Are you looking for ways to better connect with your church community and reach out to new members? Social media is a powerful tool that can help you do just that.

At its heart, social media builds relationships and connects with others, which is exactly what your church hopes to achieve with the surrounding community. Social media is an excellent and proven way to stay connected with current members, build a stronger relationship with irregular members, and reach out to new people who may be interested in joining the church.

If you're unsure of where to start, don't worry – we have you covered. Here are some tips on how your church can harness the power of social media as the ultimate marketing tool.

Create Church Content for Free with Tithe.ly Media

When it comes to social media, content is king. Posting frequently is key to success–which is why you'll need to generate a lot of content to create impact on social media accounts.

Here's the good news: It doesn't have to be time-consuming or expensive to create quality content for your church. Tithe.ly Media makes it simple to quickly generate beautiful graphics for your social media accounts. With themed and customizable content for different types of sermon series, Scripture passages, holidays, and more (plus beautiful stock photos), Tithe.ly Media has everything you need to generate plenty of content for your all your social media channels.

You can even use Tithe.ly Media's social media scheduler to schedule out posts in advance–making your job even easier.

Bonus: Tithe.ly Media is absolutely free to use (and you don't need a Tithe.ly account to sign up).

What To Post On Your Church's Social Media

In a world that is often filled with negativity, your church's social media accounts can be a breath of fresh air. Use these ideas to get your creative juices flowing and develop posts specific to your church. As you plan your content, remember that the goal is to encourage and uplift your followers.

What kind of content should you be posting? Here are a few ideas:

Story of the Church

Your church has a unique story, and social media is the perfect platform to share it with the world. Share photos and videos of your church community in action, write blog posts about your church's history and mission, and use social media to let people know what your church is all about.

Announcements and Events

Keep your followers in the loop by regularly sharing reports and upcoming events on your church's social media accounts. You can also use the platforms to promote unique offerings, such as online giving or volunteer opportunities.

Tips for Christian Living

Your church's social media accounts are great places to share tips for living Christ-centered lives. Whether it's advice on how to deal with difficult times or techniques to use prayer to grow closer to God, your followers will appreciate the guidance. They may even share it on their profiles, spreading spiritual inspiration around their circle of influence.

Testimonies

Nothing is more powerful than a testimony of how God has worked in someone's life, and social media is an excellent avenue to display these stories. Make sure that you ask for the witness’ consent first, then post excerpts of their testimonies to inspire and encourage others.

Prayer Requests

Given that social media can build community and support within your church, you can use it to publicize prayer requests and thanksgiving stories from congregation members. Encourage everybody to pray for the shared requests, too – tell them to drop a comment, like a post, or leave an emoji reaction once they've completed the prayer.

Inspirational Videos and Photos

While there's no shortage of inspirational videos and photos online, the overwhelming majority of the content is not Bible-based. Your church can share spiritual, Biblical content to spread God's perspective on life's challenges. A quick browse through your church's prayer requests should give you a good idea of what kind of help your community needs.

Encouraging Words

Sharing inspirational content can also mean posting encouraging words to uplift and let your community know that you're thinking of them. This is an excellent way to build rapport and strengthen the relationship between the church and its people. Plus, it's a strategic way to increase the reach of your pastor's message, especially if you share quotes from their sermon.

Links to Relevant Articles

If you find an article that you think would interest your church members, share it! We suggest you include a short description of why you're sharing it, an excerpt or quote that will spark interest, and a direct link for followers to continue reading.

Best Practices for Posting on Social Media

Now that you know what kind of content to plan, create, and post, you can start sharing content on your church's social media accounts. If you want to ensure success and follow social media's best practices, here are a few other tips to keep in mind:

