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Church Communications

The 90-Day Plan for Every New Church Communications Director

· Updated · by · 2 min read

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The first ninety days in a new church communications role can feel like drinking from a fire hose. Every ministry wants their thing promoted. You don’t know where the logo files are. You’re not sure what decisions you have authority to make. And Sunday keeps coming.

Here’s the thing: the first ninety days aren’t supposed to be about output. They’re about learning. The best thing you can do is slow down before you speed up.

Week 1–2: The Communication Audit

Before you change anything, understand everything. Conduct a communication audit — a thorough review of:

  • The church website (is it current? clear? mobile-friendly?)
  • All social media accounts (which ones exist? who has access? what’s the posting frequency?)
  • Print materials (bulletins, brochures, signage — is the branding consistent?)
  • Email newsletters (what platform? how often? what’s the open rate?)
  • Internal communications tools (how does staff communicate with each other?)

Also interview key stakeholders — ministry leaders, the pastor, and ideally some regular attenders. Ask what’s working, what’s confusing, and what they wish the communications team did differently.

Week 3–4: Gather Marketing Collateral

Find the brand assets. Where are the logo files? What are the approved colors? What fonts does the church use? Where are the login credentials for every platform?

This sounds boring. It is crucial. You cannot build consistent communications without knowing what the brand actually looks like — and you’d be surprised how often these files are scattered across personal computers, old Dropbox folders, or, terrifyingly, don’t exist at all.

Month 2: Survey Your Congregation

Your church members have opinions about how well the church communicates. They just don’t usually share them unless asked. A simple survey — sent by email, linked on social media, or even handed out on a Sunday morning — can surface invaluable insight.

Ask things like: How do you prefer to receive information from the church? What do you wish we communicated better? What feels cluttered or confusing?

You might be surprised what you hear.

Month 3: Build the Communications Calendar

A communications calendar is the tool that turns reactive scrambling into proactive strategy. Start with the big annual events — Easter, Christmas, vacation Bible school, any fall series — and work backward from there. How many weeks does each event need of promotion? Put it on the calendar.

If ninety days of planning feels overwhelming, start with thirty. Plan one month at a time until planning ninety days ahead becomes natural.

The Most Important Thing

This is a marathon, not a sprint. You will be tempted to come in fast, change everything, and prove yourself in the first few weeks. Resist it. The most respected communicators I know spent their first months listening, learning, and earning trust — and then built something remarkable from that foundation.

Don’t burn out. This job needs you for the long haul.

Want this plan as a workbook? Get the free 90-day plan: an 11-page printable PDF with the channel audit, interview and survey questions, a brand and login inventory, and calendar worksheets.

📖 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.