Using Technology to Expand Your Church's Audience

Every week pastors spend time carefully cultivating their messages and sermons for their congregation. However, many are still missing opportunities to easily broaden their audience, as they don't share their sermons with the public or online.

Here are 5 ways you can use technology to expand your audience:

1. Share High-Quality Audio

CDs are a great way to reach people beyond your congregation - they have the best audio quality (clearer sound than streaming services) and are a tangible, branded object that you can share with people who may not be able to attend your services, or might want to listen to your message before attending a service. 

Audio Recording Tools for Sermons and Churches

Sound Recorder for Windows, Quicktime, and Audacity are three free platforms you can use to record and edit your sermon. Be sure to keep the integrity of the audio and only have your sermon reproduced in high-quality versions. When getting your CDs printed, choose a company that requires a physical master disc sent to them in person to ensure that your copy is perfect.  

Don't forget to get branded packaging for your CDs as well, so that your church is easily identifiable on your shared materials.

2. Custom Printed Packaging 

Be sure to make your CD packaging branded and beautiful. When designing your packaging, be sure to include your:

1. Church's name and logo
2. Address and contact information
3. Professional images of your location or Church

If you need more materials to help dress up your CDs and covers you can instead use free stock images or custom vectors and graphics. 

You may also want to consider hiring a photographer for an event so you can have custom images for your print materials.

3. Giveaways, everywhere!

Include easy, free giveaways with your discs:

1. Include a postcard with a list of your church's upcoming events
2. Create your own bookmarks - you can even print on card stock or photo paper to save money, and cut them yourselves. Try printing a prayer, spiritual images, or an inspirational quote. You can design the bookmarks for free using Canva or Photopea.
3. Share a snack or a piece of fruit - if you are at an event where you can meet new people and share your discs, sharing an orange or even a small bottle of water is a generous gesture that leaves a lasting impression - especially when at an outdoor event.

4. Share an eBook about Other Church Events

Maybe some people can't make it to church every Sunday but would love to meet other like-minded individuals and participate in a different capacity, such as through volunteer work.

A great way to reach those people is by sharing case studies, reflections, and images of your past volunteering efforts in an eBook. You can easily make eBooks and PDFs in Microsoft Word, Mac's Pages, and online tools.

Reach people who may be interested in: 

1. Helping with the church's garden
2. Cleaning up a local park
3. Tutoring children after school
4. Running a 5k that benefits a worthy cause
5. Helping with a telethon or fundraising effort

Creating online awareness of your events makes it easy to increase involvement and add new members to your community. Don't forget to share upcoming events so people can join you next time! 

5. Provide an Online Space for your Community 

You already have a church to gather and grow together. Why not create a place online to invite new community members to meet with your congregation?

Consider your relationships and how you can reach people of all ages despite their conflicting schedules. Try these 4 platforms to spread your presence:

These social media tools allow people new to your church to familiarize themselves with your community before they even step inside your sanctuary. It also enables your current members to cultivate relationships with one another and share information about your church to others.

Looking for more resources? Check out our free guides, giveaways, and other ideas:

• 8 Free Vector Icons for Churches and Religious Leaders (or download below!)
• Print isn’t dead: How to grow your community with physical media​
• 40 Free Textures to use in your designs: Paper, Fabrics, Wood, and Paint

Download your free vectors:

We crafted these 8 church-themed vector icons with care. They are perfect for web and print design and are free for you to use however you please.