Pastors who read sermon notes from an iPad.
Jul 27th by Jon
When I was in the seventh grade, there was a world of difference between a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt and a Knights of the Round Table shirt. To the average eye, the two logos might have looked similar, but to my low self-esteem, obsessed with what people thought about me eyes, they were wildly different.
My friend Dave Bruce and I used to talk about this all the time. The polo guy was on a horse and had a polo mallet. The Knights of the Round Table guy was also on a horse, but he was not carrying a mallet. In his hand was a flag, a flag of shame if you ask me.
One shirt said you were cool and probably would slow dance to Milli Vanilli’s “Blame it on the Rain” at the next dance with Lindsey Newton. The other shirt said your family was thrifty and you weren’t cool.
I cared a lot about these things when I was young and although I’ve matured some, I have to admit sometimes I still get lost in the jungle of logos. I’ve lost my obsession with polo shirts perhaps, but in its place is something new, a slightly eaten piece of fruit.
Apple.
You rascal of modern consumerism. About a year ago I bought my first macbook pro and I confess, I feel kind of like a seventh grader pulling it out at Starbucks. “Look at me!” my glowing white logo screams at strangers. “I’m creative and hip and probably listen to bands you’ve never heard of!”
And I admit that’s a silly thing for a 34-year old suburban dad to care about, but I fear there is something even sillier on the horizon.
I’m talking about pastors who read their sermon notes from an iPad.
I am not making this up. In the last three days, my cousin and a close friend shared stories of experiencing a pastor iPad moment. And there are a few things that concern me about this:
1. You treat it different than paper
The table/stool combo is popular at a lot of churches right now. And usually, a pastor who has notes, will put them on the table and we’ll never see them. Some also hide them in their Bible. In general, you’d never see a pastor openly carrying a piece of paper on stage essentially reading from his notes as if he were picking a meal off a menu. So then why do you have to carry the iPad so that we can all see it? I think it’s a great place to put your notes, but if you make the argument that you’re just replacing the paper version of notes, keep the iPad on the table instead of showing the crowd because that’s what you would do with the paper.
2. It’s distracting.
The brilliant thing about Apple is that they turn every Apple owner into a disciple and advertisement almost instantly. That’s the point of the bright white symbol on my laptop. It’s a lighthouse of branding to anyone who sees it. Same with carrying around the iPad during a sermon. Whether you mean it or not, you’re advertising Apple during the sermon and you can’t tell me there aren’t people in the crowd that spend more time watching you engage with the iPad than they do thinking about your message. That product is captivating to watch in action and when you scroll through Bible verses with a swipe of your fingers, people think about Apple, not necessarily the verse.
3. Sometimes it feels at odds with the message.
My friend was recently at a conference and the minister spoke about the need to help the homeless. From his iPad. Now clearly, it’s not as if he was going to fix homelessness if he had instead given away the money he spent on his iPad, but it feels weird. Then my cousin heard a sermon about the foolish rich man who built a bigger barn with all his riches. Also from an iPad. Again, it’s a little odd to talk about being thrifty and not caring about the stuff as you preach from a device that is possibly, not exactly necessary. (Believe me, I’ve tried to convince my wife I need one, and have failed to explain why someone owning a laptop and an iPhone needs an iPad.)
4. You remind me of Gob.
On the show “Arrested Development,” the character Gob rode around on a Segway all the time. It was a weird way to travel and he was constantly bumping into things in his attempt to be an early adopter of technology. That’s kind of what it feels like when you say, “Please turn in your iPad to the book of Joel.”
Pastors, please buy a billion iPads. I’m trying to get one right now. And I hate when people like me try to tell you what kind of car you can drive and get crazy about pastors and money. But just be careful you don’t turn into seventh grade Jon Acuff with your logo affections. He had really bad skin and was awkward and thought that Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” was perhaps the greatest song ever written. And nobody wants their pastor to become like that.
What’s your take?
Would you notice if a pastor read sermon notes from an iPad?
Comments
I don't really care where a pastor keep his notes or what he reads them from, but i will say "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leopard is definitely one of the most awesome songs ever written.
I have a pastoral friend who is legally blind, he uses his so he can see the Bible and his notes more clearer. A real legit reason for a pastor to have one. I as a youth pastor still want one though…
I actually justngot an iPad…it is pretty amazing and productive in many respects. I was thinking about using it in replacement of paper, cards…whatever when speaking. I think this, like most everything, comes back to motive. And I refuse to do anything from stage that takes away from the content or context of a message.
