Does your church replace its usual bulletin cover with an artistic one for holy days such as Easter? Don’t make that mistake this year.

The typical weekly bulletin cover includes contact information for your church, clergy, staff and volunteers; plus some key schedules. Covering up this essential information with well-intentioned artwork means that all those newcomers who made a rare appearance at your church for the holiday won’t become regulars. That’s because they won’t know how to get in touch with you again. And during the one weekend of the year when you have the most visitors, no less!

If you are forced to display an attractive, but information-free, bulletin cover—such as if the deadline has passed or you’ve been overruled—here are some alternatives to limit the damage.

• Photocopy the plain cover and insert it inside the bulletin as a flyer; or,
• Include a bulletin blurb announcement with the absolute basics: phone number, street address, main email address, web address, Mass/services schedule; or,
• Create a special invitation-style bulletin insert aimed at newcomers that includes your parish contact information; bonus points if you have an upcoming welcoming event to mention here.

My church learned this lesson the hard way when a diligent newcomer managed to track us down despite an absence of contact information on the cover of our fancy Easter bulletin. In an understandably puzzled tone, she asked why we didn’t have any contact info whatsoever in our bulletin. At that point we realized the disservice we were doing to our guests.

On Easter, don’t roll a boulder across the entrance to your church by hiding your contact information.

Subscribe to this feed