I need to do? How can I help? What's changing?"

Write one sentence describing each group at your church. Be specific to your context.

For example:

• First-time visitors: Young families from the neighborhood checking us out after seeing our building.
• Regular attenders: People who come 2-3 Sundays a month and are starting to get connected.
• Core members: Volunteers and group leaders who are deeply invested in the church.

That's your audience section. Three sentences.

Step 2: Map Your Channels

You probably use four channels:

1. Bulletin — In-service communication for what's happening this week
2. Email — Midweek connection with more detail and links
3. Social media — Community building and culture sharing
4. Text message — Urgent, time-sensitive, high-priority only

Each channel has a primary audience and a job.

Your first-time visitors? They're finding you through social and your website, not your email list.

Your core volunteers? They need more frequent, specific communication—but through targeted channels, not blasting everyone.

The mistake most churches make: treating every channel as a broadcast duplicate. Same content, everywhere, all the time. This trains people to ignore you.

Instead, each channel has a role. The bulletin is the "what's happening this week" reference. Email is the "here's what you need to know" connection. Social is the "here's what we're about" window. Text is the "drop everything, this is important" alert.

When you respect each channel's job, people pay attention.

Step 3: Set Your Cadence

Consistency beats intensity. A predictable rhythm beats random bursts of activity.

Weekly rhythm:

This is a sample. Adjust it to fit your capacity. If you can only post to social twice a week, post twice a week. Consistency matters more than volume.

If your bulletin goes out Sunday, announcements need to be submitted by Tuesday. That gives you Wednesday-Thursday to write and design, and Friday as a buffer.

Whatever day you choose, enforce it. "Submissions after Tuesday will go in next week's bulletin." Be gracious, be consistent.

Monthly rhythm:

Some content doesn't fit the weekly cycle:

• Event promotion (start 3-4 weeks before big events)
• Giving updates (monthly or quarterly)
• Sermon series launches (coordinated across channels)

Map your major events and campaigns on a calendar so you can see the big picture. This prevents the "we're promoting five major things this week" problem.

Step 4: Assign Ownership

Every task needs a name attached.

Content approval: Who has final say on what gets published?

Usually: Lead pastor or executive pastor

Production: Who writes, designs, and schedules content?

Usually: Admin, communications staff, or dedicated volunteer

Channel management: Who posts to social? Who monitors email replies?

Usually: The production person, or a volunteer for social

Backup: Who steps in when the primary person is out?

This must exist. Vacations happen. Sick days happen.

The "one throat to choke" principle: For any given piece of content, one person is responsible for making sure it goes out. Not "the communications team" — a specific human.

Without clear ownership, things fall through the cracks. "I thought you were sending that" is how announcements get missed.

The One-Page Template

Here's your completed plan on one page:

[YOUR CHURCH] Communications Plan

1. First-time visitors: [one sentence]
2. Regular attenders: [one sentence]
3. Core members/volunteers: [one sentence]

• Sunday: Bulletin distributed, live social
• Monday: Announcement requests due
• Tuesday: Email sends
• Wednesday-Thursday: Content production
• Friday: Bulletin finalized

• Final approval: [Name]
• Production: [Name]
• Social media: [Name]
• Backup: [Name]

Print it. Put it where you can see it. Reference it when you're unsure where something should go or who should handle it.

Using the Plan

This plan does three things:

When a ministry leader says "can you promote our event?"—you look at the plan. What audience is it for? Which channel serves that audience? When should it publish?

Not every announcement belongs on every channel. The plan helps you prioritize. If it's only relevant to core volunteers, it probably doesn't need to be in the Sunday bulletin.

When someone asks you to do something outside the plan—post at a weird time, blast an announcement to everyone, send a fifth email this week—the plan gives you language to push back.

"Our communications plan has email going out Tuesday. I can include this in next week's send, or if it's urgent, we can discuss an exception."

What This Plan Doesn't Cover

This is a one-page plan, not an operations manual. It doesn't include:

• Brand guidelines and visual standards (that's a separate document)
• Crisis communications protocols (also separate)
• Detailed editorial calendars (live in a spreadsheet or project tool)
• Social media policies (keep that in a handbook)

One page keeps it usable. Add more documentation as you need it, but start here.

A Completed Example

Here's what this looks like for a 200-person church with one admin and a social media volunteer:

First Community Church Communications Plan

1. First-time visitors: Families from the neighborhood who find us through word of mouth or Google
2. Regular attenders: People who come 2-3x a month and are looking for connection
3. Core members: Small group leaders, volunteers, and long-time members

• Monday: Requests due by noon
• Tuesday: Email sends at 10am
• Wednesday: Bulletin finalized
• Thursday: Printed and ready
• Sunday: Distributed at services

• Final approval: Pastor Mike
• Production: Sarah (admin)
• Social media: Emma (volunteer)
• Backup: Pastor Mike covers email/bulletin; Sarah covers social

Simple. Clear. Usable.

Next Steps

1. Block one hour this week
2. Fill in the template with your church's specifics
3. Share it with your pastor and anyone involved in communications
4. Print it and put it somewhere visible
5. Reference it weekly until it becomes automatic

You don't need a comprehensive strategy document. You need a one-page plan you'll actually use.