Sunday Bulletin

I wonder how many millions of dollars/Euros the church could save worldwide by digitizing the weekly Sunday bulletin for each Ward. It is created electronically for print anyway. A simple plugin that displays the sacrament meeting program, announcements, missionaries serving and important contact numbers, would be very useful.

My wife and I were called to create the Sacrament Program for our ward a few weeks ago, (this week represents our third program) and it has given us an opportunity to think about this and other ideas/issues.

First, members shouldn't be required to purchase a tablet/phone/computer, just to know what is going on during the week at church.

Members should be able to connect and reconnect with their Ward and stake families without the need to purchase any expensive equipment or the need to pay for internet.

Second, the standard practice in the church should reflect how the church should operate in every area the church is present.

Third, our ward has a mixture of retired couples/individuals and young to middle aged families. Many of the older individuals would be out of the loop if we just converted everything to digital.

Last, we want visitors to have a physical copy of the Ward's activities, in case they become overwhelmed with the meetings.

Though my wife and I will be looking at a few possible solutions that could add a digital version of the program to be available, we need to make sure that we are following every rule, while making sure any solution conforms to the principles of those rules, and has the approval of the Bishopric (and if necessary, the Stake President) before we implement anything.

So though we might be able to offset some of the printing costs for the church, my wife and I want to make sure that those that want a printed program, have access to one.

I know that the bulletin takes up a significant portion of our ward budget.

We have discussed having a print and digital bulletin. I'm still hoping the church develops a bulletin app. Right now I'm looking at ways to digitize the bulletin.

RebeccaArtman wrote:I know that the bulletin takes up a significant portion of our ward budget.

Could you explain to us how that is possible? Do you purchase preprinted bulletin stock?

I vote for retaining printed, paper bulletin/programs, at least in a small number.
While electronic/emailed is just fine and dandy for a great number of members, there are many who either are not "plugged in" or who have access to web/devices, or tech knowledge.
Look at your unit reports. Many, especially older members can't get to meetings/ are "zoom-less." Having that tangible paper with announcements, contact information is important. Having Ministering Sis/Bro get, even such as a token program, is tangible connection.
In recent years, we hav lost much in the day to day, closeness among members. Communication and information generally known among the majority of members has fallen.

I vote for retaining printed, paper bulletin/programs, at least in a small number.

I'm not aware of anywhere in the Handbook (or other instructions) that specify a need for a sacrament meeting program/bulletin. So it is quite unlikely the Church would ever put effort into developing a bulletin app, at least given the current Handbook content. I think the discretion always remains with the Bishop regarding how best to handle this given the local needs -- whether to have one at all, and if so, what best serves his congregation and potential visitors. As well as local capacity, since many smaller branches simply don't have enough active members to spare somebody to manage a weekly bulletin, even if it were digital, given the other more pressing calling requirements.

This is a great aspect of the Forum, where others can share their bulletin solutions, whether digital or printed, and that really helps a lot of others who don't want to have to "re-create the wheel" themselves. It might not be a good solution for some, but for you it might be a perfect plug-and-play, and that's okay.

BrianEdwards wrote: Mon Aug 28, 2023 9:32 am I'm not aware of anywhere in the Handbook (or other instructions) that specify a need for a sacrament meeting program/bulletin.

But it does hint at it.

29.2.1.1 - Sacrament Meeting

Announcements. These should be kept to a minimum. Most can be printed, shared electronically, or shared in other meetings.

How do you get to the digital bulletin??

Sophielorene wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2023 3:59 pm How do you get to the digital bulletin??

My flip-phone doesn't do digital bulletins, so I don't know for certain. However, I suspect it might vary by ward. Have you asked someone in a leadership calling in your ward? The ward executive secretary, ward clerk, or a member of the bishopric or branch presidency should be able to tell you where your ward's/branch's bulletin can be found.

Sophielorene wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2023 3:59 pm How do you get to the digital bulletin??

There is no "Church Standard" for digital bulletins. Each ward does it their own way. Not all of them do.