Taking notes in church is a great way to stay focused on the pastor’s message, and to record and remember the sermon! So, what’s the best notebook for sermon notes? These are my top three picks.
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Y’all, I really don’t know how I managed to get by without taking notes in church. For many years, I’d listen to the sermon, and then an hour later, I struggled to recall what the pastor said or even what the overall message was.
Especially since I have narcolepsy, I can be a bit scatterbrained at times, and even occasionally struggle to stay alert in church. So, it’s been incredibly helpful to take notes during the sermon! Now, you could ask me several days later what the Sunday sermon was about, and I can actually remember.
Have you ever had that problem, when a few hours after church, you can hardly remember what the sermon was about? And if you forgot what was said, you can’t very well get any benefit from it, am I right? Listening to the pastor’s message should spur us on to grow spiritually, to seek God more, or improve in some aspect of our relationships with people. So, let’s take good notes!
Which I know, you’ve probably heard your pastor tell you that too, but it’s so true! He/she is not just saying that so you’ll pay attention, but so you can actually be helped by the sermon, and not just let it go in one ear and out the other. Really, we have no excuse not to get a good sermon notes journal and paying closer attention to the message.
The Best Notebook for Sermon Notes
So, now that we’ve established how important it is to take notes in church, what’s the best way to go about it? Of course, you can take notes any way you please, be it scribbled on scrap paper with a pencil, or written in a gorgeous notebook with a high-quality pen. But if you’re looking for the best notebook for sermon notes, these are my top recommendations…
1) The Best Sermon Notes Journal — Overall Winner
The My Sermon Notes Journal is the best option I’ve found that’s absolutely MADE to be a church notes journal. It’s not just a regular notebook with blank lined pages—it actually has sections for the sermon title, Scripture verses, notes on the sermon, and there’s even a section for prayer requests and upcoming church events. With its beautiful flowery cover, this would make an especially pretty sermon notes journal for ladies.
For all of those reasons, I made it my “overall winner” for the best notebook for sermon notes. If you really like having a defined layout with specific sections and prompts (such as “This week I will focus on…”), then the My Sermon Notes Journal will be great for you! But, if you’d prefer a blank notebook with freedom to write or draw notes in whatever way you like, check out the next two options…
2) The Best Sermon Notebook for Artists & Creatives
My favorite sermon notes journal, and the one I use, is the Leuchtturm1917 notebook (and yes, I know the name is a mouthful! I’m not sure how to properly pronounce it, I just know it’s an awesome journal!).
The Leuchtturm1917 notebooks come in lots of different options:
- PAGE LAYOUT: lined, dotted, or plain/blank
- COVERS: soft cover, or hard cover
- COVER COLORS: Everything from black to pink to green, and in-between.
- SIZES: Multiple size options, from A4 Master (8.75″x12.5″) down to A7 Mini (2.75″x4.5″)
- PAGE NUMBERING: Optionally, some of the journals have numbered pages.
The one I have is a plain (blank sketchbook) journal, with a “berry” colored hard cover, in the A5 Medium size (5.75″x8.25″). It doesn’t have any page numbering, which is just how I like it. In fact, I love it so much I just bought another one, since my first one is almost full now!
I think these make the best notebook for sermon notes, because the paper is so smooth and thick, and even though I color heavily with my Pigma Micron pens, nothing ever shows through on the other side.
By the way, doing hand lettered notes is one of the best sermon note taking ideas I’ve ever come across! I like it so much better than plain written notes, because the end result is so much more impactful. Each sermon gets its own visual personality, and it’s easy to see at a glance what the overall message was about.
The blank Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook makes a great sermon lettering journal for these creative notes, but you could also use the lined version to take plain written church notes or even use it for your own Bible study notes. Bonus points that it also has a ribbon bookmark and an elastic strap closure!
You can get the Leuchtturm1917 notebooks at Amazon, or they also have them at Blick Art Materials (which I highly recommend, as it’s much easier to see the options there. I bought my second Leuchtturm1917 from Blick).
3) The Best Sermon Notebook for Inspiration
Finally, if you want a simple sermon note taking journal with lined pages for writing, but that also has a gorgeous inspirational cover and a Bible verse on each page, you can find lots of options on Amazon, Dayspring, or other Christian retailers. I really love the purple Philippians 4:13 journal pictured above, and also this floral Jeremiah 29:11 one (pictured below) from Dayspring.
These inspirational journals also make a great prayer and Bible study journal as well. Some may even come with extra features, like a space for the date at the top of each page, or a zipper pocket for your pens.
Simply put, the best notebook for sermon notes is whichever one best fits your note taking needs. Think about whether you’d prefer a blank page vs. lined page, a sermon notes journal with a designated place for date/sermon title/pastor’s name, or perhaps you want something with a Bible verse on the cover. Get the notebook that’s best for you, and then USE IT! I promise, you’ll be amazed at how much more benefit you get from the pastor’s message when you take good notes.
Hi! Thank you so much for visiting Divine Creative Love. I’m a Jesus-lovin’ girl, lettering artist, designer, and general creative-at-heart. And, I have narcolepsy. I blog about faith in God, overcoming challenges, and creative topics such as Bible journaling. If you’re new here, be sure and subscribe to my list so you won’t miss anything!
I love these ideas and totally agree with you on the Leuchtturm1917 – it’s my go-to for every journal. It’s super durable and the quality makes it last FOREVER.