Jump to content

Do you preach from your iPad?


Timothy Jenney

Recommended Posts

What are some good knockoff brands to consider?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I purchased this one. I'm pretty rough on my cases and use my iPad mini consistently. I'm guessing this cover will only last me about a year, but I am really happy with it: http://www.amazon.com/QQ-Tech%C2%AE-Removable-Detachable-Wireless-Bluetooth/dp/B009YC3ZIE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401739161&sr=8-1&keywords=iPad+mini+cover+brown+leather+keyboard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don;t get me wrong...I like my book book but both corner tabs ripped repaired with brown duct tape. And several times grabbing it dropped my iPad on the ground not being zipped... no real harm to my iPad, but I went to a Zazzle one no zippers just a printed case, but after a few months of use i had to reinforce the spine with duct tape, and I noticed numerous little holes in edges. I went back to my BookBook which i think was only about 10-15 dollars more and since sewing the cross band up making it into 2 upper corners i find it very good. I cannot fault twelveSouth's quality on the exterior of the BookBook

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been using my iPad 2 for preaching every Sunday for the last couple of years. I create a PDF file with white & coloured text on a black background because the white light from the screen is distracting for those watching & for the video camera. Every time you move your hand over a white screen, the light shining on your face or around you from the iPad is disturbed & it is quite distracting - especially if the service is being videos. I use GoodReader for viewing the file for preaching – a single touch on the right of the screen moves to the next page. GoddReader also allows for some highlighting etc., added notations to the file I preach from. Hope this is helpful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah - I use Good reader too. A great PDF reader.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I discovered GoodReader early on after getting my first iPad. I was trying to find electronic copies of textbooks I was using in the classroom. When certain titles weren't available, I just scanned the print copies myself. But this created very large PDFs--the largest was over 700 pages! Of all the PDF readers available on the iPad, only GoodReader allowed me to to read and move quickly through these large files without the program crashing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had hoped that many of you were preaching from your iPads using Accordance, which would have made for a really appropriate podcast. I hadn't figured out an effective way to do so, so I thought I'd solicit suggestions from you.

 

It turns out that most of you aren't preaching directly from Accordance, either! You're using third party solutions, even if you are using Accordance on an iPad or a computer to prepare the sermons.

 

It's going to take me a while to evaluate your solutions and try them out for myself, so I am going to postpone this podcast for awhile. Meanwhile, let the discussion continue! I'm learning a lot.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had hoped that many of you were preaching from your iPads using Accordance, which would have made for a really appropriate podcast. I hadn't figured out an effective way to do so, so I thought I'd solicit suggestions from you.

 

While one could preach from a User Tool that had the sermon outline, I wonder if more folks will preach from Accordance itself if/as there comes available the option to un-tie the two panes, so that you could have one pane with all the Scripture references you wanted (from a Bible text search), and the other pane with a User Tool/sermon outline that you could swipe your way through.

 

(Of course, there is the workaround now of copy-pasting all Scripture passages into a User Tool ahead of time.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that is surely the case, Abram, one of the reasons I and several others here are advocating internally for that feature as the next major improvement.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds good!

 

To continue the discussion about preaching with an iPad more generally, I'm curious--to those who have weighed in and who use an iPad for preaching... are you doing it from a pulpit, on the floor from a music stand, or while walking around holding it in your hand?

 

As I mentioned, I'm still a print manuscript guy, but it occurs to me that I could use an iPad from my pulpit fairly discreetly, although I think the swiping motion would be noticeable. Not sure it would make a huge difference one way or the other....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds good!

 

To continue the discussion about preaching with an iPad more generally, I'm curious--to those who have weighed in and who use an iPad for preaching... are you doing it from a pulpit, on the floor from a music stand, or while walking around holding it in your hand?

 

As I mentioned, I'm still a print manuscript guy, but it occurs to me that I could use an iPad from my pulpit fairly discreetly, although I think the swiping motion would be noticeable. Not sure it would make a huge difference one way or the other....

 

I only preach a few times/year, but this last time I had my iPad Mini on a stand, but also walked around with it while reading extended portions of scripture. At this church it wasn't a distraction at all because the lead pastor always preaches from his iPad (he preaches from his slides and controls them using the ProPresenter app).

 

As to the feature request, I understand it's in current development. But even when you can have an independent split pane I'm not sure I would still use that since the screen space is limited; and as of now will not support page swiping (but hopefully soon). I don't think it's convenient to scroll vertically so often. Page swiping is much more natural coming from advancing paper outlines / manuscript.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Plus, a page swipe means you don't lose your place. A scroll is unpredictable. I can't preach form an auto cue either. Just my last millennium foibles. I think that using the iPad is less obtrusive that using printed notes Abram. Plus in good reader a right sided tap is all that is needed, a swipe can be used but is not necessary.

 

Even if accordance does have much better notes, I am not sure I'll use them for preaching.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Use iPad for notes, specially for outline and I use a regular Bible for Bible studies I lead and whenever I am asked to teach to a large audience. I still love the sound of flipping pages.

