Free Church Announcement Guide: How-tos, Templates, Examples & More

Church announcements are a vital part of your worship and materials. After all, members and visitors need to be informed of key events that connect them to the church community.  Aside from being covered from the pulpit during weekly Sunday worship, churches will place them in their bulletins, newsletters, emails and on their bulletin boards. 

Unfortunately, if you're like most churches, you're strapped for time. That's why Vanco created this comprehensive guide to give you the how-tos, templates, tools, images and examples you need to make captivating church announcements.

Table of Contents

• How to Write Church Announcements
• How to Read Church Announcements
• How to Incorporate Church Announcements into Your Bulletin
• Church Announcements Templates
• Where to Get Church Announcement Backgrounds for Free
• Church Announcement Slides
• Get All the Free Tools You Need to Make Amazing Church Announcements

How To Write Church Announcements

It's easy for church announcements to be an afterthought, but this can lead to a loss of engagement.

Are you wondering how to write church announcements that will make an impression on members and inspire them to participate?

Let's take a look at some tips for writing church announcements.

Why Are Church Announcements Important?

Church announcements often have the feel of only being for insiders. Taking them more seriously can help boost engagement in the service and the church as a whole.

Announcements are an opportunity for your church to make a statement about what's meaningful to you and what your priorities are. This is a way to remind members about how behavior and theology intersect, and it's also a chance to show visitors what your church is all about.

How to Write Church Announcements: Prepare Ahead of Time

Not all church announcements necessarily need a script. That being said, you're always going to want to do some preparation ahead of time.

Before delivering an announcement, make sure you have answers to these questions first.

• How much time do I have?
• What are the specific information points I need to communicate?
• How can I make this announcement compelling and interesting to people?
• How does this announcement relate to the values and priorities of our church?

When you have announcements you repeat each week, it can make sense to write a script or a template. This might include the welcome, small groups, offering and more. You'll want to make this as precise and clear as possible.

You'll want to communicate the importance of the announcement portion to staff and members. This way, you can avoid last-minute church announcements that disrupt services. 

Aim to Inspire

The last thing you want is for your church announcements to feel like sponsored advertisements during a sermon. To avoid this, it's best to think about connecting with the people that are present rather than talking to them as if they're customers of a brand. You will want to take this time to genuinely communicate how the opportunities and events will help to nurture and serve those in attendance.

Help people understand how participation in the opportunities and events listed can fulfill the mission of the church as well as the Christian mission as a whole.

Think of it this way: the announcements should focus more on how participating will benefit those listening rather than what it is you need from them. You want to inform, but it is even more important to inspire.

Incorporate Calls to Action

When you deliver a church announcement, it's important to always offer a clear next step. Rather than confusing them with all of the different details of an opportunity, give them the most important bullet points and action steps for how they can be involved.

Let people know who they should talk to if they want to participate or where they can get more information.

Be Considerate of Your Audience

It is all too common for in-service church announcements to only be directed to a small percentage of attendees. This is one of the biggest reasons that people start to tune-out during this part of the service. For this reason, it's best to use this time to make announcements that apply to everyone or at least nearly everyone that is attending the service.

If you have an event or opportunity that only a small segment of your members will be interested in, it might be a good idea to find another communication channel to distribute this information to a more targeted audience.

Are a lot of your church members tuned into social media channels like Facebook? If so, having active church social media accounts can be a great way to communicate announcements. If it's time for you to start an Instagram account for your church, take a look at this article on church Instagram setup.

Use Stories to Inspire

One of the best ways to inspire people and help your congregation connect to church announcements is with stories. For example, if you're going to be discussing a mission trip that is coming up, you might tell an inspiring story from the trip taken the year before. You also might choose to find a church member who has a compelling story to tell about their experience going on mission trips.

Get the Timing Right

There is no general consensus on the best time to deliver church announcements. Some churches wait until the end of the service, while others get them out of the way in the beginning. 

It all comes down to your congregation's preferences. Take note of your members' preferences and determine the best time to get the message across.

