The biggest invitation of the year
For many churches, Christmas Eve brings more first-time guests than any other night of the year. People who haven’t been to church in years come with family. People who have only ever watched online decide to come in person. And plenty of people decide where to go in the weeks before, often after seeing something on their phone.
That makes the six weeks before Christmas Eve the most important stretch of the year for your church’s social media. Here’s a simple plan.
Key dates for 2026:
- Sunday, November 29: First Sunday of Advent
- Sundays, December 6, 13, and 20: Second through fourth Sundays of Advent
- Thursday, December 24: Christmas Eve
Before you start (mid-November)
Get three things ready now, so December isn’t a scramble:
- Your Christmas service times, decided and posted on your website.
- A “plan your visit” page that answers first-timer questions, with Christmas service details added. (See the what to expect page.)
- Your clip routine. Decide who makes clips each week and who approves them. (See a sermon clip posting schedule.)
And for the booth side of the same night, start the Christmas Eve readiness countdown around the same time.
The week-by-week plan
Week of November 15: Build familiarity
- 2 sermon clips from Sunday’s message
- 1 post about church life: the greeters, the kids’ area, the choir rehearsing
- Goal: keep your church in people’s feeds before the invitations start
Week of November 22: Set the season
- 2 sermon clips
- 1 post introducing Advent: what it is and the theme for each week (for example hope, peace, joy, love)
- Goal: help people who didn’t grow up in church understand what’s coming
Week of November 29: Advent begins
- 2 clips from the first Advent sermon
- 1 short scripture reading clip (Isaiah 9:6 or similar)
- First mention of Christmas Eve service times
Week of December 6: Announce
- 2 sermon clips
- 1 clear Christmas Eve announcement: times, location, kids’ options, and a link to plan your visit
- Ask your congregation to share it
Week of December 13: Invite personally
- 2 sermon clips
- 1 invite clip: the pastor speaking directly to someone thinking about coming (see inviting people to Christmas Eve online)
- 1 “what to expect on Christmas Eve” post: parking, length, what happens, what to wear
Week of December 20: The final push
- 2 clips from the fourth Advent sermon
- Christmas Eve reminders on Monday, Wednesday, and the morning of the 24th
- 1 behind-the-scenes post: setting up the room, the band rehearsing, the booth getting ready
- Stories on the 24th: “See you tonight”
Christmas Eve and after
- On the night: a short post welcoming people, and a link to the livestream for those who can’t be there
- December 26–31: 2–3 clips from the Christmas Eve message, and a warm invitation to the first Sunday of January
Make the clips easy
The plan calls for about 15 sermon clips in six weeks. Doing that by hand, during the busiest season of the year, is how teams burn out.
Reels (formerly Worship Clips) in WorshipMetrics connects to your YouTube livestream, suggests the strongest moments from each sermon, and renders captioned, branded clips in vertical, square, and horizontal. Publish to YouTube with scheduling, so the week’s clips can be set up on Monday, or download them for Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Reels is free in Tech Manager on your church’s computer, and cloud Reels on Pro and Max lets volunteers, often students, work from home. (See the Youth Clip Team.)
For the countdown and welcome slides on the night itself, Present has countdowns, looping media, and lower thirds built in. (See the pre-service welcome loop.)
Keep it humane
December is hard on church staff and volunteers. A few rules help:
- Schedule ahead. Set up each week’s posts on Monday.
- Reuse good content. A great clip from week two can run again on Christmas Eve morning.
- Don’t add new platforms in December. Do the ones you’re on well.
- Share the load. Two volunteers trading weeks is better than one person doing all six.
After Christmas: follow up
The guests who came on Christmas Eve are the people most likely to come back in January, if someone notices them. Make sure first-time guests are welcomed and followed up. (See from anonymous to known.) In WorshipMetrics, guests who check in with a QR code land in your directory automatically, so the follow-up list is ready on December 26.
More on using social media well: social media for churches.
Related questions
- When should a church start promoting Christmas Eve on social media?
- About six weeks out. Start with Advent content that builds familiarity in mid to late November, announce service times by the first week of December, and make the strongest invitations in the last two weeks before Christmas Eve.
- What should a church post during Advent?
- Short clips from each Advent sermon, scripture readings, a simple weekly Advent theme (hope, peace, joy, love), behind-the-scenes preparation, invitations to Christmas services, and a 'what to expect' post for first-time guests.
- How many posts does a church need for Christmas?
- Two or three a week is enough for most churches, rising to four or five in the final week. Consistency matters more than volume, and every post should point to a clear next step like service times or a plan-your-visit page.
AI Sermon Clip Tools Compared: Choosing the Right One for Your Church (2026)
NextInstagram for Churches: A Simple Weekly Plan
Related Articles
Making a Complicated Church AV System Easy to Run, Without Hiring an AV Company
Many church AV systems aren't too old or too small. They're too complicated for a volunteer. A simple button panel built with Bitfocus Companion can hide that complexity behind plain-word buttons, and a church can often build it themselves. Here's when that works, when to call a professional, and how to start.
Your Church Livestream Team, Connected Even When They're Not at Church
A three-person livestream team only works if everyone shares the same plan, the same wiring diagram, and the same news when something breaks. Here's how WorshipMetrics connects the director, slides, and camera volunteers through the week: chat, alerts, documentation, AI help, scheduling, and cloud control for OBS and vMix.
The Three-Person Church Livestream Team: Director, Slides, and Cameras
A church livestream runs best with three clear jobs: a director on OBS or vMix, a slides operator, and a camera operator. Here's what each role does before, during, and after the service, what skills it takes, and how the three talk to each other.