Something that’s becoming a common tool among many pastors is the iPad. I remember when you couldn’t attend a pastor’s conference without seeing the Scofield Reference Bible everywhere you looked; today it’s the iPad that is ubiquitous. Many pastors are even using their iPad in place of paper notes in the pulpit; I tried it myself recently, and probably will again.
The website ProPreacher.com recently offered a post suggesting 10 commandments for iPad preaching. Here are the first four:
1. Thou shall turn off notifications.
The only thing worse than a cell phone ringing in the middle of a prayer is the preacher’s iPad ringing in the middle of a prayer. Make sure to turn on the Do Not Disturb switch in Settings. I also turn on Airplane Mode just to make sure I don’t have anything popping up from Wi-Fi. At one location where I preached, there was a very weak Wi-Fi signal to which I didn’t have the password. A Wi-Fi connection message kept popping up while I was preaching. You don’t want any distractions from the message God has given you.
2. Thou shall turn off auto-lock.
I have forgotten to do this a few times. Five minutes into the message my iPad blacked out. It totally threw me off. I had to pause what I was saying, open the iPad and swipe to unlock before resuming the message. This is even worse if your iPad is password protected. Always make sure to open Settings, tap General and set Auto-Lock to Never.
3. Thou shall lower the brightness.
If the stage is dark and the brightness is too high, your iPad will make your note stand glow. In addition, your face will light up like you are telling scary stories around a campfire. If you wear glasses, the iPad also will reflect off your lenses. Eliminate this distraction. Adjust brightness accordingly. The goal is easy readability for you while glowing low enough so the audience doesn’t notice. A cool trick many people don’t know is that you can invert the colors on the iPad to make the screen dark. In Settings, tap General, then Accessability, and switch Invert Colors to On.
4. Thou shall not draw attention to your iPad.
Don’t show off your new gadget. Don’t say, “Look at this amazingly awesome piece of technology. Don’t you wish you were as cool as me?” You are not an Apple commercial. This is a tool to help you as you proclaim God’s message. Don’t let the iPad become a distraction from the main focus. I recommend getting a case that covers the logo. I use this amazing case that looks like a vintage book. Yes, it is as awesome as it looks. I definitely recommend it.
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