Seems that a lot of this iPad talk is unfair in it's context. Since when is it wrong for pastors to enjoy new technology? If we think that purchasing an iPad is wasteful, then why don't we complain about the comfortable chairs that most people get to sit in on Sunday mooring to hear the sermon preached to us? Do you know how much even basic chairs cost, let alone big comfy ones? How about the bible he preaches from. As a missionary pastor, I have seen some bibles that are as much as 150 dollars. Did you know that you can get a paperback bible for 5 dollars? Is he wasteful for not carrying a paperback bible and giving the rest of the money to the poor? How about the rest of us? Why are we allowed to have a nice bible rather than carrying a paperback one and giving our money to the poor. Pastors are Christians and scripturally, all Christians are called to be willing to sacrifice, not just pastors. Why do you see yourselves any different than a pastor? We are all to be examples. Of course I could go on but you get the point. There are a lot of things that you and your church use weekly that could be argued as unnecessary expenses which should be sold so money can be given to the poor. An iPad is a tool and a good one at that. If it is causing a pastor (or any Christian) to be in sin by having a "look at me" attitude, then let's handle it like Christians and simply pull them aside and say "your attitude concerns me, would you consider praying about this matter". If you are close to him then lovingly tell him what a dork he looks like waving his ipad around. He'll get the point. Then let the Lord convict him through it and give him grace to grow up.
according to this study on wired (http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/07/ipad-owner-are-selfish-elites-critics-are-independent-geeks-says-study/) it may also indicate those pastors are selfish elites
Just another perspective to consider: As a pastor, our church has 2 iPads. You might think we are wasteful but consider the other side of the story. We use them daily rather than laptops, which they were cheaper than. We also moved out of our building a year ago so that we could give more money away. Since then, we give away over 50 percent of our income to foreign mission, and benevolence to the poor. Our church is only about 50 people in number. Before we decide if an iPad is wasteful, we should check out the other side of the story.
I find it interesting that some pastors seem to so like iPads and that the typecast for owning an iPad is to be a "selfish elite". Although I admit to being an "independent geek" like the study also typecasts, I've been doing a series about what our computer hardware and software purchases say about our ethics that very much relates to this topic.
In general, Apple is a company with elite, exclusive products and people who purchase those products are mirroring those elite, exclusive attitudes whether they mean to or not. I won't say that owning or buying an iPad is sin; just saying please think about your motives and why you want one…if we're honest that "selfish elitism" is usually the main driver.
I encourage you to try out open source software alternatives. It allows everyone to share in the burden and benefit of community driven projects. Much different than the Apple or Microsoft model, for sure.
Nothing, but nothing, so impels me to become a Luddite, yes and literally smash things, more than the missionary zeal of the owner of the bitten apple products.
(Go ahead: laugh. You know I'm not going to do that.)
I think an iPad would be fine, however I have never seen our pastor use notes or stand behind a podium.
Great post. I don't think it's a gray area – ipad owners are proportionately "selfish elites"; check it out: http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/07/27/1234212/...
This just in: if you are an iPad owner, you are a member of the selfish elite.
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/07/ipad-owner...
I am a new comer to this blog and I love it. I admit if those giving the sermons at the church I attend used iPads it would seem odd, but I hesitate to judge others intentions. However, considering the nonverbal messages you are sending while preaching is always something to consider.
Preaching out of Mt. 6 tomorrow night and decided not to use my iPad for fear that the Spirit may convict me as I reach the crescendo talking about the inability to serve God and Mammon and that might lead to me breaking it on stage.
I never really intended to use it but I love the Logos for iPad program. It's a great tool.
I have no illusions of ever being ubercool. Personally, i think i would prefer to use notes in my preaching Bible (don't anyone judge me for having more than one Bible, when that money could be spent feeding someone in Africa). Saying "You can trust the words in this Book" just wouldn't be as firmly illustrated, if i lifted a computer. And there is this remarkable invention called paper clips that keeps my notes from falling out of my Bible. They are truly amazing and incredibly afforadable. Unfortnately, yours may not be made from recycled material – and that of course is terribly sinful – you original materialist!
I don't believe Jon does this. But, in reading the comments, the real issue here is the justification of judging people, if they are consumerists. Judging someone because they are addicted to alcohol or something like that – well, we all know that we should hate the sin and love the sinner. But, if someone buys something you can't afford, well, it's okay to judge them. Could someone explain to me how breaking the tenth commandment is okay, as long as you are pointing out someone could be spending their money on something more worthwhile?
