Ministry Tip: Designing your own Church Pictorial Directory

Having a church pictorial directory can be quite helpful to your new church members and staff as they can see the people along with their names. I've seen churches hire out someone to take the pictures and then put them together in a little book. Well, with a little work yourself you can do it and bring the cost down quite a bit. All you will need is a digital camera (at least 4 megapixels), a tripod, and a program like Microsoft Publisher (usually comes with MS Office).

Step 1:
Let your church family know that you will be taking pictures of them over the next 2-3 weeks (depends on the size of your church). I bought a nice canvas background off ebay for only $10. Having a nice background will improve your pictures dramatically. Also take several pictures of each family. It's better too much than too little. You will need to take the pictures in a well-lit room.

Step 2:
After you have taking the pictures, you can use MS Publisher to build your own church pictorial. This will probably consume a bit of your time, but once you get one page down, the rest will be easy as you can just use that one page as a template and then just insert the correct pictures. Also it would be a good idea to include pictures of your missionaries, shut-ins, and even church events/activities.

Step 3:
Once you've completed your church pictorial directory (make sure to proof it several times) take it down to a local printer like FedEx/Kinkos or Officemax. They will be able to help you will with printing the book. Look over the proof and approve it. In just a day or two, you'll have your church pictorial directory!

Other Tips:
• Our school uses this format for producing their own yearbook. If you have a small Christian school, you could design your own yearbook using this method and even develop your own yearbook staff from your students. Gives them great experiences.

• Don't forget to have a good shot for the front cover. The cover must look sharp.

• It's very important to have checklists and several proofs before you finally submit your publication. It's very easy to forget someone or have a typo.

• Add your own flair to the directory. Keep in mind this gives you the advantage to do whatever you want with your church's pictorial directory. Have fun with it!

• Pastor's your wifes will have a good eye for what looks good on a page, so definitely seek their advice!