 

I own both Accordance and Logos and both are installed on my iPad and used frequently. I like Accordance for the iPad because of its simplicity and speed, and while I think I could use either when teaching, to be honest, when teaching I will use Logos mainly because of Proclaim. There are several things I would love to see improved in the Accordance iPad app and I know they are being work out. I think once they are I could use Accordance for teaching.

 

That could be a good concept… create an Accordance app for preaching. Maybe the better question could be what would you like to see in a mobile app designed for teaching/preaching.

 

Dr. J, I am VERY interested in this podcast and see how others use Accordance app in their teaching.

Edited by davidmedina
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got a Bookbook thanks to Dan Francis recommendation (thanks) and I love it. Most people don't now is an iPad until I open it. Very cool.

Edited by davidmedina
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Ken for your suggestion re GoodReader. I've always used Pages and the down scroll sometimes caught me out. Used GoodReader today for the first time and it was a marked improvement.

 

Back to the main thread - I still read from a physical bible, but all notes are on my iPad. I would say 60% of my congregation would follow along, and take notes on, some form of smartphone or tablet. I actually feel awkward if I know preach odd paper as I have been the iPad since it first came out in 2010.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

To continue the discussion about preaching with an iPad more generally, I'm curious--to those who have weighed in and who use an iPad for preaching... are you doing it from a pulpit, on the floor from a music stand, or while walking around holding it in your hand?

 

I use my iPad on a pulpit or portable stand. I tried preaching from it once without a stand and it was awkward. I was self-conscious of the screen distracting folks. My particular case also caused a problem. I have a Portenzo case, similar to the Bookbook cases, and it made it hard to hold in one hand. I also kept accidentally locking the screen by holding my case in the corner!

Edited by MatthewCrowe
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Matthew. I put it on a clear plexiglass lectern and preach from there while walking about a little. I am not a great roamer, but I'm not up in a pulpit either

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Matthew,

 

When I preached with my iPad, I carried it around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Waving an iPad in the air and saying, "I stand upon this" just doesn't have the same effect as using a thick, leather-bound print Bible.

 

There's also the definite possibility that its slick surface will result in it flying out into the crowd, too.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dr. J,

 

Exactly! My congregation has a variety in ages and most 20s-30s use their smartphones. The older generations, I suspect, trust a preacher with the leather-bound text in his hands.

 

My portenzo case gives an illusion of being a book. Maybe that helps.

 

And yes, the naked iPad's slick surface would make it hard to carry around, for me anyway. But I'm quite clumsy.

 

Note: I was trying to quote Abram K-J's post on my phone last night but I messed up the editing. But thanks for the replies!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, been meaning to weigh in on this thread for some time, I use an iPad 2 and use a Mivizu case (smelt horrible when I first got it but feels great) as I like covers that have 4 sections so they fold easily for hand holding and stand nicely.

 

I am in Church of England, a reader and the director of music so

Morning service are data projection and I prepare them in word and PDF them and move pages with a Kensington presentation pointer (we use two which don't interfere so someone can zap while I'm playing) for those, I lead from the music stand but preach from the lecturn ( we have a 50's church) and while I use accordance to prepare, I paste my material into the standard notes app that comes on iOS as I can work on it on my phone or MBP. (Rant, ages ago I asked for a more generic notes app in accordance for collecting material rather than the specific verse notes). I then put highlights, images and verses into what I am projecting so use that to prompt while preaching and congregation see it.

 

Evening service is more informal and purely paper based for congregation so I have my liturgy and collects downloaded from CoE site and I just use adobe but have them in the correct page in my recents. I have my set list in forScore of the songs and hymns with the excellent AirTurn and I have my notes in notes. And I do have accordance open so I can do a quick search in case someone raises an awkward question but most of my notes have been compiled. And so lead the service from a make shift stall with a lowered music stand. Again all the preparation done from accordance into notes. (Rant 2 though get fed up that you can't copy instant details in iOS as it copies the underlying article). I also have resources in Kindle and as PDF and still use some paper resources as well, so notes is a good area to compile things. ( I have used Evernote and Upad in the past but came back to notes).

 

So in the docking station of my iPad, I have notes, adobe, accordance Safari iTunes and forScore so all my key apps are easy to get to.

 

Ps. I use my MBP twice a week to prepare my scores and the service and send a draft to whoever is preaching. I use my iPad morning, evening and night and really is my primary tool. ;o)

 

Pps, I have tried AirDisplay to mirror what is projected onto my iPad but so far run into issues when I try to change apps on my iPad.

Edited by ukfraser
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I preach from my iPad every service now. I did it once while traveling and preaching some anniversary services at a church, rather than find a printer, and print my outlines, I quickly googled how to preach from iPad, and turned up quite a few articles. I'm a little old fashioned in preaching in that I don't use Keynote. I have, and sometimes do, but the majority of the time, it is just straightforward teaching/preaching. I have a template setup in Pages. I save the outline to iCloud, then open it on my iPad, and export it to iBooks. I have the fonts set larger (ranging from 18-25 in size) so it is very easy to read from the pulpit. One main point per page, and swipe pages. No scrolling. I haven't looked back. Just my 2cents worth of input.

 

Shane

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...