The Church is Missing out on Snapchat

There’s an app almost all teens are on, and the Church is missing out. 

To be honest, I think it’s good that people over 25 aren’t thinking about Snapchat. This is definitely a platform that should stay with the youth. But there is a huge opportunity for parishes to stay connected with young Catholics through the app!

Just look at these stats from a recent report on the Snapchat Generation.

• Snapchat reaches 75% of 13–34-year-olds and sees 900 million monthly active users.
• 99 million Americans use Snapchat daily. 
• Snapchatters sent over 880 billion chats in Q1 2025. 
• Today, Snapchatters collectively talk for more than 1.7B minutes each day on average. That’s 30% more than this time last year.
• 82% of US teens use Snapchat monthly and 36% say it is their favorite social platform

Snapchat has a reputation for authenticity among apps. People think the least before posting on here, because it will float away into the great beyond. There’s a sense of freedom in that.

What About a Parish Snapchat?

There’s a strong chance the youth of your parish are on Snapchat. If you have a youth ministry and youth groups, Snapchat might be a natural way to help connect them and nurture faith without the clutter that so many other social networks bring.

Plus, you don’t need a design team or in-depth strategy or a pre-planned content calendar. This isn’t like other platforms like TikTok or Instagram. It’s not about big numbers and fancy reports. We’re talking about a small but engaged community of teens sharing lives and love for Christ. All it takes is a phone and some willing participants. 

One of the biggest influences on a teen’s faith is seeing it genuinely lived out by their friends and peers. Youth ministers and parents need all the help they can get, showing teens how Catholicism is a concrete help to everyday problems and decisions.

Snapchat can aid that in a genuine, not overly processed way.

As with any platform, it’s wise to do your homework first. Open an account. Poke around. Ask your Parish’s youth if they use it, how, and why. The parish’s responsibility is to moderate the use of the platform. But the youth and their leaders will actually run it. The content must feel organic and not like “what’s up fellow kids?”

Here’s What a Parish Snapchat Could Look Like

If I was youth group leader, here is how I’d manage the parish Snapchat.

1. Meet with the youth group leaders and study the channel, come up with a plan, and understand how their peers use it so content feels most organic. 
2. Give youth group leaders access on Sundays and assign each of them a day of the week to post if they can.
3. During the week, monitor the posts going up from youth leaders. 
4. Twice a week, monitor comments and block anyone with inappropriate comments or responses, especially on the days your parish posts the most.
5. Have the youth group leaders lead the content, with the help of the teens in their groups.
6. Put the parish on Snap Maps and include the times of youth group events.
7. Create custom filters that show up every Sunday during youth group, or just for special events like adoration, praise and worship, social events, and retreats.

Parish Snapchat Content Ideas

This is the kind of content I’d have the team post.

• Selfies
• Blurry pics with funny captions 
• Set up and take-downs of youth group
• Introducing leaders
• Shenanigans and fun moments 
• Food photos
• Videos of the songs played during adoration
• Videos of the games played during youth group
• Videos asking questions to different people
• Q&As
• Group photos
• What happened at school
• Small moments from youth group, like the book you’re reading, the guitar sitting there, the Eucharist, etc.
• Video snippet of the talks
• Asking for answers/to choose between two choices 
• Use filters 
• Daily things or following along with activities
• Promoted places on map with times for meet-ups
• Custom filters
• Day in the life takeover
• Reaction videos
• Before and afters 
• Game moments
• Pass the phone videos
• Photos of small group
• Praying together
• Two photos and then asking guess which one they’re doing next
• Weekly tradition shots
• Goodbye snacks
• Name tags at beginning or people writing them
• Photos of small details like notes, sheet music, etc.
• Voting on teams 
• Scoreboard updates
• Photo of leader with text sharing the topic for tonight
• Series of photos each week with first arrival vs. last arrival
• End with see you in X days
• Invites to other events
• Throughout the week, maybe have youth group leaders send pics of spiritual experiences, prayer, or even just being wacky

The ROI of Snapchat

At the end of the day, Snapchat isn’t about polished branding or perfect messaging. We need to show up where teens already are and connect the beautiful richness of Catholicism to their daily lives.

Empower them to cultivate their friendships in the context of maturing in faith. Let them take the lead; they know the platform best and how it can serve their spiritual needs.

If the Church wants to speak to the next generation, we can’t ignore the platforms that influence their friendships, dreams, and beliefs. 

Right now, Snapchat is one of the easiest, most authentic ways for parishes to step into a space where the audience can lead and grow with guidance.

Are you using Snapchat at your parish? What are the pros and cons you see? Join the conversation! Shoot us an email at info@yellowlinedigital.com and follow us on LinkedIn.