More churches in America are closing each year than opening. Today, we're sitting down with our friend Ryan Burge whose church, after over 150 years, made the difficult decision to close its doors earlier this year. We’ll hear their story firsthand and explore the broader implications of this growing trend for the future of Christianity in America.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Ryan’s Church Story 7:40 - Changing Religious Demographic Trends 14:29 - Culpability vs Innocence 22:00 - Process Of Closing A Church 28:40 - Where Are You Finding Hope Right Now   IMPORTANT LINKS - As a pastor I pray my flock comes back… | Religion News: https://bit.ly/48c9Rub - An Illinois church closes its doors as religion declines in the US | AP News: https://bit.ly/4dOuqhx - In small-town Illinois, a little church says goodbye | Religion News: https://bit.ly/4hapdDw - How do you close a church? Ryan Burge learned firsthand | Deseret News: https://bit.ly/4harxdK - Ryan Burge: https://www.drburge.com - Ryan Burge | Twitter/X: https://x.com/ryanburge - Graphs about Religion: https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Looking for fresh social media ideas for your church? Today, we've got over 20 unique post ideas your church probably hasn’t tried yet! Even better, these ideas can be repeated every year. Just imagine—set the dates, and the planning is done! Trust us, you haven’t used these before.    ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:23 - Alex’s Audible 6:41 - First Day Of Spring, Summer, Fall, And Winter 9:38 - National Coffee Day 12:04 - Famous Food For Your Church 15:26 - National Technology Day 17:58 - National Sons/Daughters/Parents Day 19:27 - National Father Daughter Take A Walk Day 22:13 - National Plant A Flower Day 23:25 - Black History Month 24:59 - National Awkward Moments Day 26:29 - National Day Of Prayer 29:39 - National Tweed Day 30:48 - National Vitamin C Day 32:07 - National Pet Day 33:09 - National Foster Care Month 34:29 - National Candy Corn Day 36:23 - National Buy Nothing Day 39:31 - National Grammar/Punctuation Day 40:34 - National Thesaurus Day 42:32 - National Pastor’s Spouse Day 43:42 - International Women’s Day 45:08 - Honorable Mentions   IMPORTANT LINKS - National Day Calendar: https://bit.ly/3Y2Dcmn - Alex’s Carousel Post: https://bit.ly/3TXZwfJ   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Did you know Google offers non-profits, including churches, up to $10,000 in free monthly ad grants? That’s right—$10K to spend on ads for your church! But what’s the catch? Today, we’re joined by Brady Sticker from Church Candy, who manages these campaigns for churches, to break it all down.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:13 - What Is The Catch? 2:43 - What Are The First Steps To Get Signed-Up? 7:21 - Once You’re Validated, What Do You Do First? 11:53 - Is It Reasonable To Spend That Much Money On Ads With Low Click Through Rates? 13:48 - How To Write An Effective Google Ad? 18:28 - Is Searching ‘Church Near Me’ The Highest Searched Thing? 27:33 - How Do Ads Different Between Evergreen Events And Seasonal Events?   IMPORTANT LINKS - Google Ad Grants: https://www.google.ca/grants/ - Launch Big by Brady Sticker: https://amzn.to/3ZP1x1u - ChurchCandy: https://churchcandy.com/ - Brady Sticker IG: https://www.instagram.com/bradysticker/ - ChurchCandy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bradysticker/   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

October is Pastor Appreciation Month, and we’ve compiled a list of ways your church can show love to your pastor. Some ideas are free, others cost a little, and a few are out-of-the-box, but they’ll all make your pastor feel valued. Plus, we’ll dive into the surprising history and origins of Pastor Appreciation Month!   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:47 - Idea #1: Aura Digital Frame 3:18 - Bonus: Origin Of Pastor Appreciation Cay 8:40 - Idea #2: Handwritten Notes 9:02 - Idea #3: Video Thank You Card From Kids 10:51 - Idea #4: Gift Cards To A Favorite Restaurant Or Store 12:42 - Idea #5: Plan A Night Out 17:40 - Idea #6: Hobby-Related Gifts 19:23 - Idea #7: Home Improvements 20:46 - Idea #8: Award Ceremony "The Clergies" 22:40 - Idea #9: Select Subscription Service 28:26 - Idea #10: Car Detailing   IMPORTANT LINKS - Aura Frames: https://auraframes.com - Meal Train: https://www.mealtrain.com - Audible: https://www.audible.com/ - The Roasters Pack: https://theroasterspack.com/ - Fuego Box: https://www.fuegobox.com/   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Recruiting church volunteers often feels desperate, leaving people feeling guilted into serving. But to do it right, there are three key stages: recruit, train, and celebrate. Today, we'll cover proven techniques that any church can use to make the process smoother—and even do much of the heavy lifting for you.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 2:40 - How To Recruit 12:40 - How To Train 21:57 - How To Celebrate   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Today, we're sharing some sermon series ideas we believe every church should consider for 2025—with a unique twist in how they were generated. These ideas are Biblically based, timely, and versatile, making them perfect for any ministry, regardless of size or denomination.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 4:22 - More Singles 11:48 - Fewer Parents 18:09 - The Gender War Within Gen Z 25:02 - The Nones Have Hit A Ceiling 31:01 - Fewer Close Friends Than Ever   IMPORTANT LINKS - Share of 40-year-olds in US who have never married reaches new high | Pew Research Center: https://pewrsr.ch/3ZcvisN - Millennials aren’t having kids. Here’s why. | The Washington Post: https://wapo.st/3XEYO9y - Many Gen Z Men Feel Left Behind. Some See Trump as an Answer. | The New York Times: https://nyti.ms/4e18P6v - The Nones Have Hit a Ceiling | Ryan Burge: https://bit.ly/4ehZ1Vm - Disconnected: The Growing Class Divide in American Civic Life | The Survey Center on American Life: https://bit.ly/3AVVcqx   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Every week, we send photographers to churches worldwide with a detailed shot list, etiquette guidelines, and gear recommendations. Today, we’re sharing all of that with you, along with example galleries from real churches to show what a successful church photoshoot looks like. Welcome to The Definitive Church Photography Shot List!   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:50 - Definition Of A Successful Church Photoshoot 7:00 - What To Bring 12:30 - Shot List 19:24 - Rules & Etiquette   IMPORTANT LINKS - Makeovers: https://www.nucleus.church/makeovers - Photo Gallery #1: https://prochur.ch/3Zay2qq - Photo Gallery #2: https://prochur.ch/4dOO3XB - Photo Gallery #3: https://prochur.ch/4dQPsNn   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

If you're a pastor or church leader juggling social media duties, this video is for you! We’re sharing five repeatable Instagram Stories frameworks that you can use every week. These tried-and-true methods are highly engaging and have stood the test of time for over five years. Plus, we’re offering step-by-step downloadable guides to make it even easier.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:44 - The Slider Select 7:18 - The Irresistible Question 12:15 - The Poll Precursor 17:24 - Tuesday Trivia 22:38 - The Alley-Oop   IMPORTANT LINKS - The Busy Pastor's Guide to Instagram Stories DOWNLOAD: https://prochur.ch/4cCiEGp   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Noticed a drop in your church's Instagram Story views? You're not alone, and we know why. It’s not a mystery, and better yet, we can fix it! In this video, we’ll cover eight reasons your church’s Instagram Stories are flopping—and how to turn it around.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:41 - Instagram Has Different Algorithms 4:02 - What Should We Prioritize On Stories? 8:09 - Viewing History 15:27 - Engagement History 21:03 - Closeness 26:50 - What Are Best Practices For Links In Stories? 31:42 - Best Practice In The Previous Era Is Worst Practice In The Current Era 37:43 - How Can We Take Advantage Of The Fact That Stories Expire?   IMPORTANT LINKS - The 3 Rules for Church Social Media Managers: https://youtu.be/XQCQkucazGg - “Add to Favorites” DOWNLOAD: https://prochur.ch/3Mc9963   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Your church’s website isn’t always the first stop for online visitors. Often, they’ll see your Google Business Profile first—the widget in Google search and maps with photos, contact info, and reviews. If this isn’t optimized, visitors might never reach your site. In this video, we dive into the essentials of Google Business Profiles for churches.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:12 - How Do Churches Claim Their Google Business Profil 4:00 - Filling Out Your Basic Info 6:28 - Crucial Steps For A Great First Impression: Photos 16:45 - Crucial Steps For A Great First Impression: Reviews 22:33 - Questions & Answers 26:00 - Special Considerations   IMPORTANT LINKS - Makeovers: https://www.nucleus.church/makeovers   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram:   / bradyshearer   🎵 TikTok:   / bradyshearer    🐦 Twitter:   / bradyshearer

Having a host is one of the best ways to truly elevate a church service. But what exactly is a host and what do they do? In this video, we'll break down the 7 essential things every church needs to know about hosting. Plus, if you're hesitant, we've got word-for-word script options for you to use.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:37 - What Is A Host? 1:20 - What Is The Goal Of A Host? Why Does "Fluidity" Matter? 7:26 - Connecting Pieces Behind The Scenes 12:59 - Pushback: Is This Not Just A Modern Church Invention Coming From The Secular World? 15:49 - Scripting Options 21:10 - Host Behaviour   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 52,481+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram:   / bradyshearer   🎵 TikTok:   / bradyshearer    🐦 Twitter:   / bradyshearer

03Is your church guilty of these 10 visitor-repelling behaviors? We've compiled real reports from church visitors detailing what scares them off. Because you only get to make one first impression. So let's make it a good one. Let's dive in.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:40 - The New Visitor Spotlight 4:30 - Insider Jargon OR Traditions 9:43 - Forced Small Talk & Mingling 13:05 - Inauthentic Or Incomplete Online Footprint 15:50 - Unfriendly 21:15 - Lack Of Structure 24:22 - Too Much Recruitment In Service 25:47 - Inaccessible Biblical Teaching 27:58 - Nowhere To Sit 33:02 - Singles Feel Left Out   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Today, we list 15 supposed essentials for church websites. Some are unnecessary! We'll categorize them: necessary, nice to have, or nonsense. By the end, you'll know what truly matters for your site. Let's dive in.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:03 - Speed 10:08 - Live Stream Primary CTA 14:22 - Pop-Ups 20:37 - Sermon Archive 24:22 - Beliefs 30:29 - Links To Social 32:01 - 5-Star Domain Name 35:48 - Sliders 44:55 - Responsive Design4 8:02 - App CTAs 52:30 - Service Times, Address, & Contact Info 55:55 - Staff Page 59:56 - Scroll Animation 01:03:18 - Photography 01:06:42 - SEO   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Pingdom Website Speed Test: https://bit.ly/4fi7ut3 - Makeovers: https://www.nucleus.church/makeovers - Holy Trinity Brompton: https://htb.org/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Does online church negatively impact in-person attendance? It's a debate we've been having for years, and now we finally have some great data to shed light on it. Join us as Ryan Burge from Graphs About Religion helps us untangle the insights and implications.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:54 - Who Is Attending Online Church? 17:53 - Does Going To Church Keep Youth From Drinking And Smoking? 38:04 - Are Women More Spiritual and Men More Religious?   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Who is Attending Online Church?: https://bit.ly/4fceCHe - Does Going to Church Keep High School Students from Drinking and Smoking?: https://bit.ly/4bJzPWc - Are Women More Spiritual and Men More Religious?: https://bit.ly/4bPoxQl - Generations by Jean M. Twenge: https://bit.ly/4d9PleX - Ryan Burge: https://www.drburge.com/ - Ryan Burge | Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ryanburge - Graphs about Religion: https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Rohn Starling returns to the show for a section we’re called “Rohn’s Rankings”. We're discussing trending social media sounds and sharing five church post ideas.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:58 - Trend #5: Part of me feels bad, but not that bad 12:28 - Trend #4: Not my problem 28:23 - Trend #3: Number 44, that’s me! 35:08 - Trend #2: Inside Out 2 43:46 - Trend #1: Blinking Sound   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Trend #5: Part of me feels bad, but not that bad: https://bit.ly/3LrAeli - Trend #4: Not my problem: https://bit.ly/4f2a5au - Trend #3: Number 44, that’s me!: https://bit.ly/46a2HFR - Trend #2: Inside Out 2: https://bit.ly/3LqaG8j - Trend #1: Blinking Sound: https://bit.ly/3W3lzSq - Rohn Starling IG: https://www.instagram.com/rohnstarling/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Today on the show we’re answering your questions. Questions about burn out, bilingual church social media strategies, and everything in between. Let’s dive in.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:36 - How should bilingual churches post on social media? 4:25 - Where did you get all the wisdom for naming Alex? 7:32 - Best food in Montreal? 17:15 - After 10 years of PCT, what would you do differently as a team? 26:47 - Should we look into creating a new YouTube Channel for our podcast or do we keep it on our church’s YouTube channel? 29:52 - Heard you're going to be at SALT Conference. Excited? 32:56 - What is your daily workflow? Apps? Schedule? Integrations? 44:02 - Can you talk about burnout? 53:50 - What does a well-structured administrative team look like on a church organization chart? 59:11 - How can churches with no sermon build up content for #noweeksoff foundation material?   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Our big announcement (finally): https://youtu.be/edD_Nsu3Qsg - Church website red flags: https://youtu.be/lV_P3I0NvSc - The best church websites of 2024: https://youtu.be/oSpcw7dkXAM - Mon Lapin Montreal: https://vinmonlapin.com/ - SALT conference: https://www.salt2024.com/ - Fischersund: https://www.fischersund.com/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

It's our quarterly social media review. Discover changes, constants, and their impact on your church.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:10 - Assessing Our Previous Predictions  8:54 - Adult Content on X 17:40 - Church Invite Memes 23:22 - Reels Split Design 31:26 - YouTube Thumbnail A/B Testing 42:28 - Carousels Over Reels? 48:45 - Apple AI & Unplugging From Our Devices   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Our big announcement (finally): https://youtu.be/edD_Nsu3Qsg - Talking Tech and AI with Tim Cook!: https://youtu.be/pMX2cQdPubk?feature=shared   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

On June 10th, the head of Instagram made a significant statement: "____ matters most across the board." So, what is it? Likes? Comments? Watch time? Saves? None of the above. Today on the show, we're diving into the most important metric on Instagram—a metric that's not easy to find and requires some digging.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:04 - Sends per reach are one of the most important things to look at 11:23 - Most people won't like *and* send 24:51 - IG heavily preference accounts who both follow each other 32:44 - Priority notifications come with the verified badge 36:16 - Instagram focuses on creators, not publishers   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - An honest conversation with the CEO of Instagram [Colin and Samir]: https://bit.ly/3KOQUmr   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

In today's episode, we feature a rural pastor who discovered he had more time for social media than he thought…it’s our very own Alexander Mills! This episode is packed with both introductory and advanced social media tips for churches. If you're part of a smaller church or serving in a rural area, this one's for you.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro / Alex’s Church 5:46 - Strategy for Sustainability 12:10 - High Quality Content 34:10 - Low Effort Design Tools 43:20 - Post Examples   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Life Abundant (Alex’s church): https://www.lifeabundant.info/ - Life Abundant Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeabundantniagara/ - Canva: https://www.canva.com/ - CapCut: https://www.capcut.com/ - Sermon quote (carousel) - https://bit.ly/3RoZiga - Guided prayer (carousel) - https://bit.ly/3Rm8GRT - Simple story (iPhone Reel) - https://bit.ly/4bXXWRW - Simple story (CapCut Reel) - https://bit.ly/4bVh6b1 - Meditation + Program Post (Nucleus Media) - https://bit.ly/4bMcpAl   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Join us in today's episode as we tackle your burning questions! Ever wondered about the ideal time commitment for pastors on social media? Or how to navigate challenges when your social media efforts seem to fall short? Plus, discover insights on maintaining a God-centered focus in fulfilling pursuits.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 2:15 - What are your thoughts on church politics? Are they inevitable? 9:10 - What should we do if Facebook engagement drops but Instagram rises? 15:06 - How much time should a pastor dedicate to making content for social media if any? 20:35 - Should we honestly care what others in church think about us? 24:53 - What are the boys wearing for summer this year? 28:06 - What is the hiring process for Pro Church Tools? 31:00 - Drinks in the shower? Yes or no? 37:54 - Your view on having tattoos? Especially as a leader in the church. 46:16 - Was there a social or communication trend you didn't see coming, but really blew up? 50:18 - Have you ever considered sharing more lifestyle content? Clothing, health, travel, etc. 56:10 - If you were to frame your ministry in a bit of Scripture, what would it be? 58:42 - What are the top five voices you lean into and trust in life and ministry? 01:04:49 - I'm giving it my all for my church's social media and see little growth. Any advice? 01:08:58 - You posted on Instagram Stories your reuben sandwich. What else have you been cooking lately? 01:15:34 - Do you encourage or discourage the 'hide like count' feature? 01:17:22 - What do you do to make sure you're always serving God in a field so gratifying in itself?   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - SocialSermons: https://socialsermons.com/ - How Churches Are Really Reaching Young People with Dr. Kara Powell: https://youtu.be/v6O0USRnwbY   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Social media changes fast! Today, we discuss these changes with church social media expert Danielle Davis. Alex, Danielle, and I each bring two topics: one exciting and one concerning trend for the future. We're here to keep your church in the know on all of the changes happening on social. ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Today we’re welcoming back to the show, for the second time, former Life.Church photographer - Benjamin Suter. We get to follow along a live demonstration of his photo editing process. We'll cover exposure, white balance, sharpening, grain, and preserving skin tones under stage lighting. Plus, he shares his custom presets, available as a free download in the show notes.   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Adobe Lightroom: https://lightroom.adobe.com/ - Benjamin J Suter Presets: https://benjaminjsuter.com/presets - Pro Church Tools Presets: https://prochurchtools.com/presets   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Today we’re discussing 15 social media aspects often deemed crucial - but which you might be surprised to learn otherwise. We’ll be categorizing them into ‘necessary’, ‘nice to have’, or ‘nonsense’ so by the end of this episode you’ll know what is actually worth your time on social. ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Personality 7:00 - Hashtags 11:12 - Using A Social Media Scheduler 16:05 - Vertical Video 18:27 - Deleting Posts 22:46 - Post Timing 26:16 - Trending Sounds 36:02 - Experimenting With New Post Formats 38:26 - Comment Moderation 43:42 - DM Automation 49:21 - Grid Aesthetic 53:42 - The Same Handle Across All Social Platforms 55:37 - Re-Using Content 59:19 - No Weeks Off 01:03:12 - DM Auto Replies   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Levi Lusko Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5vldC0Ov4K/ - Vista Social: https://vistasocial.com/ - Manychat: https://manychat.com/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Today on the show, we have a former Life.Church photographer joining us. We discuss preparing shot lists, favorite gear, and photographer etiquette. Plus, we share creative ideas for capturing baptism photos without damaging our cameras - hint: think fish tank!   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - SocialSermons: https://socialsermons.com/ - Bravingbird: https://www.bravingbird.com/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Today, we're tackling your questions: How to handle new church issues? Does a small-town setting alter social media strategies? This is The May 2024 Mailbag.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:55 - What is your opinion on Sora's impact on church content? 10:03 - What do you do when you face a new problem? 18:27 - Advice on creating backup posts for emergencies? 24:03 - Hardest thing about entrepreneurship? 32:40 - Advice for a social team with an IG account that is blowing up.  36:49 - What do you say to Christians who lack critical thinking? 51:37 - How to enhance sermon clips with limited resources? 56:05 - What's going to be your summer fragrance this year? 01:10:30 - Why did Cornerstone Church create a second YouTube channel? 01:13:40 - Ninja Creami; what recipes have worked for you? 01:21:09 - Advice for a workplace balancing religious advocacy and vocational responsibilities. 01:30:00 - What are the fashion trends you're rocking for warm weather this year? 01:41:37 - Does town size effect tech adoption?   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Sora | OpenAI: https://openai.com/sora - CRTVCHURCH: https://www.crtvchurch.com/ - Growing Young: https://bit.ly/4aNJb3z - How Churches Are Really Reaching Young People with Dr. Kara Powell: https://youtu.be/v6O0USRnwbY - Modern Church Connection Cards Examples (With Template): https://prochur.ch/44oIwTZ   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Who is behind the successful podcasts of Tim Ross and Lecrae? Join us as we chat with the Creative Director of B-Side App, the studio behind these hit shows. Learn about their episode ideas, set design, and the gear they swear by.   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Hector Guerrero IG: https://www.instagram.com/hectoralexguerrero/ - B-Side App: https://www.bsideapp.com/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

There is a step-by-step plan that has already brought 10,000 new people to churches this year. How did that happen? We’re joined by paid ads expert Brady Sticker to demystify online advertising for your church and learn how this happened. We talk about ad targeting, creative, budgeting, and more.   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - ChurchCandy: https://churchcandy.com/ - Brady Sticker IG: https://www.instagram.com/bradysticker/ - ChurchCandy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bradysticker/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

The most religious cities in America are places you might suspect. However, there’s a weird addition here - a city in California where nearly 30% are monthly attenders. What city is that? And which cities are the least religious in the country? To help us break it all down we have the preeminent source on data and faith - Ryan Burge from Graphs About Religion.   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= Which Cities are the Least Religious? | Ryan Burge: https://prochur.ch/3Q0xTk5 From Bible Belt to Sunbelt | Darren Dochuk: https://prochur.ch/3vPaivS The End of White Christian America | Robert P. Jones: https://bit.ly/3UcK7IK Canadian Social Survey: https://bit.ly/4awUQ6A David Speed | The Religious Studies Project: https://bit.ly/3vDWnZH Ryan Burge: http://ryanburge.net/Ryan Burge | Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ryanburge Graphs about Religion: https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

On today's episode, we're answering your questions about improving your church’s photography when faced with less than enthusiastic expressions and whether each ministry requires its own branding. Additionally, we'll touch on our reflections on the recent Elevation episode and its online impact. This is The April 2024 Mailbag. Let’s dive in.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:57 - Can you post too many Reels? 7:39 - Thoughts on the reaction to your Elevation episode? 32:28 - Favorite recent tech trend? 41:31 - Tips for how to do social as a worship night ministry? 47:25 - How do you get more diversity in your photos on Sundays? 50:22 - Is it worth changing our church website domain? 56:27 - Why are we getting low views on our Instastories? 58:21 - Average time for church tech tasks? 01:00:39 - Where to place faith formation/religious education on a site? 01:07:59 - How do you maintain a singular visual identity? 01:10:28 - Should church doctrinal beliefs be on a website?   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Social Media Trends 2024 | Hootsuite: https://bit.ly/3xpoxbk   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

It's our quarterly look at the social media landscape. What's changing, what's staying the same, and how does it affect your church? One specific design trend is cooking in Spring 2024. Church sermon clips are showing no signs of slowing down - and there's one reason for this that you've probably never thought of. Plus, a new Instagram trend taking the platform by storm. Let's dive in.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:00 - Vertical video: Same specs, diverse platform cultures. 9:57 - Churches' 'fly on the wall' perspective is becoming more valuable 17:30 - SEND IT BACK: Stop adding audio and decorative trim to your sermon clips 19:56 - High contrast, simple text branded carousels keep winning 30:00 - TikTok's global impact beyond potential bans 36:00 - DM Automation 40:56 - The definition of social media expanding: the old era is dead 47:03 - Social feeds for education 55:04 - CALL YOUR SHOT: Summer Prediction   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Gen Z, also known as Zoomers, born between 1996 and 2010, are the first generation to grow up in the smartphone era. Here are 10 stats about Gen Z that churches shouldn't ignore.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 2:04 - Bringing Back 90s And Early 00s Fashion Trends And Listening To The Era’s Tunes 6:24 - Interest In Environmental Issues Has Decreased 11% Year-On-Year 13:13 - On Track To Be The Best-Educated Generation Yet 17:26 - Roughly 20% Of The U.S. Population 20:07 - More Racially And Ethnically Diverse Than Previous Generations 27:07 - Least Religious Generation in American History 31:48 - Becoming Less Religiously Identified As Each Year Passes 34:07 - Spends 24-48 Hours Per Month On Tiktok 49:16 - More Likely Than Other Generations To Report Having A Mental Health Condition 58:54 - 98% Of Gen Z Worldwide Own A Smartphone   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= Gen Z and Religion in 2022 | Religion in Public: https://bit.ly/3vY3VWS What We Know About Gen Z So Far | Pew Research Center: https://pewrsr.ch/4abDzQr U.S. population share by generation 2022 | Statista: https://bit.ly/3x669Uw 24 Gen Z Statistics That Matter to Marketers in 2024 | Hootsuite: https://bit.ly/4auUmgX Gen Z | GWI: https://bit.ly/4cxUbTQ The State of the Culture | Ted Gioia: https://bit.ly/43DgfIY   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

In just four years, a previously unknown church went from 0 to 100,000 YouTube subscribers. Over the past ten months, they've added another 100,000 subscribers, despite their pastor's anonymity. Their remarkable online impact, leading to significant in-person transformations, prompted us to delve deeper into their strategies, with the church generously sharing behind-the-scenes insights.   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - vidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ - TubeBuddy: https://www.tubebuddy.com/ - An Unfiltered Conversation With Mike Todd's Social Media Advisor: https://youtu.be/dUbVt0ec6oQ - Cornerstone Fellowship with Pastor Allen Nolan: https://www.youtube.com/@allennolan   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

What if I told you there's one person behind some of the most influential global church brands? Katlyn Hovland is the creative mind shaping brands like VOUS Church, Maverick City, and more. Today we're talking church branding, typography, colors, logos, photography, and more with her. Let's dive in.   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Katlyn Hovland IG: https://www.instagram.com/kayhov - Monarch Collective: https://www.monarchco.studio/ - Brand Your Church: https://www.brandyourchurch.co/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

We’re doing things a little differently on this episode, as we’re not in our usual studio in Niagara Falls. Instead, we are poolside in the Dominican Republic on our company retreat. With mojitos in hand - this is Bro Church Pools.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:19 - Are churches and ministries using social media inline with how people consume it? Can social media realistically fulfill goals like gaining new members, or is it primarily about raising awareness and building email lists? 12:40 - What's your workout routine? Tips for people starting out? 18:04 - Why do some posts randomly fail? 22:00 - What are 3 non-church podcasts you enjoy most? 29:50 - What advice do you have for experiencing negative feedback from Christians for the first time? 33:27 - What are the top 3 countries you've visited and which one would you choose to live in? 40:18 - Can you expand on borrowing trends from other sectors for church social? 50:50 - Favorite poolside drink? 55:10 - We want to update the camera we use - do we go broadcast or cinema? 01:00:12  - What’s your go-to jeans brand? 01:03:35 - Any tips on how to make reels from live stream footage and have good image quality?  01:07:35 - Fashion advice for men’s swimwear? 01:10:25 - How do you guys go about email formatting? 01:19:10 - Swimming pool, tidal pool, or open beach? 01:20:55 - Best tips for starting a church podcast?   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Plain English with Derek Thompson: https://apple.co/4bUvjWb - The Big Picture with Sean Fennessey: https://apple.co/49Vv4sg - The Town with Matt Belloni: https://apple.co/3P4W9Rx - The MeatEater Podcast: https://apple.co/42ZPIF8 - Walk A Little Slower with Tanner Olson: https://apple.co/42ZlvWJ - Liturgies for Parents with Kayla Craig: https://apple.co/3V7kt98 - Best Church Cameras 2024: https://prochur.ch/cameras-2024 - Sony FX3: https://bhpho.to/49vYi0C - Sony FX30: https://bhpho.to/3SD0jkP - Blackmagic Pocket 6K: https://prochur.ch/48E1eYf - Blackmagic Studio 4K: https://bhpho.to/4bzlWLq - Blackmagic Studio 6K: https://bhpho.to/4buRUIR - ConvertKit: https://convertkit.com/ - Beehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Today on the show, we're joined by Nicki Shearer (of no relation!) who manages copywriting and language for all church-wide initiatives at Elevation Church, determining both what Elevation says and how they say it. Nicki oversees the development language style guides, an often overlooked part of communications but which is crucial for effective in-person and online communication.    ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - "Do the New You" by Steven Furtick: https://stevenfurtick.com/do-the-new-you   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Today on the show, we're joined by Rohn Starling, who spent three years as the Content Creator and Strategist for Lead Pastor Mike Todd at Transformation Church in Tulsa, OK. With a wealth of insights into strategy on social media, we asked him questions like how to differentiate content between the church and pastor accounts, managing frequent posting on Instagram, and how to gain trust for posting unconventional ideas. We also explore what led Rohn to depart from Transformation Church towards the end of last year. Let’s dive in.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:28 - How did you first get involved with Transformation Church? 5:27 - Tell us about yourself and your skill set 9:38 - How do you make content for the pastor while they are also making content themselves? 14:14 - How do you come up with ideas? 18:20 - How do you disciple your team as the content curator?  30:46 - Adhering to the social media trends with urgency 33:36 - What social media platform and feature are you focused on right now? 38:04 - How do you decide what goes on the pastor account or the church account? 44:42 - How many accounts were you managing at Transformation? 46:46 - How do you handle online hate? 52:09 - Why did you leave Transformation Church?   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Rohn Starling IG: https://www.instagram.com/rohnstarling/ - Mike Todd IG: https://www.instagram.com/iammiketodd/ - Jesse Driftwood IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessedriftwood/ - Emmanuel Arango IG: https://www.instagram.com/mannyarango/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Every church has its share of drama behind the scenes, something we all have to manage. Occasionally, it escalates into a full-fledged rivalry, causing considerable harm that is really unfortunate. This is the secret world of church rivalries.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:39 - Our video just hit 3 million views in 4 days. How can we leverage this engagement? 13:16 - A reel we posted has over a million views and doubled our followers in 3 days. Is there a key element to this we can repeat? What do we do now we’ve gone viral? 25:50 - How do you come up with successful hooks for reels? 32:06 - What are three films that have impacted you the most? 49:05 - Can you elaborate on how you and your team use Trello? 50:49 - Favorite MLB stadium & coffee shop? 1:07:00 - When it comes to ministry how can we use other social media platforms apart from the Top 5 (e.g. Reddit, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitch)? 01:10:24 - What is a YouTube reel, how is it different from other social media reels, and how do we make them 01:14:25 - Cologne recommendations? 01:22:11 - What are your top five fast-food restaurants?   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Question #1 Reel:  https://bit.ly/3I41WTP - Question #2 Reel: https://bit.ly/3OvbR8q - Past Lives: https://bit.ly/3UjCktk - The Holdovers:  https://bit.ly/3utn9D8 - Oppenheimer: https://bit.ly/3ut74xj - The Nativity: https://bbc.in/3uhDdYO - Calvary: https://bit.ly/3UIsEZJ - Trello: https://trello.com/ - Notion: https://www.notion.so/ - Mythical Coffee (Scottsdale Arizona) https://mythicalcoffee.com/ - Nomad Coffee (Spain) https://nomadcoffee.es/ - Bird Rock (San Diego) https://birdrockcoffee.com/ - One For All: https://www.oneforallcoffee.com/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Serving in church in 2024 is tough. Young people aren’t as religious, churches are shrinking and closing - so what do we do? Here are some underrated changes churches should actually consider.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:40 - The Two Selfs 12:27 - Live Off The Land 20:35 - Daily Ribbons 32:22 - Get The Goalposts To Stop Moving 43:50 - Robust Rhythms of Prayer   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - “Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea” by Steven Callahan: https://bit.ly/3Oj23hF - “Do Hard Things” by Steve Magness: https://bit.ly/48MGU7S - “Nike Internal Memo” by Inc.:https://bit.ly/498LFs5 - “Ultra-Processed People” by Chris van Tulleken: https://bit.ly/42dojiG - “Same as Ever” by Morgan Housel; https://bit.ly/3Svvn70   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

