Whenever we approach a bulletin design for a church, we start with a few questions about their bulletin process in general.

• What do your bulletins communicate about your ministry?
• Are they relevant to the branding and overall direction of your ministry?
• Do they relate to the specific message of the service they are used for?
• Are they just another way of spreading the news of upcoming events?

Recently we have found ourselves asking another question. Are printed bulletins actually the best method to get this information to your congregation? This question arose during a strategy meeting with a ministry we partner with. We were discussing the print and marketing budget for the ministry and putting a plan into action to see what was most effective. Several ideas were proposed involving weekly email blasts with the bulletin information and using the great service from YouVersion to make sermon notes available. After two months of planning, surveys and testing methods, this ministry has now killed off their old approach to bulletins. Their volunteer bulletin assembly team is thrilled, something was mentioned about the bandaid budget and fewer paper cuts. Read more →