If there’s one thing church communicators love to hate, it’s the church bulletin. Some have tried to kill it, but the rest of us just make do. We decided to talk to some church communicators and see how the bulletin is working (or not) for them.
Today we talk with Katrina McMillan, the communications director at Celebration Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Fla.
What do you love about your bulletin?
We call our bulletin the “Take-Away” to encourage people to take the cards home with them instead of leaving them in seats on a Sunday morning. Also, it is made to be read in less than 90 seconds. Our goal before services start is for our people to be connecting to each other, not burying their heads in a piece of paper. Our bulletin is a simple 4-inch by 6-inch postcard. One side is a pre-printed advertisement for our church app. Then each week, we print the barebones details about upcoming events and announcements and point people to our app for all the details.
What would you change about your bulletin?
Our ultimate goal is to go totally paperless! We hope to encourage people to use our app as the place to find all the information they need. Our current postcards are a step in the journey to paperless Sundays.
Is there anything unique about your bulletin that other churches don’t do?
The fact that we gear ours to be read in such a short period of time is probably pretty unique.
How is your bulletin process working these days? How have you improved it?
We’ve streamlined the submission process a lot in the last nine months. When people submit something to be included in the app, it also goes on the schedule to be listed on the Take-Away. We limit events to being listed for only three weeks prior to the event—unless it’s an event with a higher price tag (youth camps, mission trips, etc). Those we allow more lead time so people can prepare to spend the money if they want to.
Bulletin Example
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Need more help with bulletins?
- Free tips: Grab 40 Church Bulletin Tips to get a host of help for your bulletin.
- Pro resources: Our Courageous Storytellers membership site spent a whole month focused on bulletins, including examples, templates, how to go digital, expert advice, and more. Join Courageous Storytellers today to get access.
