Effectively Communicate Dates in Churches (Plus Free Resources!)

Keeping a calendar looks much different than it used to. Many people have replaced paper planners with phone, electronic, and Google calendars. But what hasn’t changed is the need to effectively communicate dates to people with plenty of notice. 

This is especially true at church, where a strong communication strategy informs congregants, volunteers, and community members about ministry events and happenings. Messaging that’s related to church life must be clear and consistent. It should prompt readers to save the date, add it to their personal or shared family calendar, and remember to attend. 

Busy church communicators publicize dates for staff members, groups, and ministries across the church. Plus, they use a wide-ranging communications strategy that includes traditional print media (the church newsletter, bulletin, and flyers) as well as new media and technology (church app, text messages, and social media. 

With the professional-looking images and resources in the ChurchArt Online library, you can attract people’s attention while saving time and hassle. And thanks to all our coordinating artwork sets, you can provide consistent messaging across different media and platforms. 

Read on to learn about a church communication strategy that keeps people in the know about important happenings. Help ensure that dates from the church calendar make it into the personal calendars of congregants. 

Communicate Dates to Church Members Effectively 

It’s super-frustrating to plan a major church event but then experience low turnout. You’ve probably also heard church members ask, “How did I miss that?” or “When did you make that announcement?” 

Whether ministry leaders are preparing a midweek sermon series, Christmas outreach, or Easter Sunday events, strong attendance is the goal. To accomplish that, a church media strategy needs teamwork, coordination, and timely, accurate communication. 

Healthy churches maintain a master schedule, often placing a physical version in the church office or planning center. In addition, many congregations now share an online calendar on the church website, using a custom church app such as MyChurch Events.  

Pro Tip: Because Sunday is so busy for churches, use a calendar format that features larger boxes for the first day of each week. 

Keep in mind, you don’t always have to use red, yellow, orange or black colors either. Try experimenting with bright and unexpected colors as well.

Large and small churches alike need a church communications calendar for short-term and long-term planning. That way, every ministry group can log meetings and events, providing key details about one-time and ongoing activities.  

With a quick glance at that communication master schedule, every church leader and ministry team will know when more staffing, support, and volunteers are necessary. In addition to making church management easier, a complete calendar also indicates whether people are fulfilling the church’s mission. 

Save These Ideas for “Save the Date” Announcements

Dates are a cornerstone of church communication. Online and in the church bulletin and newsletter, people are looking for worship, education, programming, and fellowship schedules. So no matter the communication channel, your church must provide accurate messaging about dates and date changes. 

For the best engagement, remember these five suggestions for church-related communications: 

1. Draw attention to dates through imagery. 

Bright clipart and seasonal images are perfect for effective communication in church publications. In print, on worship slides, and on the church’s website, artwork helps people notice your announcements.  

Also check out the “Attention Grabbers” topic at ChurchArt.com. It offers everything from arrows and starbursts to eye-catching visuals and text treatments. 

2. Experiment with fonts, colors, and phrasing.  

Pair a script font with a serif font to communicate plans in a way that draws readers’ eyes to that space. Experiment with bright, unexpected colors and bold shapes. Also have fun with different wording, keeping the target audience in mind. For children’s ministry events, for example, think fun and playful. 

3. Keep announcements about dates concise.  

For readable messages that convey information quickly, stick to the facts: what, when, and where. Include a contact name and phone number or email address. (Before publication, double-check everything for accuracy!) 

Also be brief when church events get cancelled or postponed. Instead of giving lengthy explanations about the circumstances, simply mention the cancellation and/or the change of date, if known. 

4. Post announcements on social media and the church website. 

Facebook and Instagram are quick, free ways to effectively communicate dates in churches. Plus, you can link back to your church’s website for more details. Encourage members to share news about upcoming church events on their personal accounts as well. 

Social media posts for churches work best when you include an image. Choose vibrant artwork that stands out in members’ feeds. Then, if a date changes, overlay updated text or graphics on the original image to communicate the change. 

5. Send a postcard, using this FREE template! 

Effective church communication doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive. Maximize your communications budget by mailing or handing out postcards to announce dates and schedule changes. As physical reminders, postcards are ideal for posting on the fridge or sticking in a planner for future reference. 

To help you out this summer, we’re providing FREE postcards for VBS and other children’s events. You can easily edit the template in Microsoft Word or import it into Canva for additional customization. For example, make the template your own by adding the church logo. Then use your preferred church management software to target a specific mailing list.  

Pro Tip: These informational postcards also double as fun bookmarks!