The order a first-time visitor needs
Times first, because that's the question. Then "first time here?", which answers the fears nobody says out loud. The stream next, for whoever can't come. Only then giving, which is for the people already part of the church, and prayer, groups and events, which are the life a visitor will find if they stay.
- Service times
- First time here?
- Watch live
- Giving
- Prayer, groups, events
The giving tools and streams you already use
The giving button opens any link — MB Way, Pix, a bank page, Tithe.ly, Stripe or a platform your denomination provides — so nothing changes about how the church receives. Point the stream button at your YouTube or Facebook live page; it keeps working between services because the recordings stay there. If you print a weekly sheet, put the page's QR code on it, and the same code on a card at the back of the building: it is how visitors who don't use Instagram still reach the times and the stream. Keep the hours block honest during holiday weeks — a family that turns up to a service that was moved rarely tries twice.
What to write in a church's bio
Name the neighbourhood and the main service time: "A neighbourhood church in Campolide. Sundays at 10." Someone searching for a church is searching locally, and the time is half the decision.
One warm line beats a doctrinal statement in a bio. "Come as you are — and stay for coffee after" tells a stranger what the room feels like. What the church believes belongs on a page they can read at their own pace.
Reaching people who aren't looking for you yet
The two weeks when people search for a church are Christmas and Easter, plus whenever someone moves house. Put the special service at the top of the page for those weeks, with the date and time in the button, and leave the ordinary times just underneath.
Add the page as the link on your Google Business Profile as well. Many people find a church on a map before they ever find its Instagram, and the profile is where the times should also be correct.
What to avoid
Reading prayer requests publicly, or moving them into a group chat. Keep them with the people who were named in the form, and say so on the page. Trust here is difficult to earn and easy to lose in one Sunday.
Photographs of the congregation where faces are recognisable, without asking. Children need a guardian's permission. Wide shots from behind, hands, the room — these carry the same warmth with none of the risk.