Today, church graphics do more than speak a specific message that draws attention. They also communicate the church’s identity and reputation. 

Let’s admit it—not all church leaders have the artistic and technical skills to produce beautiful church media at first. 

Nonetheless, you can still make quality church graphics for your social media channels, sermon series, website, and more. Plenty of resources and tips can point you in the right direction. 

This article will walk you through the appropriate steps to help you create awesome church graphics for your social media and sermon series.

Create Graphics with Tithe.ly Media

While you’re free to hire or outsource a graphic designer for your content needs, most churches don’t have the resources to pay for someone just to create graphics. Here’s the good news: It’s not difficult to create church media that “looks and feels” just like your church. 

Tithe.ly Media is an extensive catalog full of free graphics just for churches. From graphics with Bible verses to Christmas church service graphics, Tithe.ly Media has got it all. Plus, you can customize the vast majority of downloadable images on Tithe.ly Media to reflect the uniqueness of your church community. 

Get started on designing beautiful images and create an account with Tithe.ly Media today (no need to use Tithe.ly Giving for this free service!)

Before Creating the Church Graphics

Your church’s vision and mission will influence almost everything you do at church. That includes your church’s social media strategy and your approach to preparing a sermon. Seeking clarity before using these communication tools will help you create better church graphics.

Here’s what you need to do to get started:    

1)  Define the objective of your church graphics.

Whether for a social media post or as part of your sermon, a church graphic must serve a specific purpose. 

Is your church graphic meant to announce an event? Do you want to highlight a Bible verse in your sermon? These questions will help you determine the message you need to convey.  

2)  Have a clear message before anything else.

This is where many church leaders who want to use graphics for their social media and sermon series get it wrong.

Some church leaders plan more for their church graphics than what their message should be all about. Worse, some use church graphics like it was their sermon notes.

Remember—church graphics are complementary instruments for your main message. 

No matter how well-designed your graphic may be, it will only defeat its purpose if it doesn't elevate your content’s core message.

3)  Keep your target audience in mind.

You create church graphics because you want to communicate visually with your audience. 

Knowing your audience will help you better connect with them through the elements you put in your graphics.

Let’s say that in your Christmas sermon, you want to talk about the importance of reverence during the Christmas season. If you have a younger audience, choose images of people that they can connect with–maybe younger college students worshiping.

When Creating the Church Graphics

Now comes the exciting but challenging part!

With just a few clicks, you are on your way to creating the church graphics for your social media and sermon series. More often than not, the best part is that you can do these without spending a single dollar. 

Remember your objective, message, and audience when you craft the church graphics. Then, everything that follows will flow into your desired output.

Here’s how you can exactly create graphics that connect with your audience:

1) Take inspiration from free media resources for churches.

Again, Tithe.ly Media stands out from other resources because it’s specifically designed for churches.

You name them—sermon series kits, social media, and motion graphics—Tithe.ly Media has it all in one platform. You can take plenty of inspiration for your church graphic designs from their online library.

In terms of inspiration, here are some essentials to think about:  

• Templates and themes
• Layouts of graphics
• Font, image, and color combination

For more sources of inspiration for your church graphics, check out 6 Great Resources for Free Church Media.

2) Draft and design your church graphics through digital tools.

Now that you have your visual inspiration, it’s time to draft your church graphic! 

If your church has the budget (and member-talent), you can always use industry-leading graphics editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Photo. 

Similarly, you can create church graphics from scratch on office productivity software such as those offered by Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. 

On the other hand, more user-friendly alternatives simplify designing your church graphics. Plus, they’re free to use. Most importantly, you can download resources from Tithe.ly Media and make the changes based on your needs. 

3) Do it with excellence.

It’s not enough to know what to post on your social media or use stock images for your sermon.

You have to produce church graphics well.

That’s exactly what we have outlined in How to Create Premium Church Graphics from Scratch in No Time: 7 Tips. Aside from the strategies in the mentioned article, you can also benefit from these practical tips:

For social media:

• Place your church’s logo in a strategic area on your graphic.
• Use a color scheme that's consistent with your church's branding.
• Use universal design elements and imagery.
• Consider incorporating photos of your congregation.
• Use simple language in the social media graphic.

For sermon series:

• Modify templates (e.g., title, background, subheader)  for your sermon series pack.
• Stay consistent with your visual theme throughout the sermon series and when posting about it on other platforms.
• Focus on one message per image/slide/graphic.
• Use larger fonts and punchy texts.
• Design for higher-resolution images.

Here’s an example of a sermon series kit that embodies the principles of creating premium church graphics :

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If, at any point, you need more inspiration for creating your church media, check out this guide to kickstart your creativity again.

After Creating the Church Graphics

Pause for a few moments before you hit publish. There are just a few steps to help you polish your visual aids and achieve your objective.

Here’s what you can do: 

1. Ask for feedback.

Think about asking a church member with social media expertise to critique your graphics. 

Another set of eyes may help you spot minor errors and offer suggestions on the visual components.

Most importantly, go back to your original plan. Does your church graphic answer the following questions?

• Does the church graphic meet the objective?
• Is the message clear in the church graphic?
• Does the church graphic connect with the target audience?

2. Test your church graphic on existing platforms.

You can have a dry run for your church graphics without publicizing them.

For instance, if you want to check how your church graphic would appear on social media, use their preview features to check for mistakes.

You can also run through your church graphics for a sermon series on larger screens. Verify you’ve used the right image size at a high enough resolution to be sharp and clear. Ask volunteers if they can see the visual tool even if they’re at the back of the venue for the worship service. 

These simple procedures will help you in the final step of creating excellent church graphics.

3. Revise as necessary.

Having noted all the feedback and suggestions, you can now review the church graphics to achieve the desired objective.

More specifically, you can use this checklist:

• Revise the surface errors.
• Revise for visual consistency.
• Revise for clarity.

Be open to suggestions and be ready to make revisions. It’s always part of the process of creating compelling church graphics. This is how successful churches strengthen their online presence and make their worship experience seamless. 

Over to You

Creating church graphics for your social media and sermon series should excite you. It’s an effective way to connect with a visually-oriented culture at–and outside of–church. 

Tithe.ly Media is the best place for you to start planning and crafting your next church graphics. 

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