APPLES & ORANGES – PART I
(This has generated a lot of great replies already, but I feel the need to contribute briefly, even if only for me.)
This is going to sound super cheesy… I feel like the iPad is one of the most missunderstood gadgets ever. The iPad is not "just a big iPod touch"; it's not an iPhone; it's not a laptop. I love you John, and I love the community here, and I even can appreciate this article. But at the heart of it, I think we might be being a little bit too critical and judgemental here.
A preacher utilizing his iPad during a sermon is TOTALLY appropriate as far as I can see it. What, it's "too distracting"? I know, the iPad is "so amazing", ooooooooh. I promise, it too shall blow over just like every other gadget. We'll all be bored and unimpressed with it soon enough.
APPLES & ORANGES – PART II
I'm guessing there are a few pastors who are secretly (or overtly) showing off their new toy, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. It's certainly not for us to judge whether or not someone is being prideful.
I say GO FOR IT, pastors! Use your gadgets. Not in an effort to assimiliate and become one with the american machine of consumerism, but in a redemptive, Gospel kind of way that is engaging and open to things that aren't sinful, because it's a part of our culture. It's less about "being hip", and more about being a good missionary.
APPLES & ORANGES – PART III
Lastly, it just makes perfect sense to me for it to be used for notes during a sermon. That is exactly what separates this gadget from all the others right now. It's actually quite perfect if you think about it. I hope that everyone will not adopt this attitude that "everyone who preaches from their iPad is either insecure, obsessed with themself, or has something to prove". Maybe preaching from the iPad is a brilliant idea. Anybody thought of that?
I think that Jesus would do it! I'm just saying…
Peace to you all,
Jason
Oh, and I almost forgot. Nice touch with the "Job" reference. That may have just made my day. ~JS
Thinking this one doesn't sound like satire – sounds more like JEALOUSY!
Can't complain about an "ipad" when the sound system costs as much as a royals royce. Just sayin… any pastor using one can probably save enough paper in a year's time to break even. Do you KNOW what a box of printer paper costs these day? Not to mention the toner for the printer and the copier.
I think I know when I catch a brother shamelessly pressuring his dear wife to let him get an ipaddy…oh, so subtle, JA, but I'm pretty sure she'll see through you. The problem is that wives are so often such a soft touch, and who knows what she might do in a moment of sentimental sweetness. Stay firm, wife of JA, and that goes for the rest of our wives too, with the possible exception of mine, who for some reason has almost all her moments of sentimental sweetness for her children, who will assure you that they actually love her far more than I do–and no I'm not buying them anything with an iinfrontofit.
I guess this means it's ok for me to start taking my iPad to church….cool!
Well I must say, I am guilty as charged. At a church planters conference in April I won an iPad. Every time I get it out someone asks, "Is that an iPad?" I quickly say "Yes, and I won it." Funny how letting people know that you won it changes that entire attitude of the conversation.
I use keynote with all my messages so I have utilized greatly the keynote remote app for my messages both at camps this summer as well as preaching in church. It has been greatly effective for me as I like to advance my own slides. If you like doing this as well….you might check it out.
I do pray it is not a distraction while I preach. I do not carry it around but simply place it on the pulpit, music stand or whatever while preaching. You can check out this past weekends message and see what you think. http://vimeo.com/13709262
For the glory of God alone,
Ryan
Just wondering how we would all feel if our pastors had access to the giving records in our churches? If he/she knew what each family gave, if they were tithing faithfully, etc. Then watched what we bought, the stores we shop in, the houses we buy, the cars we drive.
Jon, I'm a little older than you, so it wasn't Polo vs. Knights of the Round Table in high school for me: it was Lacoste (the crocodile) vs. Hunt Club (the fox) or, worse, the Braggin' Dragon (Sears' pathetic attempt to compete).
Call me a luddite, but I would find pretty much any of these things–laptop, iPad, etc.–hugely distracting! And I would find a Moleskine just pretentious. I typically do not preach from notes, but if the week's events have cut into my typical preparation time, I just print my notes out and put them on the pulpit Bible. That's the only "prop" I use: the big ol' pulpit Bible, on an actual pulpit.
[...] something funny! I preach from an iPad (which I am trying to sell) and I thought the post, “Pastors who read sermon notes from an iPad” by Scott Acuff at “Stuff Christians Like” was pretty funny, even though it did [...]
I am an ipad owner and I could never see my pastor using an ipad. Now with that said, he preaches from the NIV and I have a NKJV bible, so I have thought about taking it with me and using Logos app to read along, but my wife thinks I would look ridiculous.
