Church Prayer Chain and Prayer Line: How to Set One Up
Set up a church prayer chain and request line, print a request card, and copy email and text wording with private sharing choices.
Guides
Articles for pastors, church staff and volunteers on planning the Sunday service, running the church office, communicating with the congregation and choosing church software.
Start here
Prepare the next service with the worship readings and printable orders, or open the guide for the church office task you need to finish. Each section links its working templates and source documents.
- Advent candle readings for the four Sundays and Christmas Eve, with a reader's PDF and slides.
- Christmas Eve order of service with Scripture, songs and candlelight cues.
- Prayer requests with a prayer chain setup guide, request cards and message wording.
- Church bylaws with a drafting and adoption checklist for the church and its attorney.
- Church bookkeeping for the monthly close, gift records and fund reports.
Latest articles
Church bylaws guide and adoption checklist
Draft church bylaws from your church's governing documents, define who decides, and follow the adoption checklist with your church's attorney.
Church membership covenant example
A church membership covenant example with promises of worship, prayer, care and service, plus adoption guidance, a printable PDF and slides.
Church security plan and Sunday safety checklist
Build a church security plan with local responders, assign Sunday responsibilities, and print a checklist for evacuation and child reunification.
Advent Candle Readings for Each Sunday and Christmas Eve
Advent candle readings for 2026: a Bible reading, a response for the congregation and a prayer for each candle, with printable cards and slides.
The Apostles' Creed text and printable slides
Read the Apostles' Creed in its 1662 Book of Common Prayer wording, with explanations of older words, a printable PDF and slides.
Baptism service script for a believer
A believer baptism script for immersion, with preparation notes, a profession of faith, prayers, a printable PDF and slides.
Benedictions for church services
Benedictions for church services, with Bible passages, original closing prayers, a printable PDF and slides for the congregation.
Calls to worship with Scripture and responses
Calls to worship based on Psalms 100, 95 and 121, with original responses, rehearsal notes, a printable PDF and slides.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service: How to Plan It
How to plan a Christmas Eve candlelight service: candles and drip guards, passing the flame, the lights cue, fire safety, slides and an usher card.
Christmas Eve Order of Service: Three Samples to Print
A Christmas Eve order of service for a candlelight service, a lessons and carols service and a family service, with readings, songs and times.
Communion service script and preparation
A communion service script based on 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, with prayers, preparation notes, printable words and slides for your church.
Doxology lyrics, meaning and service slides
Doxology lyrics for Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, with notes on Thomas Ken, Old Hundredth, a printable PDF and slides.
The Nicene Creed text and printable slides
Read the Nicene Creed in its 1662 Book of Common Prayer wording, with explanations of older words, a printable PDF and slides.
Church Job Descriptions: Ministry and Office Templates
Copy church job description templates for pastors, worship, youth, kids, office and production roles. State pay, hours and responsibilities clearly.
Church Job Interview Questions for Hiring and Applying
Prepare church job interview questions for pastors, worship, youth, kids and office roles, with candidate questions and a committee score sheet.
Church Staff Salaries: What Churches Pay in 2026
Church staff salaries from 379 job postings read October 19, 2026, BLS wages and three surveys, with a $65,000 posted median by role, state and size.
Executive Pastor Salary and Church Administrator Pay
Compare executive pastor and church administrator responsibilities, national management pay benchmarks, benefits and questions to ask before an offer.
How to Find a Church Job and Prepare Your Application
Find church jobs by role and state, check the church and the offer, prepare work samples, and ask about pay, housing and the interview process.
Children's Ministry Director Salary and Duties in 2026
Children's ministry director salary data from 44 church postings: a $63,500 median, full-time and part-time ranges, the duties, and the safety rules.
Church Production Jobs: Duties, Pay and Skills
Explore church production jobs, technical director duties, national pay benchmarks, equipment skills and questions about Sunday hours and safety.
Worship Leader Salary: What Churches Pay in 2026
Worship leader salary from six posted salaries and a survey of 467 church musicians, with a $67,750 median and a $55,000 to $70,000 band.
Youth Pastor Salary: What Churches Pay in 2026
Youth pastor salary data from nine church postings and a survey of 803 youth workers: a $55,000 median, and what church size, education and years add.
Church Marketing Companies: How to Choose Help
Use this brief, proposal checklist and ownership questions to compare church marketing companies and hire help for a defined task.
Creative Church Marketing Ideas for Local Invitations
Practical church marketing ideas for your visitor page, invitations, photos and community service, with a plan volunteers can carry out this month.
Church payroll software, priced, and how each one handles a minister's housing allowance
How a minister's housing allowance works under IRS Publication 517: the three limits on it, the designation a church makes in advance, Social Security and Medicare tax, and the pastor's W-2.
QuickBooks for Churches: Setup, Funds and 2026 Prices
Set up QuickBooks Online for a church: which plan tracks funds, the $80 TechSoup price, class setup and a free chart of accounts to import.
Church accounting software that keeps each fund separate, with 2026 prices
What fund accounting is, prices read October 22, 2026 for Aplos, ChurchPro, PowerChurch, ChurchTrac, IconCMO, QuickBooks Online, Wave and Xero, and the IRS rules a church treasurer has to meet.
Church Management Software: Prices, Free Options, Reviews
Church management software prices at 50, 150 and 400 people, with giving fees, a scorecard of every system that publishes a price, and every free option.
