{"id":30931,"date":"2021-04-07T11:27:57","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T15:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/?p=30931"},"modified":"2021-04-07T11:27:57","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T15:27:57","slug":"the-history-and-future-of-church-bulletins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2021\/04\/the-history-and-future-of-church-bulletins\/","title":{"rendered":"The History (and Future) of Church Bulletins"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re looking for an in-depth academic look into the history of church bulletins, you\u2019re probably going to be sorely disappointed. There aren\u2019t any books written that detail the (presumably) exciting history of church bulletin use.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before church bulletins, information about the service was limited to hymn numbers posted on a board at the front of the church. And any pertinent information was passed on via announcement before or after the service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over time, churches started using mimeograph machines. Edison patented the first autographic duplicating press in 1876; by 1887, flatbed duplicators were selling for $12 (about $250 in today\u2019s currency). Churches created an early market for the Edison Mimeograph. Suddenly, they could produce service leaflets or programs that provided information about their services: sermon titles, hymn numbers, liturgical notes, and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n

The introduction of offset printing and bulletin covers\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Edison Mimeograph manufacturer, the A.B. Dick Company, branched into offset presses after World War 2. These early duplicators led the way for the independent quick printing shops of the 60s and greatly improved the church\u2019s bulletin options.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t too long before Christian companies began offering bulletin covers that featured art and photography adorned with passages of Scripture. Bulletin content was printed on the inside.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Churches eventually began designing their bulletin covers on the computer, and you can <\/span>still<\/span><\/i> find churches who swear by them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As computing power improved, churches could plug in their own <\/span>images and graphics<\/span><\/a>, customizing them with the worship verses<\/a> of their choosing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The future of bulletins<\/span><\/h2>\n

There will be opportunities for bulletins going forward. But it\u2019s probably time for churches to wrestle with the cost and waste associated with printing bulletins. When you think about the time churches spend putting them together and then consider what happens to them when it\u2019s all said and done, one has to wonder about their usefulness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pros:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n