I think pastors ought to preach from a scroll.
Call me old fashioned but as cool as the ipad may be there is nothing on earth that can compete with the universality of reading scripture to a congregation in book form. But by all means, if you'd like to replace pew bibles with pewpads, go for it!
[...] of the week – 2010 – 27 blogs of the week: ====================== Pastors who read sermon notes from an ipad (Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff – [...]
I do something similar with Linux. When I help with the technical team at church, I bring in my old laptop running Linux as though to say, 'This cost me $250 three years ago and look, I can do just as much with it as you can with your Macbook that cost $2000 yesterday. Oh yes, it means that I'm smarter than you, too.' It seems like 80% of the people at my church have Apple computers that, from what I can tell, they use mostly for Facebook and email. I have trouble understanding how they reconcile that with helping the poor, but then, they seem like great people otherwise, and I suppose it's really between them and God. However, I also have my technical toys that are a bit frivolous (i.e., Nexus One).
christians are funny. cool blog dude – know lots of people who dig your site so came to check it out and will do so more. i am way too old school (read ‘techno-illiterate’) to use anything more than a piece of paper and my handy purple-covered NIV bible, but two things quickly more about the comment-haters than you
[1] judging those in the church in terms of motives etc is as far as i am aware (according to my understanding of the puple-covered NIV bible) what we are supposed to do – judging in order to challenge/encourage/correct not in order to be judgemental and it’s interesting to note the amount of people with ipads vehemently defending it as opposed to people without ipads going ‘i think it’s a great idea’ as if they are trying really hard to convince themselves first before you
and [2] hm was writing and it disappeared – hope this doesn't post twice, wow i AM techno-limited..
anyways i find it interesting when people say things like i'm sure Jesus would have an ipad – had an interesting discussion with a friend the other day when he was saying with absolute certainty (in a biblical fact kind of profession) that Jesus wpuld definitely have been on Facebook if He was here in flesh today (I'm on Facebook a lot and love it and try use it to grow kingdom) but when Jesus came the way He operated – how He arrived and looked and spoke and acted was completely against expectation and so while He very may possibly have been on Facebook or used an ipad (personally i think He knew His stuff well enough to not need notes and so i doubt He would) i would be very careful of speaking it as an absolute truth – we very possibly might see Him fashioning a whip and using it to smack down all the toys pastors have and enjoy playing with while there are people in their congregations whose names they dont know who are struggling to eat… maybe…
i would imagine the ipad question is intrinsically a 'food offered to idols' question where each person must search their heart before God and go for it or not…
oh wow looks like [1] may not have posted – in a nutshell, dig the post, have heard lots about this blog without spending much time here but think i will more
[1] i think, according to my purple covered NIV bible – that judging the church is something we are meant to do – judging in the sense of making a judgement for the purpose of correcting or rebuking or encouraging not in the sense of being judgemental – also interesting to me how it's generally people with ipads vociferously defending people preaching with ipads as opposed to those who dont have them going its a good idea – a lot of these posts sound like the people they are trying to convince are themselves first…
So I’m writing this as I sit on my couch waiting for my 22 month old to wake-up this AM. When he does I can quickly put away my browsing, books, bible, movie player, task manager, and toddler occupier away to go take care of him.
The iPad battery life is exceptional and I was skeptical of its use case. You possibly just need to plan on purchasing two so your wife can share the experience.
I saw an American pastor teach pastors in a Sudan from an iPad!
What about the churches where people don't even bring a Bible? Not only do people not read it, they don't even dust it off for Sunday mornings.
Or the pastor who doesn't use a Bible but an iPod touch? They often forget to charge the iPod and are then worried the rest of the message when it flashed 20% battery at the beginning of their message.
Yea I think I would definitely notice. and maybe chuckle at his aspiration to coolness. I don't think I know a pastor that would be cool enough in my perception to have and use during a sermon an iPad. Funny I point my finger at them and I have four fingers pointing back at me. I have been using my new iPhone for all my talks for the past several weeks. but I have an excuse I record my talks on voice memo and use the notes for my talk. OK there I am trying to justify myself. Maybe there is no justification. But it's easier! AGGGHHH Listen to myself.
We are currently discussing whether the pastoral staff should transition to iPads here at the office. I'm a techno junkie, but I'm not convinced yet that the iPad is necessary or will improve my productivity since I have a MacBook and a phone (not yet an iPhone, but headed that way). I do think it is awkward and distracting for a pastor to preach from an electronic device unless he can manage to do it with as much finesse and nonchalance as he can with paper notes. Not sure that is possible.
