The past year has seen a boom in electronic publishing. Some new versions of Bible software programs have been released, but the big story has been electronic publishing. Almost every Bible software program now comes with an electronic library. The Logos Library System (LLS) and STEP (Standard Template for Electronic Publishing) have driven this development. The new Joshua software (Biblesoft Authoring System) from Biblesoft is on the horizon (scheduled to be released this fall) and other companies have their own electronic library formats.

Electronic productivity tools for the pastor (some of which are brand new) are also coming into their own. Computer software that can help the pastor be more productive in all areas of ministry will make a major impact in the months ahead.

Internet resources for ministry are now commonplace. The past twelve months have seen an explosion of new resources. Every major ministry and most mainline denominations maintain a web presence. Individual churches are using the Internet to extend their ministry to the ends of the earth.

Doing an article on software for the pastor must include Bible Study Resources, Ministry Resources and Internet Resources. Due to space limitations and the large number of resources available, we will only give a brief overview of products and how to obtain additional information. Because products may have a number of editions, prices are not included.

A brief statement about computer hardware is in order. It continues to get better, faster and more affordable. Churches are now seeing the computer not only as a "vital tool for ministry" but an "indispensable tool."

To review the PC software, I used a Pentium-based system, with 24 MB of RAM, running Windows '95. For the Macintosh software I used a PowerMac with 16 MB of RAM running Mac O/S 7.5. With the CD-ROM-based packages, I installed only the minimal amount necessary on my hard drive. I don't like to read manuals, so I installed and used each package without reading the manual or accompanying documentation. I'm pleased to report that all of these products could be easily installed. The products reviewed in this article are arranged by one of three categories and in alphabetical order by title.

Bible Study Resources

Accordance for Macintosh by The GRAMCORD Institute - For more information call (360) 576-3000

The Accordance CD-ROM offers over 50 Bible texts and reference works. A library of English texts and tools is unlocked and included in the price, and many others are available for unlocking.

Accordance allows searches for combinations of words or phrases in the Bible texts. The search results are displayed in entire verses which can be viewed and printed in parallel versions. A palette of buttons allows hypertexting from any Bible text to the relevant entries in a dictionary or other reference work, or to the user's notes, as well as analysis and plots of the search results. All tools are completely searchable and hypertextable.