Sermon Storage System

I've been serving Centreville UMC for almost two years now. I started out preaching only a couple times a month, on rotation with the three other pastors serving the church. However, I've taken a more specialized role in leading the 11:02 Connections Service, and am now preaching 3-4 times a month. With an increased number of sermons, I'm ready to set up a digital file system of sermons and sermon preparation notes so I can access them more easily in the future.
 

I've heard of many different techniques from pastors who have filing systems in the past. I like Eric McKiddie's post about How to Set Up Files for Efficient and Effective Sermon Prep over at Pastoralized.com. He not only talks about an effective way to set up a filing system, but also talks about how to use that filing system when sitting down to write a sermon. 

In his post, he identifies the need for four types of files to save:

"1. Biblical files contain a file for each book of the Bible. Store articles, sermon notes, exegetical thoughts on Genesis, Exodus, etc.

2. Theological files consist of a file for each theological subject.

3. Topical files store articles or thoughts on various topics: leadership, counseling, productivity, etc.

4. Illustration files. If you’re like me, you think up most illustrations during your sermon prep. But whenever you come across a good one (e.g., in a book or sermon), store it."

What arises for me from his recommendations is the lack of a file for past sermons. How important is having past sermons saved to refer back to? Does a sermon author need only past notes to write an effective sermon on the topic  / scripture in the future, or does having a copy of every sermon, to look back and see where you went with the passage before play a large role in sermon writing? If you file old sermons, should you catorgorize them by the scripture(s) used and topic - is it helpful to save them in more than one place?

As a person steeped in the Methoidst tradition, I like John Wesley's thoughts, “Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame if I cannot write better sermons now than I did seven years ago.” But writing a better sermon doesn't always mean you are have new thoughts, new ideas, or have found better exegetical explanations of a scripture passage. So how helpful are copies of older sermons?

In some church situations, pastors serve one congregation for most of their ministerial career - some serving as many as 30 and 40 years. And while long pastorates are not exempt from the UMC, they are certainly not the norm. Does the need for keeping old sermons increase for pastors who serve a different church every 4-6 years? Is it easier to recycle sermons when you move churches in an itinerany system? 

This doesn't really provide and explanation for anyone hoping to set up a filing system yourself - mainly because I have not yet done so myself. But I ask these questions, because I am getting ready to set up a filing system, and I want to know what people have found works best for them. I'm getting ready to set up a cloud storage drive for myself, with one primary goal to have a well working system of recalling thoughts, notes, ideas, and sermons for future sermon prep. 

Once I have it set up, I'd be more than happy to come back and explain how my filing system works - but first I want to know, what you do. 

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