Church Bulletins: An Important Ministry

Experts tell us that America is no longer considered a Christian nation. We are considered a post-Christian culture. Because of that, many people grow up knowing nothing about God or ever reading His Word. But everyone has a hunger for God, and they know churches tell people about God. When they visit your church, the church bulletin may be the first piece of Christian literature many people see, and for some of them, it may be the last. Or it may be the beginning of a new life.

It’s easy to forget that. Often in church offices the bulletin is the pain-in-the-neck, have-to-get-it-out-again, no-room-for-creativity-or-fun piece. Our lives have meaning again once that project is done for the week.

But think about it for a minute. For a person who is lonely, or the family new in the community, for the generation-X engineer who has already made his first million, tried it all and isn’t satisfied by anything—when all these folks come to you, they are handed the bulletin. They usually have several minutes to sit and can’t do anything else but read it and look for their needs to be met.

What does it say to them? It is the face and heart of your church. Does it reflect the church well? For many it is also their first look at Jesus as expressed by His people. Evaluate your bulletin with these thoughts in mind.

You may want to make some modifications to make your bulletin more user-friendly. To help you do that, following are some tips:

• Design your bulletin for someone who knows nothing about your church—location of preschool rooms, rest rooms, classes, and so on. A little map can be useful as well as giving the location of your information or welcome center.

• Be sure to have a clear welcome as the first thing they see. Sometimes churches put the welcome on the back of the bulletin and folks don’t see it until the end of the service. Think about putting the welcome on the cover and maybe something to think about before the service starts. Pictures on the cover (especially pictures of the church) really don’t accomplish much on a publication that usually doesn’t have much space for all it needs to say.

• What about the procedure for the offering? Many churches state that the offering is for members or regular attendees only and visitors are under no obligation to give.

• Be sure to explain any activities that are unique to your church—ask for eyes to see whatever may be confusing to a stranger and then briefly reassure them or explain it. Always put in an order of service—visitors don’t know what comes next and can become very uncomfortable.

• For your regular church attendees, the bulletin is often their lifeline to church activities. Repetition is important because not everyone is there every Sunday so repeat important events at least two or three times.

• Most important of all in every bulletin, be sure to have a brief gospel presentation. It doesn’t have to be long or complex—John 3:16 provides a great pattern. Summarize the message of salvation in one paragraph and pray that the Lord will allow you to meet people in heaven who may have just passed through your church, but picked up that bulletin and in a quiet moment responded to Jesus.