What Should You Use Instead of Publisher for Church Bulletins?
Short answer: Canva, for almost every church. It has free, ready-made bulletin templates built for exactly this, and the folding and layout work is already done for you.
Here's the fast path for your bulletin
Canva is the fastest path for most churches
Free templates built specifically for bulletins, and no design experience needed to use them.
Your old .pub bulletin is a reusable starting point
Export it to PDF, then rebuild once in Canva, or open it directly in LibreOffice. You won't design from a blank page.
Mostly-text bulletins can stay in Word
If yours is mainly an order of service with little imagery, Word — which you likely already have — may be all you need.
Test with this week's bulletin, not the whole archive
Rebuild your most recent bulletin first, to learn the new workflow on something low-stakes.
Three tools that can replace Publisher for bulletins
Canva
Free, ready-made church bulletin templates, drag-and-drop simplicity you can hand off to any volunteer, and one-click resizing if you also need a screen or social version.
Compare Canva to PublisherLibreOffice
Opens your existing .pub bulletins directly, so years of past issues aren't a rebuild project. Free forever, and works well if your team prefers traditional desktop software.
Compare LibreOffice to PublisherWord
If your bulletin is mostly an order-of-service list with minimal design, Word — which your church may already have — is genuinely enough. No new software, no new training.
Compare Word to PublisherHow to actually make the switch
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Pick one bulletin as your test file
Use last week's or last month's bulletin — not your whole archive — to learn the workflow on something low-stakes.
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Export it to PDF from Publisher today
Do this while you still have Publisher access, regardless of which tool you switch to — it's your safety net either way.
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Rebuild the layout using that PDF as your reference
Keep it open in one window while you recreate it in your new tool. Budget 20–30 minutes for a typical bulletin template.
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Save it as your new template and reuse it weekly
The rebuild is a one-time cost, not a recurring one — next week's bulletin just means swapping in new content.
Church bulletin questions people actually ask
What's the easiest way to make a church bulletin without Publisher?
Canva's free bulletin templates are the fastest path for most churches, especially with a rotating cast of volunteers. Search "church bulletin" in Canva's template library to find ones already formatted for common folds.
Can we keep using our existing bulletin layout?
Not automatically, but you can use your existing bulletin as a visual reference to rebuild the layout in your new tool — a one-time job, not a redesign.
Do we need to pay for anything?
No — Canva's free plan and LibreOffice are both completely free and cover a standard church bulletin without issue.
What if our bulletin has a specific fold, like a bi-fold or tri-fold?
Both Canva and LibreOffice support custom page sizes. Canva's template library has options pre-formatted for common bulletin folds, or you can set your own exact dimensions in LibreOffice Draw.
Who should actually make the switch — the volunteer, or someone tech-savvy?
Whoever normally makes the bulletin should be the one to test the new tool. If Canva feels comfortable to them, that's the right tool for your church — regardless of what a "better" option elsewhere might be.
Not sure which option fits your church?
The Publisher Retirement Kit includes a decision guide made for exactly this kind of call — no guessing required.
Get the Retirement Kit