Church Content Calendar Template: 12 Months of Social Media Planning

Annual (December/January)

Map your sermon series schedule and major events for the year. Which series starts when? When are your major milestones — baptism Sundays, camp, outreach events? This is a 2-hour planning session, not daily operations.

Monthly (first week of each month)

Identify which content types you'll post each week. Sermon clips are the backbone — supplemental content fills the gaps. Assign owners for any special content (volunteer spotlights, behind-the-scenes, etc.).

Weekly (every Monday)

Produce the actual content. Upload Sunday's sermon, clip it with AI tools, approve clips, write captions, schedule posts for the week. This is the operational workflow — 30–45 minutes on Monday morning.

What should a church content calendar include?

A church content calendar should include: (1) Sermon series schedule — which series runs when, with start and end dates. (2) Church calendar events — holidays, baptism Sundays, outreach events, special services. (3) Seasonal/cultural calendar — major Christian holidays and culturally relevant moments your church engages with. (4) Content types for each week — sermon clips, behind-the-scenes, community posts, announcements. (5) Platform assignment — which content goes to which platform. (6) Owner assignment — who produces, reviews, and posts each piece.

How far in advance should a church plan social media content?

Plan at three levels: (1) Annual planning (December/January) — map out your sermon series schedule and major seasonal events for the full year. This is strategic, not post-by-post. (2) Monthly planning — fill in your content calendar with specific topics and content types for each week. (3) Weekly production — each Monday, produce the clips and supplemental posts for the current week. The mistake is trying to plan posts weeks in advance. The annual and monthly plans are frameworks; the actual content is produced week-by-week from the current sermon.

What's the difference between a content calendar and a content strategy?

A content strategy defines what you're trying to accomplish and who you're trying to reach — your church's content pillars, target audience, and key messages. A content calendar is the operational tool that translates that strategy into specific posts on specific dates. You need the strategy first; the calendar is how you execute it. Most churches jump to calendars without strategy and end up with inconsistent content that doesn't build toward a goal.

How do you build a church content calendar around sermon series?

Start with your sermon series schedule for the year. Each series is a content theme. Map 4–6 weeks of social content per series: week 1 (series launch teaser), weeks 2–5 (3–5 sermon clips per week from each message), final week (series wrap-up and bridge to next series). Supplement with seasonal content around holidays, church events, and community moments. The sermon series is your content backbone — everything else is supplemental.