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Study notes and preps: one place for each sermon
A prep in Prepser is the folder where one sermon or study comes together during the week: your direction for it, with the key passage, and the recordings, scans and notes you link to it. Tap Prepare study notes for passages, cross-references, questions to study and possible angles on the text. When the study is done, one tap builds the outline, key points and the rest of the material from everything in the prep.
- Where
- Preps → New Prep → Prepare study notes · Generate Sermon Artifacts
- Prep types
- Sunday Message, Bible Study, Small Group, Youth, Leadership training, Devotional
- Free plan
- 3 study notes and 3 prep generations a month
What a prep is for
Sermon preparation is scattered by nature. A thought in the car, a commentary page, a story a church member told you, a sermon on the same passage from three years ago. A prep gathers them around one message, so on Thursday you are not hunting through apps and notebooks. Each prep has a type, and the type decides what Prepser builds from it:
| Prep type | What it builds |
|---|---|
| Sunday Message | Outline, Key Points, Scripture, Teachings, Prayer, Questions, Invitation, social Posts and a Newsletter |
| Bible Study | Outline, Key Points, Scripture, Teachings and Questions |
| Small Group | Key Points, Teachings, Prayer and Questions |
| Youth | Key Points, Teachings, Prayer, Questions and social Posts |
| Leadership training | Outline, Key Points, Teachings and Questions |
| Devotional | Key Points, Scripture, Teachings and Prayer |
How to build a prep
- Open Preps and tap +. In New Prep, give it a title, pick the type, and add the audience, length and date. In the direction field, write the key passage and the takeaway you want the message to land.
- Tap Edit next to the linked notes and add the notes this message should draw on: a recorded sermon, a scanned Bible or commentary page, an imported PDF or Word file, a thought you typed on Tuesday.
- Tap Prepare study notes if you want help with the text itself (more below).
- When your study is in, tap the generate button for the type, for example Generate Sermon Artifacts for a Sunday Message or Generate Bible Study Artifacts for a Bible Study. The prep's tabs fill with material built from everything you linked.
- Tap Ask anything about this prep... to keep working in AI Chat, for example What's missing in the outline?, or use the menu to Export to Logos Library as a Word file.
Because the material comes from your own notes, it keeps your illustrations and your phrasing. A prep built from a sermon you preached years ago gives you a head start on preaching the passage again.
Study notes: help with the text, not a sermon
Study notes belong to a prep and are written from its brief: the title, the type, the direction with the key passage, the audience and the length. They need no recording, so you can ask for them on Monday, before you have written a word. Under Study notes, tap Prepare study notes, and the prep gets these sections:
| Section | What you get |
|---|---|
| Passages | One to three passages for the message, each with a line on why it fits |
| Cross-references | Three or four related texts, each with a note on the connection |
| Questions to study | Four questions to take into the text and the commentaries |
| Possible angles | Different ways into the message, each with a short summary |
| Illustration ideas | Two illustration ideas, each tied to one of the angles |
| Discussion questions | Three questions for the people who will hear the message |
| Activity | For a prep whose audience is children: one activity for the lesson |
As the app puts it under the button: study notes help you prepare, and the sermon is still yours. They give you a map of the text and a few doors into it. Which door you take, what you say through it and how you apply it to your congregation is your work. Tap Share to send the study notes to a co-pastor or a small group leader.
A real prep from Prepser
Every new Prepser library includes a sample Sunday Message prep, “Come to Me, All Who Are Weary”, on Matthew 11:28–30. It links two notes: a recorded nine-minute sermon and a scanned page on John 3, Nicodemus by night. From those two notes, the prep built an outline with timings for each part, key points, the Scripture used, teachings, prayer points, eight discussion questions, an invitation, social posts and a newsletter. Nicodemus appears in the outline and in the questions, because the prep drew on both notes, not only the passage.
You can see the outline itself on the sermon outline builder page, and four of its questions on small group questions from your sermon.
Studying a passage without a prep
For a quick look at a text, tap Study a passage on Home. It opens AI Chat with context, key words and cross-references for the passage, and offers Outline a sermon from this when you are ready to shape it. Use a prep when the study should stay with one message all week; use Study a passage when you just want to think about a text. More on asking questions of your library: AI Chat.
Frequently asked
Are study notes and preps free?
Yes, to start. The Free plan includes 3 study notes and 3 prep generations a month, plus 30 AI chat messages and 3 sermon drafts. Creating preps and linking notes is not counted; only Prepare study notes and the generate button are. The allowance resets on the first day of each month. Prepser Pro removes the limits; see pricing.
Do study notes write the sermon for me?
No. Study notes give you passages, cross-references, questions to study, possible angles and illustration ideas, a starting point for your own study. If you want a first draft of the message, that is Draft a sermon in AI Chat, described on the AI sermon draft generator page.
Which prep type should I choose?
Choose by where the message will be given. Sunday Message is for the main sermon and builds the most: outline, invitation, social posts and a newsletter. Bible Study and Leadership training build an outline and questions for teaching. Small Group and Youth build key points, prayer and questions. Devotional builds Scripture, teachings, key points and prayer for a reading.
Can I take a prep into Logos?
Yes. Once the prep has its material, open the menu and tap Export to Logos Library. Prepser saves a Word file; in Logos on desktop, add it under Tools → Utilities → Personal Books, and Logos links every Scripture reference in it.
Related
- Sermon outline builder from your recordings and notes
- AI Chat across your sermons and notes
- Small group questions from your sermon
- How to write a sermon: from passage to pulpit in one week
- Sermon outline template with a real example
Updated November 11, 2026 · App steps checked against Prepser 1.1.7. Sample prep from the sample library in Prepser.