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The 7 Questions Every Church Should Answer Before Making a Communications Plan

· Updated · by · 3 min read

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It’s January. The new year energy is real, and maybe you’ve already been handed a whiteboard and told to “come up with a social media strategy.” I’ve been there. It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time.

But before you open Canva or schedule a single post, there are questions you need to answer. Skip them, and everything you build will be on sand.

Church communications is not just about looking good online. It’s about reaching people with the gospel using every tool available to us. And that takes a strategy, not just a vibe.

Start with the 5W1H Framework

The best marketing strategies start with six simple questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. I call this the 5W1H framework, and for churches it looks like this:

  • Who are you trying to reach? A 22-year-old college student and a 65-year-old empty nester need completely different messages.
  • What do you want them to do? Show up Sunday? Sign up for a small group? Watch a sermon online?
  • When is the best time to reach them? Platforms and timing matter more than most people think.
  • Where are they spending their time? If your audience is on Instagram and you’re only on Facebook, you have a problem.
  • Why should they care? What’s the felt need you’re meeting?
  • How will you reach them? Email? Video? Social media? Direct mail? All of the above?

Then Add These: Mission, Vision, and Values

Every communication decision you make should run through three filters: your church’s mission (why you exist), vision (where you’re headed), and values (what you believe). If a post or campaign doesn’t align with all three, it shouldn’t go out.

This isn’t legalism. It’s clarity. A church that communicates from a clear sense of identity will always outperform one that’s just throwing content at the wall.

Set SMART Goals, Not Fuzzy Ones

Goals like “get more people to church” or “grow our social media” are not goals. They’re wishes. A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Here’s the difference:

  • Fuzzy: “Grow our Instagram.”
  • SMART: “Increase Instagram followers by 15% over the next 90 days by posting five times per week and running one targeted ad per month.”

See how much more actionable the second one is? You know what success looks like, and you know if you hit it or not.

Do a Quick SWOT Before You Do Anything Else

Before you build anything new, audit what you already have. A SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) gives you an honest picture of where your church communications stand today.

Ask yourself: What are we doing well? Where are we dropping the ball? What opportunities are we missing? What external pressures are working against us?

You can’t plan a good route without knowing your starting point.

Remember Who the Hero Is

Here’s the most important thing I’ll say: your church is not the hero of the story. The people you’re trying to reach are the hero. Your church is the guide, the Obi-Wan to their Luke Skywalker.

When churches talk about themselves too much, their programs, their building, their pastor, they lose people. When they speak directly to the people they want to reach and the felt needs those people have, everything changes.

This year, start with the questions. Build the strategy. Know who you’re talking to and why it matters. The tactics, the posts, the videos, the emails, will flow naturally from there.

You’ve got this.

📖 This post was inspired by my book Church Communications Methods and Marketing (B&H Academic, 2022). If you found this helpful, the book goes much deeper. Grab a copy on Amazon and keep building your communications ministry.