20 Church Instagram Post Ideas [With Examples]

While the possibilities are endless, trying to come up with Instagram post ideas for churches isn’t always easy. In fact, this may be the very reason your Instagram account seems so sparse.

Don’t worry. After going through this list, you’ll never be without a great idea to post. Plus, you’ll increase engagement and even followers.

Whether you are looking for ideas for short-form videos for Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories, or just trying to up your game on your standard posts, we’ve got you covered.

Give your church’s Instagram account a boost, along with growing your physical church just by learning what type of content followers love best.

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

Should Churches Use Instagram?

Maybe you are wondering if churches should even bother with Instagram. As digital marketing experts, we strongly recommend that churches use Instagram to reach out to their followers and attract new ones.

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms today, with over 1 billion active users, and offers a visually engaging way to share content.

Churches can use Instagram to showcase their community events, share inspirational messages, and provide insights into their beliefs and practices.

With the ability to create visually stunning content, such as photos and videos, churches can leverage Instagram’s features to connect with their audience on a deeper level.

By utilizing Instagram, churches can reach a wider audience, engage with their followers, and ultimately strengthen their community.

How frequently should a church post Instagram?

When it comes to how frequently a church should post on Instagram, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on what the church wants to achieve and what their audience prefers.

However, as a general guideline, posting at least three times a week can help keep followers engaged and informed. Of course, it’s important to maintain a consistent posting schedule to establish a sense of reliability and build anticipation among your followers.

But remember, it’s not just about the quantity of posts – quality matters too! Each post should offer value to your audience and align with your church’s mission and brand.

So, finding the right balance between frequency and quality for your posts and Instagram stories is key to maximizing the benefits of Instagram for your church.

Can I schedule church Instagram posts?

Absolutely! Scheduling your church’s Instagram posts can save you time and help ensure that you maintain a consistent posting schedule.

By using social media scheduling tools, you can plan and create your posts in advance, and then schedule them to be automatically published at a later date and time.

This can be particularly helpful for churches that have busy schedules or limited resources to dedicate to social media management.

However, it’s important to remember that social media is a two-way conversation. Even if you schedule your posts in advance, you should still make time to engage with your followers and respond to comments and messages in a timely manner.

What should churches post on Instagram?

Here are 20 post ideas that can help you share your message, showcase your community, and engage with your followers in a meaningful way.

1. Tease Your Upcoming Sermon

Want to make sure your members are excited about your next service? Use Instagram to tease your upcoming sermon. If you’re doing a sermon series, tease that. You might even post an image related to your sermon or an excerpt and ask your followers to guess what the theme is. It’s a fun and interactive way to get people excited.

Another benefit is church members may ask questions or mention something they hope you talk about. Posting something like this on a Monday or Tuesday is a great way to fine-tune your sermon’s message and content for better engagement for in-church and online services.

You may even consider posting sermon themes and series polls to see what followers want to experience next. If you’re struggling to find great themes or series, use the following for inspiration:

• Crossway: How To Plan Your Next Sermon Series
• Pro Preacher: 100 Sermon Topics
• Grow Church: 12 Compelling Sermon Series Ideas You Can Use In 2019 (still very valid in 2021)

2. Post Short Video Messages

Whether you use Instagram Stories or just create a short video post, one of the most engaging Instagram post ideas for churches is short video messages. You might post a 30 second or 1-minute clip about your latest sermon or answering a question from a follower.

If something major has happened recently, you might create a quick video message about it. For instance, your church might have addressed common fears and issues throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Use the short videos for most anything you want. Share an inspirational message. Tell a story each week by posting a 1-minute clip daily. Get creative. Most importantly, be consistent with whatever approach you take.

3. Show Your Services

One of the most popular Instagram post ideas for churches is simply showing your services. Highlight your service’s best moments. Members will love checking out your posts to see if they might be in the picture.

Use static images or video clips. You could even create a story, which only lasts 24 hours. This encourages engagement quickly as everyone wants to see the story before it disappears.

This also works well for showing potential new visitors what your services are like. Try to post something weekly. Showcase different parts of your services each week to give a well-rounded view.

4. Create Inspiring Messages With Bible Verses

The simplest type of Instagram post for churches is an inspiring message. Quote scripture. Use a line from your latest sermon. Post something inspiring a member or online follower said to you.

This makes a great daily post. People crave inspirational messages. It’s been proven that the right message can help change someone’s way of thinking and create the desire to change in a positive way.

Plus, using inspirational Christian quotes or a bible verse has been a successful social media strategy for years for numerous major brands. It’s popular because it works. Treat your followers to a daily dose of Instagram inspiration to increase engagement and make social media feel a little more positive.

5. Praise Volunteers

Your volunteers go above and beyond to help grow the church, minister to the community and more. Praise all their hard work. Not only does this encourage others to get out and volunteer, whether at church or another nonprofit, but it helps validate your current volunteers. It can also help increase the number of volunteers at your church.

Show a picture along with recent work. Ask for a quote or testimonial from the volunteer explaining why the work they do is so important and meaningful to them.

6. Share Content From Followers

Ever wonder where some brands get so much great content on Instagram? They ask their followers for it. Create hashtag and have followers submit their own images. For instance, you might ask followers to submit a funny story about their kid in church. Or, ask them to share the moment church felt like home.

This creates a more engaging and interactive experience. Plus, it gives you more content to share.

7. Share Content From Other Churches

At the same time, share great content from other churches. The best Instagram post ideas for churches don’t have to be original content. If you look at most popular Instagram accounts, you’ll see they share content from commonly used hashtags relevant to their account or share content from other accounts similar to theirs.

Consider sharing inspirational messages and videos from other churches throughout the world. Follow Christian leaders to find great content your followers will love. Crosswalk has a list of 15 leaders you may want to check out.

