Ultimate Guide To Church Bulletins: How To Start Your Own

Joshua Gordon

Last updated on Feb 3, 2025

QUICK SUMMARY

Looking to make your church bulletin more effective? This guide covers creative ideas, best practices, and resources to ensure your church communication thrives.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Include THESE Elements... Creating A Church Bulletin Examples

Key Takeaways

Opt for streamlined, clear design: Simple, uncluttered design means more people read and engage with your bulletin.

Communicate clearly and effectively: The clearer you communicate, the easier it is for your people to remain informed and engaged.

Incorporate creative and engaging content: Elements like devotionals, volunteer highlights, and member stories draw folks into your community.

Leverage resources to boost your impact: Consider using a bulletin subscriptions to streamline the administrative load.

Keeping your church bulletin fresh, effective, and engaging can feel like a constant challenge. When church communication falls flat, it impacts more than just your Sunday services:

Important events and ministry opportunities get missed by your congregation.
New visitors struggle to feel connected and informed.
Your team spends hours designing bulletins that often go unnoticed.

These frustrations often happen because church bulletins aren’t being optimized with the right tools, templates, or strategies.

That’s why I’ve put together this guide to help you rethink your approach to church bulletins. From creative ideas and best practices to recommendations for subscriptions and resources, this article will equip you to make your bulletins stand out and truly serve your church community.

The Tie Between Church Communication and Management

Communication with your people is a key part of our role as pastors. There’s definitely a meaningful connection, though, between managing your church and communicating with members. As your management of chruch systems, schedules and volunteers improves, so too will your communication. To that end, make sure your church management software is the right fit for you and your management style.

And, further to the point, consider posting your church bulletins online. Most likely, your church website building software supports this function.

What Is A Church Bulletin?

When looking for and implementing the best church bulletin ideas, you'll discover they can play a huge role in communication with your church.

Weekly emails are important - but they're easily ignored or missed entirely. A church bulletin, though, is often read during down times in a service, while waiting for the offering to be over, etc... Simply put, the church bulletin is a one stop shop for all church news and updates.

Why Are Church Bulletins Important?

An important thing to remember with church bulletins is that they have a dual role: keeping church members informed and offering visitors valuable insights into the church's identity.

Attending just one worship service may not fully showcase what the church entails, nor would first-time visitors likely sign up for email lists (or join your well-built church directory) right away. Therefore, the bulletin serves as an effective entry point, allowing visitors to explore upcoming events put on by your church event management team, bible studies, midweek youth and children's programs, small groups, and various outreach initiatives that may interest them.

It becomes a warm invitation for potential newcomers to connect, engage, and discover the church's vibrant community and diverse offerings. If your church hosts a mother’s day tea, events like this can be announced.

What To Include In A Church Bulletin

While you’ll find below some examples of what things are included in church bulletins, remember that you can tailor the information to fit your own church and what works for your congregation. Your bulletin may also look different depending on the month or season.

A church bulletin is a tangible way for your members to engage with your services and ministries. It is a point of contact for newcomers that can give them a way to get and stay connected with your church. (Bonus: introverts can get lost in reading the bulletin and avoid feeling awkward navigating pre-service small talk. )

*Introverts will have it made in the shade as they peruse the latest bulletin before the service starts.*

Bulletins can be especially helpful when hosting events outside of your regular Sunday service. Your attendees will know what to expect as they arrive. This also provides a nice keepsake for special events (eg. weddings or memorial services). Here are some examples of events where a bulletin would be helpful:

Praise and Worship Services
Christmas Eve Services
Weddings
Funerals or Memorial Services
Baptism Ceremonies
Church Anniversary Celebrations
Community Outreach Events
Fundraising Events
Seasonal Choir Performances or Talent Nights
Conferences

Examples of Bulletin Info

Here are some things you might include.

Order of worship: A structured outline of the service, encompassing the opening prayer, hymns or songs, scripture readings, sermon, and closing benediction.
Song lyrics: Provide the words of the hymns or worship songs that will be sung during the service, enabling everyone to participate in the worship.
Scripture readings: List the passages from the Bible that will be read during the service to facilitate engagement and reflection.
Announcements: Share important church updates, upcoming events, community activities, and opportunities for volunteering and involvement.
Sermon notes: Offer a designated space for attendees to take notes during the sermon, helping them retain key insights.
Prayer requests: Provide a section for individuals to jot down prayer requests, fostering a sense of communal support.
Contact information: Display the contact details of church staff or leaders for easy access and communication. If your church is on social media, include the handles for that as well.
Church information: Include details about the church's mission, vision, core values, and special ministries or programs like Sunday School or young adult programs.
Giving information: Present information on how attendees can financially contribute to support the church's mission and activities.
Expressions of gratitude: Extend appreciation to volunteers, donors, or contributors who have supported the church's endeavors.
Special events: Highlight upcoming special services, like Palm Sunday or Good Friday services, concerts, guest speakers, or other significant gatherings.
Inspirational quotes or devotionals: Incorporate brief inspirational quotes or devotionals to encourage personal reflection and spiritual growth. If your church is going to a preaching series you may want to include a reading guide that they can do at home during the week.
Community resources: Include relevant information about local resources or services that may benefit the congregation.

How To Create A Church Bulletin

Here are some examples of easy steps to take when creating a church bulletin. It may seem like a lot now, but once the steps and systems are in place it will flow easier. Get more ideas for your church bulletin here and get more details on how to create a church bulletin here.

