ThomRainer.com

Thom Rainer is the Founder and CEO of Church Answers

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Books
  • Podcasts
    • Rainer on Leadership
    • Revitalize & Replant
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS

October 2, 2015 9 Comments

Nine Things a Church Bulletin Must Have – Rainer on Leadership #164

Podcast Episode #164

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play


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:

  1. Worship times
  2. Physical address of church
  3. Website and social media links
  4. Email, and telephone contact
  5. Prayer request contact
  6. Sermon notes
  7. Major events
  8. Vision or mission statement
  9. Order of service

Episode Sponsors

Vanderbloemen Search GroupVanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped hundreds of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead your church. Find out more about Vanderbloemen Search Group by visiting WeStaffTheChurch.com.


TEDS-Logo_Vert_1-ColorTrinity Evangelical Divinity School is a dynamic community of learners who are serious about ministry preparation biblical studies theological reflection and cultural engagement. Their faculty are gifted men and women who minister as much through research and writing as through local church involvement but their primary ministry is teaching and caring for students. Find out more about TEDS at Divinity.TIU.edu.

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of I Will.

Resources

  • Nine Essentials for Guest-friendly Church Bulletins
  • How to Make Announcements in Worship Services
  • Church Answers Live

Related

Comments

  1. Kabugo.E.Hope says

    October 2, 2015 at 8:30 am

    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

    Reply
  2. Marcha says

    October 2, 2015 at 8:32 am

    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.

    Reply
  3. Jen Mollet says

    October 2, 2015 at 9:12 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Thom Rainer says

      October 2, 2015 at 10:57 am

      Jen –

      I sure do. The hard copy bulletin is the one thing a guest will take home.

      Reply
    • Mark says

      October 2, 2015 at 2:03 pm

      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.

      Reply
  4. Stephen Jones says

    October 2, 2015 at 10:30 am

    “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.

    Reply
    • Thom Rainer says

      October 2, 2015 at 10:57 am

      Ouch.

      Reply
      • Greg Yount says

        October 2, 2015 at 1:44 pm

        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.

        Reply
  5. Dan Birchfield says

    October 2, 2015 at 9:14 pm

    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.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Interested in becoming a sponsor at ThomRainer.com? Click Here.


Listen to the Latest Episode of Rainer on Leadership

Categories

Archives

@ThomRainer

My Tweets

Copyright © 2021 · Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in