How to Write Church Emails That People Love to Open

4 minute read

Is Your Church Newsletter Building Relationships or Just Sharing Information?

Have you ever been giving an update to a friend and you just keep going and going? At the end you say, “Wow, that was a lot.” Your friend was trying to follow you, but ultimately you have to circle back to each topic and spend more time on it.

I see this happening in church emails all the time. There is no doubt, you have A LOT of activity happening at your church. You try to tell everyone, everything in one large email, and ultimately you leave everyone needing to circle back for more information.

Here is the difference between those conversations with your friend and an email - people will NOT go back and read for more information. If they didn’t get it at first glance, you’re going to have to find another way to tell them.

Most church newsletters are packed with dates, times, and program updates. And you need to find a way to make this useful information, relational. The difference between a newsletter that gets skimmed and one that actually connects comes down to this: are you building relationships or just sharing information?

I’ve listed some helpful ways to get people to actually spend time reading your email, so check these out. But I also wrote about our incredible 3+1 email strategy on the blog before, so check that out as well for more useful information about how to use email effectively.

1. Shift From Announcements to Stories

Transactional: “The Youth Retreat is coming up in four weeks.”

Relational: “Last year, 75 youth went on our fall retreat, and 10 of them were baptized, proclaiming their love for Christ. Here is what Jessica had to say the impact of the youth retreat…”

People want to be known and loved. Events are there for the people, so highlight the people, don’t just create a list of events. Talk about why you are having the event and how it’s changing lives!

2. Make It Conversational

Write like you’re talking to one person, not blasting information to a crowd. Using you instead of everyone makes people feel naturally more connected.

3. Create Space for Two-Way Connection

Transactional: Information goes out, no response expected.

Relational: Invite interaction.

Just because you are sending an email to a large group of people, doesn’t mean you don’t want them to reply. In fact, when you write and invite them to reply, you are building connections throughout the week, not just encouraging weekend attendance.

Invite people to reply to your email by asking a simple question like how you can pray for them this week or what they are looking forward to this weekend.

4. Celebrate Community, Not Just Programs

Share photos, testimonies, and wins from programs – don’t just share the general program information.

Most emails break down into sections. This can be a great method to include a “win of the week” or “celebration section.”

While we are talking about sections of the email, here is a tip!

• Use bold on some sentences or words to help parts stand out.

• ALWAYS use headers so that if people just read those, they’ll have a general idea on what the email is about.

And one more tip for fun! The best emails are personal. I love including a section called: Top 3. You might include what you are watching, reading, and listening to that week. Maybe it’s a restaurant you’re loving, a summer item you can’t live without, or a place you recommend for vacation. Including this portion on an email, helps people relate in tangible ways!

A church newsletter has got to be more than a bulletin in inbox form. It should be a place you build trust, show care, and deepen relationships. Next time you hit send, ask: Will this make our people feel more connected to our church and to each other?