For example, if people tend to leave during the last song, you'll probably want to have the church announcements earlier in the service. If it seems like everyone is a bit distracted at the beginning of the service, then maybe having announcements later on is best. There is no right answer to when your church announcements should be, but what is important is that you are intentional about placing them in the program.

Work Church Announcements Into Your Sermon

Some ministries work important announcements into their church sermons. Oftentimes it's easy to make a connection between church announcements and your key sermon topic.

During sermons, people are intently listening to your message. This means that when you bring up important events, the message will get through to more people.

Write For a Presenter, Not a Reader

It can be easy to write your announcement for a reader rather than as a script to be read for a presenter. When you are writing, read back what you've written out loud. This can help you get a sense of how it will flow when spoken.

It's amazing the things you notice when you read out loud versus reading in your head. You'll notice if a phrase sounds silly or if you've repeated the same word too many times.

Be Clear and Simple

While there’s always some room for including references to scripture, poetic language, or even a joke or two, going on for too long will test your audience’s patience. Additionally, if you make language too complex, you might even lose them in the beginning or middle of church announcements.

To avoid this, be concise and clear. Decide what your most important points are, and state those in a straightforward way.

Include only necessary details and invite congregation members to ask questions if they want to learn more. This will help your language be more concise.

Consider Using a New Term for Announcements

Some churches have had success by changing the name "announcements" to "opportunities." This can actually change the way you communicate to members as well as how they receive the information. Rather than having need-based, insider-focused and boring information, writing about opportunities helps frame the info as action-oriented, exciting and outsider focused.

This is a great way to help narrow the focus and prioritize the opportunities that people can really connect with. Other bits of information can be communicated through other channels like email, church bulletins or through social media.

Send a Supplementary Email

One of the best ways to remind people of what is going on at the church is to send out a weekly email. You can initially announce events during your service and follow up with an email that gives more information. This is also an opportunity to provide exclusive content to members while encouraging them to look at these important emails every week.

Don't Forget About Visitors

It's easy to only focus on insiders when making church announcements. However, people who don't attend regularly can feel left out during this part of the service. Consider how you can include church visitors while also speaking to members who are there every Sunday.

How to Read Church Announcements

You want to keep the members of your congregation on the edge of their pews when delivering church announcements.   

Fortunately, we’ll review how to read church announcements. This way, you can keep your audience engaged.

Discover how to keep members of your congregation on the edge of their pews when delivering church announcements. 

Use the Right Tone of Voice

When you’re reading church announcements to your congregation, you need to ensure you’re using a tone of voice that will speak to them. 

Some options when it comes to tone of voice include conservative, cheerful and conversational.

Think about your congregation and how they have reacted to your tone in the past. Additionally, consider who’s in your audience. What is the most appropriate tone and which one will make them more likely to listen?

Once you’ve determined what tone to use, you can decide on what context and language to provide with your church announcement.

Segment Your Congregation Into Separate Audiences

If you are looking to make an impact through how you read church announcements, you'll want to contemplate segmentation.

You may have noticed that, in your congregation, there are different groups of people with different lifestyles, interests and needs. Maybe one group of people are older churchgoers who’ve been attending for a long time, and another is made up of young families.

If you’ve been doing a lot of youth outreach, you might have some younger people coming to your church, too.

Whatever you do, create announcements specifically tailored to each segment.

To get started, think about the different groups that make up your audience. Then, place each group into a segment, where you provide details for each one.

These details might include age, interests, marital status, income and jobs.

By being aware of these details, you can emphasize key points that are important to these segments. And because you're speaking on their level, your connection to them grows.

Last of all, if you have any congregation members who speak another language (for example, Spanish), you could use segmentation.

For example, you could use Spanish phrases or discuss Spanish language resources in your announcements when speaking to that segment.

Get Creative

Another way to keep your audience engaged is by getting creative with how you present church announcements. Are there people in your congregation who could act out a fun skit that transitions into your announcements?

To do this well, you could put together a fun script and practice with this group before you make the announcements.

In addition to skits, you could put together songs, raps, ditties or rhymes to get your audience’s attention. You could also have members dress up as Biblical characters and act out the announcements. If you choose this approach, take note of your hit characters and have them reprise their roles every couple of weeks.

