I think everyone should take notes in church.  As a preacher, I would much rather see a bunch of people taking notes than to hear a bunch of people shouting “amen.” 

Taking notes in church has several benefits:

When you take notes in church, it helps you to pay attention to what the pastor or preacher is saying.  As you write down the outline, you have a tangible thing (in your notes) that shows you where the preacher is in his sermon.  We always get more out of things when we get involved, and by writing down key points, you are actively involving yourself in the preacher’s message. Further, by having a notebook open and a pen in hand, you will have less temptation to fidget or to play with your phone and you’ll have a place where you can jot down things you don’t want to forget so you can go back to listening to the sermon.

Another reason to take notes in church is to help you remember what is preached.  I once heard a preacher say “a short pencil is better than a long memory.”  The short term memory is only able to handle a few things at a time and we have little control over how things we hear are stored in our long term memory.  By writing things down, we both free up slots in our short term memory and further the chances that we will remember the things we wrote down later.

Taking notes in church can be more than just a tool for paying attention and a memory aid though - it can also be a tool to help you think through the message.  By writing the preacher’s points down in your own words, you can ensure that you understand what he is saying.  By having the points of the sermon on paper before you, you can make connections and even connect the message to your own life.

A final benefit of taking notes in church is what it conveys to others.  When we think something is important, we usually write it down.  If you were in an important meeting at work, you would likely have a notebook and a pencil handy.  When we listen to something and don’t take notes, we convey that what we are hearing isn’t important to us.

A church where the congregation is actively taking notes conveys to visitors that what is being preached is important to them and worthy of paying attention to.  

You are not a court recorder.  If you try to write down absolutely everything the preacher is saying, you are just going to end up with a sore hand.  Unless you are being paid to transcribe the message, there is almost no benefit to this kind of note taking.  You do not have to write everything down.

If you do not have to write everything down, then what should you write down?  Four things:

Your pastor is probably giving you some kind of outline to help you pay attention.  You should probably write this down.  This both gives your notes structure and helps you see where you are in the sermon.

In addition to the outline, you probably want to write down things you may want to look up later.  If the pastor shares references, you should write those down.  If he talks about historical figures you are unfamiliar with, write it down so you can look them up after the service.  If he mentions a book - write it down.  You may find it helpful to write these in the margin, or to circle them in some way so you can find them easily later.

The main things you should be writing down as you listen to preaching are not the preachers words, but your own.  As you listen to the sermon, you should be trying to summarize the preacher’s points in your own words.  Putting the preacher's message in your own words helps you to understand the message and exposes holes in your understanding.  What you understand, you are far more likely to remember.

One more thing to focus on: write down ideas that are new to you.  If you already understand something (meaning you could easily and clearly explain it to others) and it doesn't help you pay attention, then you do not need to write it down.  But if a concept is new and challenging or if the idea is crucial the message - try to put it into your own words.

One cheat for taking good notes is to imagine yourself teaching the same material later.   Imagine yourself having to teach a version of this message tomorrow to a group of fourth graders.  Would you be able to do it?

Another trick is to imagine you are going to get a call from someone after the service who is going to ask "what did the preacher talk about today?"  You should be able to give a clear and correct answer, in your own words.  

If you keep these things in mind as you take notes, you'll get a lot more out of each message and God may just use you to teach those lessons later.

Please take notes in church.  Bring a pen and paper as well as your Bible.  Engage with the sermon.  Treat the message as not something you are forced to hear, but as something useful you plan to use.  You will get much more out of church if you learn to do this.