June 23, 2026 · 6 min read
Why the Church Bulletin Still Matters
The church bulletin still matters because it carries the life of the church, who's gathering, who needs prayer, what's next, and keeps people connected to it. Martha, a longtime member who could no longer come to church, stayed close to her church family through the bulletin alone. That's why the bulletin can't be taken away. It just needs to be enhanced, so it reaches further.
For years, Martha was everywhere in our church. She led the women's ministry. She raised her children in those pews. If something needed doing, she was usually already doing it.
Then illness kept her home. Once in a while someone drove her in, but most Sabbaths she couldn't come. This was before streaming, when the only way to be at church was to be in the room.
The one thing she always asked for was the church bulletin.
Bring me the bulletin. Every week, without fail.
To see why the bulletin still matters, it helps to see why Martha needed it.
What the bulletin really carries
A church bulletin carries far more than the order of service. It holds the life of the church: whose birthday it is this week, who is sick, who needs prayer, what is coming, and where people can take part. It is the week, gathered onto one page.
Martha read hers cover to cover. When she saw a birthday, she picked up the phone and called. When she saw a name on the prayer list, she prayed for it, sometimes while she was unwell herself. From her living room, she mothered the church through a single sheet of paper.
That's why people still reach for it. The bulletin is the most widely read thing most churches publish. Not because the layout is clever. Because it carries the people.
It's woven into worship
You can see how much the bulletin matters in the small things.
The greeter at the door who says "happy Sabbath" and hands you one in the same breath. The quiet disappointment when someone arrives and they've run out. The churches that keep a printer in the back and run off more, mid-service, so no one is left without.
We don't do that for things that don't matter. The bulletin is part of how the church says welcome.
How the bulletin reached Martha
Martha was not forgotten. Someone was dedicated to bringing her the bulletin. They would pick one up first thing on Sabbath morning, or after the service, and drive it the few miles to her house.
On Friday evenings, the people who came to open the Sabbath with her and pray would bring it along, fresh from the printer if it had run that night, or the next day if not.
None of this is unusual. Caring for members who can't come is a quiet ministry in nearly every church. There are Marthas everywhere, and there are people who carry the bulletin to them, by hand, out of love.
The problem was never the bulletin
So let's be clear about something. The bulletin was never the problem.
It did its job beautifully. It gave Martha the week. It kept her close to the people she loved.
Its only limit is reach. A printed page goes exactly as far as someone is willing to carry it. For Martha, that meant one person, a few miles, every week. When that person couldn't make it, the bulletin didn't arrive.
A printed page goes exactly as far as someone is willing to carry it.
A second life for what the church already loves
This is where a digital bulletin comes in, and it's gentler than it sounds.
What the church did for Martha by hand, a digital companion does for every Martha at once. The same bulletin, the same care, carried further. To the member three states away. To the family traveling. To the person who simply can't get to church this week.
Keep the paper. Keep the Sabbath-morning ritual, the greeting at the door, the page folded into a Bible. A digital bulletin doesn't replace any of that. It carries the same life into the week, to the people the paper can't reach.
The bulletin already carries the church to people. This just lets it reach further, past the walls.
It can't be taken away. It can be enhanced.
Martha is the reason I can't see the bulletin as just a sheet of announcements. For her, it was the church itself, arriving each week in her hands.
The printed bulletin still matters, and it always will. It carries the life of the church, and it tells people they belong.
It can't be taken away. It just needs to be enhanced.
So that the next Martha doesn't have to wait for someone to remember to drive it over. If that's a conversation your church is ready for, here's why the bulletin should go digital, and where we're headed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the church bulletin still matter?
The bulletin carries the life of the church: who is gathering, who needs prayer, what is coming, and where to take part. It gives the week its shape and helps people, members and guests, feel they belong. It remains the most widely read thing most churches publish.
What does a church bulletin include?
Usually the order of service, announcements, upcoming events, prayer requests, birthdays, and ways to give or sign up. In short, the week's life of the church, gathered onto one page.
Does a digital bulletin replace the printed one?
No. A digital bulletin is a companion. The church keeps printing for Sabbath morning and adds a version that reaches people through the week, including those who can't be in the room.
How do homebound members stay connected to the church?
Many churches care for homebound members through visits, calls, and by bringing them the bulletin so they still know what is happening. A digital bulletin can carry that same connection further, without waiting on someone to deliver it by hand.
Is the printed bulletin becoming obsolete?
No. It remains widely used and deeply valued, often the most read thing a church publishes. The shift isn't away from the bulletin, but toward letting it reach further, as a companion to the paper.
Nelson Musonda
Founder of Gathad