Another creative way to get more engagement is to involve kids. Their parents and grandparents will certainly pay attention if their kids are making announcements or doing a skit.

Whatever you do, be sure to mix it up. Any idea gets stale if repeated too often.

Use Church Video Announcements

If your looking for how to read church announcements in an innovative way, consider video. We mentioned the effects of video and images earlier, but when it comes to announcements, churches across the globe have used prerecorded videos to captivate members.

All you need is a projector and basic AV equipment, which most churches will have thanks to their online worship services. 

One of the biggest benefits of using church video announcements is that everything will be set to a specific time. This will ensure you don’t go over the time you plan for announcements. You also will be able to ensure all announcements are covered and not forgotten.      

Finally, you can post this video on your website or put it up in a public area, allowing those who missed your service to access your announcements. Even if you plan to make your announcements live, you should consider making church announcement videos.

These videos can be placed on social media, such as Facebook and Instagram to promote services and events to members and those outside the congregation. These videos are valuable church growth tools used by congregations across the country. Don't overlook it as a method to grow church membership.

If you're looking for tips, we built a complete church video announcement guide to help. The guide shows you everything you need to know to get started.

How to Incorporate Church Announcements into Your Bulletin

Oftentimes your church bulletin and your announcements go hand in hand. In most cases, church announcements will be listed in your bulletin. But, you don't want it to be the sole medium for distributing announcements. Important items should also be covered from the pulpit or through video. Otherwise details will be lost.

Make sure you have a plan for church bulletin announcements. Understand how they work with your church service, slides and video announcements to inform the community about key events and happenings.

Follow our handy church bulletin announcement guide to build a strong strategy and create amazing announcements to put in your bulletins.

Church Announcements Templates

 Not everyone has a skilled copywriter on hand, so in a pinch, copy and paste church announcements can help. To help you in the best way we can, we've made church announcement examples and templates for common groups, events and situations at churches.

These can be used as references for building your own. Or they can be used as scripts for video announcements or in-person church announcements. Or, you can copy and paste them directly into your church bulletins, emails, church newsletters or other media. 

How To Use Church Announcement Templates

First, find which templates fit the gaps in your media. If you're struggling to write an introduction or you need help with publicizing a new group, pick the appropriate template.

Then, fill in the missing information that is marked in the template by brackets. 

These templates are optimized for copy and paste, but make sure to reread your work before you finalize your copy. In some cases, you might need to change a word or two to make the announcement grammatically correct. In other cases, you might find you need to add some more details.

Templates for Church Newsletter Greetings

The best way to have a great church announcement greeting is to personalize it as much as possible. Make sure your church's values are reflected in the greeting, no matter the types of church announcements you use. At the same time, include enough important information that newcomers will be instantly updated on information about the church and its leaders.

1. Greeting for Church Announcement

Welcome to [name of church]. We are overjoyed that you are here to share in worship with us. [Name of church], led by [pastor name], is proud to model [values] to the local community and the world. Last week, [pastor name] inspired us with a sermon about [topic], and we learned [lessons learned].

We sincerely hope to grow as a community and live out these values as a church. If you're looking for a way to get involved, try living out Christ's example through [group mentioned in the bulletin] or volunteering at [event mentioned in the bulletin].

If you aren't yet registered as a community member, we would love for you to join us. You can visit our office at [address] or call the community coordinator [name] at [phone number].

We look forward to worshipping with you!

If you are modifying the above greeting to be sent through email, bulletins or church newsletters don't forget a call to action. You can use the text below as a springboard for your CTA. 

Hi [name]! We're so glad you've chosen to join our community at [name of church]! Please reply or visit our website [link] to sign up for text or email updates on groups and events you're interested in. We'll see you soon! - [Pastor Name]

Templates for Giving Request Announcements

Giving request announcements are a key part of your church stewardship. That's why they are prominently featured in church announcements for congregations across the country.

These announcements keep the congregation informed about the causes your church is raising money for, and they can help stir up engagement in the community.

