I love my ESV Study Bible for my study, but I hate it in the pulpit. It weighs a ton, the pages are difficult to turn quickly (for whatever reasons), and the print is so small it makes finding verses quickly and reading difficult. Honestly I prefer my vanilla, double column, large print ESV for preaching.

What do you use and why?

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Rev. R. Kevin Carroll
Pastor Elect
Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Wheat Ridge, CO
Blog: Reformed and Loving It

Moved to Preaching forum since the question is more about which Bible (even physical Bible) than about a manuscript issue.

I personally use an Allan ESV leather double column. I also have the closest thing to an ESV pulpit Bible, a hardback large print. It might be the same thing you have, Kevin.

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Fred Greco
Senior Pastor, Christ Church PCA (Katy, TX)
Christ Church Blog

"The heart is the main thing in true religion...It is the hinge and turning-point in the condition of man's soul. If the heart is alive to God and quickened by the Spirit, the man is a living Christian. If the heart is dead and has not the Spirit, the man is dead before God." (J.C. Ryle)

The print of the ESVSB is no smaller than any of its other sibling ESV Bibles (e.g., Thinline, Classic Reference, etc.). Compared to the LP Bible, that's another story.

I'm surprised the pulpit didn't buckle when laying that bad boy on it...

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Carl Gobelman
Long Grove Community Church (Evangelical)
Vernon Hills, IL
Blog: http://newcreationperson.wordpress.com

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

I was a chaplain for about 3 years. The lighting in the room was poor, so I used to print the text I was using, along with my notes, with large font (16 Arial) to make it readable and light to hold.

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Rich Koster
1689'er
Browns Mills NJ USA
Often Goofy Reformed Eccentric
Romans 7:14-25

@ Carl, no kidding. It is one heavy book. @ Rich, that's a good idea. I just hate paper! LOL

I know some people don't like it if the sermon is preached from papers rather than straight out of a complete Bible. It has an appearance stigma to them (especially if you drop the papers ). I also learned to use a clip board, if stapling is impractical, to keep notes organized. The ceiling fan or an open window can cause a disruption

I place a Bible in the pulpit for what it represents. I print my own translation of the passage from which I am preaching, and I memorize any of the other Scriptures to which I may refer in the message. Some people seem to get uneasy if they don't see the Scriptures up there in standard binding, so that's where my ESV Study Bible sits, open faced.

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Adam J. Myer
Slated for the Jan. 10th Chaplains Basic Officer Leadership Course
Estacada Christian Church
Sandy, Oregon

Soli Deo Gloria

Yes, the ESV study bible is too big to take to the pulpit, especially if, you plan on going to different passages during the sermon. Too big! I personally print out my sermon text with the sermon notes and i include the cross reference verses on there too so that I'm not switchin all over the place all the time. People do get uneasy about that sometimes, which is why I keep my Bible open on the front end or side of the pulpit. I typically try to memorize all of the Scripture texts so that I can look into peoples' eyes while quoting Scripture--that way they feel uneasy in a more convicting way

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Nathan Riese
Under Care, PCA
Trinity Presbyterian Church, Aledo, Illinois
Current student at MBBC
Future student of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
www.gpts.edu

Hardback large print NKJV.

Why? Easy to open, turn to different pages & read and the translation our congregation uses.

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Rev. Daniel Kok
Pastor of Grace Reformed Church (URCNA)
Leduc, Alberta CANADA

"What sort of pledge and how great is this of love towards us! Christ lives for us not for himself!"
John Calvin, Commentary on the Hebrews (7:25)

Giant (and I mean GIANT) print NASB

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Tim Phillips
Pastor, Midlane Park Presbyterian Church (ARP)
Louisville, KY
Husband of Scottish Lass
My Blog: Gairney Bridge
My Facebook/My Avatar

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

"Wherever the gospel is preached, it is as if God Himself came into the midst of us." ~ John Calvin

You all just don't have big enough pulpits then!

I can fit an open large print ESV, my notes (half sheets) and a closed hymnal all on the surface area.

Our pulpit is a music stand. That's what happens when you use a school. About the only bible that will fit on it is the one on my iPhone. Hey, there's an idea. I can preach from my iPhone!