I recently asked my Instagram followers to share with me: “what are your hot takes about the future of the church?” and we got some really great responses. Alex and I sat down to discuss, to debate, to disagree, to find out what we think about the future of the church.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:48 - Down turn in big churches, small churches increase 7:40 - Next gens will ditch LED walls and seek more simple productions 20:50 - Pastors have to be more like Entrepreneurs or CEOs 26:47 - Charismatic Anglican churches are going to explode in popularity and grow like crazy 28:14 - Great worship and kids ministry is the secret to growth in the future; preaching not as important 36:40 - Church denominations are on the decline and we may see the end of them in our lifetime 39:56 - In 2024 and beyond, churches will either grow or close their doors   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - The 2020 Faith Communities Today Overview: https://bit.ly/3SfRUnf   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Today, we’re going through my 16 rules for living (10 personal values for myself and my family + 6 organizational values for myself and the Pro Church Tools team). We’re going to talk through each of those, and then discuss some exercises to help you develop your own.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 5:46 - PCT Value #1: The Family You Choose 12:43 - PCT Value #2: VIBES 19:18 - PCT Value #3: Say The Quiet Part Out Loud 23:30 - PCT Value #4: Clear The Runway 26:20 - PCT Value #5: Bring Heaven to Earth 27:27 - PCT Value #6: Yes Be Yes, No Be No 33:00 - Family Value #1: Every Good Thing [John 10:10] 34:37 - Family Value #2: We Can Get Through Anything [Matthew 4:11] 35:00 - Family Value #3: Just Keep Trying And Be A Good Friend [Proverbs 17:17] 37:22 - Family Value #4: Be Unoffendable [Proverbs 19:11] 38:04 - Family Value #5: We Are All People In Process [1 Corinthians 13:12] 38:20 - Family Value #6: Graceful Pursuit Of A Superior Self [Hebrews 12:2] 41:15 - Family Value #7: The Compounding Power Of Consistency [Galatians 6:9] 41:36 - Family Value #8: Plenty Never Lasts [Ecclesiastes 3] 42:31 - Family Value #9: Freedom Is The Opportunity To Exercise Restraint [Matthew 7:14] 43:29 - Family Value #10: There Will Come A Time Where Life Demands Something Greater [Luke 12:48] 45:35 - How To Develop Your Own Values   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Have you ever wondered how to measure your church's performance on social? Is there a universal rule for how many likes or comments a church of a certain size should be getting? No matter your church size, there is an easy way to analyze what you're doing on social media and see how it stacks up. This is the ultimate guide to social media metrics for churches.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:21 - Do you have social media KPI benchmarks for churches across platforms? 14:07 - How did you go from a "maker" role to more of an overseer/coach, and how do you set others up to win? 22:19 - At what point should you start paying creative volunteers, if ever? 33:28 - What’s wrong lately? 41:39 - How do we encourage our congregants to support our social channels to increase the reach of our accounts to more people? 46:25 - How do you create stories for church accounts and how do you get engagement from a congregation that historically hasn't been into it? 53:29 - What’s one weird thing your family did as a kid? 01:03:39 - What are your thoughts on using QR codes to get info on announcements? 01:08:53 - I want examples of how a 33-year-old man should dress. 01:17:35 - What do you do with Facebook, when platforms like Instagram get way more traction? 01:18:35 - What’s your top cologne recommendation for the cold weather? 01:22:30 - What are your thoughts on using hashtags that aren't popular in order to game the algorithm?    ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Social Ministry Mountain: https://prochurchtools.com/mountain - PORTRAITS: socialsermons.com/portraits   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Leading and serving in church is a tough job, and it gets even tougher when you have to lead negative staff and volunteers, but there are some practices that can help us as leaders to navigate these relationships in a way that leads to life and hopefully to change, and that’s what we’re talking about in this episode.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 5:10 - #1 Set The Standard Yourself 10:42 - #2 Set The Standard For Communication 12:16 - #2.5 Three Rules For Communication 15:28 - #3. Address All Behavior Or Attitude Issues In Light Of Your Church's Values And Mission 19:55 - #4. Earn Equity 26:24 - #5. Assess Capacity   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - PORTRAITS by SocialSermons: https://socialsermons.com/portraits   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Today, I'm joined in our Niagara Falls studio by fellow Canadian and friend of close to ten years now, Carey Nieuwhof. Carey does a lot of work in leadership development, so I wanted to hear Carey’s best leadership advice - especially for younger Christian leaders.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 2:10 - What are you most excited about right now? Personally or professionally? 19:45 - What do you feel you’ve changed your mind on recently? 24:08 - How do you escape or unwind? 38:00 - What practices or rhythms have been most nurturing for your marriage? 45:20 - What are you doing to take care of yourself at your age?   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= From Strength to Strength [Arthur Brooks]: https://bit.ly/3v8rXy4 At Your Best [Carey Nieuwhof]:  https://careynieuwhof.com/at-your-best/ Carey Nieuwhof: https://careynieuwhof.com/ Highly Productive Leader Challenge: http://productive2024.com/ Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast: https://careynieuwhof.com/mypodcast/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

The discovery era of social media is only a few years old, so many are still getting used to it, and as they do - there is one specific thing that comes up that creates a eureka moment for them. This is what churches always overlook on social media.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:54 - Can you explain more about the local element of discovery algorithms?  10:03 - Have you been experiencing issues with Reels engagement and reach? 13:08 - What has been the most influential thing to help you grow as a business? 20:47 -  What is Alex’s current favorite coffee brewer? 24:13 - What do you recommend for someone just getting started with social media strategy? 25:46 - What is your favorite album of all-time? 40:17 - What’s a new game-changing habit you started this year? 48:38 - How can a church compete with sports games during worship times? 59:12 - What are some fashion trends you’re embracing this season? 01:07:26 - What benchmarks should a church use to determine if they should launch a podcast? 01:11:06 - When is a time you’ve missed on giving advice? 01:13:51 - What is the thing that has made you the happiest in the last week? 01:17:07 - How can we do digital ministry on Snapchat? 01:19:30 - How can I help my ministry find our “voice” for posting on social? 01:22:20 - How do I know what to post on social that will best serve my audiences?   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - The Church Social Media Masterclass: https://youtu.be/t1g6iMRR_Tk - ORIGAMI Dripper M: https://bit.ly/3RdxtXw - Fellow Stagg [X] Pour-Over Set: https://bit.ly/41biIsN - Ratio 6: https://bit.ly/3Thmyyx - SocialSermons: https://socialsermons.com/ - Nucleus: https://www.nucleus.church/ - Cannot Be, Whatsoever [Novo Amor]: https://spoti.fi/47O1iF6 - Everglow [Mae]: https://spoti.fi/3GBYvD4 - Flame [Flame]: https://spoti.fi/3tatt1S - For All The Dogs [Drake]: https://spoti.fi/3GxCVj5 - Zeal [Kings Kaleidoscope]: https://spoti.fi/488ToFX - Quantity Is Job One [Five Iron Frenzy]: https://spoti.fi/4a9jYRh - The Beautiful Letdown [Switchfoot]: https://spoti.fi/3Rf3rT5 - Unreal Unearth [Hozier]: https://spoti.fi/47Pvb7N - Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity by Peter Attia: https://bit.ly/3Td3QYZ - Acne Studios: https://www.acnestudios.com/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

As we bid farewell to 2023, we eagerly set our sights on the horizon of the upcoming year. The dynamic realm of social media, ever youthful and constantly evolving, continues to undergo rapid transformations. Keeping up with these changes can be overwhelming, but fear not – we've got your back! Today we will share our social media predictions for 2024, so that you - the church - can stay ahead of the curve and ensure your online presence thrives in the exciting landscape of the new year.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:50 - #1. New Monetization Models & Subscriptions 8:45 - #2. The Future Of X 14:00 - #3. Churches & TikTok 16:41 - #4. The Stratification Of Social Media 22:28 - #5. More Reels On Instagram & Facebook 22:50 - #6. SEO Replaces Hashtags 26:01 - #7. Newsletters 33:25 - #8. More accessible TOFU content 37:43 - Summary   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Meta to offer ad-free subscription in Europe in bid to keep tracking other users (TechCrunch): https://bit.ly/46DZSvA - X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies (The Verge): https://bit.ly/46G6V6I - X valued at $19 billion in share plan for employees (The Verge): https://bit.ly/3Rp2lW8 - As Users Abandon X, Sports Twitter Endures (The New York Times): https://nyti.ms/3uNRPyL - Threads: https://www.threads.net/ - Discord: https://discord.com/ - Lemon8: https://www.lemon8-app.com/ - beehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/ - Substack: https://substack.com/   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Instagram's algorithms (that’s right - there’s more than one!) have changed again, and if you are a creator (and even if you’re not!) this is good news. This time around, Instagram came right out and explained how it all works, so today on the podcast we’re going to walk through those changes, what they are, and what this means for you and your church.   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Algorithm vs. Algorithms8:46 - The Feed Algorithm 16:40 - The Stories Algorithm 22:56 - The Reels & Explore Page Algorithm 24:30 - Hashtags 34:08 - How to Grow   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Instagram Ranking Explained | Instagram Blog: https://bit.ly/47oagZu - Social Media Masterclass: https://youtu.be/t1g6iMRR_Tk   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://www.nucleus.church/podcast

For churches, finding the right people is essential to building a strong team. But how do you know what to look for in a potential higher? Today we're talking with William Vanderbloemen the founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group, who are regularly hired to find the right people to work in faith-based organizations. After 15 years and more than 30,000 interviews, they've extracted the data from all that experience to answer the question: what are the skills we should be looking for in young Christian leaders? What are the skills we should be developing ourselves? And inversely, what are the red flags we should be on the lookout for?   Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   ============================= Show Notes: ============================= - Vanderbloemen Search Group: https://www.vanderbloemen.com/ - Be The Unicorn: theunicornbook.com / https://amzn.to/3SLIPEj   ============================= Connect With Brady: ============================= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer The Pro Church Tools Show: https://www.nucleus.church/podcast

There’s a current event that everyone is talking about and you're wondering - "should my church make a post about this?". On one hand, you don’t want to be reactionary, but you also don't want to ignore it. So let’s talk about about two questions you need to answer before making a big statement online. Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲 0:00 - Intro 1:36 - When should you post on social in response to big news items? 8:32 - What traits do you look for in a creative employee/church leader? 13:13 - What's your best tips/advice for asking out an awkward introvert church girl? 16:42 - Should we do a before/after series about renovating our new church building?21:40 - What are your favorite Christmas traditions? 28:50 - How do you balance *being* in the moment and *capturing* the moment? 33:28 - What's your max tattoo session time you can handle?36:44 - What do you wish your designers would do without being asked? 38:56 - What's something people don't know about your home country? 42:51 - Would you reserve Posts and Reels for evergreen social ministry and things like Stories and Highlights for snapshots of what's going on right now in your church? 46:04 - Do you have any tips for missionaries and non-profit ministries? 48:26 - In honor of autumn, what is your favorite apple?

One of the most regretful decisions we made as a society over the past 20 years was indiscriminately embracing digital media. Even if this *is* how things typically go with new tech, it's imperative that we as Christians have some guidelines for how we behave online. In today's episode we talk about church rules for digital hygiene. Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Automobiles vs. Digital Media 12:20 - Why I'm Still Bullish On Social 28:12 - Rules For Digital Hygiene

As a leader, you might think that I have it all together, that I never drop the ball or make any mistakes - but here's the kicker: I mess up all the time. How? Let me tell you - these are the costly mistakes I’ve made as a Christian leader. Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲 0:00 - Intro 3:08 - #1: Neglecting Core Competencies 13:23 - #2: Self Awareness Gone Too Far 24:10 - #3: The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

Today on the podcast we speak with trailblazers of the online church movement - Life.Church. Our question? How can we make online church less about programming and more about ministry? Show notes: Life.Church: https://www.life.church/ Life.Church Online: https://live.life.church/ Church Online: https://online.church/ Church Online Hosts: The Complete Guide: https://open.life.church/resources/4676-church-online-hosts-complete-guide

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   0:00 - Intro 1:20 - Habit #1: Walking 12:10 - Habit #2: Sabbath 17:47 - Habit #3: Sleeping 25:00 - Habit #4: Silence 34:36 - Habit #5: Being Unoffendable 39:45 - Habit #6: Psychotherapy 44:52 - Habit #7: Framework For Honest Evaluation

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   0:00 - Intro 1:12 - How do I get leadership to take social media seriously? 13:19 - Would you ever consider using text for mass updates? 18:44 - How can we improve our email open rates? 26:46 - What advice do you have for cheap male fashion? 36:02 - How do elder millennials stay up to date with trends? 42:03 - Is it too late to join TikTok? 42:58 - What's the most interesting fact about your family histories? 52:13 - How do we promote so many ministries without over promoting? 57:29 - We're struggling with our youth who are serving in tech or worship... 1:01:44 - Best fiction book you've read recently? 1:09:01 - Does burying a link in the caption increase engagement? 1:11:08 - What are good events for both members and non-members? 1:15:07 - Is Nacho Libre a good movie? 1:18:09 - What are the essentials for a minimal church website? 1:25:43 - Why does cream and sugar make coffee so much better? 1:31:40 - Are the NCAA conference change ups a good move? 1:34:29 - How do we respond to members not buying in to social for ministry? 1:35:23 - Why is Facebook not performing well for us? 1:37:20 - What's on the fall-time fragrance rotation? 1:41:31 - Will you ever grow/cut your hair? 1:43:08 - Do you play Fantasy Football? 1:45:51 - What order do you put your socks and shoes on?

The best way for your church to reach young people is to disproportionately dedicate resources to them. At least, that's the thesis from Fuller Youth Institute and an extensive study they conducted of more than ten-thousand hours, thirteen-hundred interviews, and two-hundred and fifty churches. Today we're joined by Dr. Kara Powell to discuss the research she was a part of and also to answer the burning question we're all thinking: if the cost of reaching young people is to disproportionately prioritize them - what does that mean for everyone else?   Show notes: Growing Young - https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/growingyoung Growing Young Research Method - https://churchesgrowingyoung.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Growing-Young-Research-Method.pdf Fuller Youth Institute - https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/ The Only Denomination Not In Decline - https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/august/assemblies-of-god-grow-us-council-denomination-decline-poli.html Barna - https://www.barna.com Springtide Research Institute - https://www.springtideresearch.org   Dr. Kara Powell - https://karapowell.com Dr. Kara Powell on Twitter - https://twitter.com/KPowellFYI

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   0:00 - Intro 1:15 - Plenty Never Lasts 7:34 - Die A Thousand Little Deaths 12:15 - The Compounding Power of Consistency 15:30 - Learn To Die Well 22:50 - Reassess Problems From Altitude 28:40 - Be Where Your Feet Are 33:40 - Say The Quiet Part Out Loud 38:50 - Pray Without Ceasing 44:28 - Just Keep Trying And Be A Good Friend 49:42 - Follow The Leader

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139 📲   0:00 - Intro 1:45 - Our Honorable Mentions 10:40 - The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter 18:45 - Sinners In The Hands Of A Loving God by Brian Zahnd 25:25 - Outlive by Peter Attia 34:29 - Working The Angles by Eugene Peterson 39:54 - The Psychology Of Money by Morgan Housel 46:01 - Liber Mundi  

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139.   Question #1 (2:39): What is the best way to share to all of social content using 1 app?   Question #2 (9:55): How did you guys meet your wives?   Question #3 (29:40): We are a small (but multi-generational) church with a part-time staff, all of whom wear many hats, so we are very limited on the content we can create. What platforms and types of content do you think we should be prioritizing when creating?   Question #4 (32:15): Which of the social platforms will become the most worthy of investment over the next year or so? I'm a one-woman team and I can only do so much.   Question #5 (34:18): Can you do  social media post ideas for small churches again with some new ideas? I feel like I post the same thing over and over. I always hear you saying repeat = defeat, every time I repeat a post!   Question #6 (45:34): Does Instagram grid aesthetic matter still? I've gotten feedback from some staff that my SocialSermons fill up our Instagram grid and it looks like our pastor is egocentric since the grid is all stills of him. So I've resulted to posting 5-6 photos of families at our weekend services each week in addition at the SocialSermons to keep the grid looking family oriented. That's been a lot of caption writing and it's tough to have that many new pictures weekly.   DRAFT SEGMENT (52:39): The Best Christian Rock Festival Lineup   Question #7 (01:49:32): I attend a church of less than 100 and have a lot of older generation rather than younger people in the church, due to this, it's sort of hard to explain the concept of social media and technology, especially when we implement them in our events. What's the best way of going about this situation?   Question #8 (01:53:24): How much value do you put into boosting posts/ads on social media? Are there any general recommendations you would give for how to use paid advertising on social platforms?   Question #9 (01:56:11): If Threads is destined to fail, what is the value in getting started with it?   Question #10 (02:00:17): How long and how much work, does it take to shoot a single podcast?   Question #11 (02:02:58): What's wrong lately?   Question #12 (02:17:13): What's one weird pet peeve you have?   Question #13 (02:21:37): Can you make a video on the balance of working in social media? I've been following you for 10 years now, and you constantly have insanely good ideas. All the more, you always give off a presence of peace. I can't work social media like that and a lot of people struggle with the mental side of it. How are you doing this?   Question #14 (02:23:05): My Pastor loves videos for everything. He would rather post a video on our website About Us page than write a paragraph explaining who we are. I don’t think people will watching a video and would rather read or even skim the paragraph. Who’s right?

On this episode of the Pro Church Tools Show we talk with the social media and production directors from Legacy Church in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Ruth Seal and Vitaliy Kot joined us to let us in on their social media strategy, their production process, and how they work together to create viral content to reach millions with the message of Jesus. We talk about the philosophical to the very practical, and everything in between.

On this episode of the Pro Church Tools Show we interview Crystal Ennis, Creative Director at One Church in Sulphur Springs, Texas. One Church has experienced rapid growth on social media thanks to some viral videos, and Crystal joins us to speaks to how that has impacted the life of their in-person gatherings. She shares about her social strategy, how to lead a creative team, and how to help millions of people take next steps with Jesus without ever stepping foot in her church.  

On this episode of the Pro Church Tools Show we interview Trey VanCamp, pastor of Passion Creek Church in Queen Creek, Arizona. Trey has been effectively using digital media to reach new people with the message of Jesus and spiritually form people who already belong to the church. We talk about the success of his Plan Your Visit video, his unique discipleship strategy through podcasting, and the delicate balance of being a content creator and a pastor.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139.   Question #1 (1:50): One thing your church needs to stop doing   Question #2 (13:58): How do you cope as an Enneagram 1?   Question #3 (30:48): Our church coffee sucks, how can I make it better?   DRAFT SEGMENT (38:20): Hillsong United Popular Songs Draft   Question #4 (79:54): The best technique for applying fragrance   Question #5 (83:02): The best eats in Niagara Falls   Question #6 (87:55): What "tone" should our church use on social?   Question #7 (90:41): Tips for starting a podcast   Question #8 (95:23): What's your favorite Bible verse?   Question #9 (99:28): Do you have an internal monologue?

On this episode of the Pro Church Tools Show we interview Jeremy Cole, pastor of Mosaic Dubai. Jeremy is a former airline pilot and an unconventional pastor, serving a very unique congregation in the UAE that's experiencing notable growth. We talk about the particular challenges of pastoring in Dubai and the great success that they've had on social reaching many people with the message of Jesus.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (2:49): What are the most common mistakes to avoid when considering website design? We are a small congregation (average attendance 100) and we cannot afford full time tech people. Question #2 (12:55): What are your top three leadership tips? Question #3 (26:31): Hi Brady! I just took over the comms for our church. What is your advice or strategy for a church rolling out a new sermon series? Three weeks out? Two weeks out? One week? Week of? Question #4 (32:45): What's wrong lately?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (2:15): Brady, what's the story behind your Bible College experience? Why did you never become a pastor? Question #2 (20:43): If you work at your church full-time, what is your day off each week? Question #3 (36:42): How does a church recover in the social media climate when there is a viral video that tries to cancel the church for false reasons? Our church has gotten many death threats and harassment via phone, email, and especially social media. We’ve had to turn comments off on most things. I was wondering if you had any wisdom! Question #4 (50:17): The two of you seem to have such good chemistry.  We would like to know what is it you have most in common, versus not so common.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (05:24): What are your thoughts on Threads? Is Meta doing too much? How can churches utilize this new platform? Question #2 (20:00): Love the new podcast studio. Can you talk about the setup? Question #3 (28:28): On The Social Media Church Podcast this week, they talked about developing an AI policy similar to how you should have a social media policy. Is that something you've processed at all yet? If so, what would you include in a policy like that? Question #4 (34:36): You have mentioned that you are breaking into the world of watches! (Happy dance!)I was skeptical until you mentioned Wolf 1834 watch cases! What are you looking at Watch wise and have you made any purchases?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (1:49): Responding to Christian comments like "just preach the gospel!" Question #2 (7:30): We've long used connection cards at our church for people to take next steps, digitally and physically. And then other signup pages or PCO forms for people to take other steps. I love your view of next steps, and the central hub concept, I've been trying to get buy-in across the board on this and utilizing our website's main page as a central hub. Here in lies my question. I know your thoughts behind mass texting as a church, very limited if at all. What are your thoughts on engaging people through text in keywords and one-on-one follow up for next steps, all through text? Question #3 (15:45): Will there be a backlash against generative AI where people intentionally move offline? Question #4 (24:22): What are your beige flags?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:27): If a church wants to do a podcast, what should they consider? (Tech, Content, labor, red flags, etc.) Question #2 (15:58): I'm amazed at the number of churches that do photo dumps on social media. There is the wide spread belief that you should share everything you snap. Just curious of your opinion as to the optimal number of pics to include in a post. Also, am I wrong to feel a bit squeamish about posting pics of people praying or worshiping? Are there any studies on how non-believers react to these? Are we invading someone's personal moment even if it's experienced in corporate worship?  Question #3 (25:45): Are there any "best practices" you guys talk about on the pod/social/website/YouTube that you DON'T do at the church you pastor? If so why? Question #4 (32:24): What's WRONG lately?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (09:31): This is why our pews are empty. We’ve accepted the counterfeit online substitute for church. It’s destroying the local church for a "stay in bed and watch a livestream" type experience. Question #2 (17:12): Should I or should I not use music in the background of sermon shorts? Question #3 (22:52): I was curious about the new language on the Nucleus website, "The premium church website builder for small & mid-size churches." I don't remember that delineation before of "small & mid-size" being applied to Nucleus and its capabilities. I'm just curious about that decision and what, if any reason, would be for a large church (I guess what would you consider a "large" church?) not to use Nucleus. Question #4 (34:00): In honour of the Toronto Raptors latest draft pick "Gradey Dick," what was your cringiest outfit you've ever worn?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:35): Agreed, but what do you believe would be a better gift or solution for guests specifically? Question #2 (19:38): Brady, how do you recommend we setup our Plan A Visit page on our church's website? Question #3 (28:50): Brady do you have any ideas for intros on our website from the leadership? Question #4 (33:51): Brady, when is Nucleus 2 launching? I won't tell anyone. I promise!

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:30): What are the top three church tech ministry red flags for you? Question #2 (12:38): When it comes to livestream, do you think there is value in streaming to multiple platforms (e.g. Facebook, website, YouTube) or do you think it is better to drive traffic to one place? We currently stream to Facebook and website but I am wanting to break in to YouTube this year in a big way. Live-streaming there and then clipping the stream down to the sermon portion seems like a good start but not sure if we should phase out Facebook live stream in the process.  Question #3 (21:05): We are starting to post vertical social sermon videos to multiple platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok). Is there a way to schedule and upload these videos at once without having to log onto each site and do it manually? Also, is there a way to collectively see the response data of these videos with one service or app?  Question #4 (30:09): What are your three favorite non-fiction books? Question #5 (53:20): What is your favorite color?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:32): I need a pros and cons list, church photos taken on cell phones vs. professional photos. Question #2 (13:50): How do you help church leadership understand how long it takes to do good video work for the church (or other marketing work) that they maybe have never done before, so they have no concept of how long it should take or how many people it would take to produce it and do it well? Question #3 (24:55): Both of you (Brady and Alex) have many interests and irons in the fire, both in business and personally. Whether it's designing website software, starting new services like SocialSermons, photography, forest foraging, hunting, coffee, sports, fragrances, etc etc, you are also both married and have kids, and Alex pastors on the side. How do you guys stay sane? I know Alex talked recently about reclaiming a Sabbath, and I wondered how this may factor into that larger topic, as someone also has many varied interests, but is wondering if I'm over extending myself. Question #4 (37:56): I listen each week to your podcasts. I'm 50+ years old & have never purchased or worn men's cologne. I'm intrigued with your conversations about the topic. So much so, that I'm planning on trying some. What are your top 5 or top 10 that one should sample? 

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:28): How do you navigate creating content in a small church where most of the ppl are camera shy? I’ve tried asking ppl for testimony, tried asking ppl how they felt about service, we even tried a segment where we highlight entrepreneurs in our congregation as a way to involve community. Overall, engagement is low both on and offline. How do I as the social media manager help turn it around?  Question #2 (09:14): I've been trying to find some data and stats that prove converting our Catholic homilies into short form video would be worth the time it would take to do it.  Do you happen to have any data or stats showing performance by churches who are doing this? More specifically, it would be great if it could be data from Catholic Churches. I hear everyone pitching to do it, but cannot find any data to show results. Not to sound all corporate, but what is the ROI? Question #3 (19:43): Here’s a boring but helpful idea for a podcast question. Business card tips? We do a feeding the needy program and distribute business cards for people to know who we are and how to make contact. Tips? Question #4 (25:14): What are your hottest food takes?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:32): What's the future of video and that whole field of work in your opinion - considering the rise of AI? Question #2 (11:01): How to know when it's time to leave a job? Question #3 (19:56): What do you think of video banners on church websites? Question #4 (26:20): What are your favorite go-to meals right now?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question 1A (01:22): I’ve been asked to run a promotion for a campaign to raise money to pay for our HVAC system. I want it to be effective and not cringy.    Question 1B (01:30): I’ve been asked to promote the current financial promotion! I need help! To be fair, our church is debt free and raising money for an air conditioner. Nevertheless, how can I make it not so cringy?   Question 1C (01:58): My church board wants us to make announcements about our Spring Business Meeting....I know you talk about telling a story (that inspires) for announcements. How do you do that for the annual business meeting?  Question #2 (12:17): Our new-ish (about a year) senior pastor is very active on social media. He also shares a lot of our church posts. My question is how much should we share each other's posts? Going through his followers, (a few thousand) I'd say about 1/3 of them also follow the church's accounts, so a lot of the same people may be seeing the same posts on both accounts. Personally, I think it's a great idea for both of us to share each other's posts to stories on IG and FB, and to retweet them, but not so sure about sharing to our IG and FB feeds. What do you suggest? How much sharing should we be doing? Question #3 (15:39): How do you get more followers on a church account? Question #4 (27:36): What did you learn in your last year of life?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:14):  You're both busy, successful individuals, managing families, social, church, coffee and even scents. I'm just wondering what you two use to manage your tasks/outlining/mind-mapping. Is it Evernote? Notion? A simple spreadsheet?  Question #2 (13:03): My goal on vertical video is to get it under 60 seconds which I’m usually at 58-59 on sermon clips. I’ve noticed clips under 30 seconds possibly doing better. Have you seen a better goal of 15-30 seconds for vertical video? Question #3 (22:39): When you encourage social sermon posts, you point out the importance of the hook at the intersection of faith and culture. In my position, I have influence on our sermon series titles. I'm not sure it makes sense that our sermon series titles should be the same as a social sermon hook, but I feel the faith and culture principle could still apply. Am I putting too much thought into something no one cares about?  Question #4 (29:08): Heard you say you never check bags (I think). How do you pack for international travel with all of your camera gear?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:27): Is "high production" vs. "low production" a heart issue? Question #2 (13:13): For announcements it’s easy to shift to a model of: inspiration and one next step, but I’m wondering how do you shift the vocabulary of your main speakers? I’ve notice that most of the biggest churches have preaching and MCing that use a shared vocabulary, some things are vision statements (which is easy to have a shared language around), some things are cultural statements and some things are functional to that church. But I’m wondering how do they unify behind that? Is there a list of statements or is there a quota per service? Is there a comms strategy meeting that they plan out what to say and what’s worth saying? How do all these different speakers have the same vocabulary? Question #3 (22:52): How soon should I publish our sermon clips after the sermon was first preached? Also, should I be trying to add new designs onto every SocialSermon? Thanks! Question #4 (35:08): Coffee Corner with Bishop Barista - Question for Alex: what decaf/low caf coffees does he recommend for people with high blood pressure that need to reduce caffeine intake but still want to enjoy a good.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:00): How best to use ChatGPT in church? Church leadership? Ministry issues? Question #2 (16:44): Just curious, what are your thoughts on the social media app Lemon8? Do you think it would be beneficial for a church to utilize that app? Question #3 (22:57): Communications Minister here at my church. I have a church member that has gone and made their own custom T-shirts after we just did a church-wide shirt order. They don’t match the same shirts everyone else has and this person is not in a position of leadership. How should I address this with this individual? What's consistent branding worth? The shirts are honestly fine, but I just don't feel like I can have a church member just making whatever they want ESPECIALLY when we've done a church-wide shirt order recently that allowed everyone to have something similar and have a sense of unity. Question #4 (29:09): What are your top 5 favorite sports moments?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:06): Any tips on dealing with insecurity as a leader? Question #2 (18:04): What do you do when you feel one of your church's paid staff isn't pulling his weight? Question #3 (31:11): If you could pick one social stigma The Church could magically get past - what would it be? Question #4 (41:23): Any way that Alex recommends to make a latte without any fancy equipment at home? We’re curious if the Chaplain of Caffeine had any tips?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:28): I hear you talk frequently about bridge events. We are struggling to get buy-in with our church leadership because, in years past, we had many such events and, while they were well attended, there was rarely ever a person who actually become a regular attendee through such an event. What are your tips for leading our congregation to intentionally see these events as a form of outreach? Question #2 (17:01): Should churches bother with Twitter anymore? Are there any use cases that Twitter would be good for? Question #3 (24:19): We are looking to set up a podcast/video studio, can you share how you would set it up? What’s needed and is there a way to make it portable? We don’t have dedicated studio space. Thank you! Question #4 (31:47):  What is your all-time favorite worship song?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:03): I just took the leap from a large student ministry to a small older congregation as a lead pastor. Our church is older, not tech savvy, but is looking to grow. I am 32, pretty tech savvy, and ready to reach our community. What would be your advice on updating our methods of ministry? Question #2 (12:43): How do I increase our reach on TikTok? My Pastor's reels regularly get 10-20k views on Facebook but the same video on TikTok gets around 250. Question #3 (25:53): So I posted on my Instagram Stories - "Collecting church comms nightmare stories. Please share." And it quickly turned into all the times churches have messed up their print materials. Just wanted to share a few. Question #4 (30:11): Time for a new series we're starting today called - "What's Wrong Lately." I'll go first.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:08): How do you bridge the age gap? Our church has a lot older people but they also want to bring in younger people. Unfortunately when they come, they don’t feel comfortable or connected. Question #2 (16:24): How would you go about addressing the social media presence of a church with multiple campuses? For example, we have a church with a “primary” campus and then we have two satellite campuses that currently meet in local schools with the goal of having permanent buildings. Question #3 (18:32): How important do you think it is to have an aesthetically pleasing church Instagram feed? I feel like ours isn’t as uniform as others, but I also think same colors, fonts and presets all the time is boring. Question #4 (23:11): What is your most memorable concert?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:30): What is your best tip for churches to encourage people to attend an earlier service? We are experiencing rapid growth and need to make room at our popular second service. Question #2 (06:13): Hey Brady, I work for the US Army where our church body is all transient (average two years on installation). I'm sure I'm not the only kind of church where most of the members don't stay very long. I'm wondering if any of your comms/social media advice would be adjusted for our type of audience where we are constantly seeking new members. Question #3 (13:53): We recently launched a sister campus that is completely unique in terms of events, but we are under the same umbrella of elders, beliefs, etc. What is your strategy for approaching a website that combines both? A main hub domain and links out to a separate domain for each campus? Question #4 (21:38): Hey Brady, it's a new season - what's in the fragrance rotation for Spring 2023?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:51): Can you look at the Instagram Reel that hit one million views and the other videos on our channel and see if there's anything we can be doing better? Also, I accredited you to all the staff for that video that hit one million. Ever since listening to your podcast our engagement has more than tripled!  Question #2 (17:37): Do you have any content on how we can encourage our congregations to actively share and like the church content? I’ll post something and get 2-10 likes and shares from the pastoral staff. But I know posts that have many likes and shares get seen way more often. Is this not a way to help share the gospel as it would be seen more? We're in a church of just under 400 people. Question #3 (24:01): What are thoughts on transformation church purchasing a media studio? How do you feel about churches creating their personal content at a mass scale? Should these profits go to unfortunate instead? Question #4 (39:10): Loved the favourite things about Canada you and Alex shared on the pod. I think it would be a fun follow up question to hear what you guys like about the US, from your travels there and interactions with so many Americans, and for Alex having family there.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:30): If you were starting over at a new church with little social media presence and an outdated website, what would be your approach/priorities. I think you message is resonating with many people today, but most of us are overwhelmed with where to invest first. Question #2 (12:25): Who or what accounts should our church IG accounts follow? Leadership team? Other churches? Church attendees? Not really sure what makes the most sense. Question #3 (18:06): You mentioned in an earlier podcast that a newsletter style weekly email wasn't a very effective form of church communication, and that it's giving the work to your congregation. Are there any cases in which E-News emails (weekly emails detailing a list of 4 to 5 upcoming events with links to register) are ever effective? Why or why not?  Question #4 (30:33): What are you favourite things about being Canadian?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:02):  What’re your thoughts on Meta’s new paid verification system? As an Aussie getting first access to it is tempting, but do you see it adding value to normal churches / individuals other than the cheap clout? Question #2 (17:36):  We're really battling with getting new volunteers for our Digital Campus and have tried personal asks, asking live during the hosting, social media posts. Any helpful tips or advice?  Question #3A (26:08): We're currently building a second studio and also adding a larger coffee area for our team of 5-10 coffee drinkers in our team each Sunday. I personally have experience with Breville espresso machines, pour over, and Aeropress (and spending a long time to make one single great cup or coffee) but thinking of something maybe easier that still gives us a great coffee experience (Chemex probably?) Would love to know what Alex's thoughts are on this. Question #3B (31:17): Money is tight right now. What is your recommended low-cost whole bean coffee for French press/pour over? Costcos Colombian Supreme? Walmart? Trader Joe's? Question #4 (38:44):  What has helped you be as confident as you are with your big, and successful, decisions?! Like: starting Pro Church Tools, creating a work culture that seems beyond healthy and incredible, launch a website builder, social media analysis, etc. How did you know those things would work out for you and how have you stayed focused and motivated to build all that you have?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Got a question from a listener asking us to comment on Doug Smith - author and software engineer - on the podcast “Theology in the Raw” with Preston Sprinkle. The listener goes on to say "I’d love to hear your considered response in light of Smith's argument that many of the emerging digital platforms are designed to be addictive and hamper discipleship and our mission rather than further it in healthy ways."

