Neat Newsletters Now!

Do you want a snazzy four page newsletter for your youth ministry but don't have time to create one? What if I told you that it was possible with only two pages of content that you may already have (or at least would benefit you to have ready)? Here are my five easy steps to cranking out a highly effective monthly newsletter in just one afternoon.

1.) You need to get a template. If you have any version of Microsoft Word you can find some dandy ones here for FREE!

2.) Dedicate a page to your monthly curriculum guide. "What's this?" you say? This is a place for you to present parents with a listing of your devos for the month along with a short description, key verses, and even a few questions for them to ask their kids at home. If you don't have anything like this at hand you should really consider doing it because it puts you ahead of the game for lessons, makes you look prepared, and parents just eat it up.

3.) Add in a page about upcoming events (special services, fellowship activities, fundraisers, nights you won't be having youth group, etc.) Give dates, times, and other need to know details. Again, you should have something like this at hand already from your church bulletin that you can copy, paste, and add a little fluff.

4.) Add some teen scene statistics. Parents want to know what kind of trends are circling their students world, so give it to them. You don't have to do any real work on this either. I suggest visiting Home Word Center for Youth and Family's website and look at their weekly "Culture Brief" which gives lots of great top ten lists but also some quick articles that can be quite educational. Take a look here.

5.) Got a page that is not quite full. Add a "Ministry Wish List". Most of those things you need for activities and special games don't have to be brand new, and if somebody from your congregation knew that you were looking for something special, well they might be able to scrounge it up from their basement. In mine I also ask for snack donations, and I always get a couple of takers.

This doesn't have to be all however. There are plenty of things that you can add to your newsletters (volunteer schedules, updates/reviews on past activities, or even words of thanks). If you need an idea of how to piece this together you can see an old example of mine here.