• Be consistent: Consistency is key. Make sure you're posting regularly and keeping your accounts updated. If you're not sure how often you should be posting, start with a few times per week and adjust as needed.
• Be professional: While you want your church's social media accounts to be friendly and inviting, it's essential to maintain a professional appearance. Avoid using too much slang and inside jokes, then proofread your posts before you hit publish. Also, ensure that you're using high-quality images and videos.
• Be engaging: Don't post and leave the content as-is. Take the time to interact with your followers by liking, commenting, and sharing their content. The more you engage with others, the more likely they will do the same for your church's posts.
• Be careful with promotions: Be careful not to come across as pushy or salesy. You don’t want to sound too much like a corporation trying to sell people something! Instead, focus on sharing relevant and interesting content that will encourage people to learn more about your church. 
• Be positive: Social media should be a positive experience for you and your followers, so avoid posting anything negative or controversial. These posts may reflect poorly on your church, creating more tension than positivity. If you need to address a difficult issue, be sure to do so respectfully and compassionately.

With these best practices, you're ready to start sharing content. Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of posts, so you figure out what works best for your community. 

And if you ever need help, there's no shame in asking for assistance from a professional social media manager. There's a good chance that you have at least one of them in the congregation.

Engaging Posts for Churches

You can have a lot of objectives for your social media posts, but engagement should be one of the most important goals – it helps you connect with your audience, build relationships, and achieve other milestones.

The types of posts that generate engagement are all interactive. They encourage people to like, comment, and share, which helps to get your church's name out there. Plus, when people see that you're active on social media, they'll be more likely to follow your accounts, where you can continue to influence and inspire them for years to come.

Here are ideas for engaging Facebook posts for churches that you can also apply to other social media channels:

Questions

Engaging questions for your church’s social media accounts can get people talking. You can ask about anything – from their favorite Bible verses to their thoughts on current events. Just be sure to keep the questions relevant to your church community. 

Behind-the-Scenes Posts

Share photos or videos of the staff preparing for a service or provide a tour of the church building. People love seeing what goes on behind the scenes, so give them a glimpse of what it's like to be part of the church. This might even encourage people to give larger tithes for fundraising or serve in church ministries themselves. 

Q&A Posts and Polls

Ask questions and encourage the followers to do the same. This is a great way to get to know your audience, learn about their interests, and see how else your church can cater to their needs. The more questions you generate from the members, the more content you have to post, too.

User-Generated Content (UGC)

Encourage your followers to share photos and videos of themselves participating in your church's activities. You can also share them on the church's platforms if permission is granted. This is a creative way to build community and connect with people personally.

Live Streams and Videos

Post live streams of the church's Sunday messages to reach people who are staying at home or on the road. Live videos are a great way to connect with your audience in real-time, so they never feel like missing out on church happenings. You can also use live videos to give church tours, host Q&A sessions, or share announcements.

How-To Posts

Teach your followers something new with a how-to post. For example, “How to Hold a Bible Study Effectively” or “How to Cook Roast Chicken for Our Upcoming Potluck” – whatever content informs and inspires your members to engage with the church more.

Best Times to Post on Social Media Church Pages

The best time to post on social media for churches depends on your audience – what age they are, what social media platforms they often use, and on what devices they visit the apps or websites. 

For example, a younger crowd in the city center might visit multiple platforms on their phones on weekday nights. Meanwhile, an older group in the suburbs might sporadically check Facebook on their laptops. You have to know your audience to know when to best capture their attention on social media.

That said, here are a few general tips to keep in mind:

• Sunday mornings are a good time to post, as people are getting ready for or coming home from church.
• Wednesday nights are also an effective time to post, as many churches have mid-week Bible studies and events.
• Late-night weekend posts target people who have a lot of free time to check social media.

That said, you must avoid posting during:

• Holidays, as people are usually busy with family and other commitments
• The wee hours of the morning since people are often asleep during this time

When it comes to social media, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Try posting at different times and keep an eye on the analytics to see when engagement and interaction increase. Experiment until you find what works best for your church.

Free Graphics for Your Church Social Media

As mentioned above, you can download free graphics from Tithe.ly Media for the holiday season, special sermon series, and more. Here are a couple of our favorites right now (both available for download on Tithe.ly Media!)

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Harness Social Media, Share the Word of God

Now that you know some of the best ways to use social media for churches, it's time to put your knowledge into action. Use these tips to engage with your audience, build stronger relationships, and expand your church's reach for God. To quote from Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."