If your church doesn’t already issue a regular newsletter from the deacons, then you should consider starting one.
In my experience, it will be a shining spot to your church members. If you keep it practical and informative, then you will get a great response.
The deacons are the church’s stewards. They put into practice a church’s faith. Their service to the congregation and to the poor and needy demonstrates the church’s faithfulness to her Lord.
Faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17), and the primary means by which members hear the Word of God is through the pulpit. With a newsletter, the deacons can support the message and work of the church by edifying the members and encouraging them in acts of faithfulness.
Your church probably already has a list of all members’ email addresses. (If not, why not?)
You can use a free email platform like Mailchimp or MailerLite to send simple digital newsletters. Most churches probably already do this for various ministries.
The primary purpose of the newsletter is to communicate to the congregation what the deacons are doing, and why.
Use the newsletter to inform the congregation how your diaconate is being a responsible steward of the church’s resources.
Feature uplifting stories of how members have helped each other, or how they’ve helped the poor and needy outside the congregation. Include pictures.
Report on foreign ministries the church supports.
You can provide a financial update on the status of the budget, including trends in revenue and expenses.
Give brief reports on the economy. That’s especially important during recessionary times like the ones in which we are living. If your members should take precautions, then urge them to do so.
Be transparent. Transparency is a big deal for members because it builds trust. Let them know what struggles you are having and where you need help. Do you need more volunteers for Wednesday-night suppers or the special needs ministry?
If you do, then say so. Issue a call for volunteers. Ask them to reply to the email if they are interested.
The letter doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple text newsletter would work just fine because it is the content that matters.
What about frequency? How often should you send the newsletter?
If you’re just starting out, I recommend sending quarterly issues. This will let you test the waters. There won’t be a lot of pressure to meet tight deadlines.
There are certain steps you can take to all but guarantee your success at starting the newsletter.
First, agree to take the lead in writing and publishing the newsletter. This is your idea, you are its champion, so you will do the bulk of the work. This ensures that your idea doesn’t create work for anybody else. You just need to solicit input from others. They don’t even need to worry about grammar or spelling; you’ll handle the editing. You’re unlikely to face any competition from other deacons over editorial control of the newsletter.
Second, when proposing the idea, recommend to your pastor or diaconate a trial: let’s test the newsletter for a year (if quarterly), then revisit it at that time to determine if it should be permanent. You can re-assess its frequency at that time as well.
Third, once you’ve drafted the newsletter and incorporated everyone’s content, distribute the draft to the whole diaconate. Give them a chance to comment and suggest revisions.
Fourth, agree to let the pastor review each issue before publishing it to the congregation. This will give him the opportunity to make sure the letter doesn’t contain material he disagrees with.
Fifth, agree to report on the results of each mailing. Email platforms let you track the statistics. Communicate how many people opened the letters, clicked the links, unsubscribed, and so on. Also be sure to share any feedback church members give you.
If you recommend these controls, then you will have a higher probability of success in gaining everyone’s cooperation. Your idea is more likely to find success.
The whole congregation will benefit from your initiative.