This part of the two-part series on creating a church newsletter will offer basic instructions and tips on the overall planning and the publication of an informative and professional-looking newsletter.
The first thing to determine is the publication frequency. A newsletter can be put out monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly or semi-annually, depending on the needs of the church. A church with a large congregation that has constant activities and events that need to be announced may benefit from a monthly newsletter. On the other hand, a church with less activities and a small but growing congregation may only need a bi-monthly or even a semi-annual newsletter. Once frequency is determined, the planning process can begin.
Think of the church newsletter as a church website in print form. All the essential information about the church and the activities are included, along with a few extras. But too much of a good thing can be bad. A newsletter that is not easy on the eyes makes for an uninterested reader. If it is too cluttered, written in too many different fonts or colors, or if there are too many large blocks of text, most individuals will not browse past the first page. It must appear easy to read, and catch the reader’s attention right away, or no one will even want to read the first page.
It is good to have a title and a theme for each newsletter. The title can either be the name of the church or something creative to catch the reader’s attention. For example, if the name of the church is Valley Christian Fellowship and it’s located in a river valley, the title of the newsletter could be The River Tidings. In addition, if there is a unified theme, the reader’s mind can be kept focused on the overall message of the content. Such themes could be Neighborhood Outreach, Tips on Avoiding Holiday Stress, The Provision of God, or just about any topic that the church can use to edify and inspire the readers throughout the newsletter.
Once the title and theme has been determined, the next step is to decide where the content will come from. The content of a newsletter is not only the announcements and important information about the church, but also articles that the readers can enjoy reading. These articles can come from a wide variety of sources.
Faithclipart.com has a wealth of articles ranging in topics from Christian finance to the value of prayer. This is where the idea of an overall theme can really take off. Also, invite the pastor or associate pastor to occasionally contribute to the newsletter content. Even solicit writings from other individuals within the church. It is especially helpful if they write about their area of expertise from which the congregation can benefit.
The following are other content ideas for the church newsletter that can prove to be valuable additions:
Have fun coming up with new and creative content for each newsletter. Every effort to keep it fresh will help make the reading experience enjoyable. Most importantly, it is critical to see the church newsletter as a representation of the church as a whole because that is how it will be viewed by those who read it. As such, it should be done with both accuracy and excellence.
Just as church members are billboards for both Christ and the church in human form, a church newsletter is a billboard for both Christ and the church in printed form. Should the newsletter be picked up by someone who does not attend the church, the desire is for that individual to see high quality work, something that reflects a high quality church. As the Apostle Paul stated, “whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” (Colossians 3:23)