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Got a question from a listener asking us to comment on Louie Giglios comments from Passion Conference 2023 in his message titled "Yes, Lord" in which he takes aim at social media. Particularly, discovery algorithms on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Shorts.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:46): Instagram Notes: Genius? Stupid? And how do we use it for church? Hot takes most welcome. Question #2 (09:10): What are your thoughts on polls/surveys sent to the church family in order to make decisions? For instance, say an eldership is divided about whether to have one worship gathering or two, and want to send out a poll out to the congregation to gather data. Is there a way to keep the poll unbiased? Question #3 (17:33): What are your thoughts on churches monetizing videos? I don’t think I’ve heard you mention that much and haven’t heard it as a listed benefit to the social sermon videos. I made almost $2000 from one of our videos that went semi-viral (350k views) on YouTube and with monetization of YouTube shorts being a thing now, there could be some money made too, yes? Question #4 (22:18): Suggestions for deconstructing church leadership? Former pastor here.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:55): I just had an engagement post asking "What was the name of the first church you ever attended?" that probably did better than any engagement post to date. When is it okay to reuse an engagement post? I'm sure it can vary! Question #2 (10:32): Do you feel the 3-phase social media flywheel (engagement, spiritual practices, your story) is still the best model or would you tweak it to keep current with current social trends?  Question #3 (16:13): Is there a way for text to give to work with Nucleus Giving? Our church seems to use that the most. Question #4 (32:22): Besides the treatment you've been doing, any other face products you recommend?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:31): What is the value of having a dedicated app for your church as opposed to just relying on your existing website? Question #2 (24:40): With the  discovery algorithms taking over, does it still matter what time I post each day? Since the focus isn't getting our followers to see our stuff, seems it wouldn't matter as much what time we post. It all goes into a giant pile and whatever resonates with the folks is what gets 'pushed' to the front of the line. Am I wrong? Question #3 (27:34): Wondering if you could tackle this for the podcast - why do many influential, young pastors preach with a hand held mic rather than an over the ear headset/lapel? Question #4 (36:04): Brady and Alex, what are your pet peeves?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:40): Hey Brady, how do you recommend responding to antagonistic or outright trolling in comments? Especially with the video reply option in TikTok and the increasing desire for authentic content - when do we engage versus ignore? Question #2 (07:38): I tried your trick of 3-10 minute sermon clips, but they only get 25% or so of the views the actual sermons get on YouTube. I've been doing this for over a year every week on the same channel as our sermons. Question #3 (17:17): How can we cleanup our church's website? It looks so cluttered to me and I've tried a few things, but I don't know what other options I have at this point? Question #4 (26:40): Brady and Alex, what are your goals for 2023?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:54): Our church records our services in landscape format - any recommendations for software to clip/crop and make our videos vertical for social? Question #2 (06:40): Do you recommend directing people to your YouTube channel at the end of a SocialSermons or just share it as a bite? Question #3 (22:58): How many SocialSermons should I post per week?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:26): We've posted sermon clips before on Instagram Reels. They haven't gained a ton of traction. What are we doing wrong? Question #2 (07:13): Your sermon clip system for social media is just using business tactics that don't belong in church. Pathetic. Question #3 (13:05): One concern I have about posting our sermons on social is that they may be too insider-focused. What should I post for people we're trying to reach if I'm already posting sermons? Question #4 (20:16): Brady, I've had enough of your rambling - just give us the flipping formula - Alexander Mills So like I promised, you can download this entire formula in template form. The template is called The 1-Page Church Social Media Plan and you can download that at churchsocialmediaplan.com. In next week's episode, the final in our trio of three dedicated to social media in 2023, we're going to cover the second part of our SocialSermon Formula which is the edit. And as you might have guessed, that's dedicated to the actual video editing side of preparing your SocialSermons. We'll be talking about the three sections of your video edit, some key tools and plugins you'll wanna consider using, the finishing touches you'll want to apply on every SocialSermon, and more. That's all in next week's show. Talk to you then.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:36): What social media trends are you seeing for 2023? Question #2 (07:39): I've seen you talk about 'discovery' algorithms? What's the difference between that and a typical algorithm on social media? Question #3 (16:14): Is vertical video a trend my church needs to jump on or is it like a most things on social that will be replaced by something else in a few months? Question #4 (22:28): Isn’t cross-posting the same content to multiple platforms meant to be avoided? Question #5 (26:32): My pastor doesn’t really have time to help with social media. How should I get them involved? In the next podcast we're going to be talking about the nitty gritty of taking your recorded sermons and turning them into viable social media content. Because you can't just grab random sixty second clips and hit publish. There's an entire formula that I will be sharing in detail next week. So talk to you then...

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:38): Tips for starting a volunteer social media team at a church? I am the only staff for digital communications at our church of 900 and I can’t make any more progress by myself, but we are not in a position to hire more staff. Question #2 (10:58): Hello there, I work for a smaller church of about 120 people. I was hired for social media/marketing work back in June, and I've been able to establish a better presence online by utilizing our sermons on Instagram, YouTube shorts etc. We've seen slow, steady progress but are beginning to wonder what the next step would be? How do we get these new coming followers and subscribers engaged/what type of different content do we need to make to do this? Question #3 (22:27): Hey Brady! My question is what apps do you recommend for creating content for social media? I’m particularly thinking about apps that let you edit Reels/Tiktoks/Shorts and maybe apps where you can create backgrounds/frames for those vids? Question #4 (26:03): What are your top 5 podcasts?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:48): Thoughts on the viral success of ChatGPT? Question #2 (16:10): Is it possible to post too much on socials? My pastor has asked me to post three times a day on his social pages. I post a Reel six times a week Monday through Saturday morning, and then he wants additional content at noon and in the evening. I simply can't keep up with this much content production. Question #3 (22:40): Is it worth it to make 'posts' on YouTube? Question #4 (28:11): Winter is coming. How do you pass time when snowed in?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:07): Here are my 2 questions: 1. I still love my church and the people I work with, and I am compelled to obey my leadership even when I don't agree with them. But how can I get over my frustration and keep moving forward? 2. How can I make engaging reels (that the algorithm will actually promote) without using Instagram audio? Question #2 (16:40): How many sermon videos a week would be good to post on YouTube shorts or Instagram Reels? Should we make a difference between Reels and Shorts? Question #3 (25:38): A couple months ago, I implemented the Nucleus Prayer Hub on our church’s website. We put it into our video announcements for 3 weeks in a row to try an encourage people to sign up. We are a church of about 125 and It’s now been a month since those announcements, and only 7 people have signed up (2 of which signed up to submit requests, and 2 are admins). Is there a better way I could promote this or encourage people to sign up? Question #4 (34:28): What are some holiday traditions you two are looking forward to in the coming month? 

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:45): What’s your take on uploading video podcasts to YouTube? Worth the hassle? Question #2 (12:57): Do you & your church treat Insta & FB differently? Those are the 2 social platforms we use & I've always found FB to be really awkward (maybe it's the Millennial in me) so I naturally gravitate back to Insta because it feels like you can create more 'fun' content. Question #3 (21:46): Bingeing your YT channel and there are recurring themes I'm seeing. Our church live streams services, has an app, and uses a giving service that participates in rev share. With all this firmly established, how do we change to the model you recommend? What should we change first? How important is it to even change the way we're doing things in the first place? Question #4 (35:10): It sounds like you interact with churches all across North America pretty regularly. What excites you about the future of the Church beyond communications and social?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (03:23): What’s the best way to have kids and adults speak up more in testimony videos when doing baptisms or stories? Would this require more vocal coaching to the person who’s story we're filming or creating a more comfortable environment where they aren’t feeling so bashful?  Question #2 (18:50): Email signatures: how do you think about these for churches? There are a lot of options from simple plain text to more elaborate ones. What would you recommend a church do and why? Question #3 (23:55): I think you've mentioned that you use Notion. Is that something that just you, Brady, uses, or does the whole company use it? How do you use it? Question #4 (37:50): What would you tell your younger self in the areas of entrepreneurship and friendships?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:14): Recently our church's FB page was put into "FACEBOOK jail" based on content from a recent sermon. Is this something that we should be concerned about or take it as an object lesson on the "suppression of truth"? Question #2 (19:01): I just received an email about YouTube changing their username/url look up to something call Handles. What is this? And how can I prepare my church to stay ahead of the game on this?  Question #3 (24:43): Just got this email from Planning Center Giving and would love to hear your thoughts. PC uses Stripe as their processer and Stripe has a new bank verification service that apparently costs more. Stripe has "retired" the old system.  For churches this means ACH transfers now cost $.30 instead of $.25.  One, I'm curious if this is affecting nucleus giving?  Two, does this feel like a money grab by Stripe or necessary increase in a world of inflation? Question #4 (29:42): Brady, if I someone were to ask me what your taste in music was I might explain by saying "I could see him staying up for the new Swift album release". No hate on Taylor Swift or Swifties. I just slept well that night. As I imagine Alex did. So you and Alex agreeing on a band meant I had to listen. Also, I listen to podcasts at the gym between 9:30pm and 11pm PST. So when I think about texting you, I never do because it feels rude to text someone at 1-2am. So I usually resolve to texting you in the morning and then I forget. I'm realizing today that's dumb because there's no way you would have it set up to be awoken by this text line. 

Question #1 (01:18): Can you break down the perfect YouTube video receipe with us?  Question #2 (04:17): Can you tell us what you've learned about the hook, those first 30-60 seconds? Question #3 (10:24): How can we bring this video recipe into the church world? Can we take portions of the message or the entire message and record a 2 minute intro (the hook) & 2 minute outro (pushing towards a new video) or is it not even worth it at that point?  Question #4 (17:21): How do you see YouTube contending with the changes we're seeing across the social landscape? Are there any vulnerabilites and is it going to be enough just introducing YouTube Shorts?  Connect with Sean Cannell: Youtube Instagram Twitter

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:57): What are your thoughts on the best camera for churches? Question #2 (19:20): What are your best tips for a new visitor follow-up sequence? Question #3 (31:44): How should we promote the connect card in our church each week? Question #4 (42:09): What's your favorite kitchen or cooking gadget?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:40): How do you see Shorts fitting into the future of YouTube? How do you see vertical video fitting with YouTube’s future? Question #2 (13:30): My church currently has two services with an average attendance in each of about 450. We are going to end up going to a combined service style in the upcoming months, which will lead into a massive renovation (an expanded sanctuary, heightened choir loft, balcony seating, two new life group wings, etc.)  How can we properly and effectively communicate and execute this plan with as little misunderstanding as possible? The older generation is not as understanding to change, so how can we aid to their likings as well? Question #3 (29:14): Have you ever put together a social media plan for a church camp?  Where would you begin if you were in my shoes? Question #4 (35:19): What is your brushing and flossing regimen?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (03:22): My church recently had to make a statement on a theological topic that's fairly gray. However, as with many things in ministry, there is always a wide spectrum of response...especially since our church family is extremely diverse. There was a much bigger fallout than what we expected, partially due to incorrect rumors, and it's been a hard season of fracture. Any thoughts on the best way to handle the public face of the church when things are rocky? Question #2 (12:27): A lot of church tech/communications folks are individuals working by themselves and wearing many hats. How do we handle burnout and exhaustion during busier seasons with lots more going on in church (and life) than normal? Question #3 (23:38): What are your favorite fonts to use in design? Question #4 (28:19): What's your worst characteristic?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:55): We have a rare opportunity from a local FOX station for a free 15-second ad that they will produce. What in the world do we say for that 15 seconds? Question #2 (10:50): So as the lead Pastor I’m in front a lot and do some video work. I also have some skin conditions that make my face break out and turn red. I do my own lighting and such but do I attempt to make it brighter or blue like?  Question #3 (21:04): We have gained roughtly 15,000 followers this year on Instagram and increasingly have 1st time guests show up from discovering us through IG reels! However, it feels like the type of preaching / singing reels we post (captured from our services) aren't getting the engagement they were a few months back. Any advice on where things might be going next or how to mix up our current content recipe to get an edge? Question #4 (32:55): Fav movie, book, and album of the last five years?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:22): What are the ten questions you need to answer about an event as you prepare to communicate it? Question #2 (10:19): Why are you title-ing your videos almost like a sentence? I've noticed a few others doing it on YouTube as well. Question #3 (24:18): What are your thoughts on stream-sharing software? Where people opt in to share a live stream from the weekend service on their own social media, as if they were the ones live? So, different than just sharing the service, in that it indicates they are live themselves. Question #4 (29:09): What's your workflow/workday look like?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:21): Where are we supposed to post content to be seen by our own church people if EVERY platform is so focused on showing content from people you don’t follow?! I feel like it makes no sense to post church specific content anymore. If it’s not relatable to the masses, it gets buried. Question #2 (12:32): Hey, I saw Subsplash promote their new giving model. Thoughts on it? Question #3 (18:42): What's the best CTA (call-to-action) for sermon Reels and TikToks? Or should they be self-contained snippets? Question #4 (28:41): What is the strangest food you've eaten while travelling?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:36): Do you have any thoughts on TikTok introducing the "Now" feature? Is that a signal of them trying to capitalize on the growing attention of Be Real, similar to FB/IG? Question #2 (14:20): I'm thinking of starting a "midweek question" thing to post on stories every Wednesday as a way to hopefully have more engagement from followers on social media. Is this a good idea? If so, should I come up with a catchy name to make it more interesting? Question #3 (20:11): Trying to figure out how to create a text hotline for my student ministry. Do you know of any resources? Question #4 (28:59): Any tips for involving friends or family in your church or business?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:13): Thoughts on how to best use BeReal for ministry? Question #2 (16:16): I want to start a YouTube show where my pastor reacts to hot button cultural issues and current events that people are naturally searching for. Do we just create a playlist/show on our church YouTube channel so that we do not have to start from scratch or should this weekly show get its own YouTube channel?  We would have to start from scratch but non-believers and people around the nation might be more willing to click a video thats not from a church?  Question #3 (30:52): My church is going to be changing our service times soon which means there will be quite a few updates as far as signage - both physical and digital. How would you go about announcing/promoting this over the next few weeks? Is there anything we can do to better prepare our congregation for this huge change? Question #4 (35:10): What's next for you after building Nucleus?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (07:18): Given the way church tends to be slow to change and often operates ineffectively in the west, do you think "church" is still a meaningful expression of the gospel or is there a more effective expression Christians should be doing? What gives you hope/keeps you rooting for the church? Question #2 (21:32): When starting a production/media team, what is your main focus? Developing talent or full proof systems? Question #3 (25:15): I’m part of a charismatic church, what’s the best way to handle prayer for the online part of the Sunday gathering? Question #4 (40:52): You are clearly an avid sports fan. What moment solidified your fandom and what was your favorite game of any sport?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:44): People within The Church use social media, the internet, and email outside of the church. But The Church in general is still 10 years behind on the communication front. Why is The Church behind? Question #2 (10:54): Should you personally thank large ticket donors? My leadership feels that is wrong, as giving is between them and God and personal thanks in this way shows favoritism and meddling in their giving. Question #3 (21:57): Should you just post all your videos on all the platforms even if some don't do well, because they might at some point? Question #4 (30:09): Most embarrassing high school moment?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (03:00): In your opinion, what is the best way to be in communication with your church? Text, social media, emails, apps, your own website. etc.? Is there any way to simplify communication? Question #2 (14:33): Our church has a main Facebook page, but we are multi-site and so we also have a Facebook group for each campus. I've not heard any conversations on if you would differentiate the communication coming out in the different groups or if you would make them similar.  Thoughts? Question #3 (19:48): Any thoughts on items to hand out at a town fair type of event? Something that people will not be quick to throw away and even fun for kids? Question #4 (25:38): What is the best hot dog?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:49): I'd love to know if you have any tips for how to address a pastor leaving on your church website and throughout your social media content.  Question #2 (16:42): I am a volunteer photographer at my church and I don't feel like I'm being engaged creatively. How do I communicate that I don't like how I'm being used without seeming rude or ungrateful for the opportunity to serve a church I otherwise love? Question #3 (23:25): If a church has 10K members how many social media team should there be? Question #4 (26:27): How much does criticism sting you?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:13): Do you plan to talk about the upcoming changes with Facebook? Will the intention to show us more viral/ad content and less from friends and people we follow severely restrict Facebook’s usefulness as a platform for engagement? Should we look for alternatives? Question #2 (17:48): Wanted to get your opinion on a possible engagement post for our church’s FB. The question is, "if you could solve one of the world's problems, what would it be?" Should churches shy away from questions like these online and leave them for a more intimate small group setting? Question #3 (26:01): How important do you feel an intro video before services is? When I say intro video in our context, I mean a 60 second video played every week before each service, showing different ministries, people, etc., from our church. Question #4 (29:14): What are your favourite sneakers under $100 - not Air Force 1s?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:51): Any advice for a new church plant? Question #2 (20:21): What would be your greatest advice for someone starting freelance church media work? Question #3 (24:37): Do you ever think you're wrong about church practices or trends that you teach us? Question #4 (26:48): Do you feel old yet around teenagers?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:46): What worries you most about the future of the church? Question #2 (21:26): Is an automated follow up text from the pastor an appropriate way to stay in contact with new visitors? Question #3 (25:57): What's the WHY behind what you do? And why do you think it's important for most people to know their WHY? Question #4 (37:08): What's a secret you kept from your parents?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:52): If you were going to CHOOSE a name for a church - what options might you consider? Question #2 (14:31): I’m a first time communications director! There’s so much advice for what to do in communications but I really just need advice on what I should focus on for the first 6 months. Question #3 (20:46): Should churches be setting up giving options for Crypto/bitcoin?  If so, what do you recommend? Question #4 (26:40): Brady, how's your wife's pregnancy going? Any update?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:06): Why do some church giving providers charge zero dollars per month? What's that about? Question #2 (10:44): Brady, can't companies just charge what they want? Question #3 (12:45): Brady, aren't you just talking about this because your company stands to make money? Question #4 (33:25): Brady, this isn't a good look. Why attack a company like this in public? The Church needs to unite as one, not divide itself.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:20): How do we use pictures appropriately and deal with privacy issues?  Question #2 (10:53): Do you know of any good best practices for engaging older, not really technically inclined?  Question #3 (24:17): If a church wants to set a coffee station/connection area in the lobby, but you don't want to serve Folgers; what's the best all around blend that everyone will enjoy? Question #4 (31:48): Do you keep track of the other companies that do similar work that your company does? How do you actively compete with a flooded market?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:49): For a church of about 60, what do you recommend you focus on with social media when trying to grow your church? Question #2 (13:36): As the staff leader of the production team at my church, how do I balance the growth of volunteer leaders with over asking them?  Question #3 (18:13): Last year we launched a TikTok account as a way to connect with our community. However, we have seem to hit a wall when it comes to the views we are getting on our videos, usually around 300, and adding new subscribers. Any advice you might have to help us push through this wall? Question #4 (25:45): How many times weekly should a medium-sized church send promotional text messages?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:25): I am a church planter and we've been meeting with our launch team for over three months. What kind of social posts should we be doing? I really want the social media launch to be intentional. Question #2 (09:48): When reviewing your advice on Facebook ads, the tendency was towards still images advertising for bridge events. How would you use a series of interviews with church attendees to advertise most effectively on social? Question #3 (20:55): How often should a church be posting on social media? Question #4 (21:28): What is your opinion on outsourcing creative tasks to an outside agent or using something like Fiverr? 

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:21): Our new guest follow-up system is working. But how do we now transition people from returning guests to integrated members? Question #2 (13:20): Ways for churches to build online through video without having one person become "the face"? Question #3 (21:26): Any recommendations, advice, best practices for  internal communications (e.g. between core staff / key volunteers)? Question #4 (26:36): I started a midweek podcast for my church. We have been calling it a midweek podcast but I would like to give it a name. Would love some ideas or maybe a process you have done to get a name for something like this.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:00): Do you post for the congregation you have or for the congregation you want? Question #2 (09:38): Do you think it’s a good move for a church’s IG to follow back everyone who follows you? Question #3 (13:26): What would you say is the best way to institute change in people's perceptions of social media? Question #4 (23:32): Brady, as you get ready to have your second child, what's one piece of parenting advice you'd pass on?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:50): What are good ways to get feedback and a pulse on your community? Do you use surveys (and if so, what should they include?), focus groups, something else? How do you invite community feedback? Question #2 (08:00): I’m putting together a presentation to advocate for more hours in my role at my church citing that social media needs more of my time and more resources as we need to be more intentional with making it great. What are some key points I need to hit?  Question #3 (15:07): What's the best time for posting to Instagram Reels? Question #4 (16:38): Is it worth the time to add captions to videos (actually burned into the video). Premiere pro can do automatic captioning, is it actually beneficial for videos? Does it differ for YT, FB, IG, TT, etc?  

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:45): Our average attendance is around 60 people. Over half of those are students ages 16 to 22. The students run sound, do set up tear down, and do the all the food and drinks for fellowship. Most of our adults are every other week maybe in attendance. I so badly wish I had a fresh set of eyes to see what I could do to keep our adults engaged. We are a student led church. Question #2 (09:41): What are your thoughts on which tithing options to offer? How many are too many? Is it seen outdated to pass a physical plate? Question #3 (19:36): How do you feel about "Text CONNECT to 00000" as a CTA versus go to "graceky.org"? Is it better to just stick with the website url? Question #4 (22:48): Any advice for my first time managing interns?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:44): Is the perfect URL as important as it used to be? Are we past the days of needing the perfect URL or is it still just as important as always? Question #2 (09:29): Would you suggest to move to *just* Reels on Instagram? What pointers if any could you pass along? Question #3 (15:33): Do you struggle with keeping strategies away from manipulation? Question #4 (25:35): If you didn't start Pro Church Tools (Brady) or work as a pastor or at Pro Church Tools (Alex) what would you be doing instead?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (06:57): How can we use Facebook Ads as the new IG/FB rules do not allow interests related to religion anymore? Question #2 (13:52): What are some of the "easy to miss" elements of an effective and successful online ministry? Question #3 (23:47): What do you think about different ministries having social media pages? Question #4 (25:37): What do you do to relax? Are you a golfer like most ministers? 

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:07): How do I encourage growth and evolution in the way we use social media in a church that likes to stay with tradition?  Question #2 (10:21): Do you think a church can post too many clips from a sermon per week? Is there a point where you push out too much content? Question #3 (17:30): Anyone have any thoughts on the "ideal" number of next steps in the Launcher? Any thoughts on a max number? I have been wondering if the Launcher can have too many and get cluttered. Question #4 (28:11): I am trying to create a cohesive feed for all of our church's social media. However, the lighting varies greatly depending on where the photo was taken. Do you have any Lightroom presets you recommend? 

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:54): When posting about church events or announcements on social, how does one communicate information about the event, while keeping the graphics interesting each time, and without turning every announcement post into something promotional? Question #2 (11:23): Suggestions on how to handle a senior pastor creating/posting his own rogue branding/marketing/reels to his own FB/IG? Question #3 (16:05): How do you think churches should respond to negative comments on social media?  Question #4 (28:00): What camera/lens/mic combination are you using for your TikToks and Reels?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:20): How do I get a job in church when I'm first starting out? Question #2 (16:41): If a church has no tech or media presence at all...what should be their first step? Question #3 (26:15): What keeps you invested in the North American church model?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:25): How do I improve my website SEO? Question #2 (11:38): Any advice for putting together sermon bumper videos? Question #3 (19:49): It seems like churches are either able to serve young adults, or every other age demographic, but not both. Are there any churches that are truly intergenerational anymore? Is this a realistic goal? Question #4 (29:12): What's something you worried about entering your 30s that ended up not being a big deal?  

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (03:38): What is a good open rate for my church's email newsletters? Question #2 (18:18): What are some best practices for church newsletter email subject lines? Question #3 (23:05): In last week's podcast you mentioned cleaning your email list.  How would you recommend churches do this?  Question #4 (27:15): How is it actually like living in Niagara? It feels real far from Toronto.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:58): What are your thoughts on the relevancy of email newsletters? Question #2 (15:58): What's the #1 thing for an overwhelmed comms/media person to focus on this year? Question #3 (20:55): What's a social media prediction that turned out differently than you expected in the past few years? Question #4 (27:04): When you were just starting with PCT, what do you wish you did earlier/different?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (03:03): How do you move people from being consumers of content to communicating with you to being contributors?  Question #2 (15:34): Best tips for worship leader song transitions? Question #3 (19:44): Tips for using social for outreach to people in the city? Question #4 (25:32): What's a gap in knowledge you have? Meaning, something everyone else knows, but you don't?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:45): What level of engagement is realistic for a “text your question” or “text a prayer” next step? How long should we try it or other strategies? What is a realistic level of engagement? Question #2 (12:51): Have you ever felt so burnt out that you want to quit? If so, what did you do? If not, any advice? Question #3 (27:30): What's your take on QR codes, their effectiveness, and whether or not they should be on graphics? Question #4 (35:48): When you’re feeling bougie, what is your number one splurge purchase?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:27): What is the strategy to communicate a lot of things that are happening? And then follow-up question, how many times can/should you repeat an announcement leading up to an event? Is there an effective window of time? Question #2 (25:08): How do you recommend dealing with haters online? Question #3 (35:27): If you could only choose one camera and lens combo right now - what would it be? Question #4 (39:32): As an ultra-productive, what's your sleep schedule/strategy?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (03:33): What's your best advice for a young person in ministry?  Question #2 (16:36): Do you see value in the usage of YouTube shorts? How would you advise a church using that feature? Question #3 (22:05): What’s the best way to stay on top of a schedule for creating content? Question #4 (25:45): What are your favorite TV shows?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (00:42): Do you batch film? If so, what does that content schedule look like?  Question #2 (10:09): Recommendations for handling storage.  Question #3 (17:01): What are some best practices for using outdoor digital signage? Question #4 (23:58): Did you enjoy Bible College?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:24): Assuming you're a full time pastor whose primary role is not digital/online/social and you only have 5-10 hours per week to devote to updating website, sending emails and creating/posting content, where do you believe that time would best be spent? Question #2 (18:02): How can I as a volunteer leader step up in the way I invest in my team? Question #3 (25:10): What is your posture on posting on a church social account about tragedies or big news events. Would you recommend a policy? If so, what would that look like? Question #4 (33:45): What are your cringiest youth group moments?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (1:28): Did you see the article about prayer apps selling data? Question #2 (27:18): You talk a lot about how you build Nucleus without investors. Would you ever consider selling Nucleus?  

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (01:45): How did we get here? Question #2 (06:55): Why did we decide to include two free products in Nucleus 2? Question #3 (09:20): What is Slideshow Syndrome? Question #4 (15:28): What action should be prioritized in The Next Steps Launcher? Question #5 (22:37): What else is coming in Nucleus 2? Question #6 (31:12): Are we doing charter membership for Nucleus 2? Question #7 (37:10): How do they become a part of it?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (1:52): What are your top tips for leading a creative/communications team? Question #2 (13:02): What is a good schedule for posting on social media? Question #3 (17:34): What are your systems for researching and posting content? Question #4 (24:13): What is the most basic thing about you?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (2:57): What are people really looking for in a church right now? Question #2 (13:12): How do you overcome social fatigue even though you know you need to stay engaged? Question #3 (20:34): Can you talk about title and thumbnail optimization for YouTube? Question #4 (31:41): What's the most basic thing about you?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (3:52): What is one thing a smaller church can do to increase its digital ministry effectiveness? Question #2 (13:26): What would you say is the biggest no-no in the church social media world? Question #3 (23:17): I watched your workshop on short-form video and finally convinced myself to get on TikTok - but there is so much junk on it. How am I supposed to find the good stuff, let alone convince my pastor to start posting on it? Question #4 (32:16): What is your favorite Christian band from the 2000s?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (5:44): Where do you see digital church being in terms of its development 12 months from now? Question #2 (20:56): How much time and creative energy should be spent trying new things vs. keeping up with current trends? Question #3 (21:51): How do you pick a theme or aesthetic for your church’s social media? Should everything match across the board? Question #4 (34:08): If you could get rid of one bad habit in all churches...what would it be?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (4:47): How much should I expect to pay if we want to hire someone full-time at the church to help with online content? What kind of questions should I ask to make sure I’m hiring the right person? Question #2 (16:37): Do you have any suggestions for social media content specific to house churches? Question #3 (21:51): How can churches continue to shift from being reactionary in our online approach to being visionary? Question #4 (28:45): What are your guys' thoughts on YouTube removing dislike counts?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (2:57): Now that churches are opening back up, what does the future of live streaming look like?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (2:23): Can you share fresh ideas for Instagram Reels and TikTok? Question #2 (16:57): What’s your hot take on a digital pastor not having a personal social media presence? Question #3 (25:57): Should we be concerned about social media censorship or ethical issues with platforms like Facebook? Question #4 (34:14): What Pro Church Tools podcasts or videos are you most proud of?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (2:00): How do you prevent burnout? Question #2 (17:42): How do you encourage a pastor that isn't naturally eager to post on social media and engage more proactively with the online community? Question #3 (27:24): Should a multi-site church have one account per social channel or should each campus have its own account? Question #4 (30:23): How arduous was the experience of being the founder and CEO of Nucleus when it was first starting?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (1:23): What's the best approach for training volunteers on media? Question #2 (13:22): What's the best way to grow our YouTube platform? Question #3 (27:57): How do we engage with our congregation that ignores the typical "engagement" style social posts? Question #4 (36:16): How should our church talk about general fund giving on social media?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (3:12): What's the most important thing to be doing online for a small town church? Question #2 (14:26): What are the best ways to keep track of attendance from those who watch/stream online? Question #3 (25:32): Do you have any tips or ideas for engaging people online during a live service? Question #4 (32:01): How did you go about hiring your friends?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (2:38): What are your best tips for leveraging social to reach middle and high school students? Question #2 (20:16): How can a church drive more content through their pastor on social, but also be cautious of ego, falls, and all that negative stuff? Question #3 (26:26): Coming from a larger church to a congregation of 60...how do I introduce new technologies/ideas? Question #4 (35:56): What is the ideal number of slides in a day of Instagram Stories?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (4:18): What are the first 5 steps you'd take if you were taking over a ministry? Question #2 (21:13): How do you deal with generational differences and tech in church? Question #3 (28:36): Are video announcements still a thing? If so, how can they be done well? Question #4 (32:50): What is the biggest lesson you've learned from a mistake?

