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.

The question everyone asks: How many emails is too many?

The short answer: One email per week is the sweet spot for most churches. But there's nuance.

The Weekly Newsletter

For most small-to-midsize churches, one email per week works.

Why weekly:

• It's frequent enough to stay top-of-mind
• It's rare enough to avoid fatigue
• It creates a predictable rhythm (people expect it)
• It gives you enough content to be substantive

Best days to send:

• Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday
• Avoid Monday (inbox overload from the weekend)
• Avoid Friday (people checking out for the weekend)

Best times to send:

• Mid-morning (9am-11am)
• Early afternoon (1pm-2pm)

Test what works for your congregation. Some audiences prefer morning. Some prefer evening. Track your open rates and adjust.

What goes in it:

• One hero item (the main thing this week)
• 2-3 quick hits (secondary announcements)
• Upcoming events
• Pastoral note (optional)

This is your regular rhythm. Same day, same basic format, every week.

The Exception Emails

Some emails fall outside the weekly newsletter. These are extras, not replacements.

Event-specific emails:

For major events (Easter, Christmas, VBS, retreats), you might send dedicated emails:

• 3-4 weeks out: initial announcement
• 1 week out: reminder with details
• Day before or morning of: final reminder

These are targeted. Someone promoting a women's retreat to women isn't adding to everyone's inbox.

Time-sensitive updates:

• Cancelations or schedule changes
• Urgent announcements
• Leadership updates

These go out as needed. They're not part of the regular calendar.

Segment-specific emails:

• Volunteer schedules to volunteers only
• Parent updates to parents only
• Small group info to group participants only

These don't count against your "one email per week" because they're targeted to people who need them.

The Maximum Rule

If someone is on your general list and your volunteer list, they might get:

• Weekly newsletter (general)
• Volunteer schedule reminder (targeted)

That's fine. But if they're getting the newsletter, a separate event email, a giving campaign email, AND a volunteer reminder—that's too much.

Before sending, ask: What else has this person received this week?

Signs You're Sending Too Much

Some unsubscribes are normal. A spike means something's off.

People are tuning out. Your emails have become noise.

"You send too many emails" is hard to hear but valuable to know.

If you're thinking "do we really need to send this?"—the answer might be no.

When in doubt, consolidate. Combine two separate emails into one newsletter with two sections.

Signs You're Not Sending Enough

If events consistently surprise people, communication isn't reaching them.

If every email is an event after weeks of silence, people forget who you are.

Skipping weeks, then sending three emails the next week. The rhythm is broken.

When people don't hear from you regularly, they stop expecting to hear from you. And when you do email, they're less likely to open.

The Segmented Approach

Instead of asking "how often should we email everyone?"—ask "who needs what?"

Core email (everyone):

Weekly newsletter. Same for all subscribers.

Volunteer emails (opt-in):

Schedule reminders, training opportunities, team updates. These go to people who signed up to serve.

Parent emails (opt-in):

Kids ministry updates, family events, registration reminders. These go to parents of children in your programs.

New visitor emails (automatic):

Welcome sequence. Triggered when someone visits and shares their email. Typically 4-5 emails over 10-14 days.

Segmentation reduces the "too many emails" problem because people only receive what's relevant.

If a volunteer is also a parent, they get both—but both are useful to them. That's different from blasting everyone with everything.

The Cadence Cheat Sheet

The key insight: different audiences have different tolerance for frequency. Segment and you can communicate more without overwhelming.

Making It Sustainable

Write the newsletter the same day every week (Tuesday works for many). Build the habit.

Don't reinvent your email format every time. Same structure, fresh content.

Most email tools let you schedule sends. Write Tuesday, schedule for Wednesday, done.

When someone asks "can we send a special email about this?"—your first answer should be: "Can it go in the newsletter instead?"

Every extra email trains your list to expect more noise. Add extras sparingly.

The Bottom Line

For most churches:

• One weekly newsletter to everyone on your list
• Occasional extras for major events and time-sensitive updates
• Segmented emails for specific groups (volunteers, parents, etc.)
• Never more than 2-3 emails to any individual in a single week

Consistency beats volume. People learn to expect your email, open it, and read it—because it's always useful and never overwhelming.