Church Bulletin Template: A Free Layout + What to Put on Each Panel

The weekly bulletin still does a lot of work in small churches. It welcomes guests, gives the order of service, holds the sermon notes and carries the week's announcements home in someone's pocket. A good template means the person who makes it isn't starting from a blank page every Friday.

Below is a simple folded layout, sample wording for each panel, and a checklist for putting it together each week. It works in Word, Google Docs, Canva or any publishing tool.

The format

The most common setup is one sheet of letter paper (8.5 × 11 in), printed on both sides and folded in half. That gives you four half-letter panels (5.5 × 8.5 in each):

If you need more space, use a second insert sheet for prayer requests or a full calendar. Don't shrink the font.

Panel 1: Front cover

[Church name]
[Date] · [Name of the Sunday or season, if any, e.g. "Second Sunday of Advent"]

Welcome! We're glad you're here.
If you're visiting, please fill in a connect card and drop it in [place]. We'd love to say hello.

Sundays: [time] worship · [time] kids and classes
[Street address] · [website]

[Optional: series artwork or a simple photo of your building]

Keep the cover calm. One image, the church name and the date are enough.

Panel 2: Order of service

Order of Worship

Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship · [Passage]
Song · "[Title]"
Song · "[Title]"
Prayer of Confession / Prayer for the Week
Scripture Reading · [Passage] (page [#] in the pew Bible)
Sermon · "[Sermon title]" · [Preacher's name or role]
Response Song · "[Title]"
[Communion / Offering]
Benediction

Kids ages [x–y] are dismissed to [place] after [moment]. Nursery is available in [room].

Tips: - Print the page number of the passage in the pew Bible. Guests who don't know where Philippians is will thank you. - Only print song lyrics if your church holds the right license (for example, a CCLI copyright license) and follows its reporting rules. Otherwise list titles only and show lyrics on screen under your license. - Mark anything people stand or respond to, if your tradition does that.

Panel 3: Sermon notes

Use one of the layouts from our sermon notes template. The quickest version:

[Sermon title]
[Series name] · [Passage]

Big idea: ______________________________

Notes
________________________
________________________
________________________

One thing I'll do this week:
________________________

Small group questions for this sermon: [link or QR code]

If the preacher's outline is ready by Thursday, use the fill-in-the-blank version instead.

Panel 4: Back cover

This week

Mon–Sat at [Church]
Wed [date] · [Event], [time], [place]
Sat [date] · [Event], [time], [place]
Next Sunday · [Series continues / special Sunday]

Next steps

New here? Join us for [newcomers' lunch / coffee with the pastor] on [date].
Find a small group: [website]/groups
Serve: We need [team] volunteers. Talk to [role] or visit [link].
Give: [website]/give · or use the offering box at the back.

Prayer

Pray with us this week: [one or two church-wide requests, shared with permission]
Prayer requests: [email or number]

Contact

[Church name] · [address] · [phone] · [email] · [website]
[Staff or office hours, if helpful]

Sample wording for common items

• Guests: "First time here? We're so glad you came. Look for someone in a [color] lanyard if you have any questions."
• Kids: "Kids are welcome in the service. If your little one needs a break, the [room] has a speaker so you can still hear."
• Communion: "[Explain who can take part, in your church's words, and what to do if someone would rather not.]"
• Offering: "If you're visiting, please don't feel any need to give. We're just glad you're here."
• Accessibility: "Large-print bulletins and hearing assistance are available from the welcome team."

Weekly bulletin checklist

Tuesday: collect announcements from ministry leaders (event, date, time, place, next step, link). Wednesday: get the sermon title, passage and series from the preacher. Get song titles from the worship leader. Thursday: fill in the template. Ask for the sermon outline if you're printing fill-in-the-blank notes. Friday: proofread names, dates and times. Read the order of service aloud once to catch missing items. Print. Sunday: keep a few large-print copies at the welcome table.

Use the same announcement wording in your slides, texts and newsletter so details match everywhere.

Printed or digital?

Many small churches do both: a printed bulletin for people who want one, and the same content on the church website or app with a QR code on the welcome slide. If you go digital, keep the four-panel order. People still look for the order of service first and the "this week" list last.

FAQ

What should be included in a church bulletin? A welcome and service times, the order of service, space for sermon notes, this week's events, next steps (newcomers, groups, serving, giving), prayer requests shared with permission, and your contact details.

What size is a church bulletin? A common format is a letter-size sheet (8.5 × 11 in) folded in half, which gives four half-letter panels (5.5 × 8.5 in). In countries that use A4, a folded A4 sheet gives four A5 panels.

Can we print song lyrics in the bulletin? Only if your church holds an appropriate license, such as a CCLI copyright license, and reports the songs as the license requires. Otherwise list song titles only.

How can we make the bulletin faster to produce each week? Keep one master template, collect announcements through a single form by Tuesday, and only change the dated parts each week. Reuse the same facts for slides, texts and the newsletter.

Make next week's recap easy

After Sunday, Amenflow turns the sermon into a recap for next week's bulletin or newsletter, plus small group questions, social captions and a devotional, as drafts for your team to review. Try it on 3 sermons for free. See a sample.