Information, Inspiration and Formation: three types of church content
TL;DR
Balance practical updates with stories that show why church life matters and content that helps people grow in faith. Review your recent output to see whether one category is crowding out the other two.
Bad Habits We All Fall Into
One thing I’ve noticed is that churches naturally fall into communication habits.
Without really thinking about it, we end up publishing the same kinds of content over and over again. The event graphic. The Sunday reminder. The weekly newsletter. The sermon recording.
They’re all important.
The problem comes when they become almost all we communicate.
Over time, we neglect other types of content that are just as valuable.
A church can become brilliant at keeping people informed, but not very good at inspiring people or helping them take their next step in faith.
Healthy church communication isn’t creating more content. It’s creating content that serves different purposes.
I’ve found it helpful to think about church communication in three categories: Information, Inspiration and Formation.
Information: keep church life running
This is the practical communication that keeps church life running.
Service times. Events. Prayer meetings. Rotas. Booking links. Sunday notices.
Every church needs it.
The problem is that many churches spend most of their communication here, and ironically it often creates the very problem they’re trying to solve.
“People didn’t realise the event was happening.”
The natural response is to send another email, post another graphic or make another announcement.
But I don’t think it’s always a lack of communication.
Sometimes it’s because everything is communicated in the same way, with the same level of importance.
When every event gets the same treatment, people stop knowing what’s worth paying attention to. The important things start to blend in with the ordinary.
Information tells people something is happening.
It doesn’t necessarily tell them why they should care.
Inspiration: show why church life matters
That’s where inspiration comes in.
Inspirational content helps people understand why something matters. It celebrates what God is doing and creates excitement about being part of the church.
Think testimonies, baptism stories, answered prayers, behind-the-scenes moments, volunteer stories and photos that capture real life in your church.
This is especially important on social media, where photos and videos of people will always get more attention that fancy graphics.
When someone finds your church online, they're usually trying to answer questions like:
"Would I fit in here?"
"What are these people actually like?"
"Does this feel like a place I'd be welcome?"
Stories answer the questions far better than another event graphic ever will.
Formation: help people take a step closer to Jesus
Finally, there’s Formation.
This is communication that helps someone take one step closer to Jesus.
For church members, that might be sermon clips, Bible teaching, podcasts or devotionals that help them keep growing throughout the week.
For someone exploring faith, it could be a short video answering a common question about Christianity or addressing a fear they have about visiting.
None of this replaces gathering as a church on Sunday. But it does recognise a simple reality: your congregation is being discipled every day by the content they consume.
The question is whether your church is part of that conversation, or whether the algorithm is doing all the talking.
That’s why these categories aren’t tied to platforms.
A sermon on YouTube can be formational.
An Instagram Reel can be formational.
A page on your website can be formational.
The platform matters far less than the audience you’re trying to help.
This week, have a look at everything your church communicated over the last month.
How much was Information?
How much was Inspiration?
How much was Formation?
If one category dominates everything else, you’ve probably found your biggest communication opportunity.