8 Ways to Enhance the Spirit of the Season with Church Digital Signage

Christmas is often the busiest time of the year for any church. There’s the volunteer drives, the extra meetings, and a welcome influx of visitors – making Christmas the perfect time to spread the good word.

And speaking of good words, successful church Christmas campaigns are all about optimal communication. If you can’t get the word out there, volunteer drives fall fat, tumbleweeds drift through your meeting rooms, and your congregation will be in the dark about your events calendar.

Let there be light!

With church digital signage, you can drastically improve your communication during the holiday season, proffering a clear and consistent message that your patrons will value. From helpful wayfinding signage to changeable letter signs – all seamlessly brought together through high-definition screens – updating your church’s signage to digital signs can boost your dynamic presence in the community.

There are many ways in which digital signs can help. We’ve picked eight use-cases that we believe could make the most significant difference for you this Christmas.

1. Add Ambiance with Festive News and Announcements

Once upon a time, the laser printer was at the top of every clergy’s wishlist. Laser printers had their time; as did the laminator. Plastic signs tacked to the walls transformed the way we communicated.

And, for its time, this method provided good quality signs.

But, eventually, those plastic signs age and drop off the wall – and sometimes you forget to replace them. Your information grows as old and outdated as the ink that fades in the sun.

We’ve all been there, I’m sure.

Church digital signage offers a world of versatility in the way you communicate with your flock, keeping your information up to date around the entire facility. High-resolution screens are the perfect palette for fun graphics and a range of friendly, festive fonts (the printing type, not the church ones!). Using Christmas colors and virtual decorations on your religious signs and wall murals enhances the festive season and boosts engagement.

Designing, printing, and sticking up posters is a drain on your resources – and everyone’s already rushed off their feet at Christmas.

Deliver your Christmas message with significantly less effort (and infinitely greater versatility) with a digital sign.

Just remember: a digital sign is not just for Christmas; you’ll be using it all year round.

2. Raise Awareness of Volunteer Opportunities

One of the great things about running a church is the sense of community – people willing to get involved to make sure that everyone has a rewarding experience. Adding a digital sign in your lobby or classroom (if you’re running a Sunday School) is an excellent way to gather up the troops.

Those extra meetings, charity drives, and soup kitchens won’t get off the ground without the help of an army of volunteers giving their time. So, make sure that everyone knows about your volunteer opportunities with an eye-catching display, using video, professional images, and fun animation for maximum impact.

Church digital signage can help broaden your support system so that you’re not constantly relying on the same volunteers every time.

And how many times have you held an event, only to hear that more people would have come had they known about it or not forgotten the date? Digital signage in both larger churches or bijous temples helps get the message across.

In fact, communications that rely heavily on cleverly curated visuals get 94% more views than simple text-based messages. On top of that, digital signage has a fantastic recall rate of 83% – almost double that of traditional poster-based advertising.

Digital signage can act as a constant reminder to your congregation to come to your special events and bring their friends.

3. Promote Inclusivity by Live-streaming Services Outside the Sanctuary

Christmas is about togetherness, but it’s not always possible to gather large crowds all in one place. COVID-19 has changed many things about how we commune, so why not use your digital sign as a live-streamer?

It’s not as complicated as it sounds – you just need the correct setup. You’ve probably been using a Public-Address (PA) system for years – this is a great starting point.

Just set up a camera system around your sanctuary while employing your existing PA, and live-stream your video and audio into lobbies, reception areas, or classrooms. You could even set up a drive-in by making use of the parking lot.

What better way to promote inclusivity?

Live-streaming your service across your church campus will ensure that you reach as many people as possible, all at the same time. Build a stronger community by making sure that the entire congregation receives your message simultaneously.

This is incredibly useful if you hit capacity and need to use an overflow room. And, of course, with the uncertainty surrounding COVID in the community, what better way to future-proof your sermons.

4. Provide Wayfinding and Welcome First-time Visitors

For some visitors, Christmas is the first (and often only) time they set foot inside your church each year. So, wayfinding signs are the perfect way to welcome your first-time visitors.

Established church-goers know their way around the church, of course. But for those visiting for the first time, it’s easy to forget that the experience can be a little overwhelming, especially if you have a large congregation.

But wayfinding signs aren’t just for newcomers. They’re perfect for conventions and events – a great way to usher visitors to the correct room if you’re running simultaneous functions in different spaces.

Make every visitor feel at home straight away with church digital signage. Effective signage will quickly orient your first-time visitors, and they’ll promptly become familiar with your campus – the frequent outcome is loyalty and long-term engagement.

And repurposing your wayfinding content by incorporating a holiday theme is a great way to set the celebratory tone as soon as people step in through the door.

5. Encourage Online and Social Media Interactivity

In 2016, 78% of U.S. Americans had at least one social media profile, making it one of the most omnipotent forms of modern communication – potentially vital for spreading the message of Christmas.

84% of North American protestant pastors use Facebook pages and church websites to communicate with their followers, while 16% use Twitter and 13% use Instagram.

Social media can help boost visibility and reach new demographics, and you can seamlessly integrate your church’s digital signage with your social media campaigns. Showcase your social media posts around your campus, expanding your reach. Create excitement and encourage congregation engagement by embracing new tech and social media.

6. Familiarize the Congregation with your Pastors

Churches with large congregations can sometimes feel like they lack the personal touch. It can be challenging for pastors and teachers to connect with every community member on a one-to-one level.

Digital signage can help remedy this by displaying pastors’ biographies around the campus. This is particularly effective whenever you have guest speakers throughout the year.

But at Christmas, you’re more likely to have guest speakers, so it’s a great time to install the technology. Helping your congregation get to know your guests will make them more relatable and increase the effectiveness of their message.

7. Increase inclusivity with the hard of hearing

These days, it’s essential that churches are accessible and inclusive. And the church can feel like an alienating place for the hard of hearing.

Offer live signing translators or subtitles to accompany sermons and services, beamed around the campus using your digital signs. What better way to make everyone feel included?

It may sound complicated, but we’re here to offer all the technical advice and support you could possibly need.

8. Keep your Congregation Safe

Most churches enjoy capacity crowds at Christmas. This is great for the sense of community, but what about the increased public safety risks?

Of course, a disaster is the last thing you want to think about. But digital signage is an excellent solution for emergency information.

Digital signage can help you operate a quick, calm evacuation of your building in emergencies. Direct your visitors to their nearest exit and prevent a panic dash to the front door, which can create jams and accidents.

Having clear signage will reassure everyone that the situation is under control, helping them to remain calm.

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So, there you have it: 8 ways to enhance the spirit of Christmas with church digital signage.

Ready to get started?

If you’re exploring your digital signage project needs (hardware, software, and content) or looking for the right software, we can help.

You might have a full-scope proposal or need some help in understanding requirements.

Either way, we’re here to help. Ask for a personalized software demo today.