Church Social Media Content Calendar Template

Who this is for: the volunteer running the church’s social media, who wants a plan so Sunday evening isn’t spent staring at a blank screen wondering what to post.

This template gives you eight content types to rotate - Sunday recap, midweek encouragement, community story, event promotion, behind the scenes, volunteer spotlight, seasonal or liturgical, and an invitation post - plus a batch-creation workflow so you plan a month in one sitting rather than daily.

Why Use a Content Calendar?

Posting on social media without a plan is like turning up to preach without any notes - sometimes it works, but most weeks you’ll be staring at a blank screen on a Sunday evening wondering what to post.

A content calendar takes the stress out of social media. You decide what to post at the start of the week (or even the start of the month), and then you just follow the plan. No last-minute panics. No guilt about forgetting to post. No accidentally posting three event promotions in a row.

This template gives you everything you need to plan a month of social media content for your church.

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8 Content Types to Rotate

You don’t need to come up with something brand new every day. These eight content types give you a reliable rotation that keeps your feed varied and interesting.

1. Sunday Recap

Share a moment from the service - a quote from the sermon, a short reflection, a photo. If the photo shows people, you need their consent first, and a parent’s or guardian’s for anyone under 18; the Church GDPR Checklist has the photography section.

Example: “This morning Sarah reminded us that ‘God doesn’t call the equipped - he equips the called.’ What a way to start the week.”

2. Midweek Encouragement

A Bible verse, a short prayer or a simple encouraging thought to break up the week.

Example: “Wednesday reminder: you don’t have to have it all together. You just have to show up. God does the rest.”

3. Community Story

Highlight something your church community has done - a food bank delivery, a knitting group milestone, a volunteer’s story (with their permission!).

Example: “Our Tuesday Lunch Club has now served over 500 meals this year. Thank you to every volunteer who makes this possible.”

4. Event Promotion

Let people know what’s coming up. Post at least twice: once a week before, once a day or two before.

Example: “This Saturday, 10am-12pm: Messy Church is back! Crafts, songs and snacks for under-10s and their grown-ups. No need to book - just turn up.”

5. Behind the Scenes

Show the human side of church life - setting up for a service, arranging flowers, the tea rota in action.

Example: “Ever wondered what happens before a Sunday service? Here’s Dave at 8am making sure every hymn book is in place. Legends like Dave make it all happen.”

6. Volunteer Spotlight

Celebrate the people who keep your church running (always ask permission first).

Example: “Meet Margaret. She’s been running our Sunday School for 23 years. When asked why, she said: ‘I just love seeing their faces light up.’ Thank you, Margaret.”

7. Seasonal / Liturgical

Tie your content to the church calendar or the time of year. This keeps your feed feeling timely and relevant.

Example (Advent): “Third Sunday of Advent. Today we light the candle of joy. What’s bringing you joy this week?“

8. Invitation Post

A warm, low-pressure invitation for someone who’s never been to your church before.

Example: “Never been to church? You’re welcome here. No dress code, no expectations, just a warm welcome and a decent cup of tea. Sundays at 10:30am.”

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Batch-Creating Content: The Monday Hour

The single best thing you can do for your church’s social media is to spend one hour on Monday morning planning the whole week. Here’s how:

• 10 minutes - Review last week. What got engagement? What fell flat? Any comments to respond to?
• 10 minutes - Check the church diary. Any events to promote this week? Any deadlines coming up?
• 15 minutes - Write your posts for the week. Use the content types above to vary what you share.
• 15 minutes - Find or take photos. Check your camera roll, ask volunteers for photos or create a simple graphic in Canva.
• 10 minutes - Schedule everything. Use Meta Business Suite (free) or Buffer (free for 3 channels) to schedule posts so they go out automatically.

That’s it. One hour, and you’re done for the week. If something spontaneous happens (a beautiful sunset over the church, a surprise visitor), you can always add an extra post - but the pressure is off.

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Seasonal Content Ideas

Plan ahead for these key moments in the church and community year:

Advent (late November - December)

• Advent calendar countdown posts
• Christingle photos
• Carol service invitations
• “12 days of Christmas” feature on church community

Christmas

• Christmas Day service photos
• Thank you to volunteers who made Christmas services happen
• New Year reflection post

Lent (February/March)

• Lent challenge posts (40 acts of kindness, daily prayer prompts)
• Shrove Tuesday pancake photos
• Ash Wednesday reflection

Easter

• Holy Week daily reflections
• Good Friday and Easter Sunday posts
• Easter egg hunt photos

Harvest (September/October)

• Harvest festival preparations
• Food bank collection updates
• Thank you to local farmers and growers

Back to School (September)

• Blessing of backpacks / start of term prayers
• Youth group restart announcements
• Sunday School / children’s ministry promotion

Remembrance (November)

• Remembrance Sunday service
• Poppy displays in church
• Stories of local connection to remembrance

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Monthly Calendar Template

Print this out or copy it into a spreadsheet. One row per post.

Date	Day	Platform	Content Type	Topic / Caption	Image needed?	Posted?
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	Tue				[ ]	[ ]
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	Tue				[ ]	[ ]

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Sample Filled-In Week

Here’s what a typical week might look like for a small church:

Date	Day	Platform	Content Type	Topic / Caption	Image needed?	Posted?
3 Mar	Mon	Facebook	Event Promotion	”This Wednesday: Lent Lunch at 12:30pm. Soup, bread and a short reflection. Everyone welcome - just turn up.”	Photo of last year’s lunch	[x]
4 Mar	Tue	Instagram	Midweek Encouragement	”Be still and know that I am God. - Psalm 46:10. Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is stop and breathe.”	Canva graphic with verse	[x]
5 Mar	Wed	Facebook	Behind the Scenes	”Setting up for today’s Lent Lunch. Janet’s famous leek and potato soup is ON.”	Phone photo of Janet cooking	[x]
6 Mar	Thu	Instagram	Volunteer Spotlight	”Meet Tom - rain or shine, he opens up the church every morning at 7am. Thank you, Tom.”	Portrait of Tom (with permission)	[x]
7 Mar	Fri	Facebook	Community Story	”Our food bank collection this month: 47kg of food donated to the local food bank. You lot are incredible.”	Photo of donations	[x]
8 Mar	Sat	-	-	Rest day - no post needed!	-	-
9 Mar	Sun	Facebook + Instagram	Sunday Recap	”What a morning. Our minister talked about the difference between hearing and listening. ‘God isn’t asking you to do more - he’s asking you to pay attention.’”	Photo from the service	[x]

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Monthly Review

At the end of each month, take 15 minutes to reflect. This helps you do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.

What worked well this month?

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What didn’t land? (Posts with low engagement or that felt like a struggle to write)

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Did any post get unexpected traction? What can you learn from that?

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Any feedback from the congregation about social media?

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What will you try differently next month?

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Quick Tips

• You don’t need to post every day. Three to four posts a week is plenty for most churches.
• Photos of people outperform graphics. Real faces, real moments.
• Ask questions. Posts that ask the congregation something (“What’s your favourite hymn?”) get more engagement.
• Don’t just broadcast - respond. Reply to comments, thank people for sharing, be human.
• It’s OK to repeat yourself. Not everyone sees every post. If you’ve got an event coming up, promote it more than once.
• Involve others. Ask congregation members to send you photos or suggest post ideas. It takes the pressure off you and makes people feel included.