By the way…I was one of those 7th graders who had the Knights of the Roundtable shirts too. I soooo wanted the Clarks Wallabees, but couldn't afford them. I bought my first pair last year. Now we justify it as quality, not logo.
Thank God for my iPad!…I saved every check I made from performing on stage..a total of three shows! Just to get one. But let me tell you that ever since I got my little gadget, not only do I read more, but I read the Word of God more!! Thanks to free bible apps. Now I don't have to carry my bible, notepad, highlighter, pen, etc..with me because it's all in my iPad. Then while I'm listening to the message, I post the title and verses on my facebook status so my over 1200 believers/non believers can be blessed as well. Then while I am at church I get prayer request sent to me privately…to me spending $499.99 was well worth it even if it's a blessing even to just one.
…just realised it’s going to seem like this has nothing to do with ipads, but I’ll get there in a little while..!
mmm, I quite like gadgety stuff. Not as much as I used to though. I grew up with the basic idea that something was most probably an idol if either a)it cost a lot of money , or b)it wasn’t necessary, or c)you enjoyed it!
I couldn’t quite make sense of this as it seemed too vague. How expensive is too expensive? Can I justify needing the thing? On the ‘too much fun’ line of thought, it seemed accepted that if you could have fun doing something not too exciting, like going for a walk, then that was OK, but something more exciting like mountain biking might be suspect as a decent machine costs upwards of £600…
Anyway, where I’m getting to is a few things that sorted out the whole stuff/gadgets/equipment thing for me. One was the best definition of what an idol is. Not the only one, as there’s different aspects to this I guess. But the relevant one was “an idol is anything where I think ‘life will be OK if I get _____’”. Life just doesn’t work like that. That’s why even if your list of ‘must have’ gadgets you think will make life good has only one item on it, it will ALWAYS have one item on it. Because the new shiny thing is not capable of making life complete, so you need a replacement ‘must have’.
Another was just the realization that I can do everything I enjoy with God! So, yes I am a mountain biker, and when I get out on the bike it’s much better when it’s with God than it ever was when I worried about whether it was an idol or not.
Thirdly I find that when I’ve listened to the ‘guilt’ sermons you sometimes hear that focus only on what, in the preacher’s opinion you shouldn’t do, the results are short lived. However, when I started to discover how great God is I found that without trying, some stuff just became uninteresting in comparison to the ‘light’ of God!
…so, back to ipads. I’m not an Apple devotee, I have an ipod classic, because I couldn’t find an alternative. I must admit I couldn’t see the point of something that is like an iphone but much less portable and doesn’t replace a laptop… Maybe there’s something I don’t get. Anyway, I guess what I’m getting to is that I have a feeling that some pastors aren’t that satisfied with life/God and maybe try to fill the gaps with stuff. That’s not meant to be a condemnation, just something to think about. The idea being that if you suspect stuff is becoming too important, try it with God, or just see if time with God has any effect on how you view it. It might, it might not, just don’t think God isn’t interested.
…and finally remember the rule of new stuff. Anything new & shiny will get scratched within the first 2 weeks of ownership.
I can't wait to get an ipad to read my sermon notes from, it will make life as a pastor so much easier.
[...] Third, and this one is the kicker… I do use my ipad when I am teaching, but NEVER when I am on my Segway, I’m too afriad it will fall off and break. If that makes no sense, take a look here… [...]
A friend told me about this post and I was all excited to email it to my pastor 'cause he totally reads sermon notes of his iPad …
… but it doesn't really apply. He got it 'cause his old MacBook died and he couldn't afford a new one. And he actually DOES leave it flat on the pulpit. Hmm.
My pastor teaches with an iPad and I was teasing him about it after church last Sunday. Here's his fantastic response!
http://www.jimpace.org/2010/08/the-inevitable-pos...
On a similiar vein, I find myself feeling a bit left out to hear ‘you can get your notes sent directly to your phone or at your computer by…’ I would finish this sorta-quote but because I don’t know how to ‘get the message’ that way even if I did have high-speed internet or an iphone so from this part of the statement my brain only hears ‘blah, blah, blah’. It sounds like something fun I’d like to try & it’s great for the people who do know how to do that stuff and have the equipment to do it. Would it be totally unrelated to ask has anyone created an app that makes the same sound of bible pages turning? Honestly, I’m stretching what I know about technology by even typing ‘app’ because I really don’t understand it. My pastor uses both paper & electronics, bridging the gap between the generations and abilities of his flock.