The Hottest Social Media Trends Affecting Churches

Social media is changing, and it’s happening fast. What worked even 18 months ago isn’t guaranteed to work today. And while that might feel discouraging, it actually creates new opportunities for churches to stand out.

Let’s walk through the biggest shifts happening right now and how your church can respond.

Viral Posts Are Harder to Hit

The supply and demand equation on social has shifted. There are more creators publishing more content than ever before, while overall attention hasn’t grown. We’re in a supply surplus.

That means it’s harder for any individual post to pop and become that outperforming “viral for me” piece of content.

But churches hold a distinct advantage. Why? Because pastors preach every week. Sermons are a built-in stream of fresh content that can be repurposed indefinitely. While other creators burn out, churches can stay consistent by simply translating what’s already happening in service into timely content for social that finds itself at the intersection of faith and culture.

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Before we move on, a brief note on virality.

When we talk about posts going viral, or an expectation for “viral for me” content, we’re not motivated by going viral for virality’s sake. In this discovery era of social, the potential to reach beyond your local influence with the story of Jesus is greater than ever. There’s an entire world out there that is desperate for the truth of the gospel. We want to reach as many people as possible with this story, and guess what – when we do have a “viral for me” post, our local reach is disproportionately elevated as well.

That's just good news.

The Rise Of AI Skepticism

AI isn’t just affecting content creation, it’s changing how audiences consume content. People are scrolling their feeds with a heightened sense of skepticism, constantly asking and evaluating, “Is this even real?”

That’s why lo-fi, selfie-style videos are performing very well on social right now. They feel authentic and trustworthy in a way that polished production sometimes doesn’t.

For pastors, this is a golden opportunity. You already have sermons written. You already speak for a living. Recording a short, casual video on your phone with a simple hook like, “Here’s something I just noticed in the Bible…” can create meaningful engagement.

To take this one step further, conclude your short video with something like “There’s so much more to this passage of Scripture, and you can find the full sermon on the church’s YouTube channel.” This provides the next step for people to connect on a deeper level with your church and the story of Scripture.

Hooks Are King

80% of a post’s success is determined by the first few seconds. If your opening line doesn’t stop the scroll, the rest doesn’t matter because you won’t have earned anyone’s attention to stick around for what you have to say.

The good news? You don’t need expert-level editing. You simply need to craft a compelling hook that sparks curiosity and gives context.

Experiment with phrases that spark curiosity:

• “I had been reading the Bible for 15 years before I noticed this…”
• “Here’s something I just learned about Scripture…”

Lead with intrigue, then deliver your point.

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Go Ahead, Promote Your Event

Once upon a time, social media users tuned out at the first sign of “church announcements.” That’s no longer true, and that’s good news for you. In this era of social you can effectively promote whatever you want, whenever you want, but not however you want.

Unlimited promos are permissible now on social, so long as they’re formatted in the form of Sprinkle Promotions.

A sprinkle promotion is the garnish on top of an already valuable post, it’s not the main ingredient.

For example: share a one-minute, selfie-style devotional and then close with, “If you want to hear more, check out the full message this Sunday.”

People will accept (and even expect) these light promotional cues when they’re secondary to the content itself.

Followers Don't Matter Like They Used To

In the previous era, social media was primarily about reaching the people who followed you. This simply isn’t true anymore. Algorithms now prioritize reach beyond your followers.

That means:

• The upside is, your church can reach thousands in your community for free.
• The downside is, not all your followers will see your posts.

The lesson? Don’t treat social as your primary channel for urgent announcements. Use it for storytelling, discipleship, and introductions to new people.

Progress Happens Over Time

Not every post will take off. That’s okay. When you zoom out, it's consistency that compounds.‍

A single church we worked with saw their impressions double in just 60 days – not because of one viral video, but because of steady, faithful posting that repurposed sermons.

This is the game: not chasing virality, but building trust and presence over time.

Social media is noisier and more competitive than ever. But churches don’t need gimmicks. You already have the greatest advantage: the Gospel message, faithfully preached week after week.

So go ahead and repurpose it. Package it for today’s platforms. Embrace the era of social we’re in, and leverage it to play off your strengths already.

The fields are ripe and the harvest is plentiful. Let’s go to work.

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Hey, It's Nice To Meet You

Hey there, I'm Brady Shearer. It's possible that some form of artificial intelligence brought you to this article, and if you made this far, I'll assume you're invested in this conversation.

I've been resourcing the church through Pro Church Tools for well over a decade, helping churches of every size navigate the communication shift of our time.

We publish weekly free resources on YouTube, our podcast, and Instagram, and we serve the church through our software called Nucleus.