Brady and Alex are back! Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (0:42): What happened to your co-host? Question #2 (13:48): Should our church monetize our YouTube channel? Question #3 (19:23): Thoughts on an "engagement ministry" at our church? Question #4 (27:30): What do you think about "clickbait" type posts to garner engagement?

Today - in just ninety seconds - I want to share with you a new style of church connect card. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/3bakpeE   Traditional Connect Card Template: https://prochur.ch/2ITmwYn      

Today, we're gonna look at a number of successful Facebook Ads campaigns from real churches and dive into what made these ads successful and the challenges these churches needed to overcome to make it all happen. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/2XDaSYl

In this video, I'll be sharing with you my favorite color schemes for church websites. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/3dFKN1l 

Today - in this podcast - you'll learn how to reliably and accurately track attendance and engagement for online church. Plus, I've put together a downloadable spreadsheet template for you to make it easy and straightforward. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/2KsSwDu 

Today's podcast is dedicated to worship ministry and worshipping God through music. Of course, music is a staple of virtually any in-person worship service - but it's not as easy to translate to an online venue as preaching is. So to help with that, I wanted to break down three different worship setups that my church, Central, has used in recent weeks. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/3czUJsF

You're at home. I'm at home. And our congregation's are at home - for an indefinite period of time. So in this video, we're going to construct, from the ground up, a meaningful and powerful online church service. We'll explore specific service elements, recording options, and special considerations to make church online the absolute best it can be. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/3bdwWyw

For most of us, online church is set to be the new normal for the foreseeable future. It's time to settle in. And it's also time for us to take a serious look at what we're producing right now for online church (especially if you're a smaller church) and ask - does it make sense to just reproduce what we would normally do for an in-person Sunday service and publish that online? Or could there be something more meaningful, effective, and affordable for this season? Because I'm leaning toward the latter. And that's what this video is for. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/3b7zJsV

Today, in this podcast, I want to talk to you about the 24mm f/14 probe lens from Laowa. It's a new piece of gear that we picked up this year and it's already become one of the coolest things that we own. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/2VbqtNQ  

Today, in less than four minutes, I want to share with you a trio of unusual social media posts for churches. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/2UNES3E  

In this video, I'm going to teach you a repeatable Instagram Stories strategy for your church that checks all the boxes of what good social media content should do. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/3bGaLAO  

Today... let's talk about criticism - and how to handle it. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/2WQtUMl  

In the inaugural episode of The Inbox, Brady and Alex sit down to answer four questions from the people of Pro Church Nation.

In this podcast, I'll outline for you a 7-day social media calendar for your church - specifically to be used during the COVID-19 pandemic while our church's in-person gatherings are suspended. This calendar is repeatable. So if you choose, you can use it as the framework for your social media content rhythms for the foreseeable future. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://prochur.ch/2Uz5GU8  

Our churches are facing an unprecedented situation - the distinct possibility that the biggest weekend of the year, Easter weekend, will not go as planned. In this podcast, I want to share with you three creative Easter solutions that your church can pursue even if you can't assemble in-person as a group like you normally would. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5XE5n1XbSU  

In this video, I'll share my recommendations for the first FOUR videos your church should consider publishing on TikTok. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KaUcZ_-Oc8

Today, Brady and Alex sit down for an emergency podcast to discuss COVID-19 and the challenges ahead for churches.

Today - in two minutes or less - I want to share with you an Instagram Stories technique that your church can start using right away. Find the full transcript, show notes, and video version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viS63JftkqY 

Today on The Pro Church Tools Show we’re going to break down nine different Instagram Stories strategies that your church can try this week.   Stories are unique because they expire after 24 hours and because they're meant to feel more personal than other types of social content.   So in this episode, we'll talk about the specifics - so let’s get started.   ***FIND THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/9-instagram-stories-strategies-for-churches-to-try-this-week/   SHOW NOTES:   Strategy #1: Prayer (03:45)   Strategy #2: Local Share (09:55   Strategy #3: Quiz (14:30)   Strategy #4: Poll Question with Follow-Up (23:00)   Strategy #5: Slider (29:10)   Strategy #6: What We’re Listening To (37:05)   Strategy #7: This Track (39:40)   Strategy #8: Freestyle Pen (42:45)   Strategy #9: Hidden Hashtag (47:05)   SUBSCRIBE to get more actionable strategies just like this one!   http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=prochurchtools   LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here:   http://prochurchpodcast.com     FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here:   https://www.nucleus.church/   https://prochurchtools.com/3-quick-easy-instagram-stories-strategies-for-churches/ [3 QUICK & EASY INSTAGRAM STORIES STRATEGIES FOR CHURCHES]   https://prochurchtools.com/the-1-instagram-stories-strategy-for-churches/ [THE #1 INSTAGRAM STORIES STRATEGY FOR CHURCHES]   https://prochurchtools.com/5-ways-to-use-the-new-instagram-stories-questions-sticker-ep-154/ [5 WAYS TO USE THE NEW INSTAGRAM STORIES QUESTIONS STICKER]   https://prochurchtools.com/the-instagram-slider-prayer-request-technique-ep-142/ [THE INSTAGRAM SLIDER PRAYER REQUEST TECHNIQUE]   FOLLOW me on Instagram!   https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

Today, I'm going to share with you my picks for the best budget cameras for churches in 2020.   Not too long ago, I released my list of best cameras for churches this year, but you and I both know that not every church can spend thousands of dollars on camera equipment.   So what are we to do?   Well, stick around and you'll learn about a number of highly capable camera configurations and setups that are listed at less than $500.   ***FIND THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/best-budget-camera-for-churches-in-2020-500-or-less/   SUBSCRIBE to get more actionable strategies just like this one!   http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=prochurchtool   LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version here:   http://prochurchpodcast.com   FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here:   https://www.nucleus.church/   - Canon M50 Refurbished:   https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/refurbished-eos-m50-ef-m-15-45mm-f-35-63-is-stm-lens-kit-black   - Selena Gomez B&W Music Video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlJDTxahav0   - Selena Gomez Color Music Video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u-_64S7plI   - Osmo Mobile:   https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1497925-REG/dji_cp_os_00000040_01_osmo_mobile_3_smartphone.html   - GorillaPod:   https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1321823-REG/joby_jb01491_griptight_one_gp_stand.html   - Fovitec Lighting Kit:   https://www.amazon.com/Fovitec-StudioPRO-Photography-Equivalent-Continuous/dp/B00V7V02YK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1522693882&sr=1-6&keywords=fovitec+studiopro&linkCode=sl1&tag=httpthinktv-20&linkId=64e2faf9fb091f7bdeb2c5bccadcf2d2   - Manfrotto Tripod:   https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1059028-REG/manfrotto_mkcompactacn_bk_compact_action_aluminum_tripod.html   - Manfrotto Adapter:   https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1276768-REG/manfrotto_mtwistgrip_twistgrip_tripod_adapter_clamp.html   - Rode smartLav+ Kit:   https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1382659-REG/zoom_h1n_digital_handy_recorder.html   - Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens:   https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1143786-REG/canon_0570c002_ef_50mm_f_1_8_stm.html   FOLLOW me on Instagram!   https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/  

Today, we’re going to break down the communication techniques of Andy Stanley.   Andy Stanley is the senior pastor of North Point Community Church in the Atlanta region and one of the most listened-to pastors in America.   So in this episode, we'll talk about the specifics - and break down the frameworks, devices, and constructs Stanley uses in his communication.   ***FIND THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/the-framework-of-an-andy-stanley-sermon-north-point-community-church/   SHOW NOTES:   Context (04:10)   Take Away #1 (10:35)   Take Away #2 (15:35)   Take Away #3 (24:45)   Take Away #4 (32:30)   Take Away #5 (41:30)     SUBSCRIBE to get more actionable strategies just like this one!   http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=prochurchtools   LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here:   http://prochurchpodcast.com     FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here:   https://www.nucleus.church/product/social   The Bible For Grown-Ups, Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRp2-AeYs9A&feature=youtu.be&t=238     FOLLOW me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

Today, I want to share with you my social media awards for churches in 2020. These are the pastors, ministries, and churches that I think are leading the way for rest of us on social. And this is a diverse list. You'll find bigger churches, smaller churches, churches with varying theological distinctives - and if you're looking for inspiration or fresh ideas - they most certainly are worth a follow. So let's dive in.   ***FIND THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/the-best-churches-to-follow-on-social-media-in-2020/       SUBSCRIBE to get more actionable strategies just like this one! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=prochurchtools   LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here: http://prochurchpodcast.com   FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS: Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.social Elevation Church: https://www.instagram.com/elevationchurch/ & https://www.facebook.com/elevationchurch.org/ Youth Alive Queensland: https://www.instagram.com/youthaliveqld/ & https://www.facebook.com/youthaliveqld/ Transformation Church: https://www.instagram.com/wearetransformation/ Mosaic Church: https://www.instagram.com/mosaic/ St. John Cantius Church: https://www.instagram.com/sjcantius/ & https://www.facebook.com/SJCantius/ Freedom Church: https://www.instagram.com/freedomchurch/ Life.Church: https://www.instagram.com/life.church/ (also TikTok) BLDG 28 Church: https://www.instagram.com/bldg_28_church/ & https://www.facebook.com/bldg28church Northwood Church: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreNorthwood/ Rich Wilkerson, Jr.: https://www.instagram.com/richwilkersonjr/ Mike Todd: https://www.instagram.com/iammiketodd/ Craig Groeschel: https://www.instagram.com/craiggroeschel/

  Today, we’ll be diving deep into a simple social media technique that has been doubling church’s engagement.   But we should warn you, while this technique has been working well for many churches, it also has some critics.   And so in this episode, we’ll dive into the objections we’re hearing and respond to them one by one.     ***FIND THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/this-one-technique-doubled-my-social-media-engagement/     SHOW NOTES:   The goal of social? (06:25)   Objection #1: “These types of posts just don’t work for our context” (10:20)   Objection #2: “Engagement for the sake of engagement” (16:35)   Objection #3: “It’s too generic” (30:35)   Objection #4: “We don’t view our feed as a conversational platform” (39:20)     FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here:   https://www.nucleus.church/   The Easiest Social Media Strategy For Churches Ever:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SDdspFvTa8   https://churchphotographers.com/   The "Irresistible Question" Social Media Formula [For Churches]:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muJ7e1WoBRY  

There's a church stage design trend that I've been seeing pop up more and more lately.   And this church stage design trend is different from virtually every other because it's focused more on setting the stage for preaching rather than music.   So stick around, and I'll share with you a number of examples of churches implementing this kind of setup - and you'll learn about the missional reasoning behind this type of configuration.   ***FIND THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE:   FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here:   https://www.nucleus.church/   - Rich Wilkerson Jr:   https://youtu.be/cSilebdE94U?t=344   - T.D. Jakes:   https://youtu.be/h2J7cqnvAOc?t=888  

Today you’ll be getting an inside look at what’s working for churches on social media right now.     These are the design trends, the post ideas, and the social strategies we’re seeing get the most traction online in this season.       And by the end of this episode you’ll have a myriad of different action steps you can start implementing - so let’s dive right in.         ***FIND THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/social-media-trends-for-churches-winter-2020-edition/   SHOW NOTES:   #1. True or False? (04:00)   #2. The Double Rectangle (07:45)   #3. Scripture List Posts (11:30)   #4. The Emphasis (16:50)   #5. Force A Second Look (22:00)   #6. Tweet Screenshots (24:55)   #7. Photo Swaps (30:00)   #8. Photo Responses (32:55)         SUBSCRIBE to get more actionable strategies just like this one!   http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=prochurchtools     LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here:   http://prochurchpodcast.com     FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here:   https://www.nucleus.church/  

Today, I want to share with you my picks for the best three video camera setups for churches in 2020. Each of these three kits will capture stunning video (and one can even shoot great photos as well) - but, no camera body is perfect. So stick around, and by the end, you'll know what makes each of these three cameras special, but I'll also explain their weaknesses as well.   ***FIND THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/the-best-church-video-camera-setups-for-2020/   FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   - rebelgive.com   - https://get.mintcro.com/ FOLLOW me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/    

Today we’ll be taking you behind the scenes on our most recent team building retreat.     We took the whole team to Phoenix, Arizona and spent a week together exploring and building stronger bonds with each other.     And so in this episode, you’ll get a ton of ideas for team building at your church. And we’ll share with you what went wrong on our trip as well.     ***FIND THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-plan-a-team-building-retreat-behind-the-scenes/       SUBSCRIBE to get more actionable strategies just like this one!   http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=prochurchtools     LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here:   http://prochurchpodcast.com     SHOW NOTES:   #1: Anonymous Google Form (06:35)   #2: Collaborative Playlist (13:55)   #3: Airbnb (19:40)   #4: Office Olympics, Top Golf, Food Tour, Shopping (22:35)   #5: Warm Fuzzies (35:00)   #6: Support Power Hour (41:25)   TOP 5 (43:55)   Q&A (1:06:55)     FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/     rebelgive.com   https://get.mintcro.com/       FOLLOW me on Instagram!   https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

Today we’ll be diving deep into one of our favorite new church websites. North Point Community Church in Atlanta recently launched their new website and we think it’s one of the best we’ve ever seen. And so in this episode, you’ll learn what we like about this site, how to apply it to your own context, and we’ll give you a behind the scenes look into what our friends at North Point put into this new platform   ***FIND THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-best-church-…community-church/   FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   - https://northpoint.org   - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01449290500330448 - https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223150   - https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/985692.985776   - https://ai.googleblog.com/2012/08/users-love-simple-and-familiar-designs.html   - https://woodstockcity.org/   - https://cxl.com/blog/first-impressions-matter-the-importance-of-great-visual-design/   - https://www.etsy.com/uk/seller-handbook/article/why-product-photography-is-important/147451496051   - https://www.igi-global.com/article/human-face-business/1918   - https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/642611.642634   - https://aisel.aisnet.org/sighci2006/6/   FOLLOW me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

Over the next few minutes, I want to pull back the curtain on the dirty little secret of church giving platforms. What I'm about to say is certainly going to upset some people...and to be honest, I have hesitated to publish this for that reason. But, as someone who works in this industry, what's clear to me is that the majority of churches don't understand what's actually happening - and so, my conviction is to explain that as best as I can. And then, it's up to you to do with that information what you wish.     FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS: - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   - PushPay 2020 Interim Report: https://irssl.q4europe.com/IR/Files/ClientAdmin/DownloadCenter/14502754/2019-11-05-20-18-52/Pushpay%202020%20Interim%20Results%20Presentation.pdf   - https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/pushpay#section-overview   - https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/tithe-ly#section-overview   - https://www.inc.com/dan-whateley/flocknote-texas-church-tech-2019-inc5000.html?icid=hmhero&fbclid=IwAR2P9GG6MLO9tn-cP9-31dVMGNLng714yEGDXCVlRqTFiZFPVM8HznZgwqg   - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ministry-brands-announces-investment-from-insight-venture-partners-and-launches-foundation-300353847.html

Today we’ll be talking about how to navigate politics as a Christian in 2020. And this is important because political dialogue is becoming increasingly toxic in our churches, families, and friendships. And by the end of this episode, you’ll have the tools needed to talk about politics in ways that are firm and fair.     ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-navigate-politics-as-a-christian-in-2020/     SUBSCRIBE to get more actionable strategies just like this one!   http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=prochurchtools     LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here:   http://prochurchpodcast.com     SHOW NOTES:   Rule #1 (07:15)   Rule #2 (12:05)   Rule #3 (20:05)   Rule #4 (33:20)   Rule #5 (40:55)   Rule #6 (47:40)   Dad Life (56:15)     FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here:   https://www.nucleus.church/   https://www.people-press.org/2019/10/23/national-politics-on-twitter-small-share-of-u-s-adults-produce-majority-of-tweets/   https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-deliberate-awfulness-of-social-media   https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/to-trumps-evangelicals-everyone-else-is-a-sinner/602569/   https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/us/hate-crimes-fbi-report.html   https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-deliberate-awfulness-of-social-media     FOLLOW me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/  

Today we’re going to break down the communication techniques of Bishop TD Jakes. TD Jakes is the founder of The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas. And the way he preaches has inspired countless other communicators. So in this episode, we'll talk about the specifics - and we’ll break down the frameworks, devices, and constructs Jakes uses in his communication.       ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/the-outline-of-a-bishop-td-jakes-sermon-the-potters-house-breakdown/     SHOW NOTES:   Bishop TD Jakes Bio (04:15)   #1: Affirmation (08:25)   #2: Participation (24:30)   #3: Celebration (34:05)   #4: Opening Framework (50:18)   #5: Symbols Over Stories (57:55)   #6: Lawyer Sidetrail (01:05:35)   #7: Text POV (01:08:30)   TOP 5 (01:16:40)       FEATURED RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL LINKS:   - Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here:   https://www.nucleus.church/   - I Didn’t Know I Was Me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2J7cqnvAOc - September 29th, 2019 - 1hr38min   Keep It Moving - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnhI56BAQjc - September 22nd, 2019 - 1hr27min  href="https://twitter.com/richvillodas/status/120383971530636083">https://twitter.com/richvillodas/status/120383971530636083 v

RebelGive, our online giving platform for churches. The idea behind RebelGive is really simple - when someone gives money to your church, your church should get to keep all of it. Your giving provider shouldn't get to keep any for themselves - and your church shouldn't lose any of that gift to processing fees either.   Featured Resource & Additional Links:   RebelGive.com   Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   FOLLOW me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/  

Today, we’re going reveal our picks for the most important social media trends for churches in 2020. Social media is always changing. It can feel impossible just trying to keep up. But that’s what this episode is for. And by the end of this episode, you’ll have everything you need to tackle the social media landscape this year.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/the-7-most-important-social-media-trends-for-churches-in-2020/   SHOW NOTES:   Social Media Tred #1 (01:45)   Social Media Tred #2 (06:25)   Social Media Tred #3 (11:30)   Social Media Tred #4 (18:20)   Social Media Tred #5 (27:50)   Social Media Tred #6 (32:05)   Social Media Tred #7 (40:10)   TOP 5 (49:10)   Q&A (1:02:55)   Featured Resource & Additional Links:   Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS FORMULA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPzR5PwwGuY   https://later.com/blog/instagram-influencer-marketing-report/   https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-trends/   https://later.com/blog/optimize-hashtags-on-instagram/   https://later.com/blog/influencer-marketing-trends/   https://www.awwwards.com/brutalism-brutalist-websites.html    

Today, you're going to learn the easiest, most foolproof social media strategy for churches that I have ever encountered. In fact, even if your church has struggled to generate meaningful engagement in the past on social, I'm confident this technique can work for you.   Featured Resource & Additional Links: The Easiest Social Media Strategy For Churches in 2020: prochurchtools.com/questions   Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   FOLLOW me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/  

Today, we’re going to break down the communication techniques of Mike Todd. Two years ago, Mike Todd was a newly appointed lead pastor with about 5,000 followers on a platform like Instagram. Today, he’s got close to a million. So what happened? In this episode, we'll talk about the specifics - and we’ll break down the frameworks, devices, and constructs Todd uses in his communication.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-mike-todd-preaching-blueprint-transformation-church-breakdown-2/   SHOW NOTES:     The Come-Up (02:40)   The Story (06:50)   The Blueprint (28:20)   The Preaching (37:55)   Technique #1 (46:15)   Technique #2 (50:20)   Technique #3 (52:45)   TOP 5 (1:01:10)     LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here: http://prochurchpodcast.com   Featured Resource & Additional Links: Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   FOLLOW me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/  

I want you to take a look at something with me for a moment. This is my friend Alex Dion Wilson's TikTok page. At the time of this recording, he's got around three hundred and fifty thousand followers. And that's crazy because he just started using TikTok a couple of months ago and has built this following up from zero in that time. But that's not actually the crazy thing I want to show you.   Featured Resource & Additional Links:   Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/ The Ultimate Church Website Page Template Library   https://prochurchtools.com/1aws">https://prochurchtools.com/1aws   FOLLOW me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/  

Today, we’ll be discussing the three big reasons why churches will struggle to keep their doors open in the upcoming decade. These are the three major hurdles that we believe every church needs to account for if you want your ministry to be healthy and growing. And so by the end of this episode, not only will you know what each of these issues is - but we’ll present our solutions to them as well.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-major-reasons-churches-will-continue-to-close-their-doors-in-the-2020s/   SHOW NOTES:   #1: Shrinking audience (02:50)   #2: Lack of identity (12:05)   #3: Aging leaders (21:45)   TOP 5 (40:45)   Q&A (50:00)   Featured Resource & Additional Links: Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/   The Ultimate Church Website Page Template Library https://prochurchtools.com/1aws   FOLLOW Brady on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/  

There's a new type of social media post that churches are using to provoke spiritual practice directly on social platforms - and we call it the countdown post. And in this video, you'll learn how to create posts like this, the important nuances to consider, and I'll even provide a few done-for-you After Effects and Photoshop templates of countdown posts for free that we created to get you started on the right foot.   LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here: http://prochurchpodcast.com   Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/  

Today we’ll be unveiling our ultimate guide to social media for smaller churches. We’ve got eleven principles to share with you and these rules encompass everything we know about social media. And whether your church is just starting to take social media seriously or you’ve been at it for a while but need a bit of fine-tuning, this episode is for you. So let’s get started.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-11-rules-of-social-media-for-smaller-churches-ultimate-guide/   LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here: http://prochurchpodcast.com   SHOW NOTES:   Rule #1: Attention is the most valuable commodity on social media (03:55)   Rule #2: Stop the scroll (06:55)   Rule #3: Repeat = Defeat (07:30)   Rule #4: The ‘1-in-5’ Rule (14:10)   Rule #5: Start meaningful conversations (19:00)   Rule #6: Provoke spiritual practice (30:00)   Rule #7: Deep then wide (35:40)   Rule #8: Sunday snowball (39:30)   Rule #9: Public to private (45:55)   Rule #10: Document every win (50:00)   Rule #11: Keep experimenting (53:35)   TOP 5 (57:25)   Q&A (01:21:20)  

Today we’ll be sharing with you a real-life TikTok success story. Alex Wilson has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers as a Christian creator on TikTok in just a few months even though he started with zero following. And in this episode, we’ll interview Alex as he shares everything he’s learned about organic growth on TikTok.     ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-go-from-zero-to-500k-followers-on-tiktok-in-6-months/     LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here: http://prochurchpodcast.com     SHOW NOTES:   Who is Alex Dion Wilson? (01:34) The “before TikTok” grind. (02:50) What are you doing that is so different from others? (08:45) What is the average length for your TikTok videos? (12:00) Incorporating sounds and music on TikTok? (15:00) Alex Wilson’s camera gear?  (18:45) Stopping the scroll on TikTok. (19:10) Mistakes to avoid on TikTok. (24:35) How his TikTok followers are responding. (34:45) TOP 5 (42:55) Q&A (58:45)

There's a new social platform emerging right now called TikTok. And the big question that many churches are asking themselves right now is - "Is this platform safe?" So, let's talk about it.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/is-tiktok-safe-for-your-church/

Today we’re going to outline the case for why your church needs a better church slogan. Because your slogan isn’t just a set of arbitrary words. It’s meant to inform your leadership’s decision making and help bring your faith community closer together. So in this episode, we’ll contrast good church slogans versus less-than-good church slogans and give you the actionable tools you need to craft a better slogan for your church.     ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/why-your-church-slogan-isnt-good-enough/     LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here: http://prochurchpodcast.com     SHOW NOTES:   What is a slogan? (4:30) Why is it important? (10:20) How to craft a great slogan? (13:45) How we apply these same principles to Nucleus? (25:50) BIG ANNOUNCEMENT (40:05) TOP 5 (49:45) Q&A (1:07:35)

Today we’re going to break down the communication techniques of Steven Furtick. Furtick is one of the most listened-to preachers in the world and that’s because he is an extremely talented communicator. So let’s talk about the specifics - the frameworks, devices, and constructs Furtick uses in his messages.     ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-anatomy-of-a-steven-furtick-sermon-elevation-church-breakdown/       LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE to the audio podcast version of The Pro Church Tools Show here: http://prochurchpodcast.com   SHOW NOTES: Part 1:  The vision of Elevation Church (12:45)   Part 2: The 5-part opening framework (18:40)   Prayer Example (27:10)   Part 3: The Preacher’s Paradox (30:20)   TOP 5 (45:50)   Q&A (1:00:45)  

Today on The Pro Church Tools Show you’ll learn exactly how the TikTok algorithm works. And when we say *exactly* we mean it. Because our friends at Life.Church called us up after they met with a TikTok engineer and they spilled the beans on how videos get ranked on TikTok. And by the end of this episode, your church will know what it needs to do to get started with TikTok on the right foot - and how to improve the chances of your videos going viral.     ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-does-the-tiktok-algorithm-work-5-secrets-you-need-to-know/     SHOW NOTES:     #1: It’s unusual to get this type of insight into a social media algorithm (2:30)   #2: What about those who say you shouldn’t be on TikTok because it’s not safe for kids? (4:00)   #3: TikTok starts with algorithms instead of friends (6:40)   #4: Each video gets pushed out to a small batch of users and then based on the results, it moves the medium batch test, gets a video integrity rating, large batch goes for about four days if it reaches that spot, then an account review team looks at the content and decides does this need to go super viral on FYP or expire (14:00)   #5: Each account has an authority ranking (17:45)   #6: Delayed Explosion (23:50)   #7: Limit your accounts login to one cell phone (28:00)   #8: Element of verticality (28:00)   #9: Life.Church thinks they’re probably going to go off-brand with this platform - and they already have permission to do that (29:30)   Top 5 (37:00)   Q&A (54:50)      

In my experience, the most overlooked and misunderstood digital communication platform that churches use is email. That’s right. Not Instagram or Facebook - email. So in this episode, you’ll learn everything you need to know about crafting an email strategy at your church that works and spurs on more next steps and life change across your entire church.     ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/7-proven-church-newsletter-ideas-that-really-work/     SHOW NOTES:     #1: Amplify your best social content (5:10)   #2: Amplify your most listened to sermon (8:00)   #3: Amplify your most important next step (14:40)   #4: Plain text emails (18:00)   #5: Add a P.S. (20:30)   #6: Subject line is everything (21:20)   #7: Consistency with time and day (22:00)  

For the last several months, I’ve been seeing the signs. Instagram organic reach is dropping and the decline is considerable. It’s happening in the feed, but it’s even happening on IG Stories as well. So in this episode, we’ll take a closer look at this Instagram decline and what it means for your church going forward.     ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-troubling-signs-that-instagram-is-declining-2/     SHOW NOTES:   #1: Instagram engagement rates are down considerably (1:10)   #2: IG Stories engagement down considerably (5:50)   #3: No major new features in last 30-60 days; Aug-Sep 2019 (8:40)   #4: Manicured aesthetic is done (9:40)   #5: IG working on a TikTok copy called ‘Clips' (14:15)   What should you do? (17:05)  

In my home office, every wall is painted with chalkboard paint. And on one of those office walls is a series of five different leadership quotes written in chalk. For me, these are the five biggest lessons I’m trying to learn currently when it comes to leading my team and so I like to look at them regularly. But I also want to share them with you - not as virtues I’ve fully internalized - but as the principles I’m aiming for. So in this episode, I’ll take you inside my home office and into my own leadership journey as I share with you what each of these five leadership objectives are.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-leadership-reminders-i-have-written-on-my-wall/   SHOW NOTES:   #1: “This is a small problem compared to the bigger problems I hope to face." (4:45)   #2: “Everyone wants to be KNOWN and NEEDED." (7:15)   #3: “Talk to yourself more than you listen to yourself." (10:10)   #4: “Wherever I am is the big time." (12:00)   #5: “Stay sweet." (15:20)  

A challenge for every single church and every single church leader is that Sunday is only a few days away - which means another sermon. Another gathering. Another moment where we as church leaders need to speak in front of others. And if you don’t have a framework to fall-back on for this, you’ll likely struggle to come up with new ideas. So in this episode, you’ll learn three public speaking mechanisms to keep your church’s attention - said differently, you’ll learn how to talk and never be boring.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-public-speaking-mechanisms-to-keep-your-audiences-attention/   Show Notes:   One of my biggest struggles as a content creator is shared by many church leaders as well... (0:40)   We need a framework for how to put together our talks (2:20)   Story/Stats/Steps (4:10)   Make it personal; make it provable; make it practical (4:45)    

Because of Christmas bonuses, tax deadlines, and general holiday generosity, a huge portion of church giving comes in the final months of each year. But just because folks are willing to give, doesn’t mean they’ll automatically follow-through. It’s still incumbent upon your church to provide every opportunity for generosity and to inspire your church to these next steps. So follow along, and by the end of this episode, you’ll have a framework that your church can follow to maximize year-end giving.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-ways-to-maximize-year-end-giving-at-church-in-2019/   Show Notes:     #1. End-of-year giving is considerable (00:50)   #2. Don’t simply rely on your church’s willingness to give (1:35)   #3. Focus on the big four end-of-year dates (4:00)   #4. Inspire giving with campaigns (4:55)   #5. Setup custom giving trigger links for the easiest giving experience (9:35)   #6. Put a card on the homepage (13:35)   #7. Go all-in on the final three days (15:00)    

TikTok is the newest emerging social platform and like all social media evolutions: it’s weird, it’s unfamiliar, and young people love it. So in this episode, we’ll be giving you a primer on everything you need to know about TikTok so you can begin exploring it with your church and student ministry.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/tiktok-13-things-your-church-needs-to-know/   Show Notes:   If IG Stories and Vine had a baby (1:40)   Most videos are 15-60 seconds in length (4:30)   Sound autoplays (6:20)   The content creation tools are mind boggling (7:00)   It’s unfamiliar and disorienting (7:56)   It’s repetitive (11:35)   Virality is probable (14:56)   Machine learning (18:00)   How often should you post? (20:00)   The demo is young now, so people will disparage it (20:10)   TikTok is prime real estate (22:20)   TikTok is driving the music charts (25:50)   Theforyoupage.com (27:50)    

Every subculture has its own set of insider language and jargon - and the Christian subculture is no exception. We lovingly call our insider language Christianese (see how self-aware we are?). And in this video, we’re going to present to you our power rankings of the best Christianese words and phrases.      ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-ultimate-christianese-power-rankings-top-7-christian-phrases/     Show Notes:   What is Christianese? (0:35)   Bootstrapping, MVP, Ramen profitable (1:55)   #7. Narthex, lobby, foyer (4:20)   #6. Partake (7:00)   #5. Baby Christian (8:10)   #4. The Anthropomorphics (10:00)   #3. Love offering (11:35)   #2. Fellowship (13:15)   Honorable mention (16:20)   #1. Problematic Prepositions (20:10)  

When you’re serving in a church, you inevitably find yourself in situations where you need to speak in front of others. Maybe it’s a prayer, maybe it’s announcements, or maybe you were asked to preach! Whatever it is, for most of us in church, public speaking is a necessity in some capacity. So in this video, you’re going to learn my best tips on how to become a confident and comfortable speaker.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-become-a-confident-comfortable-speaker/   What's In This Session?        #1. Listen and watch yourself (0:40)   #2. Use stories as your cheat code (5:00)   #3. Pace and pitch (7:20)   #4. Smile (9:50)   #5. Find your style (11:35)  

Today, you’re going to learn what option is best for your church when it comes to announcements - video or live? There are pros and cons to each of course, but my final answer on this may surprise you. So let’s dive right in.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/church-video-announcements-vs-live-whats-best-for-your-church/   What's In This Session?      Pros of video announcements (4:35)   Cons of video announcements (7:00)   Pros of live announcements (9:00)   The goal of announcements (10:15)   Cons of live announcements (12:25)      

Today, you’re going to learn the absolute easiest social media strategy for churches. Even better? You don’t need to create any graphics or produce any videos - you don’t even need to post every single day! Yet, despite how easy this strategy is, the best part is that it gets results. So follow along, and by the end of this episode, you’ll have everything you need to start using this strategy right away at your church.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-easiest-social-media-strategy-for-churches-ever/   What's In This Session?      Step 1: Using the text tool on Facebook (5:00)   Examples (6:15)   Step 2: Respond to every single comment/interaction that you get (10:35)  

