Announcements

Quick Summary: Broadcast important updates across multiple channels—mobile app, email, and screens—all from one place.

Overview

Some messages need to reach everyone, everywhere. A new sermon series launching Sunday. A facility closure for renovations. An emergency response to a community crisis. A celebration of a major ministry milestone. These are announcements—official church communications that deserve maximum visibility.

Relius announcements broadcast across multiple channels simultaneously: your church mobile app, email inboxes, and on-screen displays during services. Create the message once, and Relius delivers it everywhere your people look. No copying and pasting between platforms, no wondering if you reached everyone.

With scheduling, expiration dates, and audience targeting, you control exactly who sees what and when. Announcements keep your congregation informed, aligned, and engaged with what's happening in the life of your church.

Key Concepts

Announcement: A single message broadcast to multiple channels at once
Channels: Where announcements appear (app, email, screens, website)
Priority: Normal (general updates) or Urgent (time-sensitive alerts)
Expiration: When an announcement automatically stops displaying
Target Audience: Who sees the announcement (everyone, specific groups, custom filters)
Pinned: Featured announcements that stay at the top of the app feed
Category: Classification (event, ministry, campus-wide, pastoral)

Getting Started

Step 1: Create Your First Announcement

Go to Communications → Announcements → New Announcement. You'll see a simple form:

Title: Clear, action-oriented headline (e.g., "New Sermon Series Starts This Sunday")
Message: 1-3 paragraphs with details (what, when, why, how to participate)
Priority: Normal or Urgent (urgent adds visual emphasis and notifications)
Category: Helps organize and filter (Events, Ministry, Campus-Wide, Pastoral)

Step 2: Choose Your Channels

Select where this announcement should appear:

Mobile App: Appears in the announcements feed; urgent sends push notification
Email: Sends immediately as a standalone email
Screens: Displays on lobby screens, service slides, or digital signage
Website: Shows in your public website announcement banner (optional)

You can choose one, some, or all channels. Most churches use app + screens for general updates, adding email for urgent or time-sensitive announcements.

Step 3: Target Your Audience

Who should see this announcement?

Everyone: All church members (default)
Specific Groups: Youth group, small group leaders, volunteers, etc.
Campus/Location: Multi-site churches can target specific campuses
Custom Filter: Age range, families with kids, first-time guests, etc.

Targeting ensures relevant messages reach the right people. Parents need to know about VBS registration; non-parents don't need that cluttering their feed.

Step 4: Schedule and Publish

Choose when this announcement goes live:

Publish Now: Immediate broadcast across all selected channels
Schedule: Set a future publish date/time (e.g., go live Sunday at 8 AM)
Expiration: Automatically remove after a certain date (e.g., event announcements expire after the event)

Review your announcement, preview how it looks in each channel, then hit Publish.

Features

Multi-Channel Broadcasting

The power of announcements is unified delivery:

Mobile App: Appears at the top of the announcements tab; urgent triggers push notification
Email: Sends formatted email to selected audience with full announcement content
Screens: Auto-formats for lobby displays and service slides (image + title + key points)
Website: Optional banner on homepage or dedicated announcements page

Each channel adapts the content format automatically—full text for email, condensed for screens, notification-style for app push. You write once; Relius handles the rest.

Priority Levels

Two priority levels control visibility and notifications:

Normal: Appears in feeds and on screens; no push notification
Urgent: Bold visual styling + push notification to app users (use sparingly)

Reserve urgent for actual urgency: weather cancellations, security alerts, emergency prayer requests, or major leadership announcements. Overuse "urgent" and people start ignoring notifications.

Scheduling and Expiration

Control the lifecycle of your announcements:

Publish Date: When the announcement goes live (schedule weeks in advance)
Expiration Date: When it automatically disappears from all channels
Auto-Archive: Expired announcements move to an archive for historical reference

Examples:

Easter service announcement: Publish 4 weeks before Easter, expire day after
Facility closure: Publish Friday, expire Monday (renovation weekend)
New staff introduction: Publish Sunday, keep live for 2 weeks

Expiration keeps your announcement feed clean and relevant—no one needs to see "VBS Registration Open" three weeks after VBS ended.

Pinned Announcements

Pin high-priority announcements to the top of the mobile app feed:

New member class registration
Capital campaign updates
Annual vision statement
Emergency contact information

Pinned announcements stay at the top even as new announcements publish below. Limit to 1-2 pinned items at a time—too many defeats the purpose.

Categories and Tags

Organize announcements by category:

Events: Upcoming services, special programs, church gatherings
Ministry: Volunteer opportunities, ministry updates, program launches
Campus-Wide: Facility news, policy changes, staff updates
Pastoral: Leadership messages, vision casting, prayer requests
Emergency: Weather cancellations, security alerts, urgent needs

App users can filter by category to see only what interests them. Tags add additional metadata (e.g., "youth", "worship", "giving") for more granular filtering.

Rich Media Support

Enhance announcements with visuals:

Images: Featured image appears in app feed and email header
Videos: Embed announcement videos (pastor greeting, event promo)
Links: Add buttons for registration, giving, or more info
Attachments: Include PDFs, flyers, or documents

Visual announcements get 3-4x more engagement than text-only. Use eye-catching graphics for events, headshots for staff announcements, or photos from last year's event to drive excitement.

