Preparing your church brochure

The brochure is the Swiss army knife of your stewardship programme literature. Use the Canva templates or ‘roll your own’. Either way give good time to make sure the brochure reflects your church, tells your story.

Your stewardship programme brochure is important because it is the unifying element of your literature. The brochure goes to everyone and so it is the public face of your stewardship invitation.

And because it goes to everyone your brochure will carry different messages to reflect the differing giving motivations of our congregations. For many, the church building, that wonderful sacred space is a key driver in giving. For some giving resources the life, the activities, the ministry of the church. For others, giving is part of discipleship. For others still, the church is new to them and quite possibly the financial facts of church life are new as well. And, of course, these things can all overlap.

It makes sense, then, to give time to get your stewardship brochure where you want it to be. Don’t rush the preparation. Your words and pictures should reflect your church, your congregation, your community.

Top tips

First off, feel free to design your brochure from scratch but if you can’t do that we’ve got a selection of easy to use Canva templates. Click to the Making the Ask page, create a free Canva account and you’re good to go. Here's a few top tips to consider.

• There should be some Bible quotes; after all biblical discipleship is us. But not enough to overwhelm the document

• There will be some financial headlines; but not too much. This is a faith-raising, not a fundraising document.

• Focus on the difference giving makes. Not the bills you pay but the ministry you offer.

• Keep the language simple, the sentences short, the tone warm and personal. Use pictures of church life, not just the church building.

Finally, resist any temptation to make a drama out of a crisis. Be positive. Your stewardship programme is about honouring the past, being ambitious in the present and investing in the future.

For practical guidance on creating a brochure check out our step by step video guide. Also, download the short document, Preparing the Brochure, for additional guidance.

This is us

Bottom line: those who read the brochure should recognise their church: some key ministries, some core activities. The tone should be warm, personal.