Why People Aren’t Reading Your Church Emails—and How to Fix It

Your church has countless updates, events, and opportunities to share, and it’s tempting to cram them all into one email. But think of emails like trying to follow a recipe when you’re very hungry and want a quick snack. First imagine a simple three-ingredient recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; it’s easy to follow and you quickly get to a satisfying result. Now imagine instead being very hungry and short on time and trying to follow a ten-ingredient recipe with lengthy instructions for each ingredient— it’s overwhelming and you’d probably just stop reading and move on to something else. Similarly, an email stuffed with too many announcements becomes cluttered and confusing, causing your congregation to tune out. Here’s how to craft clear, engaging emails that your members will actually read, using the streamlined tools in Servant Keeper.

1. Keep It Focused and Concise

With endless email space, it’s easy to overload your congregation with details. Instead, prioritize two or three key announcements, highlighting them with vivid descriptions and essential details. For less urgent items, use a single sentence with a clear call-to-action, like “Discover more events on our website!” linked to your church’s online hub.

In-person services limit announcements due to time constraints, but emails lack that natural filter. Servant Keeper’s email platform helps you curate and schedule messages thoughtfully, with analytics to track open rates and engagement. Keep content fresh by varying the types of announcements you feature, so readers stay curious and engaged.

2. Highlight the ‘Why’ to Connect

Your members are flooded with emails daily, from spam to work messages. To stand out, make your church emails feel personal and purposeful. Don’t just share what’s happening—explain why it matters, tying each announcement to your church’s mission or community impact. Examples include:

• What: Volunteers needed for youth ministry.
  Why: To guide teens in building a lifelong faith in Christ.
• What: Community outreach fundraiser.
  Why: To provide meals and hope to local families, reflecting God’s love. Include a brief story about a family helped last year for impact.
• What: Small group sign-ups.
  Why: To foster deep connections and spiritual growth through authentic friendships.

By emphasizing purpose, you inspire action and belonging. Servant Keeper’s member profiles let you tailor messages to specific groups, ensuring the “why” resonates.

3. Make Resources Accessible

Your church has a wealth of information—calendars, small group directories, sermon archives, or social media updates—that doesn’t belong in every email. Instead, provide prominent links or buttons to guide members to:

• Church calendar for upcoming events
• Small group finder tool
• Sermon recordings or livestream links
• Social media pages for real-time updates

Servant Keeper’s website tools centralize these resources in one hub, making it easy for members to explore without sifting through a long email. Use bold calls-to-action like “Check the Calendar” or “Join a Group” to direct readers.

4. Leverage Deeper Segmentation

Deeper segmentation will help you to stop sending every message to everyone. Earlier, we made an analogy of following a recipe for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches vs. following a 10-ingredient recipe. For segmentation, think about trying to send your friend with a peanut allergy your best PB&J recipe. It doesn’t matter how simple or delicious the recipe is, they probably would not only avoid reading the recipe, they would probably also avoid reading future recipes (or maybe even messages in general) you sent to them. When you send every message to everyone, people start tuning you out. With Servant Keeper, segment your email lists by interests, involvement, or demographics to send targeted messages—like kids’ ministry updates to families or training opportunities to small group leaders. This relevance boosts engagement.

5. Encourage Two-Way Communication

Emails should spark connection, not just broadcast information. Invite your congregation to reply, share feedback, or ask questions. Include a clear reply option or a link to a form (created easily with Servant Keeper) for event sign-ups, volunteering, or prayer requests. This fosters community and turns emails into a conversation. For example, end with: “Got an idea for our next outreach? Reply or click here to share!”

By prioritizing clarity, purpose, accessibility, modern design, and interaction, your church emails will cut through the noise, inspiring your congregation to stay connected and engaged.

‍