As churches grow, it becomes harder to update and engage members on important activities happening within. Sure, Facebook updates work but a church newsletter that is printed out and/or emailed can help ensure that everyone stays on the same page.
Members can take newsletters home with them, peruse them at leisure, and refer back to the newsletters if they need information or would like to get in touch.
Similarly, members can download or save email newsletters on their laptops and phones and refer back to them when needed. Take the St. Aloysius Catholic Community as an example. They don’t just email newsletters. They also publish them on their website and provide convenient links like this one where people can view them.
Here are other reasons to consider starting and maintaining a regular church newsletter:
- Church newsletters open lines of communication between church leaders, staff, and congregants.
- It will help enlist their support and encourage participation in ongoing church activities.
- It creates and strengthens a sense of community.
- Newsletters can be used to minister to churchgoers.
Not sure what to include in your newsletter? Or perhaps you need more ideas for content?
Here are 10 of the best church newsletter ideas for compelling content.
1. Welcome Message
Most printed publications have some sort of welcome message. The welcome message helps set the tone for the newsletter and gives people an idea of what it’s for as well as the content within.
These are usually written in the first person and come from church leaders. It’s written on behalf of the church and directly addresses members. As can be expected, welcome messages should have a warm and welcoming tone. It should encourage readers to go through the newsletter and can mention specific articles and initiatives that the church is focusing on.
Here’s how the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ welcome message starts:
“Thank you for saying “Yes” to subscribing to our quarterly newsletter, “Kerygma and Culture.” On behalf of the new team in the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis, I write to introduce the “What,” “How,” and “Why” of this simple initiative.”
2. Pastoral Message
Everyone always wants to know what the senior pastors and other church leaders have to say. It’s thus a good idea to ask one of the church’s senior leaders to contribute a pastoral message to the newsletter.
Sometimes called a pastoral, the pastoral message provides spiritual insights, guidance, encouragement, admonition, or sympathy with the body of the church.
It helps church members feel connected with their leaders and fosters a stronger sense of community. These messages are also an excellent way to remind them of spiritual truths outside of the usual Sunday mass or service.
Here’s a great example from the United Methodist Church:
“I encourage each of you to give yourselves time to process and heal and continue to offer love to each other. We will continue our vital ministry and seek to be a community that welcomes and loves all people. As we learn more, we will discuss next steps together.”
You can see the full text here.
3. Church Celebrations
Whether it’s lent, Easter, Christmas, or another day of observance, newsletters are a great way to remind churchgoers of these times and seasons. An article announcing upcoming important dates can remind and provide members with additional information on what the event is about. It also encourages participation.
After commemorating important dates, church leaders can recap related events that took place and thank the congregation for their support.
Here’s how the Spirit Church announced their Christmas service a few years ago:
“Christmas Service will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, December 24, 2017 (Christmas Eve). New Year’s Service will be held on Saturday, December 31, 2017 (New Year’s Eve)
This is a great opportunity for our members to invite their loved ones to worship with us and keep the holidays free for family gatherings.
Bring a friend. Invite a neighbor. Let’s worship together before the holidays!”
4. Church Bulletin
The church bulletin is another regular and important section of any church newsletter. It is usually a brief and bulleted list of upcoming events and announcements that members should be aware of and can be part of.
It highlights the activities, services, and resources the church offers to help its members meet their spiritual needs.
Some examples of activities and events that can be included are:
- Schedules of church services
- Upcoming community events
- Outreach programs
- Ministry and pastoral services
- Classes or seminars
- Calls for donations
- Important changes and reminders
- Bible study classes
As you put together your church bulletin, don’t forget to include the names and contact information of relevant people. This will allow church members to get in touch with them for inquiries and if they want to participate.
5. Sermon Worksheets
Many churches that issue weekly newsletters include a sermon worksheet. A sermon worksheet is based on the upcoming service or mass for that week. It provides attendees opportunities to scribble down notes or fill an outline based on key messages from the upcoming weekly gathering.
