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Most people checking out your church will view you on social before they visit you in a service. The problem is that most of us set up our social platforms a while ago and haven't revisited the header content in years. Which means it is probably outdated.
I recently conducted an audit of our social media accounts of Zarephath Christian Church where I'm the Executive Pastor and noticed an easy area of improvement. Make the header content consistent across the platforms. Our brand did not feel cohesive because of differing language and imagery.
But before we designed our headers, I wanted to see how others were designing theirs. Good artists copy but great artists steal 🙂. Below are the social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube) header images from 10 churches doing it well. Here is a PDF of all the images. Also below is my two cents on what they're doing great. I share these images to inspire you to step up your social media header game if needed.
Here are the current headers dimensions for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn. But make sure to Google for up-to-date dimensions—because they seem to change often—before you start designing.
Importance: Love how they are highlighting the importance of new life found in Christ with baptism photos across the platforms.
Same: Great to see that the banner is the same on Facebook and YouTube.
Collage: The collage approach to the image is a vibrant and editable approach. Vibrant because you can highlight a range of ministry activity that a single photo can't capture. And editable because if someone in the collage has a falling out with the church, you can easily edit them out of the photo.
YouTube: I love their YouTube banner image. Their branded blue is bold and pops off the screen and the light script font in the background is a subtle artistic touch.
Color: Strong branded color across all platforms. This is helpful to remember when picking your profile picture. You probably have a version with a white background and one with a branded color background. Use the color background to give greater visual energy.
Taglines: I noticed they have different taglines across the platforms. Tailoring what you uniquely say on each platform is great if you have a clear understanding of the audience. Which is probably the case knowing how next level Crossroads is. But if you don't have that level of insight then simplify your approach with the same tagline.
Expectation: I like how Liquid creates expectation for their upcoming service on YouTube with the line 'new content Sundays @9am EST' in their banner image.
Time Zone: I also appreciate how they share what their time zone is for people experiencing their content across the nation and beyond.
Series: Mariners is highlighting their current series on their Facebook header. This is great if you have the bandwidth to keep up with it. If you don't, then don't. Or you will end up with a Christmas banner as you roll into the Easter season.
Similar But Not The Same: I like how their banner photos are similar but not the same. They give enough consistency to feel on brand, but also gives each platform slight variation.
Building: Highlighting their building is helpful for those new to the church. This visual reminder lets them know they are at the right place as they move from the digital to physical space. But if you have multiple campuses this might be confusing for folks attending one of your non-broadcast locations.
Image Consistency: These guys nailed it with the same image across the platforms.
They Might Be Giants: Sometimes we want to make the image of our Lead Pastor bigger in these collages to convey their importance. But they end up looking like giants. I appreciate how Andy is a similar size to everyone else.
Design Flare: I love how the vocalist's hand is popping out of her rounded rectangle.
Designed For Dimensions: You will notice they added round squares on the left to the image for YouTube because of the wider dimensions.
Service Centric: Each photo is about their service experience, emphasizing the importance of this aspect of their church.
Campuses: On Instagram Union lists each of their campuses. This helps avoid a big brother / little brother complex between the broadcast and non-broadcast campuses.
Consistency: These guys are the most consistent with their imagery. Going graphic heavy instead of photo heavy gives them greater format flexibility.
Service Times: When the service is happening it is very important to Willow. It is interesting to see that X lists their second service at 11:15am in contrast to 11am on Facebook and YouTube.
 | For over twenty years Ben has created & captured moving and memorable moments for individuals, non-profits & corporations across the globe. He has served on the executive team of multiple megachurches and currently serves as the Executive Pastor at Zarephath Christian Church in New Jersey. Ben also consults for churches, teaches at universities and speaks at conferences about leadership, communication and creativity. For more information visit www.benstapley.com. Learn More » |
This isn’t just another leadership book—it’s your invitation to discover how Christ-centered questions can transform the way you lead and live. Packed with real stories and timeless wisdom, it shows you how to grow your influence, deepen your faith, and lead with the same life-changing impact Jesus did.
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