5 Ways to Make Preaching with an iPad Easier

Master the art of preaching with an iPad when you learn key ways to make it easier and more efficient.

Preaching with an iPad has become the norm among today’s pastors. An iPad can streamline the process of delivering a sermon, as it can easily store and display digital versions of religious texts, notes, and commentaries, eliminating the need for bulky books and notes. By enabling preachers to engage with their congregation in real-time through digital notes and responses, an iPad can provide an immersive and interactive experience that enhances the shared worship experience. 

However, as slick as preaching with an iPad may seem, using this cutting-edge approach comes with its own issues. The most prominent is by using several apps on an iPad, the user must navigate between these while delivering their message, which can be tricky and easily leads to wavering focus.

Another difficulty is that technology can be unpredictable, and there is always a risk of technical difficulties during the sermon. Issues such as slow loading times or network interruptions can be frustrating for both the preacher and the congregation. 

There are several ways that you can mitigate these potential issues and succeed in delivering a seamless sermon, using your iPad. We have selected five of the most important ones that will be sure to make a huge difference to how you prepare your sermon and subsequently deliver it.

5 Ways to Make Preaching With an iPad Easier

The following five points will make preaching with an iPad easier and increase the probability of your sermons going off without a hitch. 

1. Use a preaching app that was created for preaching on an iPad

The importance of using an app that was specifically created for preaching on an iPad is two-fold:

Firstly, it is important because no one wants to be in front of people, in the middle of delivering a powerful message, and encounter a clash of technology. We’ve all been in a church service where technology fails the user and there is an awkward pause while the issues are resolved. 

Using an app that is specifically created for an iPad will mitigate this problem.

Secondly, software developers study how devices are used and how best to serve the users. If you choose to use a preaching app that was created for an iPad, it’s safe to assume that the developer has carefully studied what features pastors need in a preaching app and how best to combine these with the user habits of iPad owners.

For example, apps specifically designed for pastors needing to prepare their sermons will note that not everything jotted down will make it to the final sermon. Therefore, developers will offer an area for note-making and planning and then offer a different viewing mode, reserved for the final points that will be expounded on during the sermon. This will mean that the pastor is not distracted by the bits and bobs that were previously ‘scribbled’ in the preparation phase. 

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2. Write, edit, and consolidate your sermon efficiently

You never know when inspiration will hit. It could be while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, or on a train during your commute to work. The joy of technology is that it’s more often than not, with us (unlike a pen and a notepad). And so, it is easy to jot down your ideas or write out a section of your sermon before it flies out of your head. 

The problematic side to this is that you end up with notes scattered between your phone, iPad, and laptop—probably on different apps. Organizing them in one place is cumbersome and can end up in a mess.

The best way to build a sermon is to make sure that you have the same software on all your devices, so you have access to the same app whenever you need to make notes or prepare your sermon. This means that you need an app that is designed to work on all of your devices. Our go-to example for this is the Sermonary app because it will work on your phone, laptop and iPad. Therefore, all of your work will be in one place and accessible to you no matter what device you need to use.

3. Only preach with your most essential notes

We have left behind the hand-written or printed sermons, note cards, and paper clips but preaching from your iPad can still be messy if you don’t organize your final message correctly. 

This can be tricky because where hard-copy sermon notes could be shuffled around or spread over a pulpit, an iPad has one screen, which makes it problematic to switch between apps and organize your notes sensibly.

The ideal situation is to select software that allows you to format your sermon notes for the stage. In other words, it’s best to preach with an iPad in a simple view mode, where all the unnecessary processor tools are unseen and you have exactly what you need in one place.

A good example of this is Sermonary’s “podium mode” and block editor. The block editor allows you to drag, drop, and reorder the most important parts of your sermon into podium mode. Then when you are ready to preach, the activated podium mode view is all that you see, showing your selected illustrations and notes in one place, correctly ordered – no distractions.

4. Your sermon should be shareable, exportable and editable

We have all been in a situation where content must be edited or shared but the source file is incompatible with any other app. We live in an era where collaboration is key and your sermons must be shareable. Don’t waste your time by using devices and software that don’t work for everyone on your team. 

In this vein, it’s also important that what you use integrates with software you’re already using in your church. It’s one thing to be able to share your material with people in your team and it’s another to be able to use it in church on a Sunday. This is also important if you do a lot of guest preaching and need to link up to various systems.

This emphasizes the point about selecting apps that have been specifically designed for writing sermons because good developers will know that versatility is key.

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5. Go beyond writing sermon notes

Your sermon notes are most important for delivering your message, we all know this. However, you’ll know that illustrations and other media help your people to engage with the message and grapple with what it means in their lives. It’s important that you learn how to use features on your iPad that will enhance your sermons. Thus, using an app that offers a library of illustrations is helpful.  At the same time, further explore the app you use and find out what other features they’ve included in your package.

For example, an app like Sermonary offers sermon templates, which can be helpful in getting the ball rolling when you first sit down to prepare for your next sermon. You’ll find templates for funeral sermons, wedding ceremonies, apologetics, verse-by-verses, and much more.

MAKING THE PROCESS EASIER WILL MAKE PREACHING EASIER

Essentially, it’s all about the age-old ethos of process simplification and efficiency. In the case of preaching with an iPad, it’s down to knowing the capabilities of the device, how to use the features, and selecting the correct software that will support everything you need. After spending time optimizing how you use your iPad for preaching, the overall effect will be remarkable, and preaching with an iPad will no longer be difficult.

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