Love them or hate them, bulletins have been a part of the church world for ages. But as the digital world progresses, should our printed bulletins stay behind?
As a seemingly small part of church services, there are strong arguments for and against printed church bulletins.
When it comes to whether or not you should ditch the bulletin, your first step (as is the case with nearly everything) should be to consider your audience.
If your audience members are mostly senior adults for example, a digital bulletin probably isn’t going to be your ideal form of communication. So, consider your audience first and foremost.
Otherwise, consider going digital.
4 Reasons Digital Bulletins Are Better
- A digital bulletin allows your church members to find important information just like they do everything else – online.
- It allows you to track views, push for signups, and engage with your church members in ways you would never be able to do via a printed piece.
- Having a single online source for accessing information, vs constantly changing URL’s on a website, allow your guests to easily access information outside of service when they need it the most.
- Saves money. The cost of printing digital bulletins compared to the cost of an online tool, even if you’re paying for it, is substantial.
If you’re unable to go the digital bulletin route, that’s a bummer. But if you are, here are a few ways to go about it.
Use An App
This should go without saying, but church apps don’t work for everyone. If however, they work for you, this is the perfect place to manage your digital bulletin. Make it clear where it is located, and if possible, utilize push notifications.
Use a Web-Based App
The folks over at Pro Church Tools created an awesome web-based app called “Nucleus” that allows you to create an app within your website. No need to download anything. A unique, short URL that people can go to any time that is mobile-based.
Check out some examples:
If you’re able to build your own, more power to you. That’s what Church on the Move did. If not, Nucleus is a great option.
A web-based app consolidates your most visited pages and announcement information into one easy-to-find place. Pro Church will tell you that Church apps are ineffective, but that’s for you to decide within the context of your church. Either way, a web-based app could be incredibly effective.
Set Up a Geo-Fence
A geofence is a virtual fence that’s placed around a real-world location. When someone comes within a designated distance of your geo-fence (your parking lot, for example), they’ll receive a push notification on their mobile device.
When guests show up on the weekend, each person will automatically receive a “copy” of your bulletin with which they can choose, or not choose to view.
At the end of the day, the whole point of what and how you are communicating isn’t that it works for you, but that it works for them. If online is where your audience goes to access information, make sure yours can be found there too.
