In spite of visitors coming to us every week and  though we live in a time when we have the most extraordinary communication tools ever available to the church—the Internet and email for free, instant communications around the world, PowerPoint and video production in our services, and social networking connections, cell phones and texting, plus the ability to produce books, newsletters, and print items in the church office that required publishing companies and advertising agencies to produce in the past, still—the Christian faith is losing ground in many parts of the world. Many churches aren’t growing.

In a recent poll that asked people to give their religious affiliation, the largest number answered: “none.” Granted, there are many factors that account for this situation, but I wonder if one of them has to do with the reality that we may not be doing our best job communicating the truth of the gospel message and the importance and benefits of being part of a local church?

How can we best communicate the messages of the church?

Multimedia, social media available on the web and through our mobile phones may make a church look cutting-edge and may wow with their technical wizardry, but they don’t seem to effectively stem the tide of church defections. They are useful, but they don't communicate well to a visitor who walks into the church and knows nothing about it.

But there is a communication piece that can touch lives, inform, call for decisions, and make connections. It is a piece so powerful that both seekers and regular attendees will read, at least part and often all of it, every week. It’s a communication piece they will reach for, post on their refrigerators, and keep for reference. That piece is the church bulletin.

The content in the bulletin that matters

This humble print publication, the church bulletin, has the potential to change lives for time and eternity, but to do that it has to have content in it that:

• Explains what is going on right now in the church
• Invites people to the other activities in the church
• Challenges people to become a Christian and grow in their faith
• Clearly links people to the website, social media, and church staff for more information

Making a bulletin that will have an eternal impact on the people in your community is spiritual warfare. That isn't an overstatement. In any war, one of the first targets destroyed is always the communication center. If an army can't communicate, it can't meet its goals. If there is one piece that ties together the vision and ministries of the church, that connects seekers with help and the hurting in the congregation with help, it is the church bulletin. If the enemy of human souls can make your church unconcerned, routine and ultimately ineffective with your church bulletin, many of the ministries in your church will not do all they could for the furtherance of the kingdom of God.

If your bulletin is not effective, visitors won't connect and come to know Jesus and members won't grow to discipleship maturity. If your church is not accomplishing your goals in growth in numbers and spiritual maturity in your members, before you do anything else (beyond of course, prayer and soul-searching) take an honest look at your church bulletin and see if you are using it in the many ways you could be.

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For an inspiring ebook and video that will help explain how useful a printed bulletin can be in growing your church in numbers and people in spiritual maturity, CLICK HERE.