I get questions all the time asking about animation and motion design - particularly in the context of social media. So in this video, we’ll speak directly with one of our motion designers that brings our social program to life through animation - as we give you a behind the scenes look into our complete workflow.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-beginners-guide-to-motion-design-animation-for-social-media/   What's In This Session?      How do you approach bringing a static design to life - particularly in the context of social? (9:00)   How we use motion to tell a story. (12:50)   What were some of the challenges when we first started working together? (15:30)   What is the best way to get into motion design? (26:20)   Why use designs that are not apart of your brand on social? (30:45)   

If you’re a church or leader in a church - young or old - you’re confronting new challenges in ministry right now that couldn’t have even existed ten years ago. And my belief is that these new challenges require a particular mindset to successfully navigate them. And so in this episode, I’ll explain this “bias for action” mindset - and why it’s critical for you as a church leader.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-a-bias-for-action-mindset-is-critical-for-every-church-leader/   Show Notes:   From a position of humility (10:40)   Failure isn’t something I’m concerned with (11:45)   Everything can be redeemed (12:25)   Recognize this approach is contrarian (14:00)   Buy into the principle for its merit, not material results (16:15)   Change the narrative (18:30)     Featured Resource & Additional Links:     Pro Church Tools Products https://prochurchtools.com/products/   The Church Announcements Scripts Bundle https://prochurchtools.com/akwh   CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS FORMULA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPzR5PwwGuY     FOLLOW me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

  One of the easiest ways to boost engagement on social media is to ask your followers questions. But…you need to ask the right questions. So today, you’ll get 39 different questions made specifically for churches like yours to use on social media. The best part? These questions have already been proven to boost engagement and we’re giving them away freely to you! So let’s get started.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/39-copy-n-paste-question-posts-for-churches-on-social-media/   What's In This Session?      We’ve been doing the social program for a year now - What we’ve learned and created. (0:30)        An easy to follow strategy. (3:10)        Why these questions are so helpful. (21:30)    Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:      Pro Church Tools Products -  https://prochurchtools.com/products/        CENTRAL HUB STRATEGY: Boost Church Signups 53% -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtsAWLZoC7c         

The Central Hub is a strategy churches use to boost engagement - it exists to see your congregation take more next steps. And this is important because we don’t want churches filled with passive spectators, but rather, active participants. So in this video, we’ll share with you eight different central hub lobby setups from real churches to get you inspired - and to show you that whether your church is big, small, portable, young, old - whatever - The Central Hub can work in your context.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/8-inspiring-central-hub-lobby-setups-real-church-examples/   What's In This Session?      Rule #1: The Central Hub must be accessible be 24/7 (4:40)      Rule #2: The Central Hub must be accessible from any device (5:35)      Rule #3: The Central Hub must be able to capture, store, and distribute information (6:05)      Example #1: Big blue wall (8:30)      Example #2: In the sanctuary (11:15)      Example #3: iPad stand (12:00)      Example #4: Pop-up signs (13:20)      Example #5: Table-top stand (Lamicall) (13:20)      Example #6: Volunteers to help (15:05)      Example #7: Table with wheels for portable setup (19:25)      Example #8: Screens and custom marquee (19:55)           

There are a handful of graphic design trends that we are absolutely loving right now. And we want to share them with you! So by the end of this podcast, you’ll be introduced to eleven of our favorite current design trends and how we’re using them on an everyday basis.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/11-graphic-design-trends-we-love-in-2019/   What's In This Session?      Example #1 (5:35)   Example #2 (7:10)   Example #3 (8:10)   Example #4 (10:00)   Example #5 (11:45)   Example #6 (13:45)   Example #7 (16:05)   Example #8 (16:35)   Example #9 (19:50)   Example #10 (20:45)   Example #11 (23:20)     Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:      The Ultimate Free Connect Card Template      12 Fresh Sermon Series Ideas      Pro Church Tools      Pro Church Tools on Facebook      Pro Church Tools on YouTube      Brady Shearer on Instagram      Brady Shearer on Twitter      Alex Mills on Instagram  

A church slogan isn’t just a catchy tagline. It’s your church’s story. Your vision and mission distilled down to a short and memorable phrase. It should inspire your congregation and help with your leadership’s decision making. And yet, so few churches actually have a good one. So let’s change that. In this episode of Pro Church Tools, we’re going to highlight a trio of amazing church slogans and walk you through the process of crafting your own. .   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-of-my-favorite-church-slogans-plushow-to-write-your-own/   What's In This Session?      #1: What is a slogan? It includes a key benefit. (3:15)        #2: What is a slogan? It differentiates your church. (6:25)        #3: What is a slogan? It’s your church’s story/vision/mission. (8:15)        Real Church Examples (12:05)     Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:      19 PERFECT CHURCH WEBSITE HEADLINE EXAMPLES        The Ultimate Church Website Page Template Library        Pro Church Tools        Pro Church Tools on Facebook        Pro Church Tools on YouTube        Brady Shearer on Instagram        Brady Shearer on Twitter        Alex Mills on Instagram    

If your church website design feels at all stale or needing of a makeover - you’re in the right place. Because in this podcast, we’re going to examine five unusual but creative church website design ideas that real churches are using right now. So if you’re looking for inspiration, you’ll have it by the end of this episode.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-unusual-church-website-design-ideas-that-i-love/   What's In This Session?      #1: The Gospel Church (Destiny Keller) (0:40)   #2: Peoria Nazarene Church (Joel Davis at Cross & Crown) (4:25)   #3: First Baptist Church of Allegan (8:35)   #4: Faith Church Gold Coast (Nate Zerk) (10:30)   #5: Hill City Church (12:25)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:      HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR CHURCH WEBSITE DESIGN IN 1 DAY USING STUNNING PHOTOS      The iPhone Church Photography Case Study      Pro Church Tools      Pro Church Tools on Facebook      Pro Church Tools on YouTube      Brady Shearer on Instagram      Brady Shearer on Twitter      Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s a group of church branding trends that are emerging right now and they absolutely deserve your attention. Churches around the world are beginning to embrace these ideas, and every one of our churches can learn from at least one of them. So in this podcast, we’ll show you real examples of each of these trends and breakdown how they may be applicable to you.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/6-positive-church-branding-trends-that-deserve-your-attention/   What's In This Session?      Defining Branding (0:40)   #1: Trade in a color palette for a color matrix (2:00)   Vineyard Colombus design by Jeff Miller (3:41)   #2: Branded house; not a house of brands (5:35)   East Gate design by Dave Keller (6:40)   #3: Logo with meaning (8:00)   Catch the Fire design by Samuel Nudds (9:10)   #4: From me to we (12:30)   Westside King’s Church design by Matthew Birtch (13:15)   #5: Short church names (14:20)   #6: Sermon series’ addressing doubts (16:45)   Asking For A Friend design by VISUAL Jams (16:55)   Stats on doubting (17:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:      19 PERFECT CHURCH WEBSITE HEADLINE EXAMPLES      The Perfect Church Homepage Infographic      Pro Church Tools      Pro Church Tools on Facebook      Pro Church Tools on YouTube      Brady Shearer on Instagram      Brady Shearer on Twitter      Alex Mills on Instagram  

  In my experience, most churches sabotage their own announcements every week with chaotic communications. But it doesn’t have to be this way! In fact, there is a proven church announcements formula that works and inspires churchgoers to get involved. So in this podcast, I’ll unpack how that formula works - and we’ll show you how to apply it as we prepare church announcement scripts on the fly for your upcoming events.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-church-announcement-frameworks-that-really-work/   What's In This Session?      One Story (2:30)   One Next Step (3:00)   The 50% Rule (5:40)   #1: New People Category - also works great for volunteers (8:30)   #2: Annual Event Category (11:10)   #3: Small Groups Category (11:30)   #4: One-Off Event Category (17:50)     Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:        The Church Announcements Formula        The Church Announcements Scripts Bundle        Pro Church Tools        Pro Church Tools on Facebook        Pro Church Tools on YouTube        Brady Shearer on Instagram        Brady Shearer on Twitter        Alex Mills on Instagram    

If you asked 100 church leaders - what’s the best way to attract new people to a church? The majority would answer...personal invitations. And I agree. Knowing this, how can your church’s leadership inspire your congregation to take those steps and begin inviting their friends and family? By the end of this podcast, you’ll have your answer as we dive into what it takes to create a culture of invitation.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-attract-new-people-to-church-through-invitations/   What's In This Session?      Starting with some stats... (2:08)   #1 - Creating a welcoming atmosphere (5:15)   #2 - Equip churchgoers with resources (11:40)   #3 - Timely campaigns (15:40)   #4 - Create a culture of invitation in how you communicate (18:05)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:      CHURCH WELCOME: Follow-Up For New Visitors      The Ultimate Free Connect Card Template      Pro Church Tools      Pro Church Tools on Facebook      Pro Church Tools on YouTube      Brady Shearer on Instagram      Brady Shearer on Twitter      Alex Mills on Instagram    

Because of the work that I do, I have been privileged to read through and present tens of thousands of different church announcements. So I know what makes a good church announcement and what doesn’t. So in this video, I want to share with you some of what I’ve learned - as we examine five unwritten rules that every church announcement follow.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-5-unwritten-rules-every-church-announcement-should-follow/   What's In This Session?        Announcement #1 (2:50)   Unwritten Rule #1: Don’t use guilt as a motivator (5:00)   Alternative Announcement (6:20)   Announcement #2 (7:15)   Unwritten Rule #2: Don’t lead with rhetorical questions (9:30)   Announcement #3 (10:25)   Unwritten Rule #3: Don’t be break your own rules (11:05)   Announcement #4 (13:30)   Unwritten Rule #4: Don’t use acronyms that need explanation (14:30)   Announcement #5: (18:30)   Unwritten Rule #5: Don’t elevate information over inspiration (19:20)   Honorable Mention (20:00)     Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:      Featured Resource: The New Social Media Checklist For Churches      7 Social Media Metrics You Should Care About (For Churches)      Pro Church Tools      Pro Church Tools on Facebook      Pro Church Tools on YouTube      Brady Shearer on Instagram      Brady Shearer on Twitter      Alex Mills on Instagram  

Starting from scratch on social media can feel like a monumental undertaking - but keep in mind, we all started with zero followers at one point or another. So follow along, and by the end of this video, you’ll have a complete social media marketing plan for starting from scratch.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-build-a-social-media-following-from-scratch-for-a-church/https://prochurchtools.com/7-fixable-mistakes-churches-make-on-social-media/   What's In This Session?      #1: Leverage your existing audience (1:30) #2: Choose your platform (3:00) #3: Fill out your profile (4:05) #4: Determine when you should be posting (4:30) #5: Start posting! (5:25) #6: Measure and audit (6:00 Other tips (8:00)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:   THE ULTIMATE 7-DAY SOCIAL MEDIA CALENDAR FOR CHURCHES 3 NEW INSTAGRAM PROFILE HACKS YOUR CHURCH CAN MAKE TODAY THE ULTIMATE CHURCH FACEBOOK PAGE GUIDE THE 3-STEP SOCIAL MEDIA GRADING SYSTEM Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

When you’re a church, and you’re hosting a new service every seven days, in perpetuity - things can start to feel monotonous. So how do you mix it up? How do you inject new life into something that feels stale or predictable? Well I think this is actually one of my church’s strengths, so I talked with my pastor about how we continually change things up within service and by the end of this video, you’ll know exactly how to do the same thing in your church.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-ways-to-ensure-sunday-services-are-never-predictable-or-stale/    What's In This Session? #1. Anecdotal (Short-Term): One-off curveball pieces built around engagement with things that are already happening (2:08) Recipe for this is to train yourself to see everything as a creative inspiration for church (I take pictures of everything, screen capture and keep it all in an Evernote note for easy recall) (5:20) #2. Seasonal (Medium-Term): A temporary move to either change it up or to strategically focus on something we want people to move towards (8:40) this could be as simple as every week this month we are going to live interview a key volunteer in a different area each week (how did you start, what do you love about it, and why does it matter?) and encourage people to take a next step to get involved (9:05) It could be a book series that we encourage people to purchase the book and follow along with us (9:30) It can be language as well - we have written down 26 things that your giving goes to support and we cycle through those twice a year right now - started a couple months ago (10:57) Q&A for a series - text in your questions (11:57) #3. Format Changeup (Long-Term): Can you change the holy grail of worship, announcements, message? That is the question. We are looking to address this one coming for September (12:42) Going to experiment with 3 x 18 minute segments (Shared Spiritual Experience, Shared Family Experience, Shared Learning Experience) (14:01) 1st segment: We are going to lengthen our worship time from 15 to 18 minutes (from 3 to 4 songs) - add in an 80% known hymn or song everyone can participate, also going to play around with scripture reading, and contemplation, more sharing from other worship team members, etc. create more opportunity to participate (14:01) 2nd segment: Shared family experience - alongside of information and inspiration we want a celebration of our family (15:11) 3rd segment: more practical teaching particularly with next steps - not so philosophical, but practical not only what step can you take here at church but also just real practical things you can do this week (16:25)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Using social media as a church has a number of benefits. For example, you get the opportunity to interact with your congregation beyond Sunday morning. But there’s one particular advantage of social that most churches don’t even consider - and what’s amazing about this social media perk, is that it can actually help you make better decisions in every facet of ministry. Here’s the good news...by the end of this video, you’ll know exactly how to put this overlooked social benefit to use at your church.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-smart-churches-use-social-media-to-make-better-decisions/    What's In This Session? Find the intersection between your vision and what the people want (4:46) #1. Have you ever seen tweets in my Instagram Feed? Stop the scroll design intersected with content you’ve already responded to positively (6:30) #2. Which Scripture has been your greatest comfort? (8:40) 58% of Americans want to read the Bible more - Barna (9:33) #3. What’s your favorite summer time activity? (10:08) #4. What is your go-to pie? Perfect way to showcase social media in service (10:48) #5. What’s one of the biggest life changes you’ve made in the last five years? (13:34) #6. Elimination - Pizza, tacos, burgers, chicken wings (15:28) #7. Would you rather have the strength of Samson or the wisdom of Solomon? (17:46) #8. Do you have a good dog or pet? Let’s see photos! (18:55) #9. What’s your favorite worship song that we currently sing at church? (20:23) User feedback is one of the most important things organizations can gather; start an Evernote and just save this stuff for when you need it; the combination of user feedback paired with vision is the ultimate (21:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pastoral Care Using Facebook Messenger Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

I was recently asked the following question: "If you went back to a full time church job - what business lessons would you take with you in order to be more effective?” And this episode of Pro Church Tools is the answer to that question. Not only will you hear from me though, but friends of mine who are also former church leaders and pastors that have since launched their own businesses. Here are the lessons we’ve learned from running businesses, that we’d bring to a church. ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-business-owners-guide-to-running-a-church/    What's In This Session? If you went back to a full time church job, what business lessons would you take with you in order to be more effective? (1:02) #1: Measurement/metrics (1:16) #2: Hiring (2:07) Justin Dean - That Church Conference: "Build a core team that’s in on the mission and dedicated to the church, but for most positions be open to outsource and hire people who are good at getting the job done. Design, creative, worship, even marketing can all be outsourced with greater results for about the same cost or less." (2:10) Brady’s business lessons for church (5:25) #1: 100% separation of church operations from congregational giving (5:50) Why? Obligation is the enemy of innovation (6:02) #2: Multi-purpose facilities - We did a whole episode on this (10:20) Additional streams of revenue (11:02) I want as many people as possible to be in life giving relationship with Jesus (12:28) #3: The Central Hub - Focusing on next steps - always pointing to a single destination (14:14) Why? Metrics and measurements (14:40)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Church Growth Calculator The New Rules For Church Buildings Central Hub Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

The prospect of evangelism in today’s tension-filled culture can feel intimidating. Yet as a practicing Christian, you and I both know that being a witness about Jesus is a crucial element of our faith. So how do we reconcile this? In this episode of Pro Church Tools, we’ll examine how to evangelize in today’s world - and I’ll even share with you my exact talking points that I use when sharing with someone why I believe in Jesus.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-evangelize-in-2019-and-beyond/    What's In This Session? Almost all practicing Christians believe that part of their faith means being a witness about Jesus (95%-97%) - Barna, Reviving Evangelism (0:35) Millennials in particular feel equipped to share their faith with others. (0:59) Almost half of Millennials (47%) agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith. This is compared to a little over one-quarter of Gen X (27%), and one in five Boomers (19%) (1:33) #1: Acknowledge that evangelism is rarely effective outside of relationship (5:00) #2: Realize that evangelism is about many decision(s) not a singular decision - spectrum versus on/off switch (8:40) #3: Don’t feel obligated to “defend” your faith - In the same way that Jesus didn’t need Peter to defend him against the guards that came to arrest Jesus (13:26) #4: On Earth as it is in Heaven (18:42) “Out of 100 people, one will read the Bible, the other 99 will read the Christian.” ― D.L. Moody (18:50) #5: When I do use words, I use this framework: I believe I was put on the Earth to make a difference, I believe the best way to make a difference is through love, and I believe the greatest example of love is Jesus - laying down his life for the goodwill of others - transition into Christianity being about a selfless life and dying to self (19:50)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Barna: Reviving Evangelism Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram

There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to planning your church’s services. From scheduling volunteers, to determining what songs you want to sing, announcements, sermon prep - so much goes into a Sunday morning. So what are we missing? In my experience, there are at least five things many churches overlook on a weekend - and by the end of this video, you’ll know what each of those five things is and how to begin incorporating them into your next church service.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-things-every-church-service-should-include/    What's In This Session? #1: Acknowledgement of people who are new (1:45) #2: Set expectations (5:05) #3: Next steps promotion (6:43) #4: Defining of terms - Christianese/theological terms are okay - just make sure it gets defined when used (10:08) #5: Reiterate vision (13:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Central Hub Why Your Church Service Needs A Host Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram    

There’s a new crop of leaders volunteering and working in churches - and they’re unlike any prior generation to come before them. And this is causing tension with the senior leadership across every denomination and brand of church. So what do we do about it? By the end of this video, you’ll have a greater understanding of how to lead young people in a rapidly changing culture.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/why-millennials-make-such-terrible-employees/    What's In This Session? The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2019 (1:29) #1 - Age: Age 17 to 36 in 2019: Largest living generation, largest in workforce, largest voting group (2:18) #2 - Young people are disillusioned and untrusting (3:43) #3 - Delays: Home ownership, marriage, parenthood, putting down roots in a job (11:11) Only 27% of millennials are married (11:27) More millennials than we have ever surveyed—49 percent—would, if they had a choice, quit their current jobs in the next two years. In our 2017 report, that number was 38 percent (12:11) Response #1: Talk it out (13:07) Response #2: Acknowledge the imperfect system and demonstrate empathy and belief (16:45) Response #3: Build trust and set expectations on both sides (20:18)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Gallup Analysis: Millennials, Marriage, and Family Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2019 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram    

Stop me if this has ever happened to you: Someone from your church comes up to you after service in the lobby and asks, “Hey, what time and date is that event again?” Even though you’ve been announcing it for two months - your church still can’t remember important details! Here’s the thing though…in my experience, this is usually the church’s fault - not the congregation. Thankfully, you can fix this! And by the end of this video, you’ll know exactly how.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/what-to-do-when-your-church-cant-remember-event-date-times/    What's In This Session? Meme in Church Communications FB Group (0:37) Problem #1: The assumption that just because you announced an event, people will remember what you’re saying (1:39) Problem #2: Posting event information everywhere to compensate - because announcements apparently aren’t enough! (2:13) Analogy: Going to the movies (3:00) How do movies actually work? Inspiration OVER information with movie trailers (4:51) #1. The Central Hub - One destination for every single next step in your church (6:18) #2. The 50% Rule For Church Announcements - Stop conditioning your church to ignore announcements (8:18) #3. The 2-Part Church Announcements Formula - Inspiration over information (9:31) #4. One Next Step Every Single Time - Head to lifeabundant.info or visit the lifeabundant.info kiosk in the lobby. (10:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, I want to share with you fifteen books that will benefit every church leader. The twist? None of these books are written by church leaders themselves. Instead, the authors are business leaders, financial experts, FBI hostage negotiators, NAVY Seals, and more. And while their vocations may differ from yours, that’s the point! Because the wisdom within these books is applicable anywhere. And by the end of this episode, you’ll surely have a couple of new books to add to your reading list.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/15-secular-books-church-leaders-should-read/    What's In This Session? Moneyball example (0:39) Everything Is A Remix (2:02) #1. Tuesday’s with Morrie, Mitch Albom (3:21) #2. Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink (4:08) #3. One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard (4:54) #4. The E-Myth Revisited, Michael E. Gerber (5:25) #5. It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work, Jason Fried (7:18) #6. An astronauts guide to life on earth, Chris Hadfield (7:57) #7. Atomic Habits, James Clear - Habits determine your destiny (9:00) #8. The Power Of Habit, Charles Duhigg (9:02) #9. Never Split The Difference, Chris Voss (10:10) #10. I Will Teach You To Be Rich, Ramit Sethi (12:14) #11. The Latte Factor, David Bach (13:40) #12. The Little Book Of Common Sense Investing, John Bogle (15:30) #13. Steal The Show, Michael Port (17:49) #14. Abundance, Peter Diamandis - A case for optimism (18:57) #15. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis (19:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram    

  ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-ways-to-host-better-church-meetings/     If you’re like most people, you probably don’t enjoy meetings. Why? Well, because they’re often poorly planned and just waste time without actually accomplishing much. But it doesn’t have to be this way! So in this episode of Pro Church Tools, you’ll learn five ways to truly improve your church’s meetings.   What's In This Session? Disclaimer: Pro Church Tools doesn’t really have meetings because they suck (1:35) 47% of workers complain that meetings are where productivity goes to die. Furthermore, workers consider roughly half of their meetings to be a waste of time, and 73% confess to sneaking in some real work during meetings. (2:23) #1: Before a meeting ever begins, be ruthless with determining whether or not something deserves a meeting and be ruthless with who you invite (3:35) #2: Set the meeting’s agenda and send it to everyone ahead of time (5:04) #3: Deal with the devices (6:33) #4: Set a start time and end time (regular team meeting? 15 to 30 minutes according to Slack)(7:33) #5: Be inclusive and fun (rank the Marvel movies, elimination game, etc.) (10:07)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram    

Today, you’re going to learn The Ultimate 7-Day Social Media Calendar For Churches. This is the same framework that hundreds of churches around the world are beginning to embrace - and they’re seeing their engagement skyrocket because of it. So buckle up, because by the end of this video, you and your church will have a complete social media posting strategy for every single day of the week.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-ultimate-7-day-social-media-calendar-for-churches/   What's In This Session? 7 out of every 10 Americans adults is active on Facebook (Pew Research) (1:06) Millennials and Gen X spend ~7 hours on social each week (Nielsen) (1:12) The second largest demographic on Facebook is people ages 55+ (Statista) (1:23) Boomers spend about ~4 hours on social each week overall (Nielsen) (1:29) Compare social media to traditional media for a moment. Now, these costs will vary per region, but on average an outreach tool like a billboard will cost about ~$3,000/month. Circulating radio ads will set you back about ~$5,000/month. And if you want to do regional television and run a single thirty second ad just once a day you're looking at north of ~$7,500/month (2:10) This is what makes social media so amazing. Not only is the barrier to entry zero - but even spending just couple hundred bucks a month on your social efforts can actually outpace anything you could do with traditional media that costs 10X-20X more money. (4:24) THE 3 RULES FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW SOCIAL MEDIA WORKS Rule #1: Attention is all that matters on social media (4:28) Rule #2: Stop The Scroll (5:01) Rule #3: Repeat Equals Defeat (5:14) The “1-in-5 Rule” (6:51) Day #1: The Countdown (7:38) Day #2: The Bible Reading (11:34) Day #3: The Question (16:00) Day #4: The List (18:29) Day #5: The Engagement Booster (21:35) Day #6: The Church Invitation (25:52) Day #7: The Sunday Story (28:38) Question: Is repeating this over and over contrary to repeat equals defeat? (29:30) Question: How do you create these? (30:05) Social program promo (32:18)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram    

Creating dramatic and cinematic videos for your church is what this episode of Pro Church Tools is all about - as we breakdown seven eye-popping shot setups that you can copy and start using right away. By the end of this video, you’ll have a bag full of tricks that you can reach into next time you’ve got a camera in your hand.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/shot-setups-for-better-church-videos/   What's In This Session? #1: Sunbeam at edge of frame - makes shot more dynamic; create lens flare; manufactured light leak; wash the entire scene with a lens flare pinkish color; Time Of Day: Golden Hour (1:51) #2: Block out sun with object - Creates silhouettes and lens flares; makes shot more dynamic; Time Of Day: Golden Hour (Exception: Point up with tall trees) (5:10) #3: Background/Foreground -Create movement within shot (landscape); Create depth within shot (cross); Time Of Day: Any (7:05) #4: Wide angle facing up with movement - Exaggerate compression with wide angle lens; unique perspective like gazing up at the sky; walking with a gimbal or driving with a gimbal or walking handheld slow-mo warp stabilize in post (9:38) #5: Blue hour -Need clear sky/canvas; hands raised in service; Time Of Day: Blue hour (only about 10-15 minutes) (12:19) #6: Small people/Big canvas -Contrast small vs. big - visual appeal comes from extremes on both sides of spectrum coming together; Time Of Day: Any (14:20) #7: Color block (16:10)   Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram    

Many churches I know struggle with quantifying “success” when it comes to their digital efforts. Maybe a pastor asks, “Hey, why do we have a podcast?” Or, “What’s the point of a YouTube channel anyway?” So if you hear a question like that and struggle with the thought of how to answer it - you’re not alone. But by the end of this video, you will know how to answer those questions and you’ll have a three-part framework to measure every digital decision you make.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-get-any-idea-approved-by-your-pastor/  What's In This Session? “We are starting a Podcast here at the church and have been asked by lead pastor to present some metrics on how we will measure 'success' in year one. Any thoughts?" (0:38) "That would largely depend on what you're trying to achieve and how your church measures success.” (1:02) 3 part framework (3:18) The Goal: Every Christ-following church exists to help people: love God, love others, and make disciples (3:44) The Resource: Attention; the most valuable commodity your church can possess (5:07) The Action: Next steps (submit a prayer request or talk to a pastor, church announcements at the top of the episode, infrequent next steps focusing on building authority wherein you track listens and subscribers) (5:24) 23% of adults listen to podcasts, 42% of millennials listen to podcasts, and 17% of practicing Christians listen to podcasts every single day - Barna Trends 2018 (6:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Alex Ehly on twitter Brady Shearer on Twitter Nucleus Church Growth Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

If you’ve ever been involved with your church’s social media accounts, you probably know how easy it is to be repetitive. It can feel like you’re just posting the same stuff over and over again. So we want to help you with that. By the end of this video, you’ll learn five social media ideas for posts that are anything but ordinary - and we’ll show you real examples of what this can look like.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/abnormal-social-media-ideas-for-your-church/   What's In This Session? THE GOAL: Stop the scroll, start a meaningful conversation, provoke spiritual practice (1:17) #1. 20-Second Bible Lesson (2:17) Promote Biblical literacy (2:20) #2. Would You Rather with examples (4:26) #3. Bible Lottery (6:58) #4. “How To" (8:04) One of the best frameworks for blog posts when it comes to ranking in google is a "how to" post - we took this idea and applied it to social (8:07) Taking the truths of scripture and shaping it into frameworks that are clear and actionable (9:23) #5. Prompt To Spiritual Practice (9:48)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram

Storytelling is the most powerful form of human communication. And it has the ability to shape the way we think about God and ourselves. Unfortunately, this power can be used to do harm. And so in this episode of Pro Church Tools, we’ll examine three prominent narratives persisting within the Christian faith that - while perhaps are rooted in good intentions - are doing more harm than good.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/harmful-christian-narratives-we-need-to-stop-telling/   What's In This Session? Example #1: Perkins Wand (0:35) Example #2: Henry Beecher in WWll (1:58) The placebo effect (3:35) The Goal: Love God, love others, make disciples (6:20) How we talk about God shapes the way people view God and themselves (8:28) Harmful Narrative #1: “Morality Police” (8:40) Agape love - selfless, unconditional, sacrificial, promoting the goodwill of all humanity - the same love that God has for each of us (11:35) "Morality police" narrative teaches people that God is a drill sergeant - he demands compliance, deference, and capitulation (14:16) “Morality police” narrative teaches Christians that discipleship is conformity (14:26) Harmful Narrative #2: “Where will you spend eternity?" (16:14) Fear is an incredibly powerful motivator (16:20) Fear can elicit three responses: fight, flight, submission (16:22) “Where will you spend eternity” narrative turns Jesus into a bank robber (16:54) “Where will you spend eternity” narrative teaches Christians to neglect their time on Earth (17:20) Harmful Narrative #3: “Corruption and Depravity" (21:10) Depression study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology (22:08) Could you ever imagine Jesus using fear to motivate people? (23:25) “Corruption and depravity” narrative turns Jesus into an ashamed parent (26:35) “Corruption and depravity” narrative teaches Christians to despise themselves (26:58) The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s fear - each of these narratives are motivated by fear (28:14)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Journal of Abnormal Psychology Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, I want to share with you five leadership lessons that I think every leader should grasp before they turn 30. These lessons are applicable in both personal and professional life - and each lesson is condensed into a quote to make it easy to remember and apply as you serve the world and the people around you.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-leadership-lessons-you-need-to-know-before-youre-30/   What's In This Session? What if you’re older than thirty? “Never too late" (0:42) Why before you're thirty? (0:55) #1. "For the first 30 years of your life, you make your habits. For the last 30 years of your life, your habits make you.” (1:35) #2. “Surrender the need to be right.” (8:35) #3. "Once you settle into a story about your pain, you are extremely reluctant to challenge it.” - Johann Hari (16:45) #4. "Never miss twice.” - James Clear (23:16) #5. “Become unoffendable." (26:30)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There are a ton of new Instagram features that are coming later this year - along with many that have already been released. Do you know all of them? Do you know how to use them to help your church? By the end of this episode of Pro Church Tools you will - as we’ll cover thirteen of the newest and most exciting changes to Instagram in 2019.  ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/13-exciting-new-instagram-features-for-churches-in-2019/  What's In This Session? SOON: Create Mode: Simplified design (1:45) Donation sticker (4:56) Creator Profiles (7:55) The downsides of creator profiles (12:00) Instagram Stories Filters (13:37) Anti-Bullying Initiatives (14:32) NOW: Countdown (17:00) Remove followers (18:50) Close friends (19:15) Q&A IG Live (19:38) Line breaks (21:20) IGTV Previews (22:17) IGTV Horizontal Videos (25:40) Pro Church Tools GIFs (27:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: 7 Exciting Instagram Features Coming in 2019 New Instagram Update Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

The way churches hire has drastically changed with the rise of digital platforms and the Internet. Positions in ministry now exist that never did before - and the process for filling these positions is different as well! So what does this mean for you if you want to work at a church? In this video, I’ll share seven skills that contributed to me getting hired at a church when I was 21 years old - and how these skills can help you as well.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-get-hired-by-a-church-7-skills-you-need/  What's In This Session? #1. Understand the senior leader's vision and struggles - and identify ways you can help (1:58) #2. A portfolio/platform (6:52) #3. Relationships (9:30) #4. Indicate your ability to work on yourself (12:05) #5. Organization (14:44) #6. Exceed expectations (15:49) #7. Volunteer/Free Work/Don’t get taken advantage of (16:22) WARNING FLAGS: You trash your old church and boss (18:25) You’re overly critical with few solutions (18:43) Someone who wants more but sucks at what they currently do - not realizing that’s their resume (19:02) Social media (21:33) WHAT PASTORS LOVE: People who make themselves indispensable (22:30) Have solutions first (22:54) They crush what they have been given even if they “aren’t passionate about it” (19:41) Give more than they take (23:05) Character & drive (23:38) Need them to be somewhat of a self-starter who is faithful (23:47) INTERVIEW TIPS (23:52)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