To be successful, church giving must have the basic information to stay transparent about the handling of donations. They also should give enough information that the congregation is motivated to donate.

There are different tones for giving requests. You shouldn't always keep to the same template, as your request will seem insincere. Choose from the two templates below to achieve the right effect.

2. Giving Request Template for After Tragedy

When it comes to giving appeals after a tragedy, you will want to make sure your church announcement has a somber tone. The announcement also needs to address the details properly. Mention the cause of the tragedy and how the receivers of the donations are currently affected by it.

Finally, make sure you state exactly how the donations will be used. People will want to know how you or the receivers will spend the money. You could also mention alternatives to donating money so that the community can get involved in the cause.

For example, after a severe storm, you could write:

Dear faith community - Some of our beloved parishioners are suffering extensive damages to their homes from the recent storm. Many have lost possessions, important resources, and even the use of their buildings. As a church, we must lift each other up and support our members through tragedy.

Please consider adding an extra donation to our second collection this week. We will be offering all donations to church members in need. Donations will go to rebuilding homes and providing food and clean water to survivors. If you've found yourself in need of assistance, please contact the office at [phone number or email]. 

We will also be accepting donations of dry goods, baby necessities and clothing. If you'd like to donate items, please visit the office at [address or location]. Thank you for your continued generosity!

General Version of Tragedy Giving Request

Not all tragedies are storms. If you are requesting donations for other tragedies, you can use this template:

Dear faith community - Some of our beloved parishioners are suffering from [recent tragedy]. [Add details about affected people, cities, possessions, etc.]. As a church, we must lift each other up and support our members through tragedy.

Please consider adding an extra donation to our second collection this week or donating online at [website address]. We will be offering all donations to those affected. Donations will go to [how the money will be used]. We will also be accepting donations of [alternatives to financial donations]. If you'd like to donate items, please visit the office at [address or location].

If you've found yourself in need of assistance, please contact the office at [phone number or email]. Thank you for your continued generosity!

3. Giving Request Announcement for Cause or Organization

If you need a giving request template for a specific cause or organization, try using the example below. It expresses the urgency and hopefulness that's needed for this type of requests. 

Dear faith community - As you know, our church is grounded in [values], and we regularly look for opportunities to help our fellow man. Every month, we have been sending our online donations to a new cause our church empathizes with.

This month, we have chosen to focus our efforts on assisting [cause]. To assist, we are sending our second collection of donations to [relevant organization]. Any amount is a huge help and will be greatly appreciated.

If you'd like to assist in another way, you can contact the office at [phone number or email] to sign up as a volunteer. Thank you for your continued generosity!

4. Prayer Request Announcement Template

If you require templates for prayer requests, you can use our template below. To personalize it even further, pick a specific prayer or set of prayers that the congregation should use.

If those don't work, try something like this:

Dear faith community - Our Church is named after [name] because of [values, story, etc.]. Because of our founding principles, we highly regard [cause, organization] and wish to support them/it with our prayers.

Please find the time in your week, even if it's during service this weekend, to offer up your thoughts and prayers to [cause, organization]. If you need some inspiration, please join us in praying [number of times, details, name of prayer, etc.].

We are stronger as a community unified in God. Thank you for your commitment and support!

Templates for Church Group Announcements

Sometimes groups are running events or sending members to help out an organization. The first template in this section will help you announce a call for volunteers.

New groups pop up at churches all the time, and they are exciting opportunities for the faithful to get involved and find those with like minds. Use one of the church announcement templates below to encourage members to seize these opportunities.

The announcement you use should cater to a specific audience and list the benefits of joining.

5. Church Announcement Template - Requests for Volunteers

Churches are a great place for well-meaning, faithful people to offer their time and talents to a good cause. Your church likely has several groups and organizations that rely on volunteers to run events and help the community. To connect these people to certain causes, you might use the following church announcement template.

Calling all [people with a specific talent, skill, characteristic, or just time]! Our church group, [name of group], is looking for volunteers who [fit the description for the job needed]. [Group name] will be holding an event on [date, time] and is asking for the community to sign up to help!

