Your best reach is your people
A church account reaches the people who already follow it. Your congregation reaches everyone they know: coworkers, classmates, neighbors, cousins, old friends, the group chat from high school.
That’s always been how churches grew. Most people visit a church because someone they know invited them. Social media just gives every member a way to do that in seconds. (See the youth media flywheel.)
Why a personal share beats a church post
- It arrives with trust. “This is my church” means more than any ad.
- It reaches new people. Your members’ friends often don’t follow your church.
- It signals value. Platforms treat shares as a strong sign that a post is worth showing to more people. (See how social media algorithms work.)
What members can share
- Sermon clips that spoke to them (see livestream to Shorts)
- Prayers and scripture readings for a friend who’s struggling
- Invitations to special services like Christmas Eve or Easter (see inviting people to Christmas Eve online)
- Stories of church life: a baptism they witnessed (with consent), a serve day, a meal
- Their own experience, in their own words
Add one personal sentence
A share with nothing added is easy to scroll past. A share with one honest line is an invitation:
- “This is from my church on Sunday. Really needed it.”
- “Thinking of you this week, this made me think of you.”
- “Our Christmas Eve service is beautiful. Want to come with us?”
Teach that one habit and your congregation’s shares will travel much further.
Every generation has a part
Teenagers and young adults move fluently between platforms. Many will happily share clips, especially ones they helped make. (See the Youth Clip Team.)
Parents often share in family group chats and on Facebook and Instagram.
Older adults may not use every platform, but they’re often the most faithful sharers on Facebook and by text. A grandparent forwarding a sermon clip to a grandchild is powerful.
Help across generations. After a service, have a student help an older member learn to forward a clip or share a post. It’s a small moment of intergenerational ministry.
Make it easy
- Mention it from the stage occasionally: “This week’s clip is on our Instagram. Think of one person who needs it.”
- Make clips easy to find: a pinned post, a link in the bulletin, or a short weekly email.
- Post consistently, so there’s always something worth sharing. (See a sermon clip posting schedule.)
- Celebrate stories, with permission: “Sarah shared last week’s clip with a coworker, and she was here today.”
Keep it healthy
- Never pressure. Sharing is an invitation, not a requirement.
- Encourage kindness online, in comments and debates as much as shares. (See a biblical case for church social media.)
- Protect privacy. Members shouldn’t post others, especially children, without permission. (See a church social media policy template.)
- Point to real community. The goal of every share is a real connection: a conversation, a visit, a friendship.
Give them something worth sharing
Members share what moves them. The more consistently your church shares the strongest moments of each sermon, the more there is to pass along. Reels (formerly Worship Clips) in WorshipMetrics suggests those moments from your livestream and renders captioned, branded clips in vertical, square, and horizontal, in the language your pastor preached, free in Tech Manager on your church’s computer.
See more on the social media for churches page.
Related questions
- How can church members help share the church online?
- By sharing posts and clips that genuinely mean something to them, with a short personal word, to the people they already know: a story, a text to a friend, a family group chat. One personal share often does more than many church posts.
- How do we encourage older members to share church content?
- Keep it simple and personal. Show them how to forward a clip by text or share it to Facebook, offer help after a service (a great job for students), and remind them that a message to one friend is enough.
- Isn't asking members to share church posts just marketing?
- Not if it's genuine. Sharing something that encouraged you with someone you care about is what friends do. The goal isn't to promote the church; it's to pass along hope, the same way people have always invited friends to church.
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