7 Suggestions for a Great Church Bulletin

Each week, I write an article (or two) for our church bulletin. I also try to “edit” the bulletin each week, just to make sure there are no glaring mistakes. Obviously, some things still “get through,” but we try to make the bulletin both helpful and encouraging.

I am a fan of bulletins, but there are a few things I have seen that make bulletins more helpful. Please note that these will help in any size congregation. You don’t have to own a printing shop to produce a great weekly newsletter, but you must commit to certain things.

Here are a few things we do (or try to do) to make our bulletin as good as it can be:

1. Think about the Style. I’m not saying you have to have a degree in design or that you have to use a full-color bulletin. However, the “look” of the bulletin makes a huge difference. Sure, there are some who will read the bulletin no matter what is looks like. Far more, though, will take one look at it, glance at a few things, and throw it away–unless you make it attractive. When I made a design for ours, I took ideas from several other bulletins, but I also asked about 12 people for input. Yes, it took awhile, but now it’s a design we can use for some time.

2. Don’t Fill Every Square Inch with Text. I know, you have a lot to put in there, and so little space. But be honest, how many bulletins do you enjoy reading that are filled with words from top to bottom and left to right? Experts tell us that the eye needs “white space” (blank spaces) in order for our eyes to rest a little. If you must, go to a larger size bulletin just to accommodate this space. When we changed to a larger size, we didn’t add much to our bulletin, but it looks far better. Oh, and it costs us more each week, but only about $2 each week!

3. You Don’t Have to Report Everything. Our “news” part of our bulletin doesn’t actually contain much. Instead, we give out an extended announcement sheet at each worship service. Instead, our bulletin contains only the things that are necessary to know for that week. There are other ways to let the congregation know about the sickness of a 3rd cousin twice removed! Think of it this way: if there are fewer announcements, each of those that are included seems more important.

4. Keep it Positive. I understand that there are certain bits of news that are more difficult to pass along. Deaths and sickness must be included. However, the articles in the bulletin need to be positive, for the most part. That accomplishes at least two things. First, more people are likely to read and be encouraged by the articles. Also, when you do publish a “harder-to-swallow” article in the bulletin, it will stand out, instead of just being the norm.

5. Edit! As I said earlier, mistakes still get through in our bulletin, but we try to catch as many as possible. A simple reading through will catch many mistakes. I’m not saying the bulletin needs to be edited like a metropolitan newspaper, but you should look for glaring grammar errors, or for sentences that don’t make sense. I have even gotten bulletins before that still had event “invitations” in them for events that happened 2 or 3 weeks prior!

6. Send It Out Effectively. We still mail our bulletin to every family associated with Lebanon Road and to several others, mailing around 400 copies each week. However, we also send out the bulletin via email attachment late in the week. We do this mostly because we have had a little trouble with the postal service, and the lack of mailing led to several questions. Some congregations have stopped sending the bulletin through the mail at all, because members want it via email. Do what is best for your congregation, but honestly listen if you think about changing. Don’t just switch to email if you have a large number of older folks who love the bulletin, but who don’t have email.

7. Celebrate Victories Prominently. Unless we just totally make a mistake, those who respond to the Lord’s invitation go on the front page of our bulletin. Days with large attendance go there, as well. “Thank you’s” for major events (VBS, camp, etc.) are put there, too. Why? We want to celebrate the important things in a prominent place. If we can’t celebrate baptisms or restorations, what can we celebrate? I want the world to know when a sinner comes to Christ, because nothing glorifies God more!

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I am by no means an expert in design or even in “bulletin production,” but these 7 things are areas we try to do to make sure that our bulletin is as good as it can be for our members, and on our budget.

What are some suggestions you would give?

By the way, in case you are wondering, here is a copy of a recent bulletin. The design is mostly based on 9th Avenue’s bulletin from Haleyville, with a few changes for our needs at Lebanon Road. It is not printed in color, but shows up in color on this upload. We still print in black and white, but choose pictures and clip art that show up well, though they are not in color.

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