Sermon Writing Tool Launches Kickstarter Campaign; Doubles Goal within 12 Hours

Press Release Religious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world
Updated Aug 03, 2017

The founders of Ministry Pass have developed an unprecedented resource for Christian pastoral leaders, Sermonary: a web platform exclusively created to provide an all-encompassing resource for sermon construction, presentation, and storage.

The Kickstarter campaign, which launched on August 1, doubled its goal within 12 hours.
“We are honored and overwhelmed by the response from pastors,” says Sermonary co-creators Wade Bearden and Justin Trapp. “It shows there is a real need for this platform, and we feel extremely grateful to help pastors as they share God’s Word on a weekly basis.”

featured imageDesigned by two pastors who are actively involved in ministry, Sermonary is specifically crafted to meet the needs of ministers and revolutionize the way they develop their sermons. The unique platform, projected to officially launch in September, currently has a waiting list of over 3,500 pastors.

A unique advancement in technology for busy church leaders, Sermonary provides a cloud-based alternative for the 84 percent of pastors still building their sermons on Microsoft Word or similar programs. Programs such as Word have been developed for a broad range of writing, but the Sermonary application is designed specifically for sermon construction. Though recent technological advancements have been made in the realm of Biblical scholarship and engagement, notably the YouVersion Bible application, Sermonary is the first of its kind to create a platform that is fine-tuned exclusively for the sermon writing process.

"As pastors ourselves, we understand how time-consuming it can be to write a meaningful, biblically-based sermon each week," says Bearden and Trapp. "While there will always be plenty of hard work involved, we wanted to create a platform that would help pastors be more efficient and effective. In light of so many impressive advances regarding Bible research and study, we felt that it was time for pastors to receive the same level of support for their sermon

writing process. Sermonary is the product of that mission, and we're truly excited to share it with our fellow pastors."

The platform is divided into three main categories: fill-in-the-blank sermon structure templates, Podium Mode, and an extensive resource library—all three combining to provide the most efficient pastoral sermon-building tool possible.

The interactive templates for building sermons have several options, including the Standard Editor, which sorts sermons into series and offers a space for a guiding Bible passage and central theme or idea, as well as a simple, easy to navigate space for constructing complete messages. Another option for sermon creation is the Blocks Editor, which allows pastors to build and edit a sermon using different ‘blocks,’ separating their message into manageable and organized chunks—including sections for exposition, illustrations, congregation application, and quotes. Sermonary also allows users to create their own custom templates in Blocks Mode, accommodating preachers of all styles and levels of expertise.

Podium Mode allows pastors to pull their completed messages into a presentation layout on their laptop or tablet device, a perfect way to reference their notes while on stage. Podium Mode also comes with a clock, helping speakers keep track of the time while preaching.

The optional resource library provides access to commentaries, tried-and-true sermon illustrations, teaching resources for adult and youth ministries, and more, to give pastors with the resources they need to build effective, gospel-driven sermons.

With input from active pastors, Sermonary received excellent feedback; every pastor who was surveyed responded positively to the platform and confirmed its helpfulness for the pastoral community.

Sermonary will be active on Kickstarter beginning August 1, where qualifying backers will receive a year of membership, accessible via: http://sermonarykickstarter.com/