Want to know the fastest way to grow your church’s Instagram? Start posting Reels.
Why? Because Reels are designed to reach new people, not just the followers you already have.
That means every time you post one, you’re putting your church in front of someone who’s never heard of you before.
Yes, carousels and photo posts can sometimes go viral, but hands down, Reels give you the best chance to expand your reach and gain new followers.
The good news? Making Reels doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.
Anyone can do it, even with zero editing experience.
That’s why I’ve put together 12 simple Reels ideas your church can use right away.
Each one comes with an example for inspiration, so you can hit record with confidence.
Bookmark this post, and work through all 12, you’ll be surprised how quickly your reach (and your followers) start to grow.
Table of Contents:
- Motion Background Quote Reel
- Hop on a Current Trend
- Educational Reel
- Video/Photo Service Highlight Reel
- Team Highlight Reel
- The Original Audio Reel
- Pastor’s Day In The Life Reel
- Educational List
- Short Quote Reel
- Sing With Me to a Worship Song
- Sunday Message Recap
- Time Lapse Reel
Why Your Church Should Post Reels at Least Once a Week
Instagram recommends posting 4–7 Reels per week.
That may sound like a lot, but even posting just one Reel a week can make a big difference for your church.
Here’s why: Reels are Instagram’s #1 way to put your content in front of new people.
While carousels and photos are more likely to reach your current followers, Reels are designed to land on the Explore and Reels tabs, where people who don’t know your church yet can discover you.
Most churches still aren’t using Reels consistently.
That means you have a unique opportunity to stand out, share your message more effectively, and reach people who would never hear it otherwise.
Here’s the post straight from Instagram @creators explaining how to get discovered in the Reels tab.
Before you post, ask yourself:
- Is this Reel entertaining, inspiring, or educational?
- Could it connect with someone outside our church (not just insiders)?
- Is it clear, vertical, and easy to watch (not blurry or horizontal)?
The best part? You’re not too late.
The right time to start is today.
Use the 12 Reel ideas below to create meaningful content that serves people, points them to Jesus, and expands your church’s reach far beyond Sunday.
Instagram Reels Idea #1: Motion Background Quote Reel
The Motion Background Quote Reel doesn’t require any people to be in it and is very popular. Sound’s easy right?
The reason why this type of Reel works so well is because it appeals to people’s needs and emotions. It inspires, teaches and reminds us of the truth. People love to share them and save them for later as a reminder.
The truth is, most Reels do well because of the MESSAGE they communicate more than the quality of the video as shown by the example! That might be a relief to some of you...
Tips for this type of Reel:
- Choose footage of scenery
- Think more about the message you want to convey through the quote than what it looks like
- Choose a short punchy quote
Instagram Reels Idea #2: Hop on a Current Trend
Trends are a Reel that people use the same audio and put their own spin on it. A lot of trends come from TikTok first and then people bring them over to Reels.
If you want to see trends early, try finding them on TikTok.
When an audio is "trending" there is a diagonal arrow next to the audio and you can see how many people have used that audio for a Reel. A common strategy is to see which audio has only a few hundred or thousand Reels and has the "trending" arrow.
The earlier you hop on the trend, the greater chance that your Reel will "go viral" or be distributed out to more people.
While this is a great strategy to reach more people, posting Reels that aren't "trending" anymore is totally ok too.
You have options. You can only do original audio Reels or educational Reels, or you can dance in every Reel, the choice is yours. What matters is that your Reels are valuable to the people you serve and you like making them!
Below is an example from @txcelebration (one of my favorite church Instagram accounts to follow!). They do a good job sprinkling in some trending audio.
Instagram Reels Idea #3: Educational Reel
Reels do really well when they are educational because people want to learn, grow and make themselves better. What could you teach your church right now how to do?
