SIGNS OF THE TIMES

In an increasingly digital world, churches are embracing technology — including digital signage — to enhance communication, foster community, and enrich worship experiences.

Digital signage refers to electronic displays used to convey information, announcements, or advertising. This can include LED screens, LCD panels, or projection systems that showcase dynamic content such as images, videos and text. For churches, digital signage offers a versatile platform for communication, allowing for real-time updates and engaging visuals.

Here, a digital signage expert shares the ways in which this technology is transforming how churches connect with their congregations and reach out to their communities.


Church Executive: What are the biggest indicators that a church’s current digital signage setup isn’t up to par?

Tim Jebsen: Let’s talk about hardware — the physical items that transmit the message. Ask yourself: Is your congregation struggling to read, understand or see the words and images on your screens? If so, it may be time to consider something with a higher resolution, greater size or better visibility. A lot of churches got into digital messaging in the very early days, especially with projectors. If that equipment is still working great, you don’t need to upgrade it. But if your congregation is struggling to see and hear the message, then it’s definitely time to start looking for an upgrade. Also, review the current software that your church is using to transmit the message to digital signage, and determine if you have staff- and volunteer-friendly software in place.

CE: Let’s talk about the key uses of digital signage in churches, including:

SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SCHEDULES?

Jebsen: First of all, remember that effective digital signage can benefit both longtime parishioners and visitors. When people come into the building, they want to know if they’re in the right place, at the right event, at the right time. Visitors may be asking, Am I going in the right direction? Where can I find other information that I might need? In some respects, printed materials have worked for years and years. But as soon as you print them, they may already be outdated. With digital signage, it’s easy to instantly change your message. Certainly, a church would want to communicate information on a Sunday morning for all the activities and the events happening that day, but also for other things that are happening during the week. In addition, remember that visitors often come to your church for a funeral or a wedding, and they might not even know where the restrooms are located. In a lot of ways, digital signage can make all people feel more welcome when they come into your building.

WORSHIP EXPERIENCE ENHANCEMENT?

Jebsen: Here again, digital signage eliminates some of the need for printed materials, whether it be bulletins, hymnals, order of service, or song lyrics. Not only can this printed information easily become outdated, but the congregation doesn’t need them two seconds after the service is over. And suddenly you have a whole bunch of trash you have to pick up. Meanwhile, with digital signage, interactive images and videos can complement Bible verses, the sermon, or other messages of the day during the worship service. It can also highlight upcoming events and activities related to that day’s service that will help your congregation feel more connected to your church and want to come back again.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT?

Jebsen: Social media has enabled a lot of churches to reach and engage with a wider community and get them interested in coming to the church. The words and images they combine into a social media post are exactly the same ones they will prepare for their digital signage. Maybe they’re spreading the word about a Tuesday morning Bible study, choir rehearsal on Wednesday night, or a blood drive on Saturday. The same posts promoting those events on social media can be used on digital signage. 

INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES?

Jebsen: Interactivity is a way to get your audience engaged in the message beyond the worship service. For example, if you share a message that hits home during worship, digital media can provide other resources or opportunities that worshippers can explore in their own time to expand their knowledge related to that message.

VISITOR INFORMATION?

Jebsen: It’s important to make sure that your visitors are comfortable from the moment they enter your building. Digital signage can help with that. Remember that visitors are often confused or hesitant when they walk into a new building. Digital signage can help make them feel comfortable and confident that they’re in the right place, at the right time, and that they know where to go. It can also make them want to come back. For example, if someone attends a funeral service at your church and then decides a year later to look for a church home, yours is one they’re already comfortable with. They know where the entrance is. They know where the restroom is. They know where that sanctuary is.

CE: As you mentioned, social media integration has become a vital outreach tool. In this area, how is digital signage used most effectively?

Jebsen: There’s symbiosis between these two things; about 75 percent of the content you build for social media can also be used for digital signage. There’s a limited amount of time when a person is inside your building and you have their attention. It’s an opportunity for a church to make sure that its message, its style — everything about that church — is communicated clearly. People should get the message that it’s not just a place to go on Sundays; there are other activities and events happening all week. Social media does all that. Build a message for social media, put it on your digital signage as people are coming in, and make it part of the cycle of all the different messages that people are seeing when they are there.

CE: While the initial investment in digital signage is likely to be significant, can you speak to the long-term cost-effectiveness of these technologies?

Jebsen: The majority of churches I work with roll the initial investment costs into an upcoming capital campaign for a new building or the renovation of an existing building, which makes a lot of sense. Fortunately, I’d say that LED panels have an even longer lifespan than when they first came out, as most are now rated for 10 to 15 years.

CE: Who should be enlisted to create and manage digital signage content?

Jebsen: Some churches are big enough to have a staff member who can be put in charge of social media creation, or who’s in charge of the AV, lighting, sound — and now visual — technology. This person should be artistic, creative and organized enough to compellingly put together words, images, colors, looks and logos, as well as knowledgeable about how to put together a social media post. It’s the same skill set as putting together a digital messaging post.

Now, a volunteer can also do all of that if they have the computer skills, the artistic skills, the visual skills, and the time necessary to create these pieces of content.

In either scenario, I would encourage that person — whether it’s a staff professional or a volunteer — not to just create everything while sitting in front of a computer. As often as possible, they should take that image and put it on the larger display image or the LED screen to see how it looks there; the small print that was easy to read on your computer might not be easy to read in the sanctuary. 

CE: What good-stewardship advice can you offer for selecting digital signage — functionality, materials, and so on?   

Jebsen: One of the reasons Revel Media brought me on board is my experience with a committee-led decision process, which many churches will do. Related to that, the best piece of advice I can offer is to seek a diversity of opinions. Get multiple bids; decide what elements are most important for your budget; and keep an open mind — sometimes the best solutions come from unexpected sources.

Also keep in mind that digital media changes on a yearly basis. So, what you knew three years ago may not be the same today. In the end, the best decision a church can make is when a committee comes to an agreement, and everyone is on board with the decision.

CE: Is there any way to make the investment in digital signage more accessible for churches?

Jebsen: Yes; let me offer a quick example. Over the past several years, you may have noticed that computer services — whether it’s buying hardware or buying software — has moved to a service-based system. For a monthly fee, companies are offering to make sure that all your software is running, get a new server in place if yours goes down, and so on. This model lets you budget monthly for that cost instead of it being a large upfront cost.

Well, technology like digital signage and LED walls  is moving in that direction, too. Now, Hardware-as-a-service (HAAS) is an option for some churches. To me, it’s no different than choosing to buy a car or lease it; there are advantages to both options — especially if your church isn’t in the middle of a capital campaign but you still need new technology.

— Reporting by RaeAnn Slaybaugh


Tim Jebsen serves as a Client Advisor at Revel Media Group. In this role, Jebsen is responsible for cultivating and nurturing customer and partner relationships, with a focus on driving engagement and captivating audiences in houses of worship and the live theatre community. Having spent years working at a large community theatre, he was an enthusiastic Revel Media client prior to coming on staff.

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