An updated version of this list containing new apps that combines both part 1 & 2, can be found here.

I love my iPhone. I tell her all the time. Unfortunately, she doesn’t love me back.

If you have an iPhone and you are a pastor like me, you are probably always looking for the newest and best apps for your iPhone to make it even better. I thought I would share my opinion the best apps in the iTunes store for pastors. Also, Android users, don’t worry, most of these are available for Android as well.

As I was making this list, I realized I had way too many Apps for one blog post. Read Part 2 here.

Note: The links are affiliate links, which means I get a small commission on products sold at no cost to you. I barely make any money from this. It is just a tiny way to help cover the cost of keeping this blog running. I will also never recommend a product I don’t use. So if you click a link, thanks for the support!

Here are my favorite apps in no particular order:

Downcast – The best podcast listener out there. I love listening to podcasts! Downcast syncs all my favorite podcasts. The best feature is the ability to increase the playback speed. I can cut a 30 minute podcast to 10 minutes. It takes a little getting used to, but our brains process things we hear a whole lot faster than we can speak. This helps me listen to all my favorite preachers and leadership podcasts. This is a must for all pastors who want to continue growing.

Evernote – Evernote helps me never forget a thing. I add everything to Evernote, articles, blog ideas, sermon illustrations, quotes, meeting notes, receipts, etc. I have a database in Evernote of every sermon I have ever preached.

I love that it can sync with the online and desktop application. One of the coolest things about Evernote is that you can add pictures you have taken of a document and it automatically converts the document so you can search its content. This means I can take a picture of the agenda for a meeting, add it to Evernote, and then later when I can’t remember what we decided about whatever it was I simply search for it and it will pop up! AMAZING!

Kindle – If you are like me, you read a lot. I read books on the Kindle app instead of iBooks. Why? Because Kindle books are often cheaper, there is a larger selection, and it automatically syncs across any device. I can read on my iPhone, put it down and pick up right where I left off on my laptop or iPad. I also like that I won’t lose my library if, God forbid, I ever switch to a non-Apple product.

Reeder – This is my favorite RSS reader. It is simple and automatically syncs with a Google Reader account. (By the way, if you don’t have a free Google Reader account, get one!) I read a lot of blogs. This handy app helps me sift through them quickly to find the best posts. It will open any links in Safari for me and will also allow me to save posts I love to Evernote or share articles on Twitter or Facebook. Well worth the small investment.

The Bible App – The Bible App by YouVersion.com is the best Bible reading app, hands down. It has almost made my paper Bible obsolete. Choose your favorite translation to read or listen to the audio version. I do almost all my reading on this app or on the YouVersion website following one of their reading plans. Almost always comes in handy when I need to reference a quick passage of scripture or I’m in a Bible study and somebody didn’t bring a Bible.

Wunderlist – My favorite to-do list. I have tried a lot of different task manager apps, but I keep coming back to Wunderlist. It is simple, easy and automatically syncs with the desktop app. Without this to-do list, I would forget a lot.

DropBox – DropBox is a life-saver. It is an online hard drive. I put all my important ministry files here. Simply drop your files in the folder on your desktop and it automatically syncs to your phone, iPad, and the web. This really comes in handy when I don’t have something like a volunteer application on me. I can just open DropBox on my phone and email the application directly to the prospective volunteer. I also upload my sermons just in case I lose my notes.

Spotify – Spotify has replaced iTunes for me. It gives you a music library of almost every song ever recorded! I have signed up for the subscription version because it is worth every penny. Why would I pay $10 a month for one CD worth of music when I could pay $10 a month for almost every CD ever recorded? I also use the app to make a playlist for my ministry. This way I always have the most current music. No more problems with repeating the same old CD over and over and over again in my church!

Genius Scan – I am in the process of going paperless at home and at work. I use Genius Scan to turn my iPhone into a pocket scanner. It takes a pic of the document and exports it into a folder in Evernote for me. Then when I am looking for a paper I can easily search for it in Evernote and find it in seconds. No more clutter in my office and no more hours of searching through large stacks of random papers! YES!

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