In this podcast, you're going to learn three advanced tips for prepping your church's services. I'll show you how my church prepares for Sunday each and every week, and by the end of this episode, you'll know exactly how to implement these tips in your church as well.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-the-internet-is-provoking-the-next-christian-reformation/   What's In This Session? What role does/will the Internet have in reforming the church? (1:50) The story of Martin Luther is that he nailed his 95 theses to a door and thus began the Protestant Reformation (2:15) How can an unpublished, obscure Roman Catholic monk move from the shadows to the world stage in a matter of years? (2:27) Brand Luther by Andrew Pettegree (3:15) Luther quickly learned how to use printed books and pamphlets to spread his views widely and effectively. He obsessed not just about the words he wrote but about the timing, accuracy, visual appeal, and effective distribution of these printed works. Second, by writing in plain German, rather than in Latin, he increased his potential audience many times over (3:40) Bottom line: Martin Luther's theological revolution would have gone nowhere without the power of the printing press. Attention is the most valuable commodity - Luther was brilliant, but without attention - it wouldn’t have mattered (6:28) For years, the church had gatekeepers that you couldn’t get past - but a technological revolution removed those barriers almost instantly. Do you see a parallel? (7:37) The Internet is the next great communication shift - and removal of gatekeepers - and my prediction is that it will lead to reformation again (8:50) Jen and Mike experienced massive theological shifts because in their mid-forties they moved to a new culture (11:03) The internet basically shares anyone and everyone's theology (13:05) Eschatology, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, women in leadership, white privilege and the oppression of minorities, nationalism being passed off as Christian doctrine, and more (15:02) “Change is perceived as compromise" (18:03) I just don’t think we’re gonna get to Heaven and hear: Baptists to the left, Pentecostals to the right, Methodists down that way, Non-Denominationals over this way, etc. We’ll be there worshipping Jesus TOGETHER. Imagine how awesome it’d be if we were willing to do that now (22:35) Matthew 22: The Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Jesus with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (24:37) Unity isn’t uniformity (25:44)  Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Jason Robinson on Twitter Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

For the last few months, I’ve been experimenting with a new type of social media template for churches. And amazingly, this type of post has quickly become one of the most popular within our social program - and hundreds of churches are seeing great engagement numbers with this kind of post. And so in this video, you’ll learn all about what I like to call the ‘Church Invitation’ template - and I’ll share with you 11 real examples of what it can look like.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-church-invitation-social-media-template-11-examples/  What's In This Session? Social program feedback from real churches prompted the creation of these posts (1:58) Three Benefits: Build anticipation for church tomorrow, demonstrate to your congregation that every Sunday is special, fill in a day on your social media calendar (3:00) Example #1: Slideshow (4:47) Example #2: Jackpot (5:55) Example #3: Crossword (Church gathers tomorrow) (7:13) Example #4: Countdown (7:20) Example #5: Breaking News…Church Is Tomorrow…Can’t Wait To See You (7:46) Example #6: Church Is Tomorrow Wheel Of Fortune (8:23) Example #7: Saving Your Seat (8:41) Example #8: Life Is Better Together - Will We See You At Church Tomorrow? (10:10) Example #9: Weekend Checklist (10:59) Example #10: Here is the church; here is the steeple; open it up and here are all the people (11:13) Example #11: Booking Reminder (13:10) Future ideas: Focus church invitation; Captcha church invitation (13:55)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

 Church stage design can feel intimidating - especially if you’re a smaller church. But here’s the good news: you *can* design a stunning church stage on a budget. And by the end of this video, you’ll know exactly how - and I’ll share with you five churches that are implementing these cost-saving stage designs as inspiring examples.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/simple-cheap-church-stage-design-ideas-real-examples/    What's In This Session? Stage design is one of the things that churches obsess over that doesn’t move the needle forward (0:28) 65 published videos on our YouTube channel - the most popular with a quarter of a million views is called ‘3 Small Church Stage Design Ideas’ (1:08) STAGE DESIGN FOUNDATION: Lighting (1:45) BIG IDEA: 1x2x8 wood boards from Home Depot, painted black and combined with LED tape (2:32) Example #1: Worship Leader Hangout (4:46) Example #2 - The Well (Geneva, IL) (6:22) Example #3 - Palm Valley Church (Mission, TX) (7:12) Example #4 - Dunn’s Creek (San Mateo, FL) (9:35) Example #5 - Praise Church (Beaumont, TX) (10:47) Safety disclaimer: Fire and rigging safety is important, and varies per region () Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Barna: Making Space For Millennials Pro Church Tools: 3 Small Stage Design Ideas Home Depot: Wood Board LED Light Strips Stage Design Ideas: Lined Lightly Church Stage Design Ideas: Light Sticks Church Stage Design ideas: LED Logo Lines Church Stage Design Ideas: Angled Glow Lines Church Stage Design Ideas: Safety In Stage Design Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

“Is the church’s primary goal to convert people to Christianity?” This is a question I recently asked more than 500 church leaders. And the responses I got? Frankly, they surprised me. And so in this video, we’ll breakdown how churches understand conversion - and why we need to stop caring so much about it.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/why-churches-should-stop-caring-so-much-about-conversions/    What's In This Session? My Thesis: Too many churches believe that converting people to Christianity is their primary goal - and this belief causes harm (0:32) 629 people were asked, “Is the church’s primary goal to convert people to Christianity?” 40% said yes; 60% said no (1:05) My IG Demographic: 25-34 age; 70/30 men vs. women (1:43) How do you quantify a conversion? 603 responses: 33% sinner’s prayer; 4% church membership; 25% baptism; 38% IDK (3:05) Harmful #1: Quantifying a conversion is virtually impossible - if your church’s primary goal is immeasurable, how do you know you’re on the right path? (4:25) Harmful #2: Reducing conversion to the sinner’s prayer (for the sake of quantification) turns following Christ into a transaction - not a lifelong pursuit of taking up your cross and following Jesus (4:48) Harmful #3: When a church’s primary goal is to persuade people into repeating a salvation script - services become overemphasized and programs are bent towards maximizing salvation scripts (7:41) Principle #1: Faith in Christ is a continuum; not an on/off switch - your church’s goal should be moving people along the continuum, closer to Christ (15:06) Principle #2: Our mandate is to make disciples; not converts. A convert has a lottery ticket to heaven; a disciple has a cross to die on (16:35) Principle #3: You will know people by their fruit (21:36) Is this all just semantics? (20:45) Holistic method: Church growth calculator (22:01)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Church Growth Calculator Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Most churches still use bulletins. But with that being said, when was the last time you examined the true purpose of your church bulletin - and whether or not it was accomplishing its goal? In this video, we’ll lay out a series of principles that we believe a church bulletin should abide by and I'll even give you a free bulletin Photoshop template to help you create your own.     BULLETIN TEMPLATE: https://prochurchtools.com/u6oh   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/16645-2/   What's In This Session? Does your church have a bulletin? 64% of responders said yes; 36% said no (0:31) This episode isn’t about eliminating your church’s bulletin (1:04) Principle #1: There is value in physical handouts at an in-person experience (1:20) Principle #2: Your church’s bulletin should align with your overall communication strategy (2:37) Principle #3: The less the content changes - the better (average cost of printing bulletin is $0.25 - a church of 100 people printing weekly bulletins costs more than $100/month) (3:29) Our overall communication strategy is The Central Hub - a single destination for every next step (5:10) Idea #1: Your bulletin should inspire action, not simply contain information (8:20) Idea #2: Your bulletin design should align with your church’s style guide (8:51) Idea #3: Your bulletin should be just as useful for new folks as it regular attendees (10:03) Idea #4: Your bulletin could be distributed monthly instead of weekly (11:14) Idea #5: Your bulletin should point your church to The Central Hub (13:35) What to include in your bulletin? Four squares -> Small groups, giving, prayer request, one BIG event (13:39)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: The Central Hub: signups and registrations Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

A simple and easy way to get more followers and likes on social media is to run a contest or giveaway. But beware! Because these types of promotions can turn sideways if you don’t follow best practices. So by the end of this video, you’ll know the tools, the strategies, and the frameworks needed to run a successful contest on social media.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/16632-2/   What's In This Session? The Simple Contest: ex. We’re giving away a $25 gift card to a person that likes us on Facebook (0:51) Livestock on IG (1:48) The Advanced Contest: Earn more entries by completing more tasks (2:37) Advanced contests should have more valuable prizes (2:37) Stack the prizes to increase chances of winning (5:47) When you should use a contest (7:08) The Downsides: Increased quantity hurts overall engagement rate which may impact people reached (9:28) Livestock has 0.3% engagement rate on IG (500 likes per post with 200K followers) compared to my 3% engagement rate (500 likes per post with 17K followers) (10:16) Tips: make sure to announce and post the winner (13:24) Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Livestock on Instagram Gleam: Every Entry Type Competition Gleam: The Business Growth Platform Rafflecopter Featured Resource: Why We Lowered Nucleus Prices By 50% Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Social media is constantly changing and it can sometimes feel like an impossible task trying to keep up. But that’s why this channel exists! And so by the end of this episode, you’ll know all about the big changes coming to Facebook and Instagram right now and what it means for your church online.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/16611-2/   What's In This Session? Facebook Developers Conference held at the end of April/early May (0:28) An experiment was run to Get rid of like counts on Instagram (2:37) Instagram announced at its F8 developer conference today that it’ll start testing a new feature later this week that’ll hide users’ public like counts on videos and photos. (2:55) Likes are a currency on social; devalue the currency - upend the culture (3:22) Problem #1: Do it for the gram - Iceland/Scotland trip research - the performative nature of IG (3:59) Problem #2: Like for like (6:48) New Facebook app design Is called FB5 - it’s cleaner, faster, and isn’t blue anymore (13:23) For the longest time, I’ve said ”The only reason I use Facebook is because of groups” - both as a consumer AND a publisher (14:08) Good #1: Less emphasis on news stories generating outrage (16:05) Good #2: Focus on communities (16:48) Why is this important? Americans are very unhappy "Happiness and life satisfaction among United Stated adolescents which increases between 1991 and 2011, suddenly declined after 2012" (19:05) Correlation does not equal causation (19:25) The responsibility falls on the social platforms, the parents/leaders, and the church (22:05)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Instagram Will Test Hiding Public Like Counts World Happiness Report Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Christian churches in North America are facing a crisis. Attendance is down, giving is down, young people are leaving churches at alarming rates - but that’s not the worse part. The worse part is that our Christian churches are exacerbating this crisis thanks to a handful of shoddy beliefs. And by the end of this video, you’ll know what those beliefs are - and how to resist the pull of them.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/16590-2/   What's In This Session? Branding is what others think about you - before our churches can truly reach our city and/or community - we need to understand how we are perceived (2:22) #1. Persecution Complex (2:55) More than 245 million Christians in the world are highly persecuted for their Christian faith. 1 in 9 Christians worldwide experience high levels of persecution (2:59) White evangelicals think they’re super persecuted (4:23) God’s Not Dead feeds the narrative (4:43) Don’t belittle the real persecution of others by manufacturing fake persecution for yourself (5:10) James Harden comparison (8:48) #2. Theological Certainty (11:14) Hundreds of denominations and translations and you’re certain yours is the absolute correct one (11:18) Theological certainty is a symptom of trusting beliefs more than God (12:47) Surrendering the need to be right, and our pride opens the door for empathy and compassion (15:47) Judge them by their fruits? The Protestant quest for theological certainty has led to a staggering number of different denominations and sub-denominations that disagree sharply about how significant portions of the Bible should be understood (19:35) Things that matter: incarnational living, selflessness, laying down one’s own life for others, generosity, bringing life to death, bringing heaven to Earth, redemption, reconciliation, love being the uniting/redeeming/ultimate force in the world to do good (20:06) #3. Celebrity Worship (22:25) Canadian commercials versus American commercials (22:49) The face of American Christianity is Donald Trump, Mark Driscoll, Perry Noble, Bill Hybels, Pete Wilson etc. (23:46) The true danger of each of these beliefs is that they are ancient sins masquerading as Christian virtues (31:29)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: 2019 World Watch List Press Room Perceive Discrimination Against Christians Than Muslims Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, I want to share with you my step-by-step system for creating gripping church testimony videos. This is the type of video that shares the real story of someone in your church - their story of life change in Christ. So follow along, and by the end of this video, you’ll know what questions to ask during your interviews, the best way to light your setup, and I’ll share with you a pair of real examples I’ve produced as well.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-creating-a-church-testimony-video/   What's In This Session? Core Value #1: Show don’t tell (1:07) Core Value #2: Don’t force resolution (2:41) Core Value #3: No story is too small (4:03) Core Value #4: The responsibility falls on the storyteller (4:54) Stage #1 - The Interview (5:33) Finding interview candidates (5:40) Interview prep (6:45) Film location - interviewee’s home (8:58) Record for about an hour of talking (12:07) Keep the questions open-ended - ex. Tell me about a time when, or tell me the story of (12:43) Shift from story questions to introspective - ex. How have you changed in the last 5 years (14:35) Find the bruise: Identify the meaningful moment and dig deep (16:15) Stage #2 - The Story (19:45) Your main job here is to cut upwards of 90% of the footage you captured in the previous step (19:50) You don’t need your story to follow the same linear path of your interview (20:20) Once you’ve completed the first edit of your story elicit feedback by asking two questions #1: When are you confused? #2: When are you bored? (20:38) Stage #3 - The B-Roll (21:47) Plan to capture as much b-roll as to cover every second on your video (22:22) Edit your story with 80% b-roll and 20% interview (22:33) Visual Element #1: Location (23:40) Visual Element #2: Stabilization (24:08) Visual Element #3: Framing (24:44) Tip #1: Hold each shot for at least 10 seconds (24:50) Tip #2: The 3:1 Rule (25:22)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Dan's Story Aaron's Story Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Your church’s logo is the foundation of your visual identity. And with the prominence of digital platforms, your church logo is now more visible than ever before. So to get you inspired, I want to share with you eleven of my favorite church logos - along with seven rules for logo design to help put you on the right path toward better church branding.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/?p=16552&preview=true   What's In This Session? #1: Rileyville Baptist Church--Design by Ariel Rudolph Harwich (4:30) Rule #1: Meaningful (4:40) #2: Risen Church--Design by Michael Sevilla (6:30) Rule #2: Scaleable (7:28) #3: Trinity Presbyterian Church--Design by Peter Voth (9:15) Rule #3: Work well in monochrome (9:30) #4: Lakeside Church--Design by Even place (10:24) Rule #4: Simple (10:30) #5: Limitless Church--Design by Bruno Nascimento (11:32) Rule #5: Unique (12:29) #6: Harvest Church--Design by Benjamin Oberemok (13:22) Rule #6: Memorable (13:50) #7: 20 MIle Church--Design by Joel Davis (14:20) Rule #7: Timeless (14:25) #8: Grace Generation--Design by Stephen Costello (15:35) #9: City Hope Church--Design by Ben Stafford (15:43) #10: NewSpring Church--Design by Dave Keller (16:10) #11: Rush Creek Church--Design by Allan Peters (17:50)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Rileyville Baptist Church Logo Risen Church Logo https://risenchurch.com/ Trinity Presbyterian Church Logo Lakeside Church Logo Limitless Church Logo Harvest Church Logo 20 Mile Church Logo Grace Generation Church Branding City Hope Church Logo NewSpring Church Logo Rush Creek Church Logo Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

As church attendance continues to decline, ministries are beginning to confront a glaring problem with how we do church today. The problem? Our buildings are extremely expensive, they only get used once or twice per week, and they’re often removed from the everyday life of our communities. Thankfully, there are churches working to solve this problem in innovative ways. And by the end of this video, you’ll learn the new rules for church buildings and how your church can begin applying these principles immediately - whether your church is big, small, young, or old.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/?p=16525&preview_id=16525&preview_nonce=4110ca7c64&post_format=audio&_thumbnail_id=-1&preview=true   What's In This Session? Century Church: A United Methodist church plant meeting at Pike Road School in Pike Road, Alabama has grown to about 500 people - lead by their lead pastor Dr. Patrick M. Quinn. (2:11) Century is ready to build their own building - but, they’ve set out to create a church campus that will abandon the 20th Century church design formula in favor of directly addressing some of the factors that are contributing to decreases in church participation. (2:42) If present trends continue, the percentage of the population that attends church in 2050 is estimated to be at almost half of 1990’s attendance. (4:07) Only 2 in 10 people in the U.S. under the age of 30 consider attending church “important”. (4:36) Over the last several years we have thought church attendance was dropping because of relevance. (5:10) “The 20th Century model for building churches focused on the church buildings, whereas we believe that the future of the church is to focus on how to build the community first,” says Quinn. (8:23) Instead of creating a large church building that is surrounded by a sea of parking and only used once or twice a week, Century wants to create a campus that is vibrant throughout the week because: #1. It has buildings that cater to the entire community, #2. They are designed to be so welcoming and comfortable that people will simply want to hang out there. (10:20) What most churches offer has become commoditized; this move towards community and meeting space cannot be commoditized by the Internet. (12:23) Four basic principles can be applied to any church of any size. (15:49) 1. Community first, church second. (16:07) 2. Partnerships that matter. (17:58) 3. Incremental design. (19:44) 4. Sense of adventure and creativity. (22:26) It is a fiscally responsible solution, it's a theologically smart solution, and it's a practical solution. (26:10)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Re-designing Church for the 21st Century Century Church: What is Next for Century Americans Divided on the Importance of Church 7 Startling Facts: An Up-Close Look at Church Attendance in America Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

One of the most iconic houses of worship in human history recently burned, leaving the world stunned and shocked at the loss of such a precious artifact. Most American churches look nothing like the Notre Dame Cathedral, but what if there’s something about that specific building that we could learn from? Today, we’ll talk about being intentional with your church building and creating something to last.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-we-lost-a-teacher-in-the-burning-of-notre-dame/   What's In This Session? Creating things that last (0:36) Catholic theology (4:40) Built with intention (5:45) Curating a church environment 96:05) Retelling the greatest story (11:55)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: RebelGive Notre Dame Cathedral The Art Of Curating Worship by Mark Pierson Scott The Painter Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Churches all around the world are beginning to embrace digital signups and are saying goodbye to papers and clipboards. But why? If we’ve done something for so long and our church is familiar with it - is it worth changing? Today, you’ll get the ultimate comparison between paper and digital signups. And you’ll learn how to smoothly make the transition.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-finally-ditch-paper-signups-for-digital-at-church/?preview=true   What's In This Session? #1: Volume of church attendees (1:20) #2: Volume of events (2:08) #3: Storage (2:39) #4: Acess (3:10) #5: Backups--digital backups are neater and easier to store (3:38) #6: Complexity--Digital forms allow for conditional logic (4:35) #7: Changes (6:03) #8: User and church data (6:35) Seize the 167: Paper signups limit the ability for your congregation to sign up for events beyond Sunday service (9:14) Switch over cold turkey: Station volunteers at a kiosk (12:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Nucleus.Church Nucleus Lobby Kiosk Set Up Guide Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

YouTube is the second most visited website in the world. And it’s far and away the most popular platform amongst Gen Z. And yet, most churches are completely absent from this platform. Thankfully, there’s a solution. Frankly, it’s been right in front of my face this whole time and I’ve been missing it. So in this video, I’ll reveal to you the absolute best YouTube strategy for churches that you can start implementing right away.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/?p=16464&preview=true   What's In This Session? YouTube is the second most visited website in the world. (1:41) 500 000+ searches are made on YouTube every month on how to study the bible. Churches are not stepping up with YouTube videos. (1:50) One study suggests 75% of kids want to be YouTubers (4:40) 95% of Gen Z use YouTube, 50% say they can't live without it, and 75% say they use it every day. (6:59) Churches should be empowering young people to create YouTube content. (8:12) 56% of Gen Z want to see Vlogs--document what your church is doing. () Search popular YouTubers to find ideas for video content. (12:58) So much of what makes student ministry "sticky" has to do with autonomy and empowerment. (14:06)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: https://www.rebelgive.com/ Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

A viral Instagram account has riled up a lot of Christians and church leaders over the past couple of weeks. @PreachersNSneakers on Instagram publishes photos of prominent pastors in costly sneakers or designer clothes next to their price tags. And while the account was started as a joke amongst friends, it blew up overnight amassing tens of thousands of followers. So what should we make of all this? Well, you’re in the right place, because by the end of this video, you’ll know why God works in mysterious ways.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: http://prochurchtools.com/3-advanced-church-service-prep-tips/   What's In This Session? The origin story of @PreachersNsneakers (0:43) Should a pastor be paid? How much? (8:34) Can a pastor have a second job? (8:43) Cultural standards: everyone who drives slower than I do on the highway is a slowpoke; anyone who drives quicker is a lunatic (9:54) An average of 38 thousand consumer debt in America: we are all spending on things we shouldn't, and drawing arbitrary lines in the sand (11:33) You who is without sin throw the first stone (13:48) Optics: Is it a sin, probably not. Is it stupid, maybe. (19:50) Should you give all your money away to have the median income? (27:44) The biggest takeaway is inconsistent standards (28:53) Looking inward and realizing our own fallibility and error opens the door to self-reflection (31:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: https://rebelgive.com/ Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

For the first time this year, the entire Pro Church Tools team was all in one room. Our team that works remotely joined us for the launch of RebelGive which gave us the perfect opportunity to shoot new headshots! And so in this video, we’ll walk through our setup, production flow, and editing process for capturing new staff headshots.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-capture-amazing-staff-headshots/ What's In This Session?   How to achieve clean, moody, and dramatic style (1:43) Attire: neutral and everyone on the same page (2:18) Backdrop: black wall, black sheet, or savage paper (3:00) Lighting: single light, big diffuser (4:16) Camera angle: locked down on a tripod, slightly elevated (6:10) Editing: black and white, create preset or free download (7:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram

Sermon bumpers are the short videos created to promote and accompany a church’s sermon series. Sermon bumpers build anticipation and are great for setting the emotional tone and atmosphere for a message within a service. And so in this video, I’ll share with you a brilliant sermon bumper example from a person in Pro Church Nation - and we’ll reverse engineer how you can make your own sermon bumper just like it.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-new-sermon-bumper-formula-5-easy-steps/   What's In This Session? #1: Establishing shot (2:50) #2: Narrated scripture passage (3:15) #3: Serif font (6:03) #4: Glitch transitions (6:47) #5: Atmospheric backing track (8:03)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: RebelGive Storytape Slack Voices.com Vintage voice effect from Mike Russel in Adobe Audition 20 Best Google Web Fonts Peter McKinnon Tutorial Glitch Soundstripe Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Ever since social media platforms replaced chronological feeds with algorithmic feeds, people have been suspicious. How do these mysterious algorithms really work? And how can your church stay on the good side of the algorithm? In this video, you’ll learn ways to maximize your exposure on social media and how to beat that pesky algorithm.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-beat-social-media-algorithms-2019-update/   What's In This Session? #1: Don't fall for conspiracies (1:30) #2: Understand how the algorithm works (4:00) #3: Captions (6:35)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: RebelGive Pretty Caption Instagram's tweet Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

In this podcast, you're going to learn three advanced tips for prepping your church's services. I'll show you how my church prepares for Sunday each and every week, and by the end of this episode, you'll know exactly how to implement these tips in your church as well.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/27-ways-gen-z-uses-social-media/   What's In This Session? Teens; British; mostly white and Christian (1:43) 94% of young people engage with social on a daily basis (1:51) 75% engage with Youtube with the same regularity (1:57) 4 out of 5 of Generation Z's favorite ways to spend time include screen-based activity (2:05) Which activities/hobbies do you enjoy doing in your spare time? (2:15) Youtube is the favorite platform (77%); Facebook (49%); Snapchat (48%); Instagram (46%) (2:30) How does social media affect your mood? (2:45) What makes you engage with posts on social? (4:13) What kind of videos do you engage with on Youtube? (4:43) What do you like to see vloggers/Youtubers doing? (5:15) Takeaway 1: Humor is undefeated with teens (5:41) Takeaway 2: Youth are almost certainly addicted to social, but unaware of it (6:40) Takeaway 3: Be involved in person and online with your teens (7:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Z: Rethinking Culture Youth For Christ - Gen Z: Digital Generation  Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

For as much as I encourage churches to use social media and reach their world for Jesus using digital mediums, there are some undeniable drawbacks to these platforms as well. And so in this video, we’ll discuss the three most sinister and soul-sucking trends I see on social media - and what we can do about them.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-ways-social-media-is-killing-us-all/   What's In This Session? #1: Comparison Culture (0:54) #2: Posting Without Consent (3:10) #3: Creators Are Rewarded For Sensationalism (5:25)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: RebelGive I'm 14, and I quit social media after discovering what was posted about me Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

Today, you’re going to learn the five elements that I think every church giving page needs. For example, one of those elements has to do with where you position and place your giving page to make sure it’s easily accessible. And by the end of this video, you’ll have the tools and knowledge you need to construct the ideal church giving page.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-construct-the-ideal-church-giving-form/   What's In This Session? #1: Medium (0:38) #2: Availability (2:17) #3: Stepped Forms (3:22) #4: Mobile First (7:14) #5: Return Users (8:09)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: RebelGive Why Multi-Step Lead Forms Get up to 300% More Conversions Intercom Drift Typeform JotForm Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, you’re going to learn about the best free apps for creating and editing videos on your phone. You’ll learn about apps that can automatically transcribe the words you’re saying and add captions to your videos. You’ll learn about apps that will provide you with clean and modern video templates. And so much more.  ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-best-free-apps-for-creating-editing-videos-on-your-phone/    What's In This Session? Apple Clips (1:00) Animoji (2:38) Hyperlapse (3:38) Splice (4:24) InShot (5:08) Unfold (5:26) VSCO (6:05) Hype Type (6:38) Clipomatic (6:53) I.G Stories (7:16)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Apple Clips (1:00) Animoji (2:38) Hyperlapse (3:38) Splice (4:24) InShot (5:08) Unfold (5:26) VSCO (6:05) Hype Type (6:38) Clipomatic (6:53) I.G Stories (7:16)

For more than a year, my team and I have been working on a new giving platform for churches. It’s called RebelGive and it’s officially open to the public now. With RebelGive, your church will always receive 100% of every gift. You won’t ever have to worry about digital giving fees again. And this makes RebelGive the most affordable church giving platform ever. So in this video, you’ll learn the origin story of RebelGive, how we got here, and how RebelGive is setting the new standard for church giving.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/introducingrebelgive-the-new-standard-for-church-giving/   What's In This Session? The origin story (0:45) Giving on every page (3:16) Flows, not forms (3:56) Looks like you (5:07) Standard features (5:51) Pricing (6:25)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: RebelGive Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, I’m going to share with you twenty different high-engaging social posts. These posts have been proven to work for churches. And each post does a great job of generating online conversation - the type of conversation that often carries over into the lobby on Sunday mornings. So without any further ado…let’s dive right in!   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/20-more-high-engaging-social-posts-for-churches-with-examples/   What's In This Session? Lists (0:54) Church Invitations (4:48) Faux Outrage (7:26) Personal Experiences (10:27)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: RebelGive 15 High Engaging Posts Your Church Can Use On Social Media Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

According to new research from LifeWay, 6 in 10 Protestant churches in America are plateaued or declining in attendance. Said differently, most churches are small and struggling. So what can we do about this? In this video we’ll aim to answer that question and point your church toward a series of steps you can take to reverse this downward trend.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/what-to-do-when-your-church-is-small-struggling/   What's In This Session? #1: Don't aim to be the discount version of a megachurch (1:07) #2: Recalibrate how you measure growth and health (2:32) The majority of Pentecostal pastors say they saw 10 or more new commitments to Christ in the church last year per 100 attendees. #3. Evaluate honestly and set your trajectory. (5:48) Is your existing congregation becoming more like Jesus? Is your neighborhood being positively affected by the church? #4. Prioritize community: Young adults that have an older mentor at church are considerably more likely to not drop out of church. (7:27) Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: FEATURED RESOURCE: RebelGive The Ultimate Guide To Show Notes Small Struggling Churches Fill U.S Landscape Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, you’re going to learn the only surefire way to increase your church’s giving this year. And if you’re skeptical of that statement - good! You should be! But here’s the deal: there are certain elements of the church giving world that no one really talks about - so in this video we're going to confront those issues and show you that there is a guaranteed way to increase your church’s giving - and by the end of this video you’ll know precisely how.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-actually-increase-your-churchs-giving-in-2019/   What's In This Session? Revenue and expenses (0:46) Giving averages (2:17) Fee averages (2:29) #1: Get your donors to cover the fees (7:34) #2: Educate your donors on fees (8:04) #3: Negotiate a lower fee structure (9:07)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: RebelGive Online Giving Statistics Small, Struggling Congregations Fill U.S. Landscape Classy.org Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

A new set of data has been published on what non-Christians want from faith conversations. And if you ignore these qualities, you may as well not talk to non-Christians in the first place, because you’re almost assuredly undermining the conversation before it's even begun. So in this video, you’ll learn what most Christians are currently doing wrong when talking about their faith - and how to fix that.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-things-non-christians-want-from-faith-conversations/   What's In This Session? #1. Listens without judgment (1:10) #2. Does not force a conclusion (1:25) #3. Allows others to draw their own conclusions (1:36) Takeaway #1: These conversations are over before they begin because Christians can’t stop judging (4:00) Takeaway #2: These conversations are over before they begin because of dogmatic certainty (7:13) Takeaway #3: These conversations are over before they begin because we approach them like a transaction (8:56)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: RebelGive Reviving Evangelism by Barna Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

According to new research from LifeWay, 6 in 10 Protestant churches in America are plateaued or declining in attendance. Said differently, most churches are small and struggling. So what can we do about this? In this video we’ll aim to answer that question and point your church toward a series of steps you can take to reverse this downward trend.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-easily-talk-about-giving-at-your-church-without-being-awkward/   What's In This Session? Do not use shame or intimidation (1:05) Do not draw lines (1:41) #1: Talk about generosity, not specifics (2:30) #2: Tell stories of life change ( 3:30) #3: Teach about budgeting, investing, and money management #4: Always make a disclaimer #5: Use this script (7:39)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21 - Day social media case study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, you’re going to learn seven techniques for curbing late arrivals to church. For example, my church has implemented a number of these strategies and we don’t struggle with a culture of chronic lateness - our church arrives on time, ready to worship. And by the end of this video, you’ll have a series of tips you can implement today to accomplish the same thing.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-ways-to-stop-late-arrivals-at-church/   What's In This Session? A couple Do Nots (1:12) #1: Consider the specifics (2:27) #2: Start on time (3:07) #3: Five minute countdown (3:54) #4: Host appears on stage 2 minutes before service (4:37) #5: Don't start with announcements (5:37) #6: Dim lobby lights (6:21) #7: Care less (6:45)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study We All Show Up Late For Church  Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

In my experience, when it comes to choosing a church giving provider, most churches don’t really know what to look for. What features matter most? And what warning signs should I be looking for? So in this video, we’ll tackle the three most important categories you should be paying attention to when you evaluate different church giving platforms.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-choose-the-right-church-giving-provider-avoid-these/   What's In This Session? The Basics (0:53) #1: The Software (1:09) #2: The Mission (3:59) #3: The Fees (8:09)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Global Trends In Giving 2018 Report charity:water Glassdoor Stripe Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

When my church prepares a service and plans out the service order, we always pay special attention to the transitions. How are we going to move from the worship to announcements? And then from announcements to the message? And how can we do it in a way that doesn’t feel awkward or stall out the momentum of service? So in this video, I’ll share my dos and don’ts on how to master service transitions.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-master-church-service-transitions-dos-donts/   What's In This Session? Technique #1: The Bridge (1:44) Example #1A: Worship -> Announcements (2:23) Example #1B: Announcement -> Announcement (3:15) Technique #2: Throw To Video (4:30) Example #2: Announcements -> Sermon (5:26) Technique #3: Backing Tracks (6:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Church Motion Graphics Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s a handful of year-over-year giving trends that are showing no signs of slowing down. And when you properly understand what these giving trends mean, you’ll be able to improve the overall experience for your donors and inspire them to give in the right ways. And in this video, I’m going to show you each of these trends - along with the most important takeaways your church needs to know.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-church-giving-trends-to-watch-in-2019/   What's In This Session? #1: Preferred methods of giving (1:09) #2: Money given to charities (2:38) #3: Millennial giving (4:20) #4: Top causes for Christian giving (4:46) Takeaway #1: Prioritize online giving (5:43) Takeaway #2: Online giving is going to increase (7:13) Takeaway #3: Cause-based giving (8:45)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study 2018 Global Trends In Giving Report Giving USA 2018 Infographic Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

