Should your church use church bulletins in your services? For years, the bulletin has been a staple of traditional and contemporary services. It works great as a fanning device during stuffy services. It doubles as a doodle pad for the kids (or parents). Church bulletins sometimes double as paper airplanes after (or before) the service. More true to their intent, many church bulletins display important calendar information, Scripture verses, song lyrics, and other helpful information. Are church bulletins something helpful for the church?
Using Church Bulletins
For some churches using church bulletins is a no-brainer. Of course they do! Other churches may have to think twice. Budget is a major part of this decision-making process. Paper isn’t free, and neither is the ink. Printers, toners, folders, sofwtare and computers cost money, and all are associated with church bulletins. Besides, there is the time that it takes to prepare a bulletin. Consider also the need for sharp design, eye-catching layout, church bulletin covers, and the need for some level of graphic design skill. Despite these things, using church bulletins is still a good idea.
When determining whether or not to use church bulletins, think about these five factors:
- Cost. Do we have the funds to print bulletins each week?
- Time. Do the administrative personnel or volunteers have the time to make a church bulletin?
- Ability. Do people in the church have the ability to create a church bulletin that is not an embarrassment?
- Distribution. Does the church have an effective way to distribute the bulletins to attendees?
- Audience. Will the people in the church use the bulletins profitably?
Church Bulletin Ideas
Although thousands of churches use church bulletins, not every church uses them well. Here are 6 ways you can use a church bulletin cover effectively.
- The church bulletin cover must look good. This is at the top of the list for a reason. Let’s just say it out loud. Tacky church bulletins are an embarrassment. Today’s generation–the generation that your church is trying to reach–is an intensely visual generation. Graphic design isn’t just a hobby or an optional add-on when it comes to media. It is essential. Many in today’s visually-oriented generation won’t look at a tacky website, won’t pick up a tacky bulletin, and won’t look twice at a tacky book cover. You’ve got to make sure that the bulletin cover looks sharp. Sharefaith provides thousands of bulletin covers with amazing graphic designs. At the low membership cost of an annual subscription, these bulletin covers are all included.
- The church bulletin must be informational. Church bulletin covers should provide information. Any church has events, upcoming dates, and special service times. Put this information in the bulletin. The bulletin is a valuable resource for putting into people’s hands. People will insert church bulletins in their Bibles, take it home, put it on the refrigerator, and use it as a resource for information.
- The church bulletin should include edifying content. When people walk into a service and sit down, the first thing that they do is look at their bulletin. Normally, people aren’t opening their Bibles or having a personal prayer time, although that would be ideal. Instead, they are looking at the bulletin. Provide them something to look at–something that is edifying and encouraging. Many churches put Scripture verses on their bulletin. Other churches put a devotional paragraph, a quotable statement from a Christian, a stanza of a hymn, or some other means of encouraging. This is an important feature to add in your bulletin.
- The church bulletin can include the order of service. One of the things that helps a visitor to your church is getting an idea of what’s going on. Thus, the order of service in a bulletin is an important feature. I once attended a church in which the order of service was very complex. Thankfully, the bulletin informed me as to what was going on, what was coming up, and the words to the song that I should sing.
- The church bulletin should include some information about the church. Since your bulletin may be the first thing that a visitor will look at, and perhaps the only church souvenir that he or she will take home, it is important that you have church information. A brief description, philosophy, pastoral staff, or service times will be very helpful. Besides, it serves as a helpful reminder for those who are regular attenders.
- The church bulletin should have contact information. What if people have further questions about the message? What if they want counseling? What if they want to find more about accepting Jesus? Provide a phone number or email address that people can use in case they want to contact the church or a pastor.
There are many other church bulletin ideas that we’ll share in future posts. For now, keep in mind that the church bulletin is a powerful and effective resource. For an easy and inexpensive way to design church bulletins and church bulletin covers, Sharefaith provides an ideal solution. Browse our bulletin covers collection and consider signing up as a member.
the order of service