Podcast Episode #164
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Lets talk church bulletin requirements. Not only should you have a bulletin, but it should have these nine things as well.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- At sporting events or concerts, you typically have an informative program available to you. Why should churches be any different?
- Church bulletins should be geared more toward guests than members.
- I know of too many churches who people have emailed about the church and have gotten no response.
- Even the smallest church can have a dedicated prayer request line via email or phone.
- When everything is in the bulletin, people remember nothing.
- Perforated cards for guests have a much lower response rate than loose cards.
The nine things a church bulletin must have are:
- Worship times
- Physical address of church
- Website and social media links
- Email, and telephone contact
- Prayer request contact
- Sermon notes
- Major events
- Vision or mission statement
- Order of service
Episode Sponsors
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Feedback
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I have heard many pastors say that having the order of service is limiting the Holy Spirit, some are so busy in their daily work that they cant be there waiting for prayer requests and they cant delegate, many have no vision and no record of their sermons, many are renting church place which makes it impossible for physical church address. Every time you make me examine my self and you add value on my life Be Blessed
Contact information for the church is absolutely necessary. Announcements that concern everyone is great but please leave off baby showers, etc. Also financial and attendance info is not needed. My personal pet peeve after having done bulletins for years is Memorials. Someone getting their name in bulletin because they gave in honor or memory of some one else. Order of worship is a must for visitors. Good to know what happens next in the service.
Many churches are leaving the traditional bulletin behind and opting for electronic or web formates. Why do you feel it is important to have a hard copy bulleting?
Thanks!
Jen –
I sure do. The hard copy bulletin is the one thing a guest will take home.
The hard copy with the Order of Worship is good for knowing which version of the creed, confession, and prayers will be said and when to sit, stand, and kneel. Translations and transliterations (for those whose Greek is not good) can also be there. Liturgical churches really don’t use a worship leader. If you drop it, no noise.
“Perforated cards for guests have a much lower response rate than loose cards.” So I should quit using LifeWay bulletins – now I know our church isn’t the only one where few guests fill out the tear-off response, even when a gift is offered.
Ouch.
I have seen churches have a time during the service when EVERYONE tears off their “perforated” response cards at the same time. This helps up the response rate.
I agree that a hard copy church bulletin is good and can be useful. It does give visitors and even church members some needed information. Having said that, I will add that church bulletins have caused me a great amount of headache over the years. I have heard way too much complaining over announcements accidentally left out, a memorial contribution that wasn’t included, and of course there are folks who want someone to stand in the pulpit at some point in the worship service and read the announcements printed in the bulletin.
In my first pastorate, a man became so irate with me over an announcement left out of the bulletin that he actually cursed me and threatened to hit me. On another occasion, a woman in my church stood up in a business meeting and angrily accused me of being responsible for there not being enough bulletins for everyone on Sunday morning (we were printing too few and kept running out – more people showing up than we’d expected, which is good, right?). She treated this like some sort of moral outrage.
So, my patience with bulletins has worn thin. Thanks for the reminder they are still useful.