What use is a church service if nobody is there to see it?
There are many church advertising ideas that you can put into action to get people in the door, and they aren’t just about putting a sign up – although, that can help!
A church needs all of its members to attend, and to be able to draw in potential churchgoers too — which means that your church should be doing everything they can to attract new Christians.
Here are some ideas on how to advertise your church:
- Start by making sure that your signage at address, website or phone numbers are visible from the street so more cars will stop for directions, hours, etc. (Think about what might happen when a driver slows down one day – then drives away.)
- Offer other community events outside of church services such as free dress days where everyone gets clothes donated from local businesses on specific dates throughout the year; an interfaith soup kitchen; and church-sponsored events for adults, children, or seniors.
- Ask church members to refer friends with different interests such as a singles group; parents’ groups that support specific public schools in the parish area – send them cards when their child starts school and invite them back into church if they don’t attend.
- Mail out invitations (with information about other community events) to nearby churches similar to yours: inviting them to share the love of Christ through prayer, worship services, or volunteering together at these outreach programmes where you’re already working with other denominations on common goals.
- Use social media to connect with church membership and share the church’s work with its followers on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
- Use a church directory to help people find their own parish church – for example by listing all churches in your geographical area with an ad campaign that includes “Find Your Parish Church” prominently displayed at the bottom of every page.
- Consider placing a map online so visitors can easily locate different churches; this might be especially helpful if you have multiple campuses within one geographic region.
- Offer memberships to those who want to subscribe without attending worship services regularly (ensure there is no pressure for them to attend).
- Create resources specifically designed for teens like video testimonials about what it means to follow Jesus as a teen today, discussions about faith, etc. Add them to your website and social media pages to get in front of the right people.
- Open up the church to a community during off-hours for those who want to come in and meet new people.
- Find out what your church has been doing that is working well and encourage other churches within your area, denomination, or faith group to do the same thing with their congregations by contacting them directly through newsletters, social media posts, etc. This will help you build relationships while increasing awareness of strategies that work.
- Promote an event happening at the church like performance art night or poetry readings so it’s easy for visitors to find information about events on your website and social media pages as they are looking around town for something interesting to do.
- Study your church’s mission and values to develop a church advertisement with a purpose. Consider what are the most important aspects of your church that you want people to know about? Then, create an ad campaign around it, whether it’s printing out flyers and posters or using Facebook ads to reach people.
Everyone is Welcome
Church advertising ideas are important because it is vital for your church attendance numbers – not just for your current congregation but also potential churchgoers who might not even know anything is happening at your church.
It can be tough in this day and age when everyone seems to have their own opinion on how things should work but there are some simple steps to promote awareness for any church. Establishing relationships is key so start by contacting those already attending services through newsletters or social media posts.
As you get more confident in your advertising abilities, you’ll create better adverts and get more responses. Remember, you can always ask for help from other churches – it’s not an exclusive club, everyone is working toward a common goal.