Morris Proctor on How He Became a Logos Trainer

He’s one of our most enthusiastic ambassadors now, but certified Logos Bible Software trainer Morris Proctor admits he was practically forced to try Logos for the first time.

“When the personal computer age hit, I was reluctant to enter the electronic world, choosing rather to stay in the comfort zone of pen and paper,” Morris says. But then a friend sat the pastor in front of a borrowed computer, booted up Logos, and demanded he learn how to use it, promising, “This will revolutionize your Bible study and sermon prep.”

“I was shocked to discover the profound impact this new method of study had on my Biblical research and sermon preparation,” remembers Morris.

Twenty years later, Morris is a Logos master, travelling the world to train fellow pastors, preachers, church leaders, and other Christians to use Logos.

We sat down with Morris to learn more about how he got started training others to use Logos and to learn the Logos 7 features he’s most excited about.

Tell us how you first got started with Logos.

Back in the late 90’s a member of the church I was pastoring gave me my first copy of Logos Bible Software. He was a marketing executive with Thomas Nelson Publishers which had started using Logos as the format for their e-books. He said, “Pastor, this will revolutionize your Bible study and sermon prep.” And he was indeed right!

How did you start training other people to use Logos?

After using Logos for a short while and seeing its great power for Bible study I started telling all of my pastor friends about it. At my encouragement they bought it. Then they said, “Help! Show us how to use it.” Being a teacher at heart, I was thrilled to show them the few things I knew how to do.

The same church member who gave me the software was working with Logos leadership so he arranged a phone call with Dale Pritchett, the co-founder of Faithlife. Dale invited me out to Oak Harbor, WA to conduct some training sessions. While there, we developed the idea of the traveling Camp Logos to equip people to use this incredible tool. So nearly 20 years and thousands of miles later, Camp Logos is still a primary means of helping people realize the potential of their software.

As you travel the country training people on Logos, what’s the most common question you hear? What is your answer?

Many users, particularly pastors, want “one-stop shopping”: they want to be able to study the text, prepare the outline or manuscript, and develop the presentation slides all in one place. Until recently, Logos could meet some but not all of those needs, and I’ve told them, “Be patient. Help is on the way!” But now with the new Sermon Editor in Logos 7, one-stop sermon prep is possible!

What do you recommend for someone first starting out with Logos? How should they start learning?

I tell new users all the time to begin with the QuickStart training videos found right on the Home Page. Investing just a short time with these tutorials will get them right into Bible study. Then very soon they’ll begin to see numerous Logos tools and features. At this point, hopefully they’ll want to go deeper with training through manuals and Camp Logos.

Tell us a little about Camp Logos. Who should attend and what will they learn?

Obviously I’m a little biased since I teach at Camp Logos, but I think this seminar is the fastest and most efficient  way to get going with Logos. We start off discussing default ways of study with the Home Page and Guides, but soon we get into personalizing the system for each individual’s way of study. I also emphasize how to leverage the power of Logos for original language work for English students.

Pastors make up the majority, but certainly not all, of the attendees. We have people from all walks of life, but what pulls us together at the seminar is a love of Bible study. So whether someone is a Bible study leader or professor or just a personal student of the Word, Camp is for them.

I keep the seminar moving with lots of practical applications and power-user tips. The enthusiasm in the room is contagious and we have a blast fellowshipping around using Logos.

People will come up to me all the time at Camp with comments like, “I wish I had done this 5 years ago”; “This is the best continuing education I’ve ever participated in”; “I got my money’s worth in the first session.” Obviously I’m very humbled and appreciative of these responses.

What Logos 7 features are you most excited about and why?

Currently I’m blogging about some of my favorite Logos 7 features, and my top three would have to be Linking a Bible to the Bible Word Study Guide, the Sermon Editor tool, and Custom Homepage layouts.

The ability to Link a Bible to the Bible Word Study guide is just amazing. I love just being able to click a word in my English Bible and have Logos generate a detailed report about the underlying Hebrew or Greek lemma. The convenience of this feature keeps my personal study moving right along.

The Sermon Editor is going to be a hit with Logos users, especially pastors. As I mentioned earlier, being able to develop several documents—the text of your sermon, as well as your slides, handouts, and follow-up questions—all in one place is incredibly helpful.

And then there are the Custom Homepage Layouts. People love the ease of Home Page Bible study, but now we can combine that with personalized desktops. Ease and power together with literally the click of a GO button on the Home Page! That’s a combination that’s hard to beat.

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Discover what else Logos 7 can do for your Bible study—visit our website or call (888) 670-3148 today!