Microsoft Publisher Is Going Away

Here’s What You Need to Know Before October.

If Microsoft Publisher is part of your weekly routine for bulletins, newsletters, or other church publications, mark your calendar: Publisher is retiring on October 1, 2026. After that date, Microsoft 365 subscribers will no longer be able to open or edit Publisher files in Publisher, and it will be removed from Microsoft 365 subscriptions entirely. For many church offices, that deadline is closer than it feels.

The good news is that you have time to make a thoughtful transition rather than a panicked one. The quieter weeks of summer are a perfect window to explore your options, experiment with a new tool, and get your templates rebuilt before fall programming kicks back into gear.

What Are the Alternatives?

Several solid tools can handle everything Publisher does, and many of them are more powerful and easier to share with volunteers or staff.

• Canva: A browser-based design platform with an enormous library of templates. The free tier is genuinely useful, and the paid version adds brand kits, background removal, and more. Ideal for churches that want something quick and accessible to multiple users. Canva is free for non-profit organizations and is a great option for churches.
• Affinity: A professional desktop publishing app built for layouts, multi-page documents, and print-ready files. Now part of the Canva family, Affinity Studio combines publishing, photo editing, and vector design tools in one free app. Nonprofits can access it at no cost through Canva for Nonprofits, making it one of the most powerful free options available to churches.
• Adobe InDesign: The industry standard for serious print and publication work. More complex to learn, but powerful if your church produces polished multi-page materials regularly. Available by subscription through Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Microsoft Designer: A newer AI-assisted design tool included with Microsoft 365, worth exploring for simpler projects and social graphics.
• Marq:  A browser-based option similar to Canva but with more focus on brand consistency and multi-page documents, which some church communicators may find fits their workflow well. You can try Marq on a trial basis before committing to a subscription.
• Microsoft Word and PowerPoint: If your congregation is already in Microsoft 365, these tools have more layout capability than most people realize, and Microsoft is actively building new design features into both as Publisher winds down. They’re not purpose-built for publications, but they can work in a pinch while you decide which new platform fits your needs best.

Whatever you choose, the best time to start learning it is before you need it.

Get Hands-On Help This Summer

If you’d like some guidance making the switch, Virginia’s PAUMCS (Professional Administrators of the United Methodist Connectional Structure) is sponsoring PAUMCS on the Road, bringing hands-on training sessions to four locations across the Virginia Conference this summer. Kim Johnson, Director of Resourcing for the Virginia Conference, will lead each session, walking church administrators through the transition and helping them discover the best alternatives for creating bulletins and publications. 

Sessions are available at four locations across the conference:

• Roanoke — July 30, Bonsack UMC
• Richmond — August 5, Good Shepherd UMC
• Winchester — August 13, Kernstown UMC
• Suffolk — August 19, Ebenezer UMC

All sessions run from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

The first part of each session covers the options: what’s out there, what works well for churches, and how to make the switch with confidence. Then the session gets practical. Bring a laptop and a current bulletin for hands-on time in a new platform, with Kim right there to coach, answer questions, and cheer everyone on. 

Participants will leave with new skills, new tools, and a bulletin already in progress. Whether a seasoned Publisher user or just getting started with church communications, this session will leave administrators, communicators, and pastors equipped and ready for what comes next.

Space is limited. Register today.

AI was used to brainstorm and polish this article.