Last week in the New-to-CBC class we covered church philosophies, and in particular the philosophy of our church bulletin. In a day when most churches are downplaying or eliminating their church bulletins altogether, I like that we create a robust eight page booklet every single week. That’s on purpose.
Whether every person reads every part of every bulletin or not, it is still an opportunity to put a piece of paper into every single person‘s hand every week. That is a powerful tool. A guest might not receive a guest welcome booklet, but all of them receive a booklet that immediately says, “Worshiping the Lord is important.” The sharp graphics and in-depth content—whether read or not—convey the idea that this is not a trivial gathering. This is a gathering of God’s people in God’s house preparing to worship him “acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Hebrews 12:28 He’s a holy (set apart) God, so worship in holiness won’t feel like anything else.
That, too, is on purpose, and the first page you see when you open the bulletin tries to set the expectations so a guest is not caught off guard. We sing hymns, we say amen, we try to minimize distractions, we have preaching, an altar call, and we all participate in the worship the whole time—through the prayers, the congregational singing, the offering, the special music, all of it is from all of us!
The next pages help us sing with understanding, and the hymn stories aid in your comprehension of the songs. The other pages include many relevant details to life with one another, so, browse the bulletin today with a sense of discovery and purpose. Each part of it can help you in some way.
-Pastor Ryan