Social Media in 2026: What Churches Can Do with the Latest Engagement Data
by Ashley Graham-Wilcox
Here’s where I admit that my social media strategy is basically a lot of good intentions in a trench coat. I understand who my audience is, and I know what the churches I work with would like to accomplish; it’s not understanding what’s working on the platforms — and not having many hours for actual strategizing — that’s the problem.
So when a new “social media trends” report drops, promising to reveal what actually works online, it’s tempting to either treat it as gospel…or ignore it entirely.
Buffer recently released its 2026 State of Social Media Engagement report, analyzing more than 50 million posts across major platforms to understand what drives interaction today. While this data is not specific to churches (In fact, it’s on Buffer users only), reports like this can offer helpful clues about how people behave online.
There is no national dataset telling us how Protestant congregations’ Instagram posts perform or what type of church Facebook posts lead someone to visit worship. Which means church communicators are usually doing some combination of: Learning from broader nonprofit or marketing data + translating those ideas into church life + experimenting locally + comparing notes with one another = Holy experimentation.
☕Shameless self-promotion: The upcoming Caffeinated Church conference is a truly great place to compare notes with one another on what’s working in our own contexts, while getting insight from actual experts.
Still, the 2026 report surfaces several trends that build on what we explored last year at this time in Things I’ve Learned About Social Media in 2025. And the encouraging news is that many of those trends align surprisingly well with the things churches already do best.
Social Media Is Still Where People Are
First, the obvious but important context: Social media remains one of the primary ways people encounter communities and ideas. Globally, there are now more than 5.4 billion social media users, representing roughly two-thirds of the world’s population. The average person spends about 2 hours and 23 minutes per day on social platforms. In the United States, 83% of adults use YouTube, 68% use Facebook, and 47% use Instagram, according to Pew Research.
This doesn’t mean people are scrolling social media hoping to find a church.
But it does mean that when people encounter a congregation online, that moment can shape their understanding of what church is and who it’s for. Which makes the question less about whether churches should be present on social media and more about how they show up there.
Choose Platforms Intentionally, Not Exhaustively
One of the clearest takeaways from the Buffer report is that engagement varies significantly across platforms:
LinkedIn: ~6%
Facebook: ~5–6%
Instagram: ~5%
TikTok: ~4–5%
X: ~2–3%
But the real takeaway isn’t which platform is “best.” It’s that online audiences are increasingly fragmented, and engagement patterns change constantly. Churches do not need to be everywhere. Most congregations are better served by focusing on two or three platforms where their community already gathers. Trying to maintain five platforms with limited staff or volunteer capacity usually leads to frustration and burnout. Intentional presence beats scattered activity every time.
For many churches, that still means:
Facebook for events, updates, and congregational communication
Instagram for visual storytelling and community life
YouTube for worship, sermons, and spiritual content
Engagement Happens Through Conversation
One of the most striking findings in the Buffer report is how much engagement increases when accounts respond to comments. In some cases, replying to comments increased engagement by more than 40 percent.
Social media is shifting away from broadcasting announcements toward conversation and community interaction. Platforms increasingly reward posts that generate comments, replies, shares, and discussion.
In other words, relationship drives reach. In some ways, that’s good news for churches: Relationship is already at the center of congregational life. A church that replies to comments, acknowledges questions, and engages with its online community will almost always see stronger engagement than a church that simply posts announcements and logs off. (It also means, no more "post it and forget it.” Social media needs to more community management, which requires time, and, to some extent, more of an expertise — or at least comfort level — in social media management.)
Storytelling Is Becoming Central to Digital Engagement
Across multiple nonprofit and social media studies—not just Buffer’s—one trend keeps emerging: Story-driven content consistently performs better than purely informational posts. Nonprofit benchmark reports show that video and storytelling posts generate significantly higher engagement rates than standard updates.
This insight is part of the reason Caffeinated Church has launched the Storytelling Project, exploring how churches can better share stories of faith, belonging, service, and transformation in digital spaces. We recognize that many church communicators are working with extremely limited time and resources. Sometimes the weekly communications plan really does look like: Post the sermon and remind people the youth outing is canceled because of the snow.
But when churches do have the space to share stories—about volunteers, outreach ministries, spiritual journeys, or moments of community—those stories often travel farther than announcements ever will.
Storytelling isn’t always about being polished or professional. It’s about helping people see the humanity and meaning behind the work of the church.
Sustainable Rhythms Matter More Than Posting Constantly
Another helpful takeaway from the Buffer report is that posting more frequently does not automatically lead to higher engagement. Consistency helps, but quality and relevance matter more than volume.
This echoes something we learned last year: The goal of church social media is not constant posting. The goal is intentional communication. Many congregations thrive with a rhythm like:
Two or three thoughtful posts per week
Occasional video or storytelling content
Consistent promotion of events and ministries
Regular engagement with comments and messages
A sustainable rhythm will almost always outperform a frantic one.
When Smaller Audiences Are Actually an Advantage
One encouraging takeaway from the Buffer report is that smaller accounts often see higher engagement rates than very large ones. As accounts grow, engagement percentages tend to drop. While that may seem counterintuitive, it reflects the relational nature of smaller communities. For churches, this is good news. Most congregational accounts are modest in size, but they’re rooted in real relationships and local connections—and engagement grounded in those relationships can matter more than follower counts.
The report also highlights the growing importance of shares and saves as signals of engagement. While “likes” are still common, social media platforms increasingly prioritize content that people share with others, comment on, or save for later. In other words, the kinds of posts that travel the farthest are often the ones that people find personally meaningful enough to pass along. For churches, that might include sermon clips, reflections, stories of ministry in action, or moments of community life that resonate beyond the immediate congregation.
Finally, the report notes that average engagement rates across social media platforms have slowly declined over time, largely due to the sheer volume of content being posted online. That trend is affecting everyone, not just churches. It’s a helpful reminder that fluctuating engagement numbers don’t necessarily mean something is “wrong” with a congregation’s social media presence. The broader digital environment is simply becoming more crowded.
☕A Final Thought
One of the most encouraging themes across the 2026 social media data is that authentic connection increasingly outperforms polished content, which, if you think about it, sounds remarkably like the core practices of church.
Want to Go Deeper?
In our 2025 post on nonprofit social media best practices, we referenced a February 2025 workshop with Ryan Panzer, who has been exploring how churches can think more intentionally about digital engagement, storytelling, and generosity. Ryan will be leading a special 90-minute Caffeinated Church workshop on April 9: Stewardship in the Digital Age. This session will explore how digital storytelling, relational engagement, and thoughtful online presence can support stewardship and generosity in meaningful ways.
If your church has a stewardship committee, fundraising leaders, or communications volunteers, Caffeinated Church members are encouraged to invited them to attend with you. Because while social media reports will continue to evolve, the deeper work of sharing meaningful stories about faith and community remains the same.