Advanced: Recurring Announcements

Set up announcements that publish automatically on a schedule:

Weekly Service Reminder: Every Saturday, "Service tomorrow at 10 AM! See you there."
Monthly Giving Reminder: First Sunday of each month, "Thank you for your faithful giving!"
Seasonal Series Launch: Every quarter, "New sermon series starts this Sunday!"

To create recurring announcements:

Create your announcement template
Under Publishing, select Recurring
Choose frequency (daily, weekly, monthly) and pattern (e.g., "Every Saturday 6 PM")
Set optional end date or let it run indefinitely

Each occurrence can be edited individually if needed. For example, skip the weekly reminder on holiday weekends or customize the message for special services.

Advanced: Approval Workflows

Require leadership approval before announcements go live:

Staff can draft announcements but must submit for approval
Designated approvers (pastors, communications team) review and approve/reject
Approved announcements auto-publish at scheduled time
Rejected announcements return to drafter with feedback

Set up approval workflows under Settings → Communications → Announcement Approvals:

Define who needs approval (e.g., all non-admin users)
Assign approvers by category (ministry announcements → ministry pastor, campus-wide → exec pastor)
Set auto-approval thresholds (e.g., normal priority = one approver, urgent = two)

This prevents well-intentioned but off-brand or poorly timed announcements from going out without oversight.

Advanced: Engagement Analytics

Track how people engage with your announcements:

Views: How many people saw the announcement (app opens, email opens)
Clicks: How many clicked embedded links or buttons
Shares: How often it was shared outside the app
Push Open Rate: For urgent announcements, % who opened the push notification

View analytics under each announcement's detail page. Compare performance across categories to learn what resonates with your congregation. Discover:

Which announcement types drive the most engagement
Optimal publish times (Sunday morning vs. Wednesday evening)
Whether images increase views
If certain groups ignore certain categories

Use insights to refine your communication strategy over time.

Best Practices

Less is more: Aim for 1-3 active announcements at a time. Too many = information overload.
Clear headlines: Frontload the key info—"Easter Service Times" beats "Special Services This Weekend"
One call-to-action: Each announcement should drive one primary action (RSVP, sign up, attend)
Use expiration dates: Keep your announcement feed current and relevant
Reserve urgent for true urgency: Weather cancellations, emergencies only—not every event
Target wisely: Youth events to youth, parenting content to parents—don't spam everyone with everything
Include visuals: Image announcements get far more engagement than text-only
Consistent voice: Write in your church's tone—warm, welcoming, clear
Mobile-first writing: Short sentences, scannable paragraphs, bullet points over walls of text
Link strategically: "Register here" button beats "Visit gracechurch.org/events to find the registration form"

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: New Sermon Series Launch

Grace Church is starting a 6-week series on prayer. They create an announcement titled "New Series: The Power of Prayer Starts This Sunday." Message includes series overview, key dates, and invitation to join a prayer challenge. Published to app + screens, scheduled for Saturday 6 PM, expires 7 days later. Featured image: series graphic designed by creative team. Result: 68% of active app users view it; 240 people join the prayer challenge via the embedded link.

Scenario 2: Emergency Weather Cancellation

Blizzard hits Saturday night. At 5:30 AM Sunday, pastor creates urgent announcement: "All Services Canceled Today—Stay Safe!" Channels: app (push notification) + email + website banner. Target: everyone. By 6 AM, 1,200 members receive push notification, 900 check email, 400 visit website. Zero confused families drive through dangerous conditions.

Scenario 3: Volunteer Recruitment

VBS needs 50 volunteers. Children's ministry publishes announcement: "VBS Needs You! Volunteer June 10-14." Target: families with kids ages 5-12 + anyone tagged "enjoys working with children." Channels: app + email. Includes volunteer role descriptions and sign-up link. Published Monday, expires when all slots filled (6 days later). Result: 54 volunteers sign up; announcement auto-expires early.

Scenario 4: Capital Campaign Update

Church is raising $2M for new worship center. Monthly pinned announcement shares progress: "We're 60% to Our Goal! $1.2M Raised." Updates monthly with new percentage and testimonial video. Pinned to stay top-of-mind. Channels: app + screens (email reserved for major milestones). Category: Campus-Wide. Expires when campaign concludes in 18 months.

Common Questions

Q: How many announcements should we have active at once?

A: Aim for 3-5 active announcements maximum. More than that and people start skipping over them. Use expiration dates aggressively to keep the feed fresh and relevant.

Q: Can I schedule announcement emails to send at different times than app publish?

A: Yes! Under Channels, you can set different publish times per channel. For example, publish to app Saturday evening but delay email until Sunday morning. This avoids inbox clutter while maximizing visibility.

Q: What happens if someone doesn't have the mobile app?

A: They won't see app-only announcements. Best practice: use app + email for important updates to reach everyone. Encourage app adoption by highlighting its benefits (announcements, giving, event registration all in one place).

Q: Can group leaders create announcements for their groups only?

A: Yes! Group leaders can create announcements targeted to their specific group (visible only to group members). Church-wide announcements require elevated permissions. Configure under Settings → Roles & Permissions.

Q: How do I stop an announcement that's already published?

A: Navigate to Announcements → Active, find the announcement, and click Unpublish. It immediately disappears from all channels. Useful if information changes or an event cancels.

Q: Can I duplicate a previous announcement instead of starting from scratch?

A: Absolutely. Find any past announcement, click Duplicate, edit the content and dates, and republish. Perfect for recurring events like annual church picnics or monthly prayer nights.