Church texting services, with Text In Church pricing
Compare church texting services, check consent and opt-out rules, and plan who will answer replies from your congregation.
Online giving for churches: what each platform costs in fees
Fees read October 22, 2026 for Planning Center, Tithely, Givelify, Subsplash, Anedot, Zeffy and Stripe, worked out in dollars for a church that receives $100,000 a year in online gifts.
Church Directory Software: Apps, Prices and a Free Maker
Make a church photo directory: what each entry shows, a consent form, who gets a copy, a free maker, and app prices read October 22, 2026.
Church Social Media Policy: Full Text and Photo Rules
A church social media policy your board can review and adopt, with photo consent, account access and volunteer offboarding rules.
Church Data Security: Access, Backups and Breach Plans
Four tiers of church member data, with access rules for addresses, giving and counseling records, plus backups and a breach response plan.
Church Calendar Software: Free Options and 2026 Prices
Compare church calendar software for room booking and a public calendar: Planning Center Calendar, Google Calendar and Teamup, with 2026 prices.
Church Social Media Calendar: Twelve Months of Post Ideas
Download a church social media calendar as CSV or ICS, with church year dates and a posting routine for volunteers.
Church Bookkeeping: The Monthly Cycle a Treasurer Runs
Church bookkeeping step by step: counting the offering, recording designated gifts, the monthly bank reconciliation, board reports and year-end dates.
Sermon Clip Tools: Prices, Free Plans and Who Owns Clips
Compare sermon clip tools by price, free plan, monthly sermon allowance and who owns the clips, with prices read October 22, 2026.
Church app cost: The Church App, Tithely and free options
Decide whether your church needs a member app, with a checklist for access, giving, messages and the people who will maintain it.
Church Texting: Consent, STOP Replies and 10DLC Registration
Church texting rules before the first message: get each person's consent, honor STOP at once, and register the church's number with the carriers, with Twilio's fees and review times.
Church Newsletter Templates: A Weekly Email and Monthly Letter to Copy
Church newsletter templates for a weekly email and a monthly printed letter, twenty ideas for what to put in them, and prices for four email services read October 13, 2026.
Church Announcement Examples for Every Sunday
Church announcement examples you can copy for Sunday, the bulletin, email or a text, the four-part formula for writing your own, and where each kind belongs.
Advent Readings for 2026: A Daily Scripture Plan
Advent Scripture readings for 2026: a Bible passage for each day from November 29 to Christmas Eve, the Year B lectionary and hymns you can print.
Church Social Media Posts: Examples to Copy for Facebook and Instagram
Church social media posts to copy for Facebook and Instagram, from a Saturday invitation to a schedule change, a weekly plan for what to post, and the rules for photos, children and worship songs.
How to Choose a Church When You Move: A Practical Guide
How to choose a church when you move, with what people weigh, a visit plan, questions to ask, and how to use our church finder and its listing standard.
Church Live Streaming Setup: Equipment, Costs and Licenses
Stream a church service with a phone, one camera or two: the equipment and prices for each, the sound feed, YouTube settings and the CCLI license.
Church Presentation Software: Free and Paid, 2026 Prices
Compare ProPresenter, EasyWorship, Proclaim, MediaShout and free FreeShow, OpenLP and WorshipTools, with prices read October 22, 2026 and the CCLI rules.
Church website: the five pages it needs and what three website builders cost
The five pages a small church website needs, how to keep the domain in the church's name, a one-weekend launch order, and prices for WordPress.com, Squarespace and Nucleus read October 13, 2026.
Order of service for church: three sample orders with times
Three sample church orders of service with times: a simple order, one with the Lord's Supper, and a fuller order with a confession and a creed, plus what each part means and a blank template.
VBS themes for 2027: the publishers' themes and four plans you can run yourself
The Vacation Bible School themes Lifeway, Group and Answers in Genesis have announced for 2027, four five-day plans a church can teach from the Bible alone, a daily schedule, and the safety rules.
Bible study for small groups: how to lead one, and four studies to start
Lead a small group Bible study with no curriculum to buy. A 90-minute meeting plan, three questions for any passage, and week-by-week studies in Philippians, James, Mark and the Psalms.
Church bulletin templates: what goes in a bulletin, and a free maker
Copy a church bulletin template, choose what to include and make a printable order of service with the free bulletin maker.
Youth group games: 25 games with rules, supplies and setup
Twenty-five youth group games for a small room, a gym or a field, with the players, supplies and time each one takes, four Bible games, and the safety rules to set first.
Sermon series ideas: a year of preaching through books of the Bible
Twelve sermon series built on books of the Bible with the Sundays each takes, sermon topics paired with the passage that teaches each one, and the dates for Advent 2026 and Easter 2027.
Sections
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Worship
Orders of service, readings for Advent and Easter, and the dates of the church year.
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Sermons
Planning a year of preaching, choosing a series, and the study that comes before an outline.
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Bulletins
What to print on the weekly handout, what copyright allows, and how to keep it readable.
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Communications
Announcements, email newsletters, text messages and social media for a congregation.
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Small groups
Bible study plans and ways to lead a group through a book of the Bible.
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Youth
Running a midweek youth night, with games and the rules that keep students safe.
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Kids
Vacation Bible School and the rest of children's ministry.
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Outreach
Welcoming guests, following up, and telling the neighborhood the church is there.
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Software
What church software does and what it costs, with every price dated and linked to its source.
Every article by date
The full list of what Church Posting has published, newest first.