Just a few weeks ago, I finished a year pastoring Argo Baptist Church in Trussville, AL. I thought it may be helpful to write out some of the tools I use to prepare and deliver sermons, keep up with tasks and stay in touch with people.
I have found no better application for studying the Bible, preparing sermons, taking notes and organizing ideas. Logos has an extensive library of commentaries, translations, theological books, sermons and so much more. There is a Logos app for Mac, PC, Tablets and include both Android and iOS devices. All documents, books and notes are synced across the each device. I have been using since Logos 4 and it has steadily gotten better and better with each release.
I've not been able to find an consistent way to write my sermons. Sometimes, I write them in Apple Pages, other times I write them in Microsoft Word, and there are times when I hand write everything. Nevertheless, I always export a final document to a PDF and send it to GoodReader when I am ready to preach from my iPad. GoodReader is a distraction-free environment to see the sermon content without worrying about a keyboard flying up during the middle of the message. GoodReader also allows you to annotate and add notes, highlights and drawings to your PDFs, which is helpful for those last minute changes or additions.
I'm not a consistent journaler, but I love looking back on what I've written years later. Day One has taken the difficulty out of having paper and pen around when needed. Day One has developed an app for your phone, computer and tablet - all in a beautiful and elegant interface. The app will send reminders to write down thoughts, ideas or comments about the day. This has been tremendously helpful to look back and see progress, growth, struggles and difficulties in retrospect. I'm quick to forget the goodness of the Lord.
Best Bible app out there, hands down. Easiest to read and navigate. Allows you to have reading plans, hear the Bible through your car stereo or headphones.
I'm sure there is a better solution, but I use Numbers to keep a running list of people who I've missed at church and how I've followed up with them. I try to color coordinate cells based on a follow up. Having Numbers on my phone and tablet allows me to quickly update when I see someone on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night. It also allows me to send a PDF version to necessary people so that they may follow up with visitors or members who have missed a few weeks in a row. Again, I'm sure there is a better solution, but it has worked well so far with our smaller membership. I also use a Numbers spreadsheet to track the sermons I have preached and where I have preached them.
One of the best solutions for task and project management (that is free). Todoist has created a web interface along with mobile and desktop applications that syncs all tasks in the cloud. You can input due dates, alerts, notes and categories.
Dropbox is a cloud drive that I keep a backup of all our files on. You are able to access it via mobile and desktop apps. I keep all my sermons and notes backed up in case I need to access these while I am away from my computer. I am also able to make changes to files on the go and they will be updated on my computer when I return. Also, a great way to backup all your important videos, pictures and documents.
Simple and straightforward app. It turns your iPhone screen into a very large clock. We don't have a clock in the sanctuary anywhere, but I keep this at the top of the pulpit as I preach to keep track of my time.