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Bill Brown
Elder
Reformed Baptist
Maryland

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?
Visit my BLOG Theology for the Rest of Us

Welcome to the future.

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Ivan R. Schoen, B.A., M.A., M.L.I.S.
Pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church (SBC)
Poplar Grove, IL, USA
http://maranatha-sbc.org

Try that when it goes to power down mode!

For preaching, I use the Large Print Pew Version of the ESV from Crossway as well. I could not preach from the ESVSB (although I love it). There are too many distractions on the pages for preaching.

And the surface of my pulpit is not large enough for notes, Bible, and Psalter... although I would LOVE a Martyn Lloyd-Jonesish pulpit!

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Pastor Nathan Eshelman, Los Angeles, CA
Reformed Presbyterian Church
PRESBYTERIAN THOUGHTS
Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church
RPCLA Sermons Online
Puritan Reformed Seminary

We always recommend to the elderly that they get stronger glasses. That way they don't have to have such big print which always makes the book bigger and heavier to carry which is hard for the elderly to do after a certain age. Kill two birds with one stone...get stronger reading glasses.

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sarah
WI
OPC
My Pastor's Sermons: Mark Jenkins...he's awesome!!!

Somehow I don't think my iPhone will stand up very well to a fire and brimstone sermon with a lot of pounding.

The ESVSB might soon have to fend off lawsuits over its causing tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome in those who carry it.

Why not get a teleprompter? If it works for POTUS and TOTUS, why not preachers?

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Rev. Toby L. Brown, pastor
Jefferson Center Presbyterian Church--in, but not of, the PC(USA)
Saxonburg, PA
A Classical Presbyterian
Proud member of The Westminster Fellowship

"The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God, by which God is also highly exalted." --Jonathan Edwards

Hey, y'all....how about a video projector that projects the text on the back wall so you can see it from the pulpit.
That way it'll look like we have it all memorized.

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Ralph
Pastor
Valera Baptist Church
Valera, Texas

Is that wet behind the ears kid making another ageist joke at the expense of us in the Simvastatin/Lovastatin crowd?

I also think that the ESVSB is ridiculously heavy and cumbersome. For ease of handling, I love to use a classic thinline of whatever translation I will be using.

Frankly, after listening to Wilson's message at Piper's conference (MP3s are up and free and believe it or not, he was VERY good), I agree with those who say that an open Bible on the pulpit is a very good thing. One of the keys to Calvin's effectiveness is that he spent relatively little time arguing over the perfections of the Word and instead lived as if the Word were really God's power put in our hands. The preacher is called to declare and proclaim what the WORD SAYS. Having an actual Bible there conveys something that a collection of manuscript notes and computer print outs does not, IMO.

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Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

I used to preach in a similar situation, Bill. However, my Super-Giant Print Bible was too heavy for the music-stand and I had to deal with the awkward situation of it sinking down under the weight of it as the service went on! I am grateful for a more solid pulpit now!

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Rev. Adam King
Minister in the RPCNA
Pastor,Trinity Reformed Church
Wichita, KS

Then you need a wardrobe allowance for the Hawaiian shirts (and a cool headpiece).

-----Added 9/29/2009 at 01:15:09 EST-----

Hasn't she been warned?

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Curt Lovelace
Pastor, Covenant Baptist Church (CBA)
Acton, Maine
Director, Lifework Forum
Sermons at SermonAudio.com/CBCActon
Blogging at Coffee with Curt

Totally insensitive towards her elders. Stronger glasses? Ones that weigh as much as the ESVSB maybe? And then she uses the word "kill" in the same post. Good night nurse.

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Norm
IA PCA

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. Ephesians 1:4-5

I can't even take a study bible to church, much less use it to preach from. The study notes are too distracting.

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Rae W. | Elder @ Grace Central Presbyterian Church | Columbus, OH
Online presence: blog | twitter | facebook

On the next round of name changes, I propose "Nurse Ratchet" after the infamous character in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

I want the preacher to have an AV or a Geneva Bible (but I'll still love him anyway if he wants to use an ESV, NKJV or NASB) and I want an AV. No study notes, just a good, hearty and simple old-fashioned sermon.

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Toni Cunningham, Wife of Bill (Theognome)
Parkwoods OPC, Overland Park KS

"Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As, to be hated, needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace." ~ Alexander Pope