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Church bulletins after Publisher: save your archive and keep publishing

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Do two things, in this order. First, save your old bulletins and newsletters as PDFs, keeping your folders, with free LibreOffice, a colleague's copy of Publisher, or a bulk converter. Then rebuild your weekly bulletin once in a tool you'll keep, such as Word, Canva or LibreOffice. A simple weekly routine does the rest.

On this page
  1. Save a church bulletin archive as PDFs
  2. First, save the archive
  3. Then, keep the weekly bulletin going
  4. A practical weekly routine
  5. Related guides
  6. Frequently asked questions
  7. Sources

Save a church bulletin archive as PDFs

Time needed: about 2 hours

  1. Find every .pub file

    Search the office computers, OneDrive, the shared drive, old laptops and USB sticks for .pub. Include the secretary's and the pastor's computers.

  2. Copy the archive and protect the originals

    Copy everything into one working folder and convert the copy. Keep the original .pub files untouched.

  3. Organize folders before converting

    Sort the copy into folders by year and type, such as Bulletins/2019 and Newsletters/2019. Name files by date, like 2024-12-24 Christmas Eve.pub.

  4. Convert the folders

    Use a colleague's copy of Publisher, free LibreOffice, or upload the folder or a ZIP to a bulk converter that keeps your folder structure.

  5. Check a sample

    Compare a few PDFs with printed copies, especially Easter and Christmas bulletins and newsletters with articles that continue from page to page.

  6. Store and back up

    Keep the PDFs and the original .pub files side by side, and back them up in two places.

First, save the archive

Your old bulletins are more than old files. They record baptisms, memorials, anniversaries and who served when, and someone will ask for one years from now. Microsoft retired Publisher in October 2026, so the easy way to open those files is gone from most church computers. Church organizations and suppliers such as the BGAV and ChurchArt give the same first step: find your .pub files and save them as PDFs.

The checklist above walks through it. A few tips from church offices:

  • Look in every corner. Bulletins often live on the secretary’s computer, newsletters on the pastor’s laptop, and the oldest years on a USB stick in a drawer.
  • Choose a format for each job. PDF is the permanent record and the copy you print or email. An ODG file opens in free LibreOffice Draw with most of the layout intact, for anything you still edit. A text-only Word file is handy for reusing prayers, liturgy and articles. A PNG or JPG of each page works for Facebook.
  • Organize before you convert. Our converter and the scripts in our bulk guide keep your folder structure, so tidy folders now give you a tidy PDF archive later.

Three ways to convert, free first

  1. Someone with Publisher. Another church, the district office or a member may still have a one-time-purchase copy (Publisher 2016, 2019 or 2021). It makes the most faithful PDFs, and Microsoft’s sample script can work through whole folders. See the bulk conversion guide.
  2. LibreOffice, free. Open each file in LibreOffice Draw and export a PDF. That’s fine for a few dozen files; the bulk guide shows command-line options for more.
  3. Our converter. Upload the whole Bulletins folder or a ZIP (up to 2,000 files per batch) to convert your .pub files to PDF, plus ODG, text-only Word and page images. The download mirrors your folders and includes a report listing every file. You see a free, watermarked preview of every page for the first 10 files, and one clean file is free per email address. Then it’s a one-time $5 for up to 10 files, $15 for up to 60, $29 for up to 300 or $59 for up to 2,000, counting only files that convert (pricing). No account, and files are deleted after 24 hours.

Then, keep the weekly bulletin going

You don’t need the perfect tool, just one you’ll still be happy with next Easter. Rebuild your bulletin template once, rather than converting last week’s .pub file every week.

Word

Word is probably already on the office computer, and Microsoft says it covers programs and similar Publisher jobs (Microsoft). Good starting points:

Word can also link text boxes so an article flows from one box to the next, much like Publisher. Once your layout is right, save it as a Word template (.dotx) so each week starts clean.

Canva

Canva is easy to share with volunteers and has plenty of bulletin and announcement designs. The CRC Network followed its Word template with a free half-sheet Canva bulletin template. The free plan is enough for many offices, and Canva for Nonprofits offers Canva Pro free to eligible registered charities. Canva can’t open .pub files, but it can import a PDF and keep the layout as closely as it can, so a converted bulletin is a useful starting point. Canva works online, and your designs live in your Canva account.

LibreOffice

LibreOffice is free, works offline, and opens your existing .pub files in Draw. The quickest bridge is to open last week’s bulletin (or its ODG copy), save it as your new master, and keep going. Check the first few weeks closely against your printed copies.

For a wider look at options by budget, ResourceUMC has a guide to bulletin and newsletter tools for every budget, and our Publisher alternatives guide compares the main apps.

A practical weekly routine

A routine matters more than the software. Here’s one that works in a small office:

  • Monday: Copy last week’s file and rename it with Sunday’s date (for example, 2026-11-01 Bulletin). Never type over your master template.
  • Tuesday: Collect announcements in one place, such as a single email folder, with a firm deadline.
  • Wednesday: Fill in the order of worship, readings, hymns and prayer list. Keep repeating content, like service times and staff names, in the template.
  • Thursday: Have a second person proofread, then export a PDF.
  • Friday: Print, email the PDF, post a page image on Facebook, and save the PDF in this year’s archive folder.

That last step quietly builds next decade’s archive, so nobody has to rescue these files again.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best Publisher replacement for a church bulletin?

For most church offices, Word or Canva. Word suits text-heavy orders of worship and is probably already on your computer. Canva suits designed covers and announcements that volunteers help with. LibreOffice is the free choice that works offline.

Is Canva free for churches?

Canva's free plan costs nothing. Canva Pro is free through Canva for Nonprofits for eligible registered charities, and guides say US churches generally need their own IRS 501(c)(3) recognition to qualify. Check Canva's current eligibility page before applying.

Can I keep editing last week's .pub bulletin without Publisher?

Yes, as a bridge. Open it in LibreOffice Draw, or convert it to an ODG file, and keep using it. For the long run, rebuilding the template once in your new tool saves time every week.

Should we delete the .pub files after converting?

No. Keep the originals, read-only, next to the PDFs. They take little space, and better tools may come along.

How much does it cost to convert a whole bulletin archive?

LibreOffice is free if you convert files yourself. Our converter shows every page of the first 10 files free, then charges once: $5 for up to 10 files, $15 for up to 60, $29 for up to 300 or $59 for up to 2,000. Only files that convert count.

Can we post bulletin pages on Facebook or our website?

Yes. Use the PDF for your website and email, and a PNG or JPG image of each page for Facebook and other social media.

Sources

  1. Microsoft Support: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026support.microsoft.com
  2. BGAV: Do you use Microsoft Publisher? Before October, you need a new planbgav.org
  3. ChurchArt: Preparing for Microsoft Publisher end of support, what churches should do nowblog.churchart.com
  4. CRC Network: Navigating the shift from Microsoft Publisher, a new bulletin template for church admins (Word)network.crcna.org
  5. CRC Network: Part 2, a new Canva bulletin template for church adminsnetwork.crcna.org
  6. Microsoft Create: Church service bulletin (folded) templatecreate.microsoft.com
  7. Office Watch: How to link text boxes in Microsoft Wordoffice-watch.com
  8. Canva Help: Import and edit PDFscanva.com
  9. Canva for Nonprofits: Eligibility guidelinescanva.com
  10. ResourceUMC: After Publisher, bulletin and newsletter tools for every budgetresourceumc.org

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