Rising Prices Offer a Way to Save Money

At first blush, it seems like an oxymoron — rising prices and saving money. Common sense tells us that rising prices mean less money to save. 
  
But for Alabama Baptist churches, the recent increase in postage means an opportunity to save money by partnering with The Alabama Baptist through the Local Church Edition Service. 
  
All of us remember the cost of a first-class stamp jumping to 41 cents May 14 of this year. What is not as commonly known is that July 15, the cost of mailing what the United States Postal Service calls “flats” jumped 12.8 percent on average. Most local church bulletins are considered flats. 
  
At the same time, new regulations were introduced about preparing the mail. The Postal Service even introduced new charges for the containers used to transport the mail to the post office. 
  
Mailing a local church bulletin is now a complicated and expensive process. It claims more and more time from office staffers, which takes them away from providing ministry support for the ongoing operation of the church. 
  
Some churches have begun using mailing services to get through all the postal red tape, but mailing services come at a price.
  
Either way, churches not only pay more in postage for their weekly mail out but they also pay more to get the mail piece ready for mailing. Staff members who used to spend their time in ministry now spend their time reading the Domestic Mail Manual and working with the local post office. 
  
It does not have to be that way. Instead of churches taking two days or more to get their mail out ready, the work can be completed in two or three hours by using a local church edition of The Alabama Baptist. 
  
Currently about 140 churches and associations use this reliable service. They know a local edition saves money and that it eliminates the hassle of dealing with postal regulations. 
  
Postage for a local edition is included in the subscription price of The Alabama Baptist. And The Alabama Baptist staff works with postal officials and professional mailers to make sure the papers are properly prepared for the Postal Service and promptly delivered to subscribers. 
  
Here is how it works. A church prepares its copy on a computer just as it does currently. State paper staff members can help churches set up all computer settings for the new size. 
  
Once the copy is prepared, it is electronically delivered to The Alabama Baptist via what is called an FTP site. This step is completed by early Monday afternoon. 
  
Then staff members of The Alabama Baptist review the copy to make sure it is ready for printing and electronically deliver it to the printer. Monday evening and Tuesday morning, local editions are printed and addressed. Tuesday afternoon, the papers are put in the mail. Most are delivered to homes on Wednesday, some on Thursday and a few on Friday. 
  
Local edition pages replace the regular back page of The Alabama Baptist. When a church and the association of which the church is a member both use a local edition, the church news goes on the back page and the associational news goes on the inside back page. 
  
Local church news, associational news, Alabama Baptist news and Southern Baptist Convention news — even news from the world of religion — are all together in one publication delivered into the mailboxes of church members. Obviously only those on the mailing list of a local church edition user receive that local church edition. 
  
Also local church editions are folded so that the church’s news is the first thing members see when they take their paper from the mailbox. 
  
For larger membership churches, the Local Church Edition Service of The Alabama Baptist provides opportunity to save money over producing their own mail out. Hundreds of financial comparisons have reached the same conclusion. A church can pay its subscription charges and the local church edition charge and still save money over what it is spending on a weekly mail out. 
  
For smaller membership churches, the Local Church Edition Service offers an opportunity to increase communication and promotion among members. There is no minimum number of subscribers required for a local church edition. Some current users have less than 100 subscribers, a few less than 50.  
  
How often a church uses the local church edition is up to the church. Most larger membership churches use it weekly. Some smaller churches use it monthly. 
  
The Alabama Baptist works with a church to establish a publishing schedule and to meet that schedule. 
  
There are many other advantages to using a local church edition. For example, readership of local church information goes up, as well as readership of state and national news. Members are more informed about what God is doing through Baptists around the world. One pastor’s wife shared that conversations around the Wednesday night supper tables changed once members began reading their state Baptist paper with the local church edition.
  
The rising price of postage could be the catalyst your church needs to consider a local church edition. It will save money. It will save time. It will reduce hassle and frustration. It will make more time available for ministry. It will produce a more informed membership and much, much more. 
  
Contact us about the local church edition. We would love to talk with you about the benefits of partnering together to enhance the impact of your church’s communications. Call 1-800-803-5201, Ext. 106, or e-mail local@thealabamabaptist.org.