If you've been looking for a way to live out the faith and [lesson learned at last sermon], now is your chance! Please contact [leader of the group] at [phone number or email] to sign up for your time slot. We will see you there!

6. Church Announcement Template - New Kid's Group

Try this template to announce a new kid's group.

Calling all parents! A new group has formed called [group name] and all children aged [ages] are invited! In this group, your children will learn [values, skills, etc] while growing to be true models of the Christian faith.

The group will meet every [day] at [time] for an hour in the [location]. Please contact [group leader] at [phone number or email] to sign up!

7. Church Announcement Template - New Adult Group

This church announcement template will work great for bringing attention to a new adult group.

Calling all [description of people]! Are you looking for other [description of people] who can relate to your [situation, emotion, problem]? Look no further. A new group called [group name] is starting meetings every month on [date] at [time] in [location].

In this group, you'll [list activities, benefits, etc.]

Please contact [group leader] for more information at [phone number or email]. We hope to see you next [date]!

8. Church Announcement Template for Current Group Announcements

Want to draw attention to your current groups and fellowships? Try this church announcement template.

Ever heard of [group name]? If not, you're missing out. Every [day], [group name] meets at [time] in [location] to [list activities]. Group members benefit from [benefits]. If you're looking for a new way to get active in the community, or simply need support from other church members, contact [group leader] today at [phone number or email] for more details!

Templates for Celebration Announcements

If you have something to celebrate in the church community, make sure to highlight it. Along with the church announcement, offer ways the community can participate in the celebration.

9. Celebrating A Church Member's Accomplishment

You can use this template if a church member is celebrating a sacrament or has a personal accomplishment. Maybe they've gotten married recently or they've hit a huge milestone anniversary. 

[Names of involved church members or family] have just celebrated [event] last week! As a church, we are overjoyed to share in their happiness. Please offer your prayers this week to them as we worship. Don't forget to congratulate them when you see them!

10. Celebrating the Church's Accomplishments

This template is meant to cover the accomplishments of the entire church community, not an individual. Use this church announcement template if the church was able to achieve something as a whole, like paying off debts with fundraising or offering a large sum of money to a cause.

As the pastor of this thriving church community, I am proud to announce that we have raised [amount of money] and offered [goods, services] to [cause or organization] in the past month. Let us reflect and continue our generosity in the coming month. We are shining as God's beacon of light and hope in our world! Thank you for gifting what you have to this great cause.

You can even use the template to craft a message celebrating your church's anniversary. If you are using it to celebrate the founding of your church, consider handing out a church anniversary announcement letter with your bulletin.

A letter will show your appreciation for member contributions and offer additional space to promote any anniversary events. 

Where to Get Church Announcement Backgrounds & Images for Free

If you already use backgrounds for church announcements or you're thinking about adding them, you'll want to take a look at the free materials available.

We did some digging and found two great resources for church announcement images. These resources are great for freshening up your existing presentations during church services. Many are quite eye-catching and will draw your members' eyes to the screen. 

Church Motion Graphics - offers thousands of church announcement backgrounds. From vibrant gradients to colorful landscapes, they have a lot to choose from.

CreationSwap - gathers resources from user submissions. Several generous churches have submitted church announcement images that can be used for your presentations. There are also videos, hymn lyric imagery and all sorts of other media. Although not all of their material is free, a large amount is. There are more than 4,000 free images and videos to choose from.

Church Announcement Slides

People retain information better when it is visually reinforced, which makes sense considering humans are highly visual creatures. Visual cues can help people remember the announcements you make and increase engagement for church events.

If you create slides for church announcements, you only want to put a few key points on each slide. Doing so keeps people's attention on the speaker. You don't want them consumed by reading huge blocks of text.

There are plenty more tips to cover when it comes to creating announcement slides. Check out our free church announcement slide resource to get the essential tips, including the most important, where to find the premade slides that will save your team a ton of work!

Get Everything You Need to Master Church Announcements

If you liked this resource, there's even more, and it's free! Download our church announcements guide complete with...

• Detailed how-tos
• Templates
• Examples
• Slides
• Backgrounds