Ideas for Teaching Reels for churches:
- How to spend time with God
- How to pray
- How to overcome fear
- Tips for leading your bible study
- Recap of your Sunday message
Instagram Reels Idea #4: Video/Photo Service Highlight Reel
Take people through the different teams and ministries at your church on Sunday through a string of photo and videos to music. There used to be more time consuming to create, but not anymore due to Instagram Reels Templates.
If the Reel was created directly in Instagram there will be a "use template" icon right above the creators Instagram handle. You can tap that button, and the timestamps will auto-generate for you so you can quickly create your own version of the Reel.
Check out this example. Open it up in your Instagram App and tap "use template" to make it your own in seconds.
Instagram Reels Idea #5: Team Highlight Reel
Highlight your volunteers by going around and spontaneously asking people how they are serving. Showing a lot of recognizable faces serving will inspire others to serve too! String the videos together in Reels and that's it, you're done. No need for fancy editing or professional video.
Make sure to add a Call to Action at the end telling people where they can join the team too.
Instagram Reels Idea #6: The Original Audio Reel
Surveys are showing that people are preferring Reels with original audio.
What does this mean? People love content that is unique to YOU and your church. People love to listen to others be real, authentic and share something of value.
For this Reel, you or something from your church will be sharing for 30-90 seconds about a topic you choose. You don't need to edit it, we want this to be the raw, unfiltered vibe.
Make sure to always add closed captions (you can do this directly in Reels).
Instagram Reels Idea #7: Pastor’s Day In The Life
Follow your Pastor(s) for a day and take short clips. I bet your community is so curious about the normal things your Pastor does throughout the day. This will also really help your community connect with your Pastor(s) more and build the like, know and trust factor.
Day In the Life Suggestions:
- Getting coffee
- Morning Routine
- Lunch plans
- Current church projects
- Family time
- Evening routines
Instagram Reels Idea #8: Educational List
Lists are a great way to educate your audience about something. Try one of these prompts or make up your own related to your current message series.
- Things to remember when you are anxious
- 5 things to give up
- What I am thankful for
- 5 things to tell yourself today
Instagram Reels Idea #9: Short Quote
This simple quote reel with music is encouraging and worth saving. The most important part is that the quote you pick resonates with your community.
The quotes I’ve seen resonate with people most are quotes that are short and punchy, and where you feel some conviction with it, in a good way.
Instagram Reels Idea #10: Sing With Me to a Worship Song
I think we all want to see you or your team members lip sync to one of your favorite worship songs. Enough said. These "Sing With Me" Reels are so fun. Pick your favorite songs and expand on the lyrics in the caption to encourage your community.
Instagram Reels Idea #11: Sunday Message Recap Quote
This is a great Reel to add to your arsenal if you already film your Sunday message!
A few keys to this type of Reel:
- Always used closed captions because most people will be scrolling through without sound
- Do not use any backgrounds or post a horizontal video. Your video will need to be good enough quality to grab a vertical version. Instagram also has said that videos with backgrounds or that aren't full frame will not get distributed as much.
- Use a quote that is intriguing for someone to keep listening to
- Put a title at the beginning so people know what the quote video is about
This Reel by @thehousefw is a great example.
Instagram Reels Idea #12: Time Lapse Reel
Use this Reel to build anticipation for an announcement coming up or place a quote image on it like the example.
Choose some "trending" audio to go with it or your favorite worship song.
Some ideas of what to take your time lapse of:
- teams setting up for service
- a ministry in your church
- your Pastor preaching
- small groups
- worship at service
Conclusion
There you have it, 12 Reels ideas to try today! Here's the Reels we went over if you skipped to the bottom.
- Motion Background Quote Reel
- Hop on a Current Trend
- Educational Reel
- Video/Photo Service Highlight Reel
- Team Highlight Reel
- The Original Audio Reel
- Pastor’s Day In The Life Reel
- Educational List
- Short Quote Reel
- Sing With Me to a Worship Song
- Sunday Message Recap
- Time Lapse Reel
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