How to Create a Lesson Template for Logos' Sermon Editor

If you’re a preacher, teacher, or Bible study leader you probably have a fairly consistent approach to study and/or preparation. In other words, you may go through the same steps of lesson development each week. For example, I personally follow my methodology called the I-Beam of Message Building.

Toward that end, I’ve been asked numerous times by fellow Logos users if we can create a “lesson template” in the software allowing us each week to complete fields, such as title, introduction, point 1, point 2, conclusion, etc.

Currently, we can’t create templates (but who knows what the future holds) so I’ve discovered a work-a-round in Logos that may just meet a need you have.

For the sake of example, let’s keep this very simple and say that you each week you want to develop a lesson with these components:

Introduction
Scripture Reading
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Conclusion

Obviously, your strategy for inductive Bible study and/or message preparation would be much more in-depth, but you get the idea of what we’re trying to accomplish. We want to avoid having to create a document each week with these same fields or sections.

In short, here’s what were’ going to do:

Establish a “note file template” with the desired components
Export this “note file template” each week to a new Sermon document
Edit the new Sermon document with each week’s specifics

If all of that is clear as mud, then give this a try.

To establish the “note file template”:

Choose Documents | Notes
Name the new note file something like Lesson Template (A)
Set the Notes View to Full (B)
Click the Add note link on the file’s toolbar (C)
Name the note your first desired component such as Introduction (D)

Click the Add note link again (E)
Name the note your second desired component such as Scripture Reading (F)

Repeat the above 2 steps as many times as needed until you have included all of the components
Close the Notes document

To export the “note file template” to a new Sermon document each week:

Choose the Documents menu
Click the name of your “note file template” such as Lesson Template to open it
Choose the panel menu on the “note file template” (G)
Select Save as Sermon (H)

Notice a new Sermon document is created with each component in the “note file template” as a Heading 2 element in the Sermon document (I)

To edit the new Sermon document each week:

Notice the basic outline you established in the “note file template” carries over to the Sermon document (J)
Use all of the features in the Sermon document to make specific changes to the weekly lesson (K)

Remember to make all weekly edits in the Sermon document and not the Notes document because the Notes document is serving as your template

Certainly this isn’t a “perfect” system, but with a little creativity in the note file and a little tweaking with the Sermon Editor, you can create documents that save you from having to reinvent the wheel each week!

For more detailed information about the Sermon Editor, secure your copy of the Logos 7 Training Manuals Volumes 1-3 in print or digital.

Or for a fast and fun way to leverage the power of your software, attend our last Camp of 2017 in Murfreesboro, TN for live hands-on training!

Also be sure to follow the brand new MP Seminars Faithlife group and receive a FREE download of the commentary Ephesians: Verse by Verse by Dr. Grant Osborne.

Morris Proctor is a certified trainer for Logos Bible Software. Morris, who has trained thousands of Logos users at his two-day Camp Logos seminars, provides many training materials.