What should a church post on Instagram?

TL;DR

Show more people, stories and teaching alongside invitations. A manageable starting rhythm is one people or story post, one helpful or teaching post, and one invitation each week, using formats that suit the content.

How's your feed looking?

Today I want to talk about Instagram.

Why Instagram should show more than event posters

For a lot of churches, Instagram slowly turns into a digital noticeboard.

• A youth night graphic.

• A women’s breakfast graphic.

• A prayer meeting graphic.

• A Sunday service graphic.

• A Christmas event graphic.

Churches need to communicate what’s happening. Of course they do.

But Instagram is not primarily a place to advertise every event in church life.

It is a storytelling platform.

And that means your church Instagram feed should have more people than posters.

That doesn’t mean you can never post an event graphic. Sometimes you absolutely should. If there is a carol service coming up, a holiday club, a new course, or a big church weekend, people need to know the date, time, location and next step.

The problem is when those posts become the whole account.

Think about why people open Instagram. It's not to find out event details.

It's usually just mindlessly scroll (if we're being honest).

That' why people, stories, moments, faces, life, humour, teaching and encouragement are far more effective.

So if your church feed is just a digital version of the foyer noticeboard, it seem useful, but it won’t be compelling and it won't stop that mindless scroller.

Try a rhythm of stories, teaching and invitations

I’d start with a simple rhythm.

For most churches, three good posts a week is a much better place to start than a frantic attempt to post every day.

If you can post every day and keep it good, great. But most churches would be far better off posting three genuinely good things a week than seven rushed graphics nobody really engages with.

A simple rhythm could look like this.

One people or story post.

This could be a testimony, a baptism story, a volunteer explaining why they serve, a small group leader sharing what they love about their group, or a few photos from Sunday morning.

This kind of post helps people get a feel for the church.

One teaching or helpful post.

This could be a short Reel answering a question, a thought from Sunday’s sermon reshaped for Instagram, a carousel explaining a Bible passage, or a simple encouragement for the week.

The key thing here is that it should be made for Instagram, not just dumped onto Instagram.

A sermon clip is better than nothing, but it is often better to think about the questions people are actually asking.

• What does the Bible say about anxiety?

• Why do Christians pray?

• What happens at communion?

• Can I come to church if I’m not sure what I believe?

• What should I expect on a Sunday?

Those sorts of posts are helpful for your members and for people researching.

Then one invitation post.

This is where you can talk about Sunday, an event, a course, a prayer meeting, or something coming up in church life.

But even here, try not to only give details.

Instead of just saying:

“Prayer meeting this Wednesday at 7:30pm.”

You could say something like:

“This Wednesday we’re gathering to pray for our church, our city and the people we long to see come to know Jesus.

Last time, we prayed for our children's groups and since then we've heard some amazing stories of God meeting with our children, which we'll tell you more about this week. You’d be really welcome to join us.”

That is still an announcement.

But it's focusing on the story - the why.

Don’t just tell people what is happening.

Tell them why it matters, who it is for, and what they can expect.

Although we want the image itself to be clean and simple, we can put plenty of text accompanying it in the description, so don't shy away from writing a little more.

Choose Instagram formats that fit the message

Reels are great for people, teaching, testimonies, short answers and moments from church life.

Carousels are great for Sunday recaps, sermon points, explainers and “what to expect” posts.

Stories are great for the ordinary, behind-the-scenes life of the church. Sunday morning setup. Coffee after the service. Kids team getting ready. Worship practice. A quick reminder. A short moment that makes the church feel human.

Static graphics still have a place, but they shouldn’t be the whole strategy.

So here’s a simple test.

Open your church Instagram and look at the last nine posts.

If someone knew nothing about your church, what would they learn?

• Would they see people?

• Would they understand what Sunday feels like?

• Would they know what you believe?

• Would they know how to visit?

• Would they get a sense of welcome, warmth and life?

Or would they just see a list of things happening?

That question is worth asking because your Instagram is often part of someone’s first impression.

Instagram is not your church noticeboard, it's usually one of the first impressions we give before someone ever comes through the front door.