8. Share Testimonials From Members

When it comes to sharing content from others, one of the most important is testimonials. If you’re trying to increase your online followers or encourage new in church visitors, testimonials are one of the best Instagram post ideas for churches.

Ask your members to submit testimonials about their experience. It can be about why they were drawn to the church or what made them want to stay. It could even be about a moment that helped them grow in their faith. Hearing about others’ experiences helps potential new visitors see what your church is all about.

9. Create Daily Devotional Stories With Christian Captions

An incredibly simple, yet highly effective way to keep Instagram followers coming back daily is with daily Instagram Stories. Stories typically only last 24 hours, though you can highlight them on your profile to make them last longer. However, using them to create a daily devotional is a great way to interact with your followers.

This helps you stay connected to your members and online followers daily while creating a daily habit of worship for those using the devotionals. You could even have themes each week, such as one week for women, another for children, one for men and so on.

10. Feature Someone In Your Church

You don’t have to just feature volunteers on your Instagram page. Instead, feature someone in your church each week. Highlight a few interesting details about them or create a rapid-fire interview video post. These usually last around a minute.

When you let your Instagram followers get to know more about your church’s members, it makes your church seem more welcoming. It also helps new visitors feel like they already know some of the people. Plus, featured members are definitely going to ensure all their friends and family see the post, potentially increasing your reach and followers.

11. Consider Humor

If humor isn’t your thing, then don’t try to force it. However, a few fun Christian memes get your followers laughing. It also shows that churches have a sense of humor too.

You might share a funny moment, such as when you asked a child a question and their unexpected answer left you speechless. You don’t have to opt for humor all the time, but mixing it sometimes works well.

12. Go Behind The Scenes

What really goes on before and after services? What does choir rehearsal look like? How does the tech team look as they prep for your live stream?

Answer all these pressing questions and more by going behind the scenes. As simple as it seems, it’s actually one of the more popular Instagram post types for churches. In fact, numerous businesses use this approach as people are surprisingly interested in what goes on behind the scenes at businesses and churches.

Take candid photos. Show off the hard work. Showcase the struggles, especially any funny ones, such as that moment when the choir director can’t figure out if that weird sound actually came out of one of the choir members or not.

13. Post Quick Interviews

People are busy. They don’t always have time for lengthy 30-minute podcasts. So, give them the quick version instead. Post ultra quick interviews of around a minute. You could even do a series if you want to ask more questions. Of course, use this as a quick teaser for a longer video on your church website or YouTube. From Christian artists to fellow Christian leaders, pick a variety of people to interview, giving your followers even more valuable insight.

14. Highlight Your Worship Team

Your choir works hard, so give them their moment to shine. Pick out a single member, such as soloist, or highlight the entire choir during a particularly moving moment. It’s a fun way to add music to Instagram and show potential new visitors what to expect. You could even feature a member each week or month and ask them a few questions about why they sing along with their favorite song.

15. Highlight Upcoming Events

Obviously, you want more people attending your in church and online events, so highlight them. Create announcement images inviting followers to attend your upcoming events. Provide relevant details and link to your church website in your bio.

Consider offering online events as well as offline. This creates more engagement among Instagram followers who might not live in your general area.

16. Create Christian Challenges

One of the more popular types of Instagram posts overall is the challenge post. All you do is come up with a Christian-related challenge and encourage followers to post their results using your challenge hashtag. There are a variety of challenges people enjoy. While some are questionable, many are innocent and fun.

For example, you might challenge someone to do something to help their community. Or, challenge them to give up one bad habit. If you’re not sure what to try, ask your members for inspiration, especially those using Instagram often. As long as it’s safe, people of all ages are more likely to participate.

17. Show Off Your Community

Sometimes, your Instagram posts don’t have to be directly about your church. Highlight your favorite areas of your local community. Show off where members love eating after church services. What is the youth in your area up to, such as favorite hangouts? Are there beautiful places to sit and talk with God?

Even if someone’s not a member of your church, highlight people doing good in your community. Showing that your church cares about the community too encourages more people to get involved at your church. This also helps grow your church membership.

18. Celebrate Special Moments

Your church experiences a variety of special moments, so celebrate them. As long as your members approve, share pictures of weddings, baptisms, new member sign ups and more. If it’s special to your church and members, share it. These moments highlight the joy and excitement within your church. It also showcases that your church isn’t just made up of individual people, but a growing family.

19. Post A Question

One of the most interactive Instagram post types for churches is a simple question. Instagram posts rank better with more engagement, such as comments and likes. Get people talking by posting a question. This is a great way to spark conversation or simply get people laughing.

For instance, ask followers what their favorite part of going to church is. Ask them about an awkward moment, such as showing up late, trying to sneak in quietly, but having the pew they sit on squeak loudly.

Use this as an opportunity to learn more about your followers and members. Try to post a question weekly to keep engagement high.

20. Encourage Community Involvement

Use Instagram as a platform to help encourage community involvement. Even if followers aren’t a member of a church, they can still volunteer. Post various volunteer ideas. This is also a good time to highlight what your own volunteers are up to.

You might choose to feature local nonprofits in need of volunteers, such as a soup kitchen or clean-up project. Volunteering helps bring people together. This opens up the possibility of discussing faith and discovering how doing God’s work brings joy and happiness.

More on Instagram for Churches

Making the most of Instagram helps your church grow, even if you’re just a new smaller church. If your church is looking for ways to make short-form vertical videos for Instagram Reels – We got you covered.

• Infographic: 25 Stats You Need To Know About Instagram For Churches
• The Ultimate Guide To Using Instagram For Your Church
• Should Your Church Start Using Instagram?
• 15 Ways Instagram Can Grow Your Audience Online and In-Person

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