Identify Objectives

If you have not created a church bulletin for your church yet or are looking to revamp it, a great idea would be to sit down with some of your leadership team and determine the main goals of your church bulletin. Is it to inform, inspire, or engage the congregation? Understanding the purpose of your worship bulletin will guide your content and design decisions.

A quick note about ongoing training:

Finding time for leadership training is difficult, and attending church leadership conferences or church technology conferences can be costly. But without continued learning, leadership skills weaken, and the church may struggle to grow. Investing in training—whether through pastor conferences or a church administration certification—strengthens leadership, keeping the church healthy and moving forward.

Gather Information

Collect all the necessary information, including the order of worship, song lyrics, scripture readings, announcements, upcoming events, and any other relevant details. If you are needing to get info from certain leaders or pastors each week, it may be helpful to have a schedule or deadline for them to get the information to you so that you don't have to chase it every week.

For example, if you want your bulletins completed by Thursday, have the deadline as Wednesday end of day to give yourself some wiggle room if people are late getting to you.

Create a Template

Design a bulletin template that aligns with your church's branding and overall style. Ensure it's easy to read, visually appealing, and leaves enough space for content. Don't worry if you are not an expert in graphic design; a simple bulletin can be just as effective!

You might have a totally different template for your Christmas Bulletin or your Easter Bulletin as well, so feel free to get creative.

Find some church bulletin templates to get started with here.

Organize Content

Arrange the gathered information in a logical order. Typically, the order of worship comes first, followed by other sections such as announcements, contact information, and inspirational quotes.

Proofread

Double-check all the content for accuracy, grammar, and spelling errors. A well-proofread bulletin reflects professionalism and attention to detail. Also, have other people read it too. This will help in catching spelling errors, and a fresh pair of eyes can help us find sentences that don’t make sense, even when they may make total sense in our minds.

Engaging Elements

Consider adding engaging elements like images, artwork, or graphics to complement the text and make the bulletin visually appealing. Only use this if there is extra space; if your bulletin seems full already, a photo may make it more cluttered.

Consistency

Maintain a consistent format from week to week, so attendees know what to expect and can easily navigate the bulletin.

Print or Digital Format

Yes, paper bulletins are great, but they can be more costly to do, so you will need to decide whether the bulletin will be printed, digital, or both. Digital formats can be shared through email or church websites, while printed copies can be handed out during services.

Incorporate Feedback

If you are just getting started with bulletins or changing things up, encourage feedback from the congregation and church leadership. Regularly assess and evaluate how the bulletin is meeting its objectives and make improvements based on feedback. Be open to adapting and improving it over time based on the needs of the church community.

Update Regularly

Keep the bulletin current with fresh content and relevant information. Ensure it reflects the most up-to-date events and announcements. If you are still announcing baptism Sunday and it was 3 weeks ago, that doesn’t reflect well.

Promote Engagement

Encourage the congregation to interact with the bulletin, such as filling in prayer requests, taking sermon notes, or responding to calls to action.

By following these steps, your church can create a well-crafted bulletin that enhances the worship service experience and fosters a sense of connection and engagement within the congregation.

Church Bulletin Subscription Services

There are church bulletin subscription services available that can provide professional-quality bulletins. These services are often delivered quarterly. They are a great option to reduce the administrative load on your staff and volunteers. The bulletins provided are often highly customizable and can even offer digital distribution options.

However, keep in mind that this service will often come with a higher price tag which may not be suitable for churches on a tighter budget. Also, as the available designs are often quite simple, the bulletins provided may not be able to capture the true character and personality of your church.

Here are some subscription services to consider:

Warner Press: Their custom options come with different versions of Scripture and they offer ordering options online or over the phone.
Concordia: There are different styles to choose from and the designs are changed every year.
Outreach.com: Customizable options for monthly or weekly bulletins. They provide free shipping within the continental US and you can cancel anytime.
The KJV Store: They provide weekly bulletins with a full-color traditional design using King James Scripture.

Church Bulletin Examples

You can check out a full list of examples of church bulletin templates here.

Here are a few that I will highlight.

1. Two Rivers Church

two rivers church bulletin — *This is a great example of a church bulletin from Two Rivers Church.*

This is a great example of a bulletin. It is a bit on the longer side but they have done so well with using the space and it keeps the reader informed. The sermon outline is very creative and helps keep the listener engaged! The color scheme is simple and makes it an easy read as well.

2. Salem Baptist Church

salem baptist church bulletin — *Here's what Salem Baptist Church's bulletin looks like.*

This is a great example of how you can keep your bulletin simple and refined. It contains all the necessary info they need for the worship service. This approach is less on what's coming down the pipeline but more what can you expect at that Sunday worship service and that week.

3. New Greater Baptist Church

new greater baptist church bulletin — *Here's a good example from New Greater Baptist Church.*

This example really highlights how you can reuse communication info as needed, making less work for you each week. This is especially true of the sections “this week” and “this month.”

The prayer request section is a really great tool to help with building the culture of family and community and that you care for each other. The offering budget line is also a really great way to share transparency and create trust for the church community!

Final Thoughts

Engage in discussions with your leadership team to determine the ultimate goal for the weekly bulletin.

Is your bulletin solely for that Sunday, supporting congregation engagement with an order of service or sermon outline?
Does your bulletin also aim to welcome new visitors, giving them a glimpse of what your community church stands for?
Is your bulletin about showcasing upcoming events or ministries?

Answering these questions will bring clarity, and help improve the effectiveness of this potentially valuable tool.

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