Oh, bulletins. Many of us dream of getting rid of them, or at least digitizing them. And yet, somehow, most of us simply cannot let them go. Since we’re stuck with them for now, let’s make sure they serve our church well. To be clear, by “church” I don’t mean our staff and ministry leaders; I mean the people the people out there. In the seats. Reading the things. (Hopefully.)
To make the most of your bulletin, consider these do’s and don’ts:
Bulletin Content
- Do know the purpose of your bulletin. See the Courageous Storytellers resource, “Bulletins: A Minimalist’s Perspective.”
- Do tweak repeated announcements, at least a little bit, so people aren’t reading the exact same thing from week to week.
- Do dedicate a good chunk of real estate to your guests and answer some FAQs.
- Do think about your bulletin as a discipleship tool, not just a communication channel.
- Do coordinate verbal announcements and bulletin announcements. “Hey, if you’re new to Crosshaven, we’d love to have you join us next week for Coffee and Questions. You’ll find all the details in the bulletin.”
- Do point people to your website for additional information.
- Don’t promote activities not sponsored by your church, such as youth sports organizations, school fundraisers, and so on.
- Don’t repeat announcements for more than three consecutive weeks.
- Don’t over-insert. See the Courageous Storytellers resource, “To Insert or Not to Insert.” You can also watch Jonathan Malm explain what happens when inserts explode all over visitors.
Get the full resource to see more do’s and don’ts on copy, process, and design.
More:
This is an example of what Courageous Storytellers members get. It was one of the resources available during our focus on bulletins and now available to members in our archive. Consider joining Courageous Storytellers today.
