The Underrated Outreach Tool You're Already Using

[Make Your Church a Refuge | The African Church Planter] Make Your Church a Refuge | The African Church Planter | [View online]( [ChristianityToday.org]( [Local Church Outreach Newsletter]( Wednesday, November 01, 2017 The Underrated Outreach Tool You're Already Using Church website redesigns are all the rage now, and well they should be. Your website is often the first interaction a visitor will have with your church. Make sure your website is first, an honest representation of what your church is about, and second, that it's not so dated or confusing that it's a hindrance to anyone who might consider visiting. However, there's another outreach tool that you're already using that deserves a closer look: your bulletin. Yes, your bulletin is more than just a scrap of paper for kids to doodle on, or a clearing-house for weekly announcements. It's a powerful way for you to orient visitors and members alike to the life of your church. A well-designed bulletin is a reflection of what your church values and a guide for the morning service and the days ahead. Justin Deeter, pastor of Forest Hills Baptist in Wilson, NC, has some great advice for how you can refresh or redesign your church's bulletin in a cost-effective way in [8 Tips for Church Bulletins](. Keep reaching out, [Editor] [Jonathan Sprowl](mailto:outreach@christianitytoday.com) Editor Local Mission Tips for Church Bulletins]( Ways to improve this weekly handout. Justin Deeter At my church, we recently redesigned our entire bulletin. Here are a few things we learned through the process: Open your current bulletin and cut out anything that is nonessential. This will help ensure your message is clearly communicated. [Click to continue]( Welcoming Visitors Church Can Be a Refuge]( 4 steps to provide a calm, safe harbor of connection. Adam Stadtmiller I didn't pick up running until my mid-20s. I've never been an especially fast runner, but I possess one talent that allowed me to finish with better times than many of my competitors: pacing. Others would begin too fast and fail to finish, or they would start their final push to the finish line too soon. [Click to continue]( Church Planting [The African Planter]( Nairobi Chapel pastor on mission trips, and working well across cultures. An interview with Oscar Muriu In the 1950s, while Kenya was still a British colony, a group of white expatriates started a church. Since they were from free church backgrounds, largely Plymouth Brethren, they called it Nairobi Undenominational Chapel. The church was located near the Governor's house, within a secured area where Africans were not allowed. [Click to continue]( Work & Vocation A Small Church Pastor Isn't A Penalty, It's A Specialty]( Pastoring a small church doesn't mean giving up or settling for less. If you embrace it, you can be great at it. Karl Vaters For years I bucked against the idea that I am a small church pastor. Instead of seeing it as my calling, my heart and my passion, I treated it like it was my penalty for not having the skills to be a big church pastor. So I consumed every church growth book and devoured all the "10 Reasons Your Church Isn't Getting Bigger" lists like they were a prescription for a disease. [Click to continue]( Outreach & Evangelism of a Post-Christian Culture]( In the country's "least-Christian city," churches have partnered with government to revolutionize schools, help the homeless, and fight sex trafficking. How did it happen? Tony Kriz Not long ago, I was sitting at the boardroom table of the Portland, Oregon, mayor's office. This was the office of Sam Adams, the gay mayor who made history when he was elected to the highest office of a large American city. We were there to discuss church-city partnerships. [Click to continue]( Practical Training [Secrets of Recruiting and Keeping Volunteers]( Do you have church ministries that need volunteers? More from CT Pastors [Lead in a Way Only You Can]( Many have tried to box us in or tell us who we should be, but we are kingdom women, and we are diverse. Tara Beth Leach [In Memory of Haddon Robinson]( I knew I would learn how to preach from Haddon, but what I didn't know is I would learn how to love. Patricia Batten [9 Steps Employers Should Take to Comply with the ADA]( What churches should be aware of as they hire and train staff members. Richard R. Hammar Related Free eNewsletters Each weekly issue equips you with the best wisdom and practical tools for church ministry. [Sign Up Now]( Inspire life-changing community innovative training resources, Bible-based curriculum, and practical articles. [Sign Up Now]( [Local Church Outreach]( Delivered via email to subscribers weekly. [Subscribe]( | [Email Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Advertise]( | [Subscribe to CT]( You are currently subscribed as: {EMAIL} Copyright ©2017 [ChristianityToday.org]( Christianity Today, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.