What goes in a Seventh-day Adventist church bulletin
There is no required format for an Adventist bulletin. Open ten of them and you will see ten layouts. Still, the same parts turn up again and again, because they answer the questions people actually have when they sit down: what time does the Sabbath end, where are we in the service, what is happening this week, and how do I give?
Here are the usual parts, roughly in the order a reader meets them.
The cover
The cover is for identity, not information. It usually carries the church name, the service times, the date and a memory verse. Many churches also print the address, the website, and a short mission or vision statement for visitors who have never been before.
The memory verse is typically the one from that week's Sabbath School lesson, which gives the bulletin a small link to what members have been studying. A logo or a photo of the building goes here too. Keep the cover calm. A visitor decides in a second whether the bulletin looks cared for.
The order of service
This is the part people look at during the service, so it should be easy to scan. It generally covers two blocks: Sabbath School, and then the worship service. For each part, people want the name of the item and, where it matters, the person or the hymn.
- Hymn numbers and titles, so members can find them in the book.
- The call to worship and who is leading it.
- The scripture reading, with the reference.
- Special music, with the names of the people singing or playing.
- The children's story, and who is telling it.
- The sermon, with its title and the speaker.
- The benediction.
Not every church lists every item, and that is fine. If something is the same every week and nobody needs a reminder, leave it out. For a worked example, see a typical Sabbath order of service.
The week ahead
Printing next week's speaker, offering and fellowship meal helps people plan, and it saves the platform from announcing the same things. A short block on the inside page is enough. Many churches also add the Sabbath's closing time here, and next Friday's sunset, so families can plan the start of the Sabbath.
Announcements
Announcements are where bulletins get long. They are also where most of the usefulness is. Each one should say what it is, when and where, and who to ask. We wrote a separate guide on writing announcements people actually read.
Repeating events, like a Wednesday prayer meeting, are worth keeping in a standing list so they print every week until they end, instead of being retyped.
The back page
The back page tends to hold the things that do not change much: how to give, including a link or QR code for online giving, the ministries the church supports, and the prayer list. Many churches also print a short prayer list of members who are unwell or in care homes. Be careful here. Only print names that people have agreed to share, and think twice before putting health details on a public web page.
What is optional
Almost everything is. A tiny church with one service and no visitors may want a single page. A large church with several programs may need a booklet. The right bulletin is the shortest one that still answers the questions on the list at the top of this page.
If you would like to build one without retyping the same parts every week, Bulletin Generator lets each church switch parts on and off and set the order. You can ask to try it.
Common questions
Do Adventist church bulletins have to include sunset times?
No rule requires it, but most do, because members plan their Friday evening around it. Printing both the Friday start and the Saturday end is common.
Is there an official Adventist bulletin template?
The church publishes identity guidelines for logos and colours, and your conference can tell you how to use them. There is no single required layout, so most churches choose their own.