Church Digital Strategy One-Page Planner

Who this is for: the church leadership team agreeing digital priorities at a meeting, once someone has asked what the church should actually focus on next.

This planner is designed to help your church leadership team agree on your digital priorities. It’s not a full strategy document - it’s a starting point. Fill it in together at a meeting, agree your top 3 priorities and review in 3 months. That’s it.

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1. Our Church

Church name
Denomination
Location
Approximate congregation size
Number of volunteers who help with digital / communications

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This planner works the same everywhere, with two things to name as you fill it in. First, who signs it off: the PCC in the Church of England, the Kirk Session in the Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Vestry in the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Select Vestry in the Church of Ireland, the Ministry Area Council in most of the Church in Wales. Second, in Wales, whether your digital presence should be bilingual. The Welsh language standards are aimed at public bodies rather than churches, so this is a welcome decision, not a legal one, and it belongs in section 3 if your congregation is bilingual.

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2. Where Are We Now?

Tick the box that best describes your church today:

Website

• None
• Basic (some information, rarely updated)
• Good (up to date, easy to find key information)
• Excellent (regularly updated, welcoming, easy to use)

Social media

• None
• Occasional (we post sometimes but not regularly)
• Regular (we post at least weekly)
• Strategic (planned content, consistent, engaging)

Email / newsletter

• None
• Occasional (a few times a year)
• Regular (monthly or more)

Online worship

• None
• Sometimes (special occasions or when needed)
• Every week (livestream or recorded)

Giving

• None beyond the plate
• Bank details on request (standing orders, but nothing a visitor could find)
• One digital route (a giving page, a QR code or a contactless device)
• Several routes, easy to find, with Gift Aid captured where it applies

Church management system (for contacts, rotas, attendance, etc.)

• None
• Spreadsheets / paper
• Dedicated system (e.g. ChurchSuite, iKnow Church or similar)

Overall digital confidence across the team

• Low (we’re not sure where to start)
• Growing (we’ve made some progress but need help)
• Confident (we know what we’re doing and want to do more)

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3. Where Do We Want to Be in 12 Months?

Think about what would make the biggest difference to your congregation and community. Don’t try to do everything - focus on what matters most.

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4. Our Top 3 Digital Priorities

What are the three things you will actually focus on in the next 12 months?

Priority 1:

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Priority 2:

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Priority 3:

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5. Who Is Responsible?

A priority without a name next to it is just a wish. Agree who will lead on each one.

Priority	Lead Person	Support Person	By When
1.
2.
3.

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6. What Do We Need?

Tick everything that applies:

• Training (for volunteers or staff)
• Budget (even a small one)
• Volunteer time
• External help (a consultant, a designer, technical support)
• Equipment (camera, microphone, laptop, etc.)
• Nothing - just time to focus

Notes / specifics:

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7. When Will We Review?

We will review progress on this plan on:

Date: __________________ (suggested: 3 months from today)

Who will put this on the agenda? __________________

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8. Agreed By

This plan was discussed and agreed at a meeting of:

Name	Role	Signature

Date agreed: __________________

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What Happens Next?

1. Share this plan with your church council or leadership team - everyone should have a copy.
2. Start with Priority 1. Don’t try to do all three at once.
3. Check in informally each month - is the lead person making progress? Do they need help?
4. Review formally on the date you’ve agreed above. Update your priorities if needed.
5. Celebrate progress. Even small steps forward are worth acknowledging.

You don’t need a perfect strategy. You need a clear starting point, a few people willing to have a go and a date to check in. This planner gives you all three.

Sources

The nation-specific claims in this guide were checked against the pages below on 5 September 2026. Claims that rest on pages we could not reach at the time of checking are not listed.

• Welsh language standards: Public organisations. Confirms the standards apply to public organisations and to bodies providing public services in Wales.
• Church of Scotland congregations: Charity trustees, liabilities and OSCR, a Church of Scotland circular republished by Pathhead Parish Church. Confirms the Kirk Session as the governing body of a congregation.
• Scottish Episcopal Church vestries: Vestry responsibilities: governance, accounting and charity matters. Confirms the Vestry’s governing role.
• Church in Wales Ministry Areas: Structure and a published Ministry Area privacy notice, Merthyr Tydfil Ministry Area. Confirm the Ministry Area as the local unit and its Council as the responsible body.
• Church of Ireland select vestries: Parish governance. Confirms every parish has a Select Vestry.
• Presbyterian Church in Ireland: Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Confirms the Kirk Session governs each congregation.