Michael Hyatt, president and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, tells us what software he uses to do presentations. See his post
My Current Presentation Tools
I have not seen anyone recently give such a comprehensive and clear introduction recently to presentation technology and software.
See also other communication tips at my post:
Superb practical tips about preaching: Communications professor Lori Carrell in Rev.
I wanted to draw your attention to an outstanding series of articles by Lori Carrell, a professor of communication at the University of Wisconsin, who has done research in cooperation with the Center for Excellence in Congregational Leadership, which is owned and operated by Green Lake Conference Center/American Baptist Assembly in Wisconsin and has received funding from the Lilly Endowment. Each article is three pages long from Rev. magazine and contains some of the best practical advice about preaching you can find anywhere. Carrell has her Ph.D. in communication, is very familiar with how pastors think, is a Christian herself, and is a highly awarded professor. I am impressed. We need more of this kind of research on topics related to pastoring. 
Check out these PDFs online. (Links fixed Nov 8, 2019. BONUS DISCOVERY: All of Lori Carrell's articles on preaching are at the CECL (Center for Excellence in Congregational Leadership website!)
Lori Carrell, "Sermons Most Likely to Succeed: Do sermons actually change beliefs and behavior? An ongoing study reveals hard facts," Rev. Magazine (May/June 2007), 71-73.
Lori Carrell, "Sermons Most Likely to Succeed: Do sermons actually change beliefs and behavior? An ongoing study reveals hard facts," Rev. Magazine (May/June 2007), 71-73.
This is the most dense article–sharing findings from an extensive survey of what is most effective in preaching.
Lori Carrell, “The Perils of PowerPoint Preaching: Research reveals that the use of PowerPoint slides during preaching is often more of a distraction than a transformative tool,” Rev. Magazine (Mar/Apr 2008): 91-93.
Lori Carrell, “The Perils of PowerPoint Preaching: Research reveals that the use of PowerPoint slides during preaching is often more of a distraction than a transformative tool,” Rev. Magazine (Mar/Apr 2008): 91-93.
This article argues finds that much PowerPoint use is distracting.
Lori Carrell,"Are You Wasting Your Sermon Prep Time?" Rev. Magazine (May/June 2008), 91-93.
Lori Carrell,"Are You Wasting Your Sermon Prep Time?" Rev. Magazine (May/June 2008), 91-93.
This article explains what pastors do in sermon prep time and follows pastors who have tried to improve their effectiveness in preparation.
Lori Carrell,"Reaching the Choir: Are you transforming your listeners or simply telling them what they already know?," Rev. Magazine (July/August 2008), 95-97.
Lori Carrell,"Reaching the Choir: Are you transforming your listeners or simply telling them what they already know?," Rev. Magazine (July/August 2008), 95-97.
This article suggests a method for moving people from what they already know to specific challenges.
Lori Carrell,"Why Your Preaching Matters More Than You Think," Rev. Magazine (September/October 2008), 158-159.
Lori Carrell,"Why Your Preaching Matters More Than You Think," Rev. Magazine (September/October 2008), 158-159.
This article explains how greatly congregation members value preaching.
See also her book:
Lori Carrell, The Great American Sermon Survey (Mainstay Church Resources, 1999).
I give Rev. magazine credit for having regular columns from:
Both move beyond the numbers to offer their take on what church leaders should do but they also both deal responsibly with statistics.
Last Sunday I visited Willow Creek DuPage, one of Willow Creek’s Regional Campuses, which meets at Wheaton Academy. I actually just made it for the end of the service because I went to another church service first.
The Willow Creek DuPage room seemed quite full. All of the rows were 70% full. 400 people perhaps? After the service, they had lemonade and cookies set out at different tables labeled with different high school names in the area. The idea is that people can more easily find people who live near them.
But I had one question. At the end of the video message by Mike Breaux, the worship leader came up and led three songs. He invited people to stand and later to clap their hands. It didn’t seem to me like many people were singing. Then again, I was in the back. Perhaps many of the people visiting are "seekers" and thus feel uncomfortable singing.
For this reason I thought that Willow Creek did not invite people to sing very much in their weekend services. I thought the focus was on performed music as opposed to congregational singing. Is this still the line of thinking? Or are Willow Creek and other seeker-driven churches incorporating more congregational singing? Just curious.
P.S. I’m sorry for not asking the regional pastor this question but I felt bad because I hadn’t been at the whole service and he had invited people who were hurting to talk with him. I threw away my brochure but I have sent an email to the general DuPage regional church email address to see if someone wants to comment.
I’m also sorry for not carrying my camera and taking a photo. The law of copyrights with photos is that you usually don’t get in trouble if you post your own photos. So I’ll have to do that more often. This photo is free to use because I found it on stock.xchnge
See my recent post about video venues for more discussion about this concept.
