05/12/2024
Where does digital fit into your overall strategy? There are so many digital possibilities out there for churches to use that it’s tempting to just reach for the latest fad in the drive to reach new or younger people. Sometimes it’s good to step back and examine which methods work best to reach different sets of people. And to work out how your church’s online outreach fits alongside more traditional methods. We might call this a communications strategy.
Firstly, what’s your church’s message? What brief phrase sums up your attractiveness to others:
One that aims to serve its local community?
An inclusive church where all are welcome?
A quiet oasis for spiritual reflection?
…or something else! Or are you trying to combat some misconception people seem to have – perhaps you need to convince parents that their noisy, small children will be welcome in services. If so, emphasise the family feel of your communications.
Your message is, of course, not just communicated via words, but also via visual images, activities and actions. This church created a poster to hang outside, featuring congregation members waving, to reinforce its message of welcome:
Then you could look at your audiences. Who are you actually trying to reach? That list might include your congregation, tourists, visitors, families from the church school, those who live locally, and community groups using your building.
What do you actually know about these groups? You might need to do some research to discover more about the demography of your area. That might reveal you have more students, pensioners or single-parent families than other places, prompting you to dream up specific ways to reach such people.
Then comes the tricky bit: working out which methods work with which audience. That might depend on how different groups absorb information. You could do some market research among your different audiences to find this out.
For instance, in one Hampshire village, the large tree next to the pond is the perfect place to pin up church posters, as everyone has to walk past it.
In contrast, there’s a new housing development nearby where lots of young families live. Typically, the husband drives off to work, leaving a wife and young children at home feeling relatively isolated. Here the church has found it can reach families by posting in Facebook groups for local mums.
So you might draw up a communications strategy that looks something like this:
Overall message: We care for our community
| Audience | Communication method |
|---|---|
| Congregation | Weekly e-newsletter, closed Facebook group |
| Locals interested in faith | Mission-oriented website, church magazine delivered to each household |
| Locals interested in debate | Discussion forum on website, #askthevicar on X (Twitter) |
| Tourists | Church history on website, clear labelling of heritage items in church |
| Newcomers | Activities listed on mobile-friendly website, welcome pack |
| Young families | Public Facebook page, children’s activities clearly listed on website/socials, leaflets handed out at school/nursery |
| Teenagers | Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, authentic relationships |
| Wedding couples | Adverts in wedding brochures, wedding fairs |
This is just an example – your church’s message, audiences and methods might be entirely different. But if you wanted to increase the numbers of couples getting married at your church, you could raise your profile in the places where engaged couples actually look. There is often no one at wedding fairs showcasing what churches can offer.
You’ll see that digital and non-digital methods can exist side-by-side. If your local church school is happy to hand out A6 cards advertising your all-age services to its families, those cards can encourage parents to check your website and social media channels for details.
An example of a printed event flyer/poster that also directs people to a website
One danger is to assume that only one method works with each audience. If TikTok was a magic way of reaching every teenager then we would all be doing it. In fact, it might only work alongside good old-fashioned youthwork that shows you care. And people might not look at your well-designed, mobile-friendly website unless prompted to by a lively, informative church magazine that lands on their doormat regularly.
Ultimately, your communications strategy should be unique to your church, using the methods that work best with your specific audiences. Good luck drawing it up!
NEIL PUGMIRE is the author of 100 Ways To Get Your Church Noticed, the manual for church communications, fully revised for a post-pandemic world. Read more on www.getyourchurchnoticed.com and buy the book here.
If you’re interested in hearing more from Neil about strategy and getting your church noticed, you can sign up for this free webinar:
Webinar: Get your church noticed
10.30am on Tuesday 28th January
How do you ensure people know about the amazing events and activities your church organises? How do you convince them that what you do and what you believe might be relevant for them? How can your church create and maintain a great reputation? This webinar looks at ways in which we communicate, linking together publicity and mission to form a coherent strategy for your church. It’s designed for clergy, church staff, parish magazine editors, webmasters or anyone with an interest in promoting what your church does. Sign up for the webinar here, and see other Vision & Strategy webinars here.
