Thanks to the Myers-Mallory State Missions Offering, 50 Alabama Baptist pastors received a gift of deeply discounted Bible study software during a Jan. 23 training.
Rob Jackson, director of the SBOM office of church health, said the gift came at the request of Rick Lance, SBOM executive director.
“Dr. Lance saw the value in Logos Bible Software as a helpful study tool and suggested we make it available at a discount to the first ministers who enrolled for our training session today,” Jackson said. “The pastors had a buy-in, but they had significant savings from the retail cost since we purchased in bulk. This program was made possible by the Myers-Mallory (State Missions) Offering from our churches.”
Jackson partnered with Ken Allen, director of the office of LeaderCare, to sponsor Logos training as part of the “Intentional Leaders” series, now in its second cycle of four emphases: person, pastor, preacher and pathfinder.
Attendees heard from facilitator Shawn Grubb, customer success manager at Logos and a Southern Baptist pastor in Pennsylvania.
“I’ve been in ministry for more than 28 years, and I call it being ‘dual-vocational,’ though some call it bivocational,” he said. “I use Logos every day for preaching, teaching and personal Bible study, and it’s been a wonderful tool for me as a pastor.”
Accessible
Grubb directed four sessions on the mechanics of the software, demonstrating how he uses it and highlighting the most common features. He called his presentation “From Your Study to Your Stage,” explaining that preachers can use their laptops or phones for notes and slides for preaching.
Grubb said he purchases very few physical books anymore since his library is now accessible on his computer or cellphone. Logos has more than 200,000 titles in its database, including Bible translations and reference books, and new titles are being added as well.
“I humbly suggest Logos is a much better way to find research materials than searching through the books on one’s shelf,” he said. “The search tools in Logos save time and point the Bible teacher in the right direction for exegeting Scripture and reading the commentary of scholars. And pastors on their travels or missionaries on the fields can access their digital libraries at any time.”
Grubb said Logos is “ministry-heavy” since it’s designed for pastors, but laypeople can use it as a tool as well.
“My wife and son are using Logos, and the software is a great venue for daily devotions,” he said. “There is a voice option so the user can read or read along as the Bible is read to them. And the software can help one develop a regular reading plan by breaking the material into appropriate packages and sending reminders.”
Grubb advised attendees to get into Logos themselves and get familiar with its features.
“I don’t think anyone will say they’ve mastered Logos since there are so many features, and the packages get better all the time,” he said. “But what a marvelous tool for modern pastors.”
Resourcing pastors
Gary Jones, pastor of Pates Chapel Baptist Church in Jemison, said he’s been using Logos for many years.
“I purchased this probably around 1995, but it’s become more important to me in the last two years,” he said. “The Lord gives me a sermon idea, and I use Logos to grasp the meaning of the text and learn what scholars have said about it. It’s also a great tool for saving ideas and illustrations that I can use in the future.”
Logos offers a basic software package without charge and other levels of features for purchase.
Allen said he grew up in a “library world,” but Logos offers a new way to be more effective in Bible study. He said the goal of the “Intentional Leader” series is to offer “real training for the real world.”
“We want to be practical, and the feedback we’re getting is positive,” he said.
Upcoming training
The next training event in the series will be April 9 and features Dan Garland, formerly of Lifeway Christian Resources, who will teach leadership, or what Allen calls “pathfinding.” Garland will also be on hand for transitional pastor training in Prattville on April 22–23.
The Logos helpline is support.logos.com. Grubb offers webinar training at logos.com/shawngrubb.
Allen and Jackson publish a brief “Ministry Moments” email every Monday that is available by request. They can be reached at 800-264-1225.
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