The bulletin, or “program,” as some places call it, lists the events of the day and week as well as any other upcoming events or news to promote regarding our different ministries. It also includes Bible-reading schedules, financial shortfalls, my pastor’s article, among many other pieces of noteworthy information. From time to time, inserts are also included.
For guests and visitors, the bulletin is a bird’s-eye view into a church they might know nothing about, the first impression of sorts. For church family and friends, it’s the schedule they align with theirs. The bulletin, then, becomes more than just a hodgepodge of information; it’s a printed tool for the ministry.
Here are some tips for preparing the church bulletin:
- Spell-check, even names. Most Microsoft programs have a built-in spell-checking program, which is great. But be careful with words that are automatically changed that should not be, such as pastoring, which is sometimes automatically changed to pasturing, among other words. Another example—the word soul winning is two words (“soul-winning” when an adjective and “soul winning” as a noun). However, some other programs do not have that tool. Regarding names, try your best to find out the correct spelling—is it Aimee, Amy, or Amie?
- Have another pair of eyes look at it. When you’re working on something for an extended period of time, the mind will make allowances for any mistakes. It’s not that you don’t see the mistakes—your eyes are working fine—it’s just that your mind knows what the content is and should be and inadvertently skims over any possible errors. In our ministry, anything that goes to the press is proofed by another set of eyes. This allows us to catch all the little mistakes people miss because they’ve been looking at the same data for long periods of time.
- Confirm information. It might take a few telephone calls and e-mails, but it’s always best to include the most updated information you can get. Is the activity still a go? Is this the right info? Where do the people meet? My pastor says that people should be able to rely on the bulletin.
- Include activity locations, start/end times, activity fees, and childcare notes, if applicable. Include where people should meet if there are different locations where departure is possible. Also, include a contact name so that members can contact the appropriate person for further details as needed. When listing upcoming events, put them in chronological order. And when listing dates and times, try to use the same format. For example, “The Ladies’ Tea will be held on Thursday, November 17, at 9:00 a.m…” The next event should probably read like “Join Pastor Trieber for a workday on Saturday, November 19, at 1:00 p.m…” and not like “This Saturday, which is the nineteenth, Pastor Trieber will have a workday at 9:00 in the morning…”
- Be conservative with the number of fonts. Apart from the one main font I use for text, I use two or maybe three additional fonts at the most and even then, very moderately.
- Use only appropriate pictures. There are millions of stock photos available, but not all of them are appropriate for the church bulletin. On a related note, if possible, graphics should be the same type—if you are using pictures, stick with picture-type graphics—clipart with clipart, black-and-white illustrations with black-and-white illustrations. Of course, this is not possible with everything; but it helps make the bulletin appear more cohesive.
- When including inserts, choose appropriate paper colors. For example, we try to stay away from reds and greens when it’s not the Christmas season and oranges and browns when it’s not autumn.
- Consider the bulletin as a whole. Is it aesthetically pleasing to the eye? Are there any margin errors or unnecessary blank spaces? Does anything stand out that should not? Do the announcements make sense? Are there misplaced modifiers that might be confusing? Is there something missing or something that should be added?
Lastly, we all make mistakes. I still do and cross my fingers, hoping they weren’t too obvious. The great thing about memory is that we can remember what those mistakes were and learn from them. We can get up and try not to make them again. (Moving forward, I know for a fact that I will never mistype Acts again. It wasn’t something long like Deuteronomy or II Thessalonians; it was Acts!) Below are some other bulletin faux pas we might learn from or use to at least feel better about our own bulletin blunders:
The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer Conference includes meals.
For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Don’t let worry kill you—let the church help.
The concert held in the Fellowship Hall was a great success. Special thanks are due to the minister’s daughter, who labored the whole evening at the piano, which as usual fell upon her.
Next Thursday, there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
The church will host an evening of fine dining, superb entertainment, and gracious hostility.
Join us tonight for prayers, coffee, and fresh beagles.
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Crissi Hussin, Finance Office
Crissi and her family began attending NVBC as a result of door-to-door soul winning and visitation in 1991. Twelve years later, during her junior year at GSBC, she joined the church staff and had the privilege of working alongside some of the very same people who reached her family over a decade prior. Crissi currently serves in the business office of North Valley.
Thank you for these helpful tips on preparing the church bulletin! It’s always great to have guidance on creating a clear and organized bulletin for our congregation. – Ashley Fowler.