Having one encourages people to listen more closely to the message and helps them remember important points. It also gives them something they can refer back to if they need to recall certain spiritual lessons.
If you’d prefer a digital worksheet, you can easily embed a QR code or a link in your newsletter that people can use to access it.
6. Photos and Videos
Photos and videos are compelling content. They also provide visual interest and can be used to break up large chunks of text.
Include quality photos of recent events and activities. If your newsletter is online, you can also embed videos or share a link that will take them to the video.
If you have a major event coming up, you can even consider full-page church graphics to make sure that the announcement gets noticed.
As an example, the First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach uses its newsletter to share articles interspersed with great images and relevant links.
Online collaterals are more accessible than ever. In fact, it may surprise you to learn how readily available they are. While promotional materials used to entail hiring graphic designers, you can now get professional-looking templates with PosterMyWall.
We offer an online resource for marketers, creatives, small businesses, and organizations like yours. Even people with zero design experience can come up with polished visual content for a variety of promotional materials. Design your church posters, leaflets, flyers, social media posts, and more using the versatile design editor. You can also try our newsletter templates.
While you’re at it, why not try our new Email Maker tool and church email newsletter templates to create a fully fleshed out, professional email newsletter in no time.
7. Inspirational Quotes, Messages, and Bible Verses
Newsletters are an excellent way to share inspirational quotes, messages, and Bible verses. If you can spare the space, you may want to have a small box with a Bible verse or quote.
At least, this is what Crossway Church did. Every time they publish their newsletter, Crossway includes a short message of hope and encouragement.
Another option when it comes to church newsletter ideas is to publish a weekly or monthly verse that you can memorize as a church.
Providing reassurance and peace, Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most often quoted and published Bible verses. It reads:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
If you prefer prayers, you can also find a good selection of traditional prayers on Lord’s Prayer Words.
8. Pull Quotes
Another way to break up big blocks of text and highlight key ideas is by using pull quotes. Pull quotes are usually excerpts from text-heavy articles. They are easier to see because they have their own margins around the block of text and the font size is much larger than the rest of the article.
Here’s an informative article from Creative Pro that goes into greater detail.
9. Worship Set List
Encourage more people to participate during worship by including the list of worship songs that will be sung during your weekly gathering. This is what Summit Point Church did to help its members anticipate and prepare for the upcoming service.
If you have the space for it, another of our church newsletter ideas is to include the lyrics or a link to the lyrics so it will be easier for attendees to sing along.
10. Missions and Ministry
What is the church doing to spread the Gospel? How is it taking care of its flock? How are tithes being used to minister to members and new believers?
These are all issues that churches should be open and transparent about. A great way to keep members updated and engaged is by sharing updates on missions and ministry work. This can encourage people to lend their support. You can also use this type of news to ask for volunteers who can be part of various ministries.
Include news on communities that the church is reaching out to, how it is spreading the Word, and how it plans on enacting or growing certain initiatives.
Don’t forget to include photos of the places and people you encountered during your mission trip which is what the Touch of Light Missionary Ministries did.
11. Children’s Ministry Updates
We’ve mentioned ministry updates before but we felt that the children’s ministry deserves to be mentioned on its own. A large part of your congregation (or at least those who have children) will be looking for children’s ministry news and updates in your newsletter.
This is what Asbury United Methodist Church does with its newsletters by publishing developments and services that are available for churchgoers with children.
Because it’s best to rear children with spiritual teachings, children’s ministry is an important component of any church. You should thus keep your patrons in the loop with related announcements and news.
Grow Your Congregation With Great Church Newsletter Content
Church newsletters play an important role in any religious group. They keep members informed, engaged, and encourage participation. As you start or maintain your publication, refer to our list of church newsletter ideas and ideas for growing your congregation to ensure that your work remains relevant to your congregation.
It will help you keep existing members interested and may even attract new ones.
Senior editor at PosterMyWall.
