Managing your church’s social media doesn’t have to be a complicated, time-consuming chore. Whether you’re a seasoned pastor, a volunteer, or a church leader with minimal tech experience, these five secrets will make the whole process much easier - and maybe even fun!
Secret 1: Repurpose Your Sermons (You’re Sitting on a Goldmine!)
Have you noticed? You already have a constant flow of content from the sermons preached every Sunday! So why not turn those into engaging social media posts?
Here’s how:
Short Clips: Take snippets of key moments from your sermon to share on Instagram or Facebook.
Quote Graphics: Use impactful quotes from the sermon and turn them into easy-to-digest graphics (Canva is your best friend for this).
Blog Posts: A little writing magic (or help from ChatGPT) can turn sermon notes into thoughtful blog posts.
Pro Tip: Use a tool like Opus Clip to analyze your full-length sermon videos and pick out the best moments. It makes cutting clips a breeze. Just make sure your content tugs at the heartstrings. Engagement happens when people feel something!
Secret 2: Create a Content Calendar (Don’t Wing It, Trust Me)
I cannot stress this enough: If you try to manage social media without a plan, you will burn out. Having a content calendar will save your time, energy, and sanity.
Start by getting crystal clear on your target audience. Think your church is for everyone? Technically, yes - but not everyone connects with your message the same way. Find out who your most engaged followers are, their pain points, and the kind of content they resonate with.
For example, one of my church clients in Bellevue, WA discovered that their target audience was Executives aged 35-55, craving spiritual connection amidst their busy lives. Another client, a church in Dallas-Fort Worth, realized their audience was made up of young families and recent college grads. Knowing this completely changed their messaging strategy!
Once you have that down, tools like Metricool or Google Sheets will help you map out posts for weeks or even months in advance.
Secret 3: Automate Your Scheduling (The Ultimate Time Saver)
Do you enjoy manually posting on social media? Didn’t think so. One of the best ways to free up your time is to use scheduling tools like Metrical or Hootsuite. With these, you can batch-create posts (we’ll talk about this next) and schedule them to go live even while you’re asleep.
Consistency is key - people need to know when to expect your posts. According to Instagram studies, the best times for church or nonprofit posts are:
Wednesday at 11 a.m.
Saturdays and Sundays for Bible verses and inspiration
Scheduling ahead means you won’t miss these key engagement windows. Plus, tools like Metricool even allow for a team review process - perfect if you have volunteers helping with social media.
Secret 4: Batch Create Your Content (It’ll Save Your Sanity)
If you’ve never tried batch content creation, it’s about to become your new favorite thing. Instead of creating posts on the fly, set aside a few hours once a week (or month!) to create all your content at once.
When you’re in the content creation zone without distractions, you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done. Afterward, all you need to do is schedule everything - and boom, you’re set for the week or even the month.
Pro Tip: Look at your audience's most active times (your scheduling tool will show this) and time your posts accordingly. For churches, Sunday mornings are perfect for high-engagement posts.
Secret 5: Create Theme Days (Make Posting a No-Brainer)
One of the simplest ways to take the guesswork out of posting is to create theme days. These are specific days where you post certain types of content, which brings predictability and structure to your schedule.
Here are some ideas:
Motivation Monday: Share an encouraging Bible verse or a motivational quote.
Testimony Tuesday: Ask congregation members to share their personal testimonies via email or DM.
Worship Wednesday: Post a favorite worship song or behind-the-scenes videos of your worship team in practice.
Throwback Thursday: Highlight a memorable event from the past and get people excited about the next one.
Friday Prayer Requests: Use social media to collect prayer requests, and publicly pray for your community.
These theme days work because they’re predictable - your audience will know what to expect, and they'll look forward to engaging with your content each week.
You’ve Got This!
Church social media doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming.
I hope you try some of these tips out and you’ll be able to run your church’s social media like a pro - and have time to focus on what really matters: your ministry.
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