Today you’re going to learn the five most important pages on your church’s website after your homepage. For example, did you know that your staff page will likely be one of most highly trafficked pages on your entire site? It’s true. So in this video, you’ll learn what each of these five pages are - and I’ll show you how to structure them and what to include on each page.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-important-pages-every-church-website-needs-beyond-the-homepage/   What's In This Session? #1: The Plan A Visit Page (0:59) #2: The About Page (2:45) #3: The Staff Page (3:38) #4: The Kids Page (7:09) #5: The Sermon Engine (8:29)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study How To Create A Stunning Church Welcome Video The Ultimate Church Website Page Template Library Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Every year your church has one or two events that are the biggest of the year. For most churches that’s Easter and Christmas. But how do you properly promote these landmark events? How do you get people excited? And how do you get them to actually show up? Well, you’re in the right place, because in this video, you’ll learn the 60-day promotion plan for big church events.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-60-day-promotion-plan-for-big-church-events/   What's In This Session? 60 Days Out: Awareness content piece (1:07) Understand the goal (1:17) 60 Days Out: Set up registration/follow up sequence (2:24) 30 Days Out: Weekly announcement from stage (7:09) 30 Days Out: Social/email/bulletin/lobby/website all working together (7:14) 7 Days Out: Double down on Facebook Ads (8:06) Day Of: Display the event (9:14)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study 2 Part Church Announcements Formula Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Millennials are at it again. What are they doing this time? Simply put, they’re staying single. They're not getting married and they’re doing it in record numbers. What’s more, they’re doing it by choice. So what does this mean for your church? In this video, you’ll learn the statistics, the motivations, and the action steps your church can take.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-millennial-singleness-is-affecting-your-church/   What's In This Session? Millennials aren't getting married (0:35) Millennials prioritize themselves (2:01) Millennials like being single (3:21) How this affects church life (3:40) How to actively include single people (5:34)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Gallup Analysis: Millennials, Marriage and Family Young, Single, and Career Oriented  Don't Even Shame Millennials, Gen Z For Being Single Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, you’re going to learn six reasons why offering text giving at your church is a bad idea. New research has been published and it’s quite conclusive on why text-to-give options for your church are almost certainly a waste of time and money. And by the end of this video, you’ll know exactly why after seeing the researching for yourself.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/why-text-giving-for-churches-is-a-trap-to-avoid-new-research/   What's In This Session? #1: How donors prefer to give (1:15) #2: Added cost (3:30) #3: Two types of text giving (4:11) #4: Who are text givers? (5:11) #5: Stop-gap solution (6:30) #6: Muddies your overall communications (7:11) Disclaimer: Anything can work (8:23)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Online Giving Statistics Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

As design trends shift and evolve, so does your need as a designer for new fonts. So in this video, I’ll share with you seven free fonts that we’ve been using in our designs recently - fonts that are absolutely on-trend.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-free-fonts-for-church-designers-winter-2019-edition/   What's In This Session? #1: Coder's Crux (2:50) #2: Inconsolata (3:50) #3: VT323 (4:43) #4: BP Dots (5:15) #5: Jeffries (6:02) #6: Poppins (6:40) #7: 01Kinder (7:11)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Coder's Crux Inconsolata VT323 BP Dots Jeffries Poppins 01Kinder Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s a youth pastor I know who preaches almost exclusively on social media. He’s not a big name yet. You’ve almost certainly never heard of him. But he’s using social platforms like YouTube and Instagram to disciple his students and reach them every single day - not just when they attend church and youth services. And in this video, I’ll break down the formulas he’s using to create this content and introduce you to this innovative young pastor.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-a-millennial-pastor-uses-social-media-to-preach-new-case-study/   What's In This Session? Alex Wilson (0:49) Traditional Model (1:20) Alex's Model (1:50) Formula #1: Culture/Intersection With Faith/Application (3:18) Formula #2: Story/Intersection With Faith/Application (5:14) Formula #3: 10 Second Sermons (7:17) Design/Editing (8:47)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Alex Wilson on Instagram Apposite on YouTube Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Here’s the bottom line: the average church service hasn’t changed much in the last 10 years - even though the world around us has fundamentally shifted. So what does this mean for you? It’s about time we adjust how we plan our church services. And so in this video, you’ll learn how plan better services to accomplish your church’s mission in the midst of massive cultural changes.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-plan-effective-church-services-in-2019/   What's In This Session? Phil Bowdle (0:37) #1: Attendance habits have shifted (1:40) #2: Understand your mission/goals as a church (4:22) #3: What's the one thing we want to communicate in this service? (4:29) #4: How can we weave this theme through every portion of service? (4:50) #5: This is not restrictive, but does require planning (6:36)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Rethinking Communication by Phil Bowdle The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth Phil Bowdle Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, you’re going to learn seven helpful methods for surviving a chaotic season in church. I myself have been going through a rough couple of months - and I’ve often found it difficult to navigate through the disorder around me. So in this video, I’ll talk about the steps I’ve been taking to survive a chaotic season - what works and what doesn’t.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-survive-a-chaotic-season-in-church/   What's In This Session? Brady's life (0:35) #1: Recognize the pull towards negativity (1:49) #2: Double down on healthy habits (3:19) #3: Adjust your inputs (4:03) #4: Give yourself grace (4:53) #5: Talk to the people around you (6:41) #6: Focus on what you can control (8:23) #7: Know God is pleased with you (8:41)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s new research that has just been published about Millennial Christians and their posture on evangelism - and frankly, it’s pretty troubling. According to Barna, 47% of Millennial Christians - close to half - think evangelism is wrong. So in this video, we’ll dissect this new research, what it means, and what we need to do about it to get back on track.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/why-millennial-christians-think-evangelism-is-wrong-new-research/   What's In This Session? New research from Reviving Evangelism from Barna (0:37) Almost all practicing Christians believe evangelism is part of their faith (0:46) Defining Millennials (1:17) Millennials feel equipped to share their faith (1:33) Half of Millennials think it's wrong to share their personal faith with the intent of changing someone else's faith (2:02) How Millennials have experienced evangelism (2:26) Brady's story (6:22) Brady's new paradigm (6:57)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Reviving Evangelism by Barna Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

Today, you’re going to learn ten ways to improve your small talk skills - particularly in the church setting. Now you might be wondering: “Small talk? Is this really something I care about?” Absolutely it is. Because especially if you’re a leader at church, becoming a better conversationalist is an easy way to show someone you care while also representing your church well. So in this video you’ll learn my ten best techniques for becoming better at small talk.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/10-ways-to-make-church-lobby-conversations-less-awkward/   What's In This Session? This is less about making things easy for you - and more about showing others you care (0:58) #1: Remember their name (1:20) #2: Don't steer the conversation toward you (3:02) #3 - #7: Non-verbal communication (4:34) #8 - #9: Verbal communication (6:12) #10: What do you wish your clients/customers knew about your work? (7:09)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Too many people fall for what I call the gear gluttony trap. The trap of thinking that if you just had the right camera, with better features, you’d be able to capture the look that you want. Here’s the truth though: it’s not about the gear, it’s about how you use it. And so in this video, you’ll learn how to instantly upgrade your church’s video production - without needing to upgrade your gear.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-instantly-upgrade-your-churchs-video-production/   What's In This Session? #1: Lighting (1:24) #2: Contrast Ratio (3:58) #3: Audio Quality (6:54) #4: Frame Rate (8:13) #5: Story/Narrative (8:41)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

Stories on social media are currently growing 15X faster than the social news feed. So how can your church take advantage of this? In this video, I’ll share with you three stories frameworks that are working great right now - not only that, but these three particular techniques are also incredibly easy and quick to execute.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-quick-easy-instagram-stories-strategies-for-churches/   What's In This Session? No Sunday story ideas (0:44) #1: Pastor at-home behind the scenes (2:17) #2: Q&A with screenshots and responses (4:46) #3: Day-to-day (6:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Craig Groeschel on Instagram Chad Veach on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Here’s the bottom line: digital media can be confusing. And it gets even more confusing when you fall prey to myths that are completely untrue! So in this video, I want to expose five digital myths that I see churches falling for every single day. So that by the end of this video, digital media will be a little bit easier for you and your church.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-digital-myths-churches-need-to-stop-believing/   What's In This Session? Myth #1: Mega churches are the experts we should be modelling after (0:40) Myth #2: Digital is just for big churches (3:14) Myth #3: Live streaming (4:30) Myth #4: Stage design (7:38) Myth #5: Church apps (9:13)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Google My Business 3 Low-Hanging Fruit Ideas For Your Church Why Live Streaming For Churches Is Overrated How To Create A Stunning Church Welcome Video Church App: 11 Need-To-Know Facts Before Investing In A Mobile App Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

If you want more likes and comments on your church’s social media posts - then this video is for you. Because over the next few minutes, I’ll be sharing with you 15 super high-engaging social posts for your church. Nothing hypothetical here. Instead, exact examples real churches are using to boost their engagement online in massive ways.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/15-high-engaging-posts-your-church-can-use-on-social-media/   What's In This Session? Pizza analogy (1:16) Why these posts are valuable (2:36) Examples (3:06) Testimony (6:04) How do we create these posts? (12:03)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The New Social Media Checklist For Churches  Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s a new type of social media post for churches that’s huge right now. It garners a ton of likes and comments, but it’s also great for earning extended watch-time. Why is that important? You’ll learn the answer to that question in this video. Not only that, but I’ll share with you nine examples of this post template and give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we constructed each of them.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/9-examples-of-the-countdown-social-media-template-for-churches/   What's In This Session? Testimonies (1:20) Examples (2:33) #1: Juggernaut post (7:48) #2: Visually different (8:39) #3: Different applications (8:39) How we create these posts? (9:12)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The New Social Media Checklist For Churches Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

If you’re a church, you should be using social media for so much more than just promoting events and services. In fact, your church should approach social as you would any other ministry like small groups or missions. And one way you can use social to help those connected to your church online grow in their faith, is to provoke the spiritual practice of Bible reading. How? Well, there’s actually a framework for this I call The Bible Reading template. And in this video, you’ll learn exactly what that is - and I’ll show you a handful of real examples of what it looks like.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-use-the-bible-reading-social-media-template-with-examples/   What's In This Session? 58% of American adults wish they read the Bible more often (1:35) Provoke spiritual practice (2:19) #1: Long-form passages of Scripture (7:33) #2: Stop the scroll (7:55) #3: Keep users engaged (8:02)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The New Social Media Checklist For Church YouVersion TypeForm Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Every sub-culture has its own language and sayings - and our churches are not immune to this. However, when you’ve spent as much time in churches as I have (delivering announcements, reviewing websites, visiting services, etc.) you begin to notice certain sayings that are awkward or could at the very least use improvement. And so in this video, I want to share with you a few church sayings I don’t care for along with better options you can swap in instead.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/say-this-not-that-church-edition/   What's In This Session? Attention to detail matters (1:41) "Visitor/Guest/First Time" vs. "New" (3:13) Ambiguous names for ministries (6:41) Asking visitors to identify themselves (8:56) "Turn to your neighbour and tell them they look good" (9:54)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram

Every week I receive messages from church leaders asking, “Brady, what can we do to increase our church’s attendance?” The problem? On their own, church attendance numbers are effectively meaningless. Now, if you’re skeptical of that statement - I totally get it. And so in this video, I’ll share with you three reasons that back up that claim - along with a new paradigm for accurately measuring and evaluating your church’s growth and health.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-reasons-church-attendance-numbers-are-meaningless/   What's In This Session? #1: Church attendance is universally declining (1:47) #2: Attendance only cares about butts in seats (5:22) #3: Attendance is an indirect measurement tool (7:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study 7 Startling Facts: An Up Close Look At Church Attendance In America The New Rules For Measuring Church Growth Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram

Believe it or not, stories on social media are set to overtake the news feed as the primary way you and I engage on social within the next year. Is your church ready for this? If not, in this video, I’ll share with you my absolute #1 stories strategy - along with precise examples and techniques that you can copy and use for yourself.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-1-instagram-stories-strategy-for-churches/   What's In This Session? The Tap-Tap-Taparoo (2:04) #1: Puts your audience in control (4:03) #2: Crazy high completion ratio (4:23) #3: Do it from anywhere, anytime (8:14) Strategy #1: Annotate screenshots (8:55) Strategy #2: The double take (9:24)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

I was scrolling through my Facebook feed the other day when I saw a post from a friend of mine that asked a simple question. It said, “What are the issues you wish the church was NOT silent on?” And to my surprise the thread had close to 200 responses - mostly from younger people. So I read through the entire thread and identified the five most popular responses given. And in this video, I’ll reveal what those issues are - five issues the church must stop ignoring.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-issues-the-church-must-stop-ignoring-survey-results/   What's In This Session? What are the issues you wish the church was not silent on? (0:44) #5: Pornography (3:39) #4: Abuse (5:15) #3: Domestic Abuse (6:57) #2: Mental Health & Wellness (9:29) #1: Politics (10:03)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study How A Christian Vlogger Gained 40K YouTube Subscribers In 18 Months with Justin Khoe Statistics | The National Domestic Violence Hotline Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

In this video, you’re going to learn a proven formula for creating an engaging church welcome video. For example, a smaller church in Arizona is using this strategy and they’ve been able to reach groups of people they never were able to reach before they created this welcome video. And in the next few minutes, I’ll share with you this welcome video example along with a series of tips that you can use to create your own.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-create-a-stunning-church-welcome-video/   What's In This Session? Summary (1:09) #1: A full walk through from arrival to end (2:45) #2: POV experience (2:50) #3: Hard-coded subtitles (4:28) #4: Answering FAQs (5:28) #5: Kids (5:51) #6: Personality and fun (6:52) Trey and Brady's interaction (7:45) IG Stories ad (7:52)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Plan A Visit | Passion Creek Church Trey Van Camp on YouTube Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram

There are three new social media trends that I predict are going to be massively important to you and your church in 2019. It’s all part of the never-ending evolution of social media. And if you ignore this next wave of social, you’re putting your church’s online presence at risk. So in this video, I’ll show what each of these three trends are - and how your church can leverage them this year.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-bold-social-media-predictions-for-2019/   What's In This Session? #1: Stories will surpass feeds (1:23) #2: DMs will become the most valued social metric (5:15) #3: Off-the-cuff content will out perform produced content (6:33)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study BLOCK PARTY Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There are three individual church trends that I’m beginning to see gain some significant traction. And this is great news! Because in my opinion, each of these trends is a gateway to healthier and stronger churches. So if you’re not already bought in - it’s time to join the bandwagon. And by the end of this podcast, you’ll know what each of the three trends is and why your church needs to be a part of them.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-church-trends-you-need-to-jump-on-in-2019/   What's In This Session? #1: Social For Mission (1:11) #2: Church Growth Calculator (4:24) #3: Scrapping Tradition For Mission (7:37)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Church Growth Calculator Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Social media is an ever-evolving animal. What worked last month may or may not work this month. So how do you keep up? That’s what this podcast is all about. And in this episode, we’ll go into depth as we breakdown five different social media post examples for churches. We’ll show you why these posts work and offer you practical takeaways that you can begin implementing right away.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-smart-social-media-post-examples-for-churches/   What's In This Session? #1: Google Myth/Fact (1:47) #2: Christmas Song Elimination (3:50) #3: Windows 95 Christmas Story (5:53) #4: O Holy Night (7:12) #5: New Year's Eve Countdown (9:29)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

There are a series of trends in the church world that, if I’m being honest, I’d like to see put to rest. And seeing as we’re about to enter into a new year, my recommendation is this: let’s abandon these church trends in 2018 - and move onto to smarter and brighter things in 2019. So in this podcast, I’ll detail what each of five trends is and why you need to set them to rest before the end of the year.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: http://prochurchtools.com/3-advanced-church-service-prep-tips/   What's In This Session? #1: Sunday social sprints (1:00) #2: Passing the Friendship Registry (2:41) #3: Displaying "insider" promos where potential new visitors find you (4:38) #4: Organic social media as a primary promotional tool (5:43) #5: Using sermon series as crutches (7:03)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resources: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

A new year is right around the corner which means new opportunities! And there are three books that I’ve been reading this month that I think would make great additions to your reading list in 2019. And in this podcast, I’ll share with you what each of these three books are (plus, a bonus fourth book) and why I’ve enjoyed them so much.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-books-you-need-to-read-in-2019/   What's In This Session? One of the best ways to grow your church is to grow yourself (0:32) Book #1: Atomic Habits by James Clear (1:13) Book #2: My Morning Routine by Benjamin Spell and Michael Xander (3:28) Book #3: Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt (5:15) Bonus Book: Wired To Eat by Robb Wolf (6:17)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Atomic Habits by James Clear  My Morning Routine by Benjamin Spell and Michael Xander Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt What To Eat by Robb Wolf The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg Audible Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

My entire professional career is dedicated to helping churches understand digital media. And in my experience, I see churches generally take one of two routes: either they’ll blindly copy other churches they look up to - or, they’ll work to understand how digital works for themselves. Here’s the secret though: copying another church can actually be a smarter option than learning everything yourself. The problem? You need to do it the right way. And in this podcast, you’ll learn exactly how to do that.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-copy-other-churches-and-get-away-with-it/   What's In This Session? This topic is important to us (0:45) Our most popular video (1:46) Three layers: Strategy/Structure/Style (2:12) #1: Church App (2:50) #2: Live Streaming (4:01) #3: Instagram (5:45)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Why You Should Never Copy Elevation Church Elevation Church on Instagram The Worst Current Graphic Design Trend (And Why I Love It So Much . . .) Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s a certain category of social media post that most churches shy away from. But I don’t want you to be one of those churches! Because when you exclude this type of post from your social strategy - not only will your church’s social identity appear a lot more boring - but there are a trio of negative consequences you’ll have to deal with as well. So in this podcast, I’ll reveal what this category of social post is - and why every church needs it.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/1-missing-ingredient-for-most-churches-on-social/   What's In This Session? A Facebook Thread (0:53) A Fundamental Misunderstanding (1:35) #1: Micro content is telling a story over several days (2:34) #2: Your social identity should be congruent with your in person identity (4:47) #3: Algorithms are constantly adjusting based on response (6:17)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study 5 NEW & INNOVATIVE Social Media Templates For 2019 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Millennials are currently the largest generation in the North American workforce. Meaning, if your church is trying to reach your community, the largest cohort you’ll be aiming to reach…is likely Millennials. So what do we know about this age group? What's unique about the first generation to reach adulthood after growing up on the Internet? In this podcast, I’ll share seven revealing facts about Millennials to help you understand what’s really going on with the Millennial generation.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-new-revealing-facts-about-millennials/   What's In This Session? #1: High Education (2:10) #2: Lots Of College = Lots Of Debt. (2:23) #3: Lots Of Debt = Lesser Home Buying (3:54) #4: A Delay In Having Kids (4:17) #5: Living At Home, Living With Others, Workaholics (5:41) #6: A Cloudy Future (7:17) #7: A Change Of Culture (7:40)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study We're Making Life Too Hard For Millennials | New York Times Millennial Generation | Beth Kobliner Archives Of Sexual Behaviour | Springer Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

A lot of churches want more followers on social media. But how do you actually get them? In my experience, there are four different tactics you can use to earn more followers on social media...the right way (no buying followers here). And in this podcast, you’ll learn what these four tactics are and why your church has an unfair advantage that you may not even be aware of.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-get-more-social-media-followers-for-your-church/   What's In This Session? #1: Cross-promote (1:36) #2: Contest (2:54) #3: The Snowball Effect (4:53) #4: Paid Advertising (8:00) Don't buy followers (9:10)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

A three-axis gimbal is a camera stabilizer that allows you to perfectly balance your video camera in order to capture buttery smooth and cinematic shots. Frankly, it’s an amazing video tool that wasn’t accessible to churches even ten years ago. But, how do you use it best? In this podcast, you’ll learn five advanced gimbal moves that we like to use every time we take out our camera.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-advanced-gimbal-movements-for-church-videos/   What's In This Session? Our Preferred Gimbal (1:12) Move #1: Endless Dolly (2:41) Move #2: Low To The Ground (4:32) Move #3: Straight Up (5:47) Move #4: Drone In A Car (7:23) Move #5: Infinity Roll (9:02)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study DJI Ronin S Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

Imagine working on an awesome social media post for your church, only to publish it and see it fall flat. None of us want that. And this is why it’s important to understand the best and worst times to be publishing on social media. On the other hand, there’s really no exact science to this. So in this podcast, you’ll learn about the research we do have for optimizing post times - along with a number of other methods we like that you can use to maximize engagement on your next social media post.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-churches-can-identify-the-best-times-to-post-on-social-media/   What's In This Session? #1: Post quality (1:24) #2: Use the social media grading formula (3:35) #3: Find the wave, not the spike (5:16) #4: Industry data (6:03) #5: Facebook (Non-profits) (6:25) #6: Instagram (Non-profits) (7:20) #7: Native insights (7:54)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Best Times To Post On Social Media: 2018 Industry Research Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Scheduling your church’s social media posts ahead of time is a great way to save time and automate a tedious chore. But with so many scheduling tools available - how can you know which one is best? Moreover, what about Instagram and it's strict scheduling rules? In this podcast, you’ll learn the only two social media scheduling tools I recommend for churches - along with a host of other scheduling tools that I think aren’t worth your time.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-best-worst-social-media-scheduling-tools-for-churches/   What's In This Session? Intro (0:40) Buffer (2:02) Sked Social (3:37) Honorable Mention: Sprout Social (6:40) Platforms we used to use (7:08)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Buffer Sked Social Sprout Social Grum Hootsuite Edgar Later Hopper HQ SmarterQueue Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

I’ve professionally photographed everything from weddings to portraits, from concerts to corporate, and in every one of these situations I use 3 advanced techniques that help me get the job done. Taking photos in church is no exception, and in this podcast you’ll learn 3 advanced church photography tips from a professional that will surely help take your photo game to a whole, notha, level.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-advanced-church-photography-tips/   What's In This Session? #1: Foreground Element (1:37) #2: Backbutton Focus (6:17) #3: Make Use Of Artificial Light (8:23)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Prism Backbutton Focus Explained Off Camera Flash Triggers Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Scheduling your church’s social media posts ahead of time is a great way to save time and automate a tedious chore. But with so many scheduling tools available - how can you know which one is best? Moreover, what about Instagram and it's strict scheduling rules? In this podcast, you’ll learn the only two social media scheduling tools I recommend for churches - along with a host of other scheduling tools that I think aren’t worth your time.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-strategies-your-church-needs-to-try-before-the-end-of-the-year/   What's In This Session? You don't know until you try (1:00) #1: Limit your Sunday morning announcements (2:25) #2: Host a contest on social media (3:13) #3: Set your baseline for church growth and health (4:37) #4: Publish a volunteer story post on social media (5:50) #5: Remove any stock images of people's faces on your website (7:18) #6: Score the last 90 days of social media posts (7:58) #7: Follow me (8:34)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resources: 21-Day Social Media Case Study The 2-Part Church Announcements Formula The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth How To Upgrade Your Church Website Design In 1 Day Using Stunning Photos 7 Social Media Metrics You Should Care About For Churches Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Over the years, I’ve offered advice and had 1-on-1 conversations with thousands of churches - big churches, small churches, and everything in between. And through these back and forth discussions, it’s become apparent to me that certain beliefs exist about smaller churches - beliefs that are simply untrue. And so in this podcast, you’ll learn about five small church beliefs that I continually encounter - and you’ll also learn why each of these beliefs is actually a myth, because all five of them are demonstrably untrue.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-myths-about-small-churches/   What's In This Session? #1: Most people prefer megachurches (0:58) #2: Young people prefer bigger churches (3:23) #3: Smaller churches lack [INSERT HERE] that bigger churches offer (5:19) #4: Smaller churches are at a disadvantage because they are under resourced (8:29) #5: Smaller churches will never have the impact that larger churches do (9:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study The State Of The Church 2016 Making Space For Millennials by Barna Churchome Global Review [Yay or Nay?] Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s a new graphic design trend that is the absolute worst. But also…the best. Not surprisingly, you can blame young people for the popularity of this design trend. What is this design trend you might be wondering? And how can it be so amazing yet simultaneously terrible? By the end of this podcast, you’ll have your answer.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-worst-current-graphic-design-trend-and-why-i-love-it-so-much/   What's In This Session? A copy of a copy (0:36) Brutalism - "ugly is the new black" (1:30) Example #1: Microsoft Word Lord's Prayer (5:16) Example #2: Bible Reading At The Well (5:26) Example #3: Email From Paul (5:38) Example #4: Microsoft Word (6:22) Like all trends, this trend will die (7:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth The Endless Struggle Between Attention & Artistry Gary Vaynerchuk on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Young people are leaving church at an alarming rate. So what can your church do about it? How can you make sure that young people never leave *your* church? Simply stated, there’s one thing you should be focusing on more than anything else. It isn’t more extravagant lighting or stage design. And it isn’t a haze-filled auditorium. In fact, this one thing couldn’t be more different from those types of aims. The best part? We’ve actually got real data from churches on how this one thing makes a difference. And in this podcast, I’ll share with you what that one thing is.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-make-sure-young-people-never-leave-your-church-gen-z/   What's In This Session? We talk a lot about young people (0:46) One thing your church should focus on to keep young people (1:20) Storytime (1:41) Close personal friendships (4:18) Intentional relationships (4:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth Barna 5 Research-Backed Reasons Millennials Are Done With Church How 250 Churches Are Successfully Reaching Millennials 8% Of Millennials Say This Is Why They Don't Attend Church Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Churchome, the popular Seattle-based church founded by Judah Smith, has launched a brand new campus. Not in Nashville, not in Toronto, and not in Boston - so where? The palm of your hand. That’s right. Instead of launching a physical campus, Churchome launched a digital campus. And to put it lightly, a lot of people think it’s a bad idea. So in this podcast, we’ll explain exactly what Churchome Global is, its flaws & triumphs, and what it all means for the future of how we do church.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/churchome-global-review-yay-or-nay/   What's In This Session? The DM (0:45) About Churchome (1:26) #1: A church app?? (2:19) #2: Judah got ratio'd (2:58) #3: Community is a core goal (5:04) #4: This can be good for the disenfranchised (5:36) #5: Oversimplified two camps of church (7:34) #6: I'm okay with trying different things (9:37)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

We’re living through the biggest communication shift in 500 years. Church attendance is declining - especially amongst younger people - so what can we do? Especially if you’re a church that's trending in the wrong direction - what can be done? In this podcast, I’ll share my experience of consulting with churches that have turned it around (and churches that haven’t) and present you with a 3-step framework for making real and lasting change.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-turn-around-a-dying-church/   What's In This Session? The disclaimer (1:08) The biggest communication shift (1:33) Step #1: Acknowledge (2:58) Step #2: Solidify (4:19) Step #3: Experiment (8:06)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The New Social Media Checklist For Churches Church Growth Calculator Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

   There are a series of social media tools that I use every single day to schedule, collaborate, and evaluate my activities on social. Many of these tools are free to use. And frankly, I couldn’t do what I do on social without them. And by the end of this podcast, you’ll know what these tools are and why I love them so much.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-social-media-tools-i-use-every-day/   What's In This Session? Buffer for scheduling (0:58) Airdrop/Dropbox for sharing (1:57) Sproutsocial for managing (3:25) Instagram for experimenting, DMs, and insights (4:33) Trello/Google Sheets for inspiration and planning (7:02)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The New Social Media Checklist For Churches Hootsuite Later Instagram Layout Buffer Airdrop Dropbox Sproutsocial Trello Google Sheets Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

When a person thinks about attending your church for the first time, there's no shortage of questions and concerns that can run through their head. What about kids? What about parking? What should I wear!? Sadly, many churches actually make this worse by not considering what it’s like to be a visitor in their services. So in this podcast, you’ll learn what tends to make church visitors uncomfortable and how to avoid those pitfalls.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-ways-churches-make-visitors-feel-uncomfortable/   What's In This Session? 1: Parking (2:35) 2: Kids (2:35) 3: Dress Code (2:35) 4: What's a Service Like? (5:24) 5: What If I'm New? (6:04) 6: Explain Christian Language (6:20) 7: Asking For Too Much Information (8:12)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The New Social Media Checklist For Churches 7 Social Media Metrics You Should Care About (For Churches) Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

In this podcast, you're going to learn three advanced tips for prepping your church's services. I'll show you how my church prepares for Sunday each and every week, and by the end of this episode you'll know exactly how to implement these tips in your church as well.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-fixable-mistakes-churches-make-on-social-media/   What's In This Session? #1: Infrequent Posting (2:25) #2: Choosing Width Over Depth (3:07) #3: Consistent Visual Branding (4:24) #4: Being Overly Promotional (7:03) #5: Lack Of Responsiveness (8:09) #6: Failure To Measure And Adjust (9:08) #7: Disrespecting The Importance Of Social Media (10:03)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The New Social Media Checklist For Churches 7 Social Media Metrics You Should Care About (For Churches) Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s a new camera that has just been released and it's completely disrupting the video production world. Not only that, but I think this camera is one of the best options for churches in 2019. It’s affordable, it’s versatile, and it’s extremely high quality. And so in this podcast, I’ll reveal what camera I’m talking about, along with my preferred configuration for it when it comes to lenses, stabilizers, and more.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-ultimate-church-camera-setup-for-2019/   What's In This Session? Story time (1:13) Pros (3:21) Lens options (6:56) Cons (10:12) What it's good for (11:19) What it's not good for (11:40)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resources: The New Social Media Checklist For Churches Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Ronin S Panasonic 14mm f. 2.5 Metabones Ultra Speedbooster Tamron 24-70mm Panasonic Gh5 Ursa Mini Pro Ronin M Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

Social media has completely changed in the last couple of years. And traditional tactics like consistent branding and promotional posts don't work like they used to. So...you might be wondering: what DOES work on social media? In this podcast, I’ll be revealing five social media templates that are completely new & innovative - and unlike anything you’ve probably seen churches post on social media before.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-new-innovative-social-media-templates-for-churches-in-2019/   What's In This Session? Goals (1:22) Template #1: Countdown (2:51) Template #2: Elimination (4:33) Template #3: Slideshow (5:46) Template #4: Bible Reading (7:31) Template #5: Myth/Fact (9:15)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The New Social Media Checklist For Churches Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram

Here’s the deal: every smart social media strategy begins with three simple words: stop the scroll. Because if you can’t get your audience to stop scrolling on their social feeds, it doesn’t matter how amazing your message is - because no one will ever hear it. But you might be wondering…how do you actually get people to stop scrolling in the first place? So in this podcast, I’ll share with you five strategies to earn attention on social media - five simple ways to stop the scroll.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-ways-to-stop-the-scroll-on-social-media/   What's In This Session? #1: Images of human faces (1:39) #2: Focus on the first 3 seconds of your video (2:24) #3: Use familiar designs in unfamiliar places (4:44) #4: Extreme minimalism (6:15) #5: Repeat equals defeat (8:42)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The New Social Media Checklist For Churches Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

In this podcast, I’ll share with you 7 need-to-know social media statistics about video. For example, did you know that Facebook videos receive 135% more organic reach on average than a Facebook photo? It’s true. What else do you need to know about video on social media? You’ll learn it all - coming up.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-need-to-know-social-media-statistics-about-video/   What's In This Session? Stat #1: Tweets with video attracted 10x more engagement (1:43) Stat #2: 72% of people would rather use video over text to learn (2:21) Stat #3: 83% of consumers would consider sharing an audience specific video (2:40) Stat #4: By 2020, 80% of all consumer internet traffic will be online video (6:00) Stat #5: Facebook videos receive 135% more organic reach on average (6:21) Stat #6: Nearly two-thirds of consumers prefer video under 60 seconds (6:43) Stat #7: 85% of Facebook video is watched without sound (7:13) Takeaway #1: Pay attention to the first three seconds of each of your videos - including the first frame (7:49) Takeaway #2: Ask yourself - how can we do more with video moving forward (8:28) Takeaway #3: What can you do with video recognizing most people watch without sound (9:06)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study 5 Data-Driven Tips For Scroll Stopping Video The State Of Video Marketing In 2018 Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2016-2021 Native Facebook Videos Get More Reach Than Any Other Type of Post 27 Video Stats for 2017 85 Percent Of Facebook Video Is Watched Without Sound Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, you’re going to learn a 3-step social media strategy that is specifically tailored for smaller churches - and proven to get results. For example, a church reached out to me just yesterday and told me that after implementing this strategy, they saw a 220% increase in likes and clicks on their most recent post. And by the end of this podcast, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to accomplish the same thing.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-smaller-churches-can-dominate-social-media/   What's In This Session? #1: Stop the scroll (2:07) #2: Start meaningful conversation (4:57) #3: Provoke spiritual practice (7:25) Lesson: What would your church post online if your Sunday service didn't exist? (8:54)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

Here’s the deal: Social media platforms freely offer you and I metrics based on the content that we post. And these metrics are invaluable! Why? Because they give us real insight and feedback into what's working and what's not. Bottom line: Social media doesn't need to be a guessing game. Knowing this, you might be wondering…which metrics matter most and which ones can I ignore? And by the end of this podcast, you’ll have your answer.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-social-media-metrics-you-should-care-about-for-churches/   What's In This Session? #1: Reach (1:52) #2: Post Reactions (4:05) #3: Comments (4:23) #4: Shares (4:43) #5: Saves / Profile Visits (4:58) #6: Followers (6:20) #7: Social Engagement Score (6:57)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s an element to social media that I see most churches neglecting. What is it? Your post’s caption! And if you overlook this, you could actually be harming your organic reach on social. So in this podcast I’m going to share with you five tips for writing amazing social media captions - and, you’ll learn why captions are so crucial to your church’s overall social strategy.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-write-amazing-social-media-captions-for-your-church/   What's In This Session? Tip #1: Really short or really long (1:05) Tip #2: Emojis (4:07) Tip #3: Line breaks (5:03) Tip #4: Expand upon the post (5:38) Tip #5: Scripture (6:24)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

Your church has a message it wants to share with the world. But which platforms will help you do that best? Maybe social media? But what about billboards, radio, TV, or direct mail? Today, we’ll compare digital media versus traditional media using five different categories...to help your church choose the most affordable and efficient platforms to use in marketing.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/church-marketing-digital-vs-traditional-media-ultimate-comparison/   What's In This Session? #1: Audience (1:32) #2: Specificity (2:45) #3: Costs (3:38) #4: Flexibility (7:13) #5: Follow Up (8:16)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pew Research Center Statista Nielsen FitSmallBusiness.com Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

In this podcast, you’re going to learn how to use Facebook Messenger to communicate with your church online. We’ve just recently begun using Messenger marketing and what’s amazing is that we’re seeing open rates of greater than 80% on the messages we send out. So today, you’ll learn why Messenger marketing is so powerful - and, I’ll share specific Messenger tools and strategies that you can begin using in your church right away.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-beginners-guide-to-using-facebook-messenger-in-your-church/   What's In This Session? Facebook Messenger stats (0:47) Messenger / Email marketing / SMS (2:29) Tools (5:26) Idea #1: Host a contest (6:21) Idea #2: Plan a visit widget (7:52) Idea #3: Another broadcast tool (9:49)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study These Are The 10 Most Used Smartphone Apps | Business Insider A Deeper Look At David Marcus' 6 Trends For Facebook Messenger In 2018 | Adweek Statista ManyChat ChatFuel Facebook Messenger for Developers Ultimate Guide To Messenger Marketing | ManyChat Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

For the last month, my team and I have been tracking six churches and pastors that are absolutely crushing it on social media. Why did we do this? Simply stated, we wanted to learn from the best. And so for 21 days we recorded every single thing these churches published on social media. I then worked my way through the 1,000+ social posts we documented looking for trends and patterns. What is it that makes these churches so excellent on social? So in this podcast, I’ll answer that question - and, reveal a new principle I discovered through this case study that I’m calling The “1-In-5” Rule.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-1-in-5-rule-for-churches-on-social-media-new-case-study/   What's In This Session? The case study (0:52) #1: Chad Veach (2:37) #2: Craig Groschel (3:24) #3: Elevation (3:38) #4: Rich Wilkerson, Jr. (3:50) #5: Steven Furtick (4:17) #6: Vous Church (4:30) The stats 1-in-5 (4:54) TV allegory (5:02)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s an emerging social platform that Gen Z has surprisingly latched on to. And when you understand how to use this social tool properly, you’ll notice how easy it is to communicate with the young people and teenagers in your church. And in this podcast, I’ll reveal what this social platform is (hint: it’s not probably not what you’re thinking) and how to properly use it to reach the first generation to truly grow up on the internet.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-new-social-platform-for-gen-z-and-church-youth-groups/   What's In This Session? Who is Gen Z? (0:38) Key Distinction (1:35) The Stats (2:39) Marketing (5:16) Don't Overdo It (8:01)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Messenger's 2017 Year In Review Survey Finds US Teens Upped Daily Facebook Usage In 2016 ManyChat Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

A couple of months ago I completely changed up what I was posting on social media. The results? Well, in just 60 short days, the number of likes I got per post ballooned by 227%. So in this podcast, I’ll share exactly what I did to achieve these results - and offer a trio of specific templates that have been getting huge results.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-get-227-more-likes-on-social-media/   What's In This Session? The Case Study (1:01) Example #1: The Screenshot (4:33) Example #2: The Slideshow (6:22) Example #3: The Fun Personality (9:36)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study 3 Controversial Truths About Social Media Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

I’ve got great news for you: it has never been easier or more affordable to share the message of Jesus with the world. In fact, thanks to digital media, outreach and marketing can be done well on zero-budget. And in this podcast, I’ll share with you five specific platforms and tools that you can use to take the timeless message of Jesus and share it through timely mediums - at zero cost.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/zero-budget-marketing-ideas-for-churches/   What's In This Session? #1: Email Marketing (1:39) #2: Storytelling (3:31) #3: SEO (5:09) #4: Instagram (6:07) #5: Facebook (6:57)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Email Marketing Playlist Storytelling Playlist 7 Free SEO Tools For Churches Instagram Playlist Facebook Playlist MailChimp ConvertKit Google My Business Pingdom Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There are a number of unpopular truths about social media that most of us don’t want to admit. But if you ignore these controversial principles, you’ll likely end up compromising your church’s social media strategy. And so in this podcast, I’ll detail what each of these unpopular truths is and what they mean for your church online.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-controversial-truths-about-social-media/   What's In This Session? Understand the behaviour of your audience (0:51) Truth #1: Visual Branding Doesn't Matter (2:03) Stop the scroll (2:23) Truth #2: Repeat Equals Defeat (3:27) Truth #3: Production Value Doesn't Matter (7:26)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: FEATURED RESOURCE: 21-Day Social Media Case Study Life Church Elevation Church Peter McKinnon on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There’s a communication technique that every experienced church leader knows about. What is it? Responding to objections. If you overlook this element of communication, you’ll have dozens of people in your church finding ways to ignore you. So in this podcast, I’ll reveal the nine most common objections I’ve encountered in church - and, you’ll learn the specific ways I like to respond to them.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/9-church-objecti…you-must-address/   What's In This Session? #1. “I’m too busy." (4:39) #2. “It’s too expensive." (5:39) #3. “Who else is going?" (6:15) #4. “This isn’t for me." (6:37) #5. “Maybe next time." (7:22) #6. “Christians are a bunch of hypocrites." (8:02) #7. “How can the Bible be trustworthy?" (9:08) #8. “If God is good, why is there evil and suffering?" (9:27) #9. “Why does the church always want my money?" (9:48)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:  Social Media Blueprint Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Whenever you're leading a group of people, sometimes they need to be motivated. In this podcast, you're going to learn 5 new ways to instantly motivate your church!   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-ways-to-instantly-motivate-your-church/   What's In This Session? #1: Authority (2:21) #2: Anticipation (4:44) #3: Events (6:06) #4: Scarcity (7:07) #5: Social Proof (7:55)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: The Ultimate Social Media Blueprint For Churches Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

In this podcast, you’re going to learn 3 powerful tips for navigating the in-between moments of worship at church. And if you’ve ever felt yourself scrambling and thinking, “What am I gonna say before this next song?” - by the end of this podcast, you’ll have a trio of specific strategies you can use in your next worship experience.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/what-to-say-between-worship-songs-3-tips/   What's In This Session? Tip #1: the Call To Worship (2:59) Tip #2: Song Explanation (5:27) Tip #3: The Words Of Jesus (7:37) Bonus: Less Is More (9:10)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource:Churchfront with Jake Gosselin on YouTube Churchfront.com Churchfront with Jake Gosselin on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

No doubt about it, deciding on a name for a church or ministry can feel impossible. What you don’t want to do is choose a name carelessly and then find yourself stuck with it. So in this video, I want to share five tips with you to help make the process easier. I’ll even share with you my favorite church names along with a few of my least favorite.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-name-a-church-mistakes-to-avoid/   What's In This Session? Disclaimer (0:42) Tip #1: Don't Use Acronym (1:51) Tip #2: Keep It Short (3:20) Tip #3: Use Your Area Code (4:56) Tip #4: Consider Dropping/Exchanging 'Church' (6:55) Tip #5: Make It Memorable (8:48)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: FEATURED RESOURCE: The NEW Pro Church Tools Elevation Church Vertical Chapel Arlington Assembly Piedmont Chapel Mosaic Vous Churchome Raptors905 Pro Video Announcement CMG The Creative Pastor Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

Today, you’re going to learn three DIY video hacks to help you capture beautiful, cinematic videos. Maybe your church is working with a limited budget? That’s okay. Because each of these 3 strategies are completely free. And by the end of this podcast, you’ll know exactly how to perform these DIY video techniques - even if you’re just getting started with video.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/diy-church-video-hacks-pro-on-a-budget/   What's In This Session? 1. DIY Gimbal 2. DIY Underwater Housing 3. DIY Cinematic Lighting   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The NEW Pro Church Tools Downtown City Buildings | Storytape Metro Living | Storytape DJI Ronin M Ursa Mini Pro Jesse Driftwood Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

In this podcast, you'll learn the three-point setup guide for your church's Facebook Page. I'll show you how to create a Facebook Page for your church from scratch, but I'll also share with you a handful of advanced Facebook Page optimizations that most churches don't even know about.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-ultimate-church-facebook-page-guide/   What's In This Session? Step #1: Create your page (1:45) Step #2: Fill in your basic information (2:59) Step #3: Advanced optimization (4:53)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: The NEW Pro Church Tools Steps To Create A Facebook Business Page | Hootsuite How To Link Your Facebook Groups And Pages | Grytics Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram 

In my experience, many churches struggle with event promotion. You want your congregation to take next steps and get involved in the life of your church - but how do you inspire them to actually do that? In this podcast, I'll share with you a simple three-phase framework for promoting your ministry's events and you'll learn what it takes to truly inspire your church to action.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-successfully-promote-church-events/   What's In This Session? Phase #1: Awareness (2:44) Phase #2: Anticipation (4:41) Phase #3: Action (9:22)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: The Ultimate Event Promotion System For Churches Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

There's a little technique that my church uses in every one of its services. And what's amazing about this approach is that it ties our entire Sunday experience together. And in this episode of Pro Church Tools, I'll reveal to you what this method is and exactly how you can use it every single weekend.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/why-your-church-service-needs-a-host/   What's In This Session? What is a host? (1:24) Reason #1: Your speaker and worship leader have enough on their plate already (2:57) Reason #2: Don't let your guest welcome be an afterthought (4:32) Reason #3: Service momentum (6:10) Countdown welcome segment script (7:59)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Featured Resource: Why We Lowered Nucleus Prices By 50% Strymon TimeLine Delay Pedal Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram

In this podcast, you're going to learn three advanced tips for prepping your church's services. I'll show you how my church prepares for Sunday each and every week, and by the end of this episode you'll know exactly how to implement these tips in your church as well.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: http://prochurchtools.com/3-advanced-church-service-prep-tips/   What's In This Session? #1: Walkthrough (2:25) #2: Run-Through (4:00) #3: Sermon Feedback (5:14)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned: Featured Resource: Why We Lowered Nucleus Prices By 50% Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram  

You don't just want your sermons to be true, you need them to be memorable as well. Here's 3 tips to start using today! What's In This Session? Step #1: Stories (1:41) Step #2: Stats (5:02) Step #3: Steps (6:15) Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Sermon Engine Bundle Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-qualities-of-a-powerful-sermon-quote-ep-187/.

Sermon quotes seem to perform disproportionately well on social media. With 5 simple tips, learn how to create memorable sermon quotes! What's In This Session? Why you should be posting sermon quotes (0:27) Tip #1 - Alliteration (1:03) Tip #2 - Pair With Scripture (2:05) Tip #3 - Emotional (3:19) Tip #4 - Brevity (4:25) Tip #5 - Memorable (5:30) Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Sermon Engine Bundle Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-qualities-of-a-powerful-sermon-quote-ep-187/.

Your sermons are important, and you can increase your sermon downloads by following these 7 easy steps! In this episode Brady breaks them down one step at a time.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session?   Bonus Links (0:43) Build Playlists (2:09) Photos Not Graphics (2:55) Convert Listeners to Suscribers (4:21) Post Sermons ASAP (5:01) Unique Page For Every Sermon (5:51) Sermon Engine (6:34) Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Sermon Engine Bundle Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/7-ways-to-increase-your-sermon-downloads-ep-186/

  Brady breaks down the 6 reasons your church needs (and deserves!) a sermon engine.   What's In This Session? Custom Playlists (2:32) Expand Your Website (3:50) Instant Podcasting (4:36) Search Engine Boost (4:55) Complete Archive (5:56) Downloadable Resources (6:19)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/why-your-church-needs-a-sermon-engine-ep-185/.

Brady sifts through some fascinating data on podcasts and how millennials and Christians are listening to them, as well as how this information can help your church.   What's In This Session? The statistics (0:32) Takeaway #1: Podcast listening is on the rise (3:05) Takeaway #2: Listenership is 3x greater among Christians (3:28) Takeaway #3: 4 out of 5 listen to the whole podcast (3:53) Secret #1: Podcast listeners will be your biggest supporters (5:23) Secret #2: smartURL(6:11) Secret #3: Host every episode of your podcast on your website (7:41)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Essential Sermon Engine Bundle The Infinite Dial Barna Trends 2018 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/13-surprising-truths-about-sermon-podcasts-ep-184/.

The central hub is a foundational strategy that we believe churches should be using to help enable their community to take next steps by consolidating them into a single destination. Brady discusses 3 main components of the strategy.   What's In This Session? Rule #1: Accessible 24/7 (0:56) Rule #2: Accessible from every device (3:18) Rule #3: Able to capture, store & distribute information (5:14) Real stories (5:56)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Central Hub Strategy Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/the-3-rules-of-the-central-hub-strategy-ep-183/.

Brady shares the story of a real church who boosted their small group signups by 76% in one year by instituting the central hub strategy.   What's In This Session? The Central Hub Strategy (0:27) Pastor John's words (0:52) The results (1:46) Why is this so effective? (2:44) Sheena Iyengar study(3:29) Whirlpool case study (4:25) Neil Patel/Imagescape case study(4:25)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Nucleus Playbook Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-a-church-boosted-small-group-signups-76-ep-182/.

Attending church used to be integrated in the North American way of life. This has shifted with attendance continuing to drop. Brady discusses how churches should be addressing this issue.   What's In This Session? Attending church used to be a way of life (0:23) The statistics (0:50) The solution (2:59) Jesus' examples (4:38) Church examples (5:35)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 12 Innovative Sermon Series Ideas (Plus . . . FREE Downloadable Sermon Graphics) How A Church Of 150 Spent $109 On Facebook Ads And Got 241 New Visitors | Ep. #087 Americans Divided on the Importance of Church 7 Startling Facts:An Up Close Look at Church Attendance in America Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/the-enormous-problem-every-church-must-tackle-ep-181/.

You don't need to be a designer, or have a lot of time to create beautiful graphics. Brady shares how to create stunning graphics for your sermon series in only a couple of minutes.   What's In This Session? Photography > Graphics (1:13) Step #1: Find a beautiful photo (3:14) Step #2: Use an elegant font for the title (5:06)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 12 Innovative Sermon Series Ideas (Plus ... FREE Downloadable Sermon Graphics) Storytape Unsplash Calluna Kepler FF Tisa Spectral Cardo Playfair Display Lora Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-to-design-stunning-sermon-series-graphics-ep-180/.

There can sometimes be a disconnect between the world of church and the world of the everyday Christian. Brady discusses some behavioural data on Christians and how churches can use this to address the issues and questions of the people attending their church.   What's In This Session? Topic #1: Doubt (1:05) Topic #2: Sex (4:11) Topic #3: Body (5:49)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Barna Trends 2018 12 Innovative Sermon Series Ideas (Plus…FREE Downloadable Sermon Graphics) Teens, Social Media & Body Image Obesity in the United States Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-issues-christians-want-churches-to-confront-ep-179/.

There are rules that need to be followed when it comes to taking and sharing photographs. Brady discusses best practices when it comes to photo releases at your church.   What's In This Session? The Church Communications Facebook Group thread (0:21) #1: Photo release disclaimer (1:45) #2: Red wristbands (2:28) #3: Disclaimer statements (3:24) #4: Signs (4:27) #5: GDPR and active opt-in (5:59)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Church Communications Facebook Group 3 Low-Hanging Fruit Ideas For Your Church | Ep. #177 The Central Hub: How To Boost Church Signups By 53% (Step-By-Step Case Study) Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-real-churches-get-photo-release-forms-ep-178/.

Everyday we share tips and tactics to help your church communicate well through digital media, but there are some easy, low-hanging fruit that quite a few churches still miss.   What's In This Session? The Instagram DM (0:22) #1: Google My Business (2:05) #2: New visitor information on your website homepage (3:35) #3: Photos of real people at your church (5:36)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Central Hub: How To Boost Church Signups By 53% (Step-By-Step Case Study) Google My Business Nucleus Report: 96% Of Church Websites Fail The First Impression Test [Case Study] How To Upgrade Your Church Website Design In 1 Day Using Stunning Photos Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-low-hanging-fruit-ideas-for-your-church-ep-177/.

Brady met up with a local denominational district leader whose job is to go into dying churches and help them change. He shares some of the wisdom he gleaned.   What's In This Session? A coffee meet up (0:21) Change takes 3-5 years (3:09) Tip #1: Progress isn't linear (6:00) Tip #2: Measure everything you can (7:29)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Central Hub: How To Boost Church Signups By 53% (Step-By-Step Case Study) Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/the-untold-truth-of-changing-your-church-ep-176/.

One of our favourite things is when people are in town visiting and stop by the office. This happened a couple weeks ago and led to a conversation about generational divides in churches.   What's In This Session? The conversation with Michael & Oriana (0:34) Step #1: Make sure everyone understands the goal (2:39) Step #2: Tie every decision to the goal (5:33) Step #3: Make decisions based on how they affect the goal (6:37)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Central Hub: How To Boost Church Signups By 53% (Step-By-Step Case Study) Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-to-bridge-generational-divides-at-church-ep-175/.

Brady and Alex tackle the topic of whether church leadership teams should have dress codes. They delve into their own experiences as well as the practical implications.   What's In This Session? The last four outfits Brady wore while hosting (1:18) #1: Your vibe attracts your tribe (3:51) #2: Word pairing study (5:20) #3: Theological implications (5:48) #4: Negative connotations (8:02)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Central Hub: How To Boost Church Signups By 53% (Step-By-Step Case Study) Transformation Church on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/should-your-church-have-a-dress-code-ep-174/.

You're ready. You want to make a Facebook Ad for your church. Brady shares 11 tools that you can use to help maximize the effectiveness of your Facebook Ad. What's In This Session? #1: Facebook Text Overlay Tool(1:09) #2: Facebook Page App(2:00) #3: AdEspresso(2:47) #4: Qwaya(3:45) #5: CoSchedule Headline Analyzer(4:18) #6: Click Funnels(4:45) #7: OptimizePress(5:20) #8: Hotjar(5:36) #9: iPhone Portrait Mode(6:38) #10: Canva(7:29) #11: Convertkit(7:52)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Perfect Church Homepage Infographic MailChimp How To Run Facebook Ads For Your Church | Ep. #170 3 Successful Facebook Ads From Real Churches | Ep. #171 3 MORE Successful Facebook Ads From Real Churches | Ep. #172 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/11-facebook-ads-tools-for-churches-ep-173/.

Brady shares three more examples from real churches of Facebook ads that they ran. He talks through the details of their campaigns, as well as their results.   What's In This Session? Example #1: Dear Mom & Dad (0:57) Example #2: Christmas (3:26) Example #3: Parents (6:58)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 3 Successful Facebook Ads From Real Churches | Ep. #171 The Perfect Church Homepage Infographic How To Run Facebook Ads For Your Church | Ep. #170 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-more-successful-facebook-ads-from-real-churches-ep-172/.

If you're skeptical about using Facebook ads for your church, Brady is here to set your mind at ease. He shares 3 examples of churches who used Facebook ads to promote their church, and the results that each church saw.   What's In This Session? Example #1: Easter (0:54) Example #2: Fall Festival (3:45) Example #3: Service Promotion (5:49)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How To Run Facebook Ads For Your Church | Ep. #170 The Perfect Church Homepage Infographic Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-successful-facebook-ads-from-real-churches-ep-171/.

Facebook Ads are the best platform for outreach and marketing for your church when it comes to reaching people beyond the four walls of your church. Brady explains how to get started.   What's In This Session? Alex's success story (1:01) Step #1: Understand the nature of how users are using Facebook (2:43) Step #2: Find the intersection between faith and culture (3:40) Step #3: Landing page with sign up form (6:33) Step #4: Immediate follow-up (7:40) Success story (8:00)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How A Church Of 150 Spent $109 On Facebook Ads And Got 241 New Visitors | Ep. #087 MailChimp ConvertKit The Perfect Church Homepage Infographic Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-to-run-facebook-ads-for-your-church-ep-170/.

It's difficult to get a new visitor to attend your church for the first time, and although it's easier to get them to return, it's still challenging. Brady discusses how to make this process easier.   What's In This Session? #1: Feeling over function (0:56) #2: Know the guest (3:47) #3: Think scene by scene (6:17)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Comeback Effect by Jonathan Malm Nucleus The Perfect Church Homepage Infographic Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-ways-to-compel-your-churchs-guests-to-return-ep-169/.

Brady has received several messages asking how to find more motivated and reliable volunteers for your church ministries. He gives 6 ideas to help encourage motivation.   What's In This Session? Brady received multiple DMs asking about volunteers (0:24) You can only control what you can control (1:07) Motivation Idea #1: Tell them EXACTLY what you want them to do (2:15) Motivation Idea #2: Demonstrate your own sacrifice (4:08) Motivation Idea #3: Acknowledge jobs well done (5:19) Motivation Idea #4: Focus on progress/goals (5:43) Motivation Idea #5: Admit mistakes (7:26) Motivation Idea #6: Build a compelling narrative (8:08)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Leadership Lesson: Why Personal Responsibility Is The Ultimate Key | Ep. #070 Planning Center The 2-Part Church Announcements Formula Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-to-get-motivated-and-reliable-church-volunteers-ep-168/.

YouTube is the second largest search engine, but currently there are not a lot of churches using the platform well. Brady responds to churches wondering what kind of content to create.   What's In This Session? Why I love YouTube (0:33) Step #1: Enter a search (1:01) Step #2: Visit the channel page, click on "videos" and then sort them by most popular (1:38) Step #3: Create a list of popular video topics (2:02) Why does this work? (2:09) Examples (6:12)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Peter McKinnon Alen Palander The 2-Part Church Announcements Formula Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/the-secret-to-discovering-endless-youtube-video-topics-ep-167/.

Even with the shifting landscape of digital media, email is currently still the best way to market your church and communicate with your existing audience. Brady discusses how to write a great email newsletter for your church.   What's In This Session? After your website, email is still the most effective communication tools (0:33) #1: Plain text email (1:24) #2: One link (2:42) #3: Multiple CTAs (all the same link) (3:05) #4: Line breaks (5:36) #5: Sent from a real human (6:46) #6: Send two emails each week instead of one (8:43) #7: Include a PS (9:13)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned My 7 Best Performing Email Subject Lines Of 2018 | Ep. #099 5 Advanced Tips For Boosting Your Church's Email Open Rates | Ep. #072 My Best Copywriting Hack Of 2018 | Ep. #036 MailChimp The 2-Part Video Announcement Formula Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-ways-to-write-better-church-email-newsletters-ep-166/.

Brady pulls from his experience running a full and part-time staff of around twenty people to answer the question - "How do I increase staff productivity?"   What's In This Session? Monday meeting (1:11) Trello boards (2:10) Slack for team communication (2:39) Set deadlines (3:14) Autonomy (4:31) Team building & environment (6:21) Have the right North Star (7:47)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Video Announcements Nucleus Storytape Trello Slack The 2-Part Church Announcements Formula Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-to-increase-staff-productivity-at-your-church-ep-165/.

Brady received a message from a member of Pro Church Nation asking for tips on how to give announcements from stage, being an onstage host - basically on stage speaking as a whole. Today he shares his best tips.   What's In This Session? #1: Hold the mic in a consistent spot (1:31) #2: Pitch and pace (3:56) #3: Transitions (5;38) #4: Eye contact (7:20) #5: Hand movements (8:40)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The 2-Part Church Announcement Formula Planning Center Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-ways-to-speak-better-on-stage-ep-164/.

Your YouTube thumbnail contributes substantially to whether someone chooses to click and watch your video, or scroll right past. Brady shares the 3 elements every thumbnail needs.   What's In This Session? Example #1: The Super Church Lobby Kiosk(0:41) Example #2: Dysfunctional Comfort(0:46) Part #1: Smiling human face (0:58) Part #2: Bright colors (3:00) Part #3: Big bold text (5:26) Bonus tip: Use a preset (6:44)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/the-3-elements-every-youtube-thumbnail-needs-ep-163/.

Everyday we put out a brand new episode of Pro Church Daily because we know that digital is difficult. Brady discusses the importance of studying and understanding the strategies of other churches.   What's In This Session? Studying strategies vs. copying tactics (1:48) Size difference (2:12) Elevation's sermons & search terms (3:05) Copying tactics (4:03) Context (5:45) Why is it dangerous? (7:23)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Elevation Church The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/why-copying-your-favorite-megachurch-is-dangerous-ep-162/.

Brady shares a message that he received from someone claiming that prioritizing younger generations would be a mistake, especially financially. A common attitude we have seen in the church. Brady takes some time to respond.   What's In This Session? YouTube as a search engine (1:10) Brady's experience with church keywords (1:36) The results (2:39) The bottom line (3:53) Go to people (4:58) Good news! (6:00) Example YouTubers (6:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Keyword Tool Justin Khoe How To Study The Bible For Beginners Samantha Lindsey Jordan Lee-Dooley Jaclyn Brooke Haley Pham Milena Ciciotti Joseph Solomon The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/why-your-church-is-vulnerable-and-how-young-people-can-help-ep-161/.

Gen Z are those who were born between the years of 1999 and 2015. This means that they are now entering college and the workforce, and it's important that we start talking about them.   What's In This Session? Who is Gen Z? (0:20) The Facebook thread (1:16) Jonathan Malm's comment (1:48) YouTube (3:44) Authenticity (5:41) Responsibilities (6:56) Action orientated (8:01)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Barna Church Communications Facebook Group I Can't Keep Up! How Your Church Can Win Despite Constant Change | Ep. #157 The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-ways-churches-plan-on-reaching-gen-z-ep-160/.

Perspective is so important when it comes to your ability to execute both individually and organizationally. If you're a smaller church and struggle with feeling disappointed by this status, Brady wants to shift your perspective by sharing why being a small church is actually a good thing.   What's In This Session? “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford (0:21) #1: Smaller churches are more popular (1:51) #2: Smaller churches are more agile (4:24) #3: Smaller churches are more personal (7:14)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Barna Jarrid Wilson on Twitter The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-reasons-its-better-to-be-a-smaller-church-pro-church-daily-ep-159/.

Alex and Brady recently returned from a trip to Utah where they spent the majority of their time capturing aerial footage. They share 9 tips the Storytape team has compiled from their experience.   What's In This Session? #1: Get legal (1:54) #2: Magic hour (2:41) #3: National park alternatives (4:10) #4: Shoot in 30p and slow down to 24p in post (5:21) #5: Lookouts/viewpoints (6:47) #6: Have a plan (7:31) #7: LAANC - Airmaps (9:04) #8: Study aerial clips in films & TV shows (10:50) #9: Sun flares (12:05)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned FAA UAS Data Exchange The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth DJI Inspire 2 Storytape Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/9-drone-video-tips-from-the-experts-ep-158/.

Jeff Bezos, the CEO & Founder of Amazon, shared in a recent interview that in a world that is constantly changing it's actually easier to answer the question of what won't change. Brady answers this question for churches.   What's In This Session? Jeff Bezos' letter (1:06) #1: Storytelling (4:59) #2: Attention (6:24) #3: Hope, Community, & Purpose (7:50)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/i-cant-keep-up-how-your-church-can-win-despite-constant-change-ep-157/.

We recently overhauled a bunch of pages on our Nucleus website. The reason for this is our belief that everything we do needs to demonstrate our desire to help churches accomplish their mission. Brady shares how this same shift can help your church.   What's In This Session? Common marketing statements (2:42) Your focus should be accomplishing your mission (3:52) Limited resources (4:00) Emotion-based decisions (7:02) An agreement (7:36) Nucleus (9:03)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/why-your-church-needs-more-laser-focus-ep-156/.

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world and the second most visited website in the world. Brady shares the checklist we use for our YouTube videos.   What's In This Session? #1. Keyword Research (2:01) #2. Intro (3:01) #3. Length (3:37) #4. Talk Shock (4:21) #5. Call To Action (5:37) #6. Thumbnail (6:17) #7. End Card (7:00) #8. Title (7:20) #9. Description (7:44) #10. Tags (8:21) #11. First Comment (8:59) #12. Share on Twitter & Facebook (9:28) #13. Respond & Heart (9:32) Results (9:50)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Super Church Lobby Kiosk Setup The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth KeywordTool.io vidIQ Boost Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/the-13-point-youtube-video-checklist-ep-155/.

The Instagram question sticker is another example of how social media is ever evolving. Brady talks through how this new feature works, and how to use it for your church.   What's In This Session? A way to start conversation (1:26) How it works (3:13) Idea #1: Prayer requests (3:49) Idea #2: Fun questions (4:41) Idea #3: Ask the pastor (6:23) Idea #4: Customer feedback (7:31) Idea #5: Contest (8:09)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Ultimate Guide To Measuring Church Growth Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-ways-to-use-the-new-instagram-stories-questions-sticker-ep-154/.

It's important to remain consistent across social media platforms both visually and the type of content you post. Consistency builds trust with your audience.   What's In This Session? Why consistency is important (0:39) Profile picture (1:25) The description (3:03) McDonald's and branding (5:45) Style guide (7:53)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Adam McLaughlin WordSwag Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-to-stay-consistent-across-all-of-your-churchs-social-platforms-ep-153/.

"You can do anything, but you can't do everything." Brady discusses how this saying applies to your church's social media usage and communication strategy.   What's In This Session? You can do anything, but you can't do everything (0:55) Your North star: attention (3:49) At-Bats (5:05) Business success (6:18) Fishers (6:36) Measure attention -> then measure engagement -> then measure next steps (8:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The 3-Step Funnel To Predictable Church Growth | Ep. #125 IGTV For Churches : 15 Things Your Ministry Needs To Know | Ep. #150 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/the-ultimate-church-decision-matrix-ep-152/.

We love sharing success stories from real churches that prove the content and strategies we share on Pro Church Tools works. Alex discusses a success story that was sent to him.   What's In This Session? How do we increase shares on Facebook? (0:48) Ultimate form of public endorsement (1:24) The content needs to be share worthy (1:44) The contest (2:13) The results (2:52)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-a-church-of-125-reached-6000-people-for-free-ep-151/.

IGTV is the newest part of the Instagram platform. Brady and Alex discuss what IGTV is, the features it includes, and how to use it as part of your ministry's communication strategy.   What's In This Session? What is IGTV? (0:32) Stat #1: Teens are watching 40% less TV than 5 years ago (3:52) Stat #2: Instagram users are watching 60% more videos than last year (4:08) Video must be vertical (4:38) IGTV has a stand alone app (6:51) Comments (7:06) Autoplay without audio (7:35) How do I use it? (8:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned IGTV guide from Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/igtv-for-churches-15-things-your-ministry-needs-to-know-ep-150/.

Sometimes when you're wanting to go all in on a project, or rebrand, you want the best of the best when it comes to typography choices. Our designer, Eric, has compiled a list of premium font resources.   What's In This Session? #1: Klim(