"We've always done it this way."

Sound familiar?

With over 5.5 billion Internet users worldwide and over 5.2 billion active on social media (Statista, 2025), the Internet is more than a convenience. It's a global mission field! Digital spaces offer remarkable opportunities for churches to share the Gospel, engage church seekers, and strengthen the Christian community.

Jesus commanded us in Matthew 28:19–20 to "go and make disciples of all nations..." And in this digital age, that includes going online.

If you've just started thinking about a marketing plan, this guide will walk you through the basic steps on how to build a marketing strategy that supports your mission and expands your reach!

Let's get into it!

Step 1: Understand Why Online Ministry Marketing Matters

Whether it's someone searching for hope, a family looking for a home church, or a teen scrolling on their phone, most people will encounter your ministry online before they ever set foot inside your brick-and-mortar church.

That's why a strong digital presence is no longer optional. It's essential.

Digital marketing isn't just about making funny TikToks or posting photos of your lunch. It's about creating opportunities for connection.

Step 2: Hire or Appoint a Church Marketing Manager

As mentioned above, the internet is often the first place people turn to when they're curious about faith. Hiring or appointing a church marketer can help you reach the unchurched by:

• Keeping your website and social media updated with service times, group info, and contact details
• Streaming your sermons to reach people who are hesitant to visit in person
• Creating a welcoming digital presence for church seekers to explore
• Handling all the other marketing tasks that we detail below

It's common for someone to "follow" a church online for months (even years) before visiting in person. Don't miss that window of influence by not having anything for them to follow.

Step 3: Identify your mission, target audience, and goal(s)

"We want more people to attend our events" is not a comprehensive mission statement. Identifying your mission, target audience, and goal(s) takes time and critical thinking.

A good place to start is by asking yourself and your team these three questions:

1. Mission: What are we trying to communicate the value of?
2. Audience: Who are we trying to communicate with?
3. Goal: What do we want them to do?

It's common for someone to "follow" a church online for months, even years, before visiting in person. Don't miss the window of influence by not having anything for them to follow.

Step 4: Create a Brand

Branding is a multi-billion dollar business, but it doesn't have to be expensive or take a ton of time.

Start simple and pick out these key brand elements:

• Logo
• Color scheme
• Fonts

We recommend outsourcing this step to a graphic artist or logo designer if it's within budget. A great place to find these types of professionals is on LinkedIn or Fiverr. These key components are intimate elements of your brand and deserve special (and professional) attention.

A common misconception is that graphic designers only focus on making things "look good." In reality, they are trained in visual strategy and work to create designs that effectively communicate your brand's mission, tone, and target audience. They carefully create designs and select coordinating fonts and colors to ensure that your brand conveys the right message.

If a designer is not in your budget, use these free Canva.com resources to help you build out your brand. Canva is a great resource for DIY marketing, and their Resources section is chock-full of valuable information.

• https://www.canva.com/create/logos
• https://www.canva.com/colors/color-palette-generator
• https://www.canva.com/learn/the-ultimate-guide-to-font-pairing

Step 5: Build an Online Presence and Post Consistently

As we mentioned in our intro, a digital presence is just as significant as a physical presence! Having a strong online presence helps people find you, learn about what you offer, and stay connected to your mission.

First and foremost, start with a website. Think of your website as your digital pamphlet. It should include everything your audience needs to know and wants to know. If you're unsure where to start, look at your competitors' sites for inspiration.

Next, choose your key social platforms where your target audience is most active. There's no need to have a profile on every single platform. Stick with 1-2 and pour into them. Make sure your profiles are completely filled out and branded. Use your logo, colors, and fonts to create a unified look across every channel. Commit to posting regularly. Whether it's event updates, behind-the-scenes content, stories of impact, or simple encouragement, consistent posts help keep your audience engaged and build long-term trust in your organization.

Don't forget about engagement! An online presence isn't just about sharing information. It's also essential to engage with your followers online. Make it a priority to respond to comments and messages in real time. Have real conversations with your followers who like and comment on your content.

Step 6: Advertising and Promotion

Ministry events can have a lasting impact, but only if people know they're happening. To promote effectively, start by identifying your target audience (see Step 3), then choose the best platforms to reach them, such as social media, email, printed flyers, or even local newspapers.  

From there, hit the ground running and start creating! Here are some things to consider:

• Design branded eye-catching flyers and graphics that can be repurposed into other content
• Write convincing copy for emails, social posts, and ads
• Coordinate with people in your congregation or committee to spread the word
• Run targeted ads or campaigns on social media or other news outlets
• Set up online registration and landing pages to make it EASY for people to find information.

Bottom line: your events won't fill themselves. In today's digital world, you have to be strategically and consistently promoting your event and ministry.

Make it a priority to respond to comments and messages in real time. Have conversations with your followers who like and comment on your content the same way you would someone who compliments your t-shirt.

Step 7: Communicate the Church's Mission Clearly

Church marketing is about more than promotion. It's about clarity.

Ensure your message stays aligned with your mission by:

• Repurposing foundational content into usable formats. For example, take your church mission and break it up into social captions, bulletin blurbs, slogans, email blasts, and more.
• Create a unified "voice" that reflects your values.
• Making sure all communication (print, digital, and audio) is consistent and mission-focused

Your mission deserves to be heard. Marketing helps people listen to it loud and clear!

Step 8: Measure What Matters

Keep communication open and transparent. Tell your leaders what's working and what's not working.

Good stewardship means knowing if your efforts are working, and good marketing includes:

• Tracking KPIs (key performance indicators) like website visits, event sign-ups, social media engagement, and ad performance.
• Analyzing what content resonates most and making more of it
• Making data-informed decisions about budget and outreach
• Helping your church grow in a sustainable way

Data isn't just for business! It's a powerful tool for the Kingdom's impact. Set clear and measurable goals of what you want to accomplish, and make sure you put a number on it.

"More guests" is not a measurable goal. 

Be specific. Some examples are: "We want to see 10 brand new families sign up for family camp this year." Or, "We want to increase our sponsorships by 10%."

Step 9: Guard Your Church Against Scams

As digital scams targeting churches and ministries increase, having a marketing expert on your team is a wise investment. If you don't have a hired marketer on staff, solicit a volunteer with digital expertise who can

• Evaluate vendor offers with discernment
• Spot red flags in fake ad proposals or suspicious SEO offers
• Help your team make wise, safe digital decisions

Protecting your digital integrity is a ministry, too!

Our Final Reminder

Your online presence is part of your ministry.

Your church's website, social media, emails, and livestreams are all opportunities to love people, share hope, and spread the Gospel.

Christian marketing isn't manipulation—it's mission-minded communication.

By being intentional, clear, and consistent online, your church can go where people already are—and point them to Christ.