7 Be-Attitudes of Church Bulletins

I will admit at the outset: I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with church bulletins. I love them when they truly serve a purpose and are done well. I hate them when it is obvious that a congregation has a church bulletin because…well…they’ve always had a church bulletin (and it shows).

I will also make this disclaimer: I do not claim to always be part of producing a perfect bulletin. I do try to help make our “Family Newsletter” at 9th Avenue the best it can be, but I see things virtually every week that can be improved.

7 Suggestions

It is in that spirit that I offer this list. These are some be-attitudes of church bulletins. In other words, this is the “Do” list, and I pray it encourages each congregation that has a bulletin to produce the best document they can.

1. Be Purposeful. What is the purpose of your church’s bulletin? Is it strictly in-house information? Is it evangelistic? Is it meant to take the place of spoken announcements? Is it for worship, or meant to be read during the week, previewing Sunday? Too many congregations try to do a mishmash of things with their newsletter. In doing so, we usually accomplish very little.
2. Be Encouraging. I know there was a time for “writing people up” in the church’s bulletin. I firmly believe those days are (long) gone as an effective use of space. The bulletin needs to be filled with things that put wind in the sails of people who are looking for something positive in this world. Surely, you can find something good and positive to print; after all, we are sharing the gospel–the good news!
3. Be Cutting. I don’t mean that we should be cutting people down. Instead, I mean that, when we print, less is more. If your bulletin is filled from top-to-bottom and left-to-right with tiny print, the odds I am going to read it are basically zero. Give people some white space, so their eyes can rest for a moment. I know there is a lot going on, but should the Lord tarry, you’ve got next week to print something, too! You don’t have to fill every week’s bulletin with thousands of words. (Of course, one way to keep much of the same material and still add white space is to increase the size of the paper.)
4. Be Editorializing. I am not a perfect editor. I try to find obvious mistakes and correct them, but mistakes still get through (probably every week). Still, it is obvious when a bulletin has just been thrown together and there has been no editing whatsoever. Whoever edits the bulletin (and if it can be more than one person, that’s always a plus) should at least give some regard to the grammar and spelling. Remember, if guests pick up the bulletin, the shoddiness or the excellence speaks volumes about how we are.
5. Be Graphic. No, I don’t mean we should put shocking material in our newsletters. What I mean is that the word “bulletin” does not have to mean “text-only.” A well-done graphic can stand out very well in the newsletter. We often use our back page to put graphics for upcoming events or sermon series, but any part of the bulletin can be done in a well-done graphic design.
6. Be Design-Conscious. I do not have a design degree, and I am certainly not an expert, but we must move off the days of putting a piece of clip-art on the front page and then six or seven different fonts on the middle pages of our “news and notes” in the bulletin. Having some sense of design is not difficult any longer, and the most common programs used to create bulletins (Word, Publisher, and Pages) actually make it quite easy. Also, a good resource (though a bit dated) to have on your shelf is The Non-Designer’s Design Book. I read this book several years ago, and it really made me think about some very simple techniques to make bulletins, sign-up sheets, and other materials as visually appealing as possible with very little skill in that area.
7. Be Willing to Change. I know, I know. We don’t like change. I do not think a bulletin should change every week or month, but a facelift every so often can do a lot of good. Most medium-to-large congregations have someone who can design a nice template to use. If you don’t have someone, it may fall on you, but even just changing the size, font, or header to be more appealing can add interest.

Should we even have church bulletins any longer? That’s a discussion for a different time. But if a congregation decides to have them, I pray that these seven suggestions help us all use this medium to the glory of God and the growth of His people.

Examples of Great Bulletins

I thought I would end by giving some examples of great bulletins. Remember, these are listed here for their visual appeal and ease of use.

House to House, Heart to Heart [PDF; Jacksonville, Alabama, church of Christ] This is not a “bulletin,” per se, but is a fantastic example of great design for a similar purpose. Graphically appealing and very informative.

The Beacon [PDF; Beltline church of Christ; Decatur, AL] I really like the graphic appeal of the front of their newsletter. It is meant to be used more as a worship bulletin.

Hillsboro Herald [PDF; Hillsboro church of Christ; Nashville, TN] While this newsletter uses a lot of words, notice how they keep the fonts clean and use several colors to keep it interesting. Also, note their front page, which emphasizes their current theme.

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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn

Photo background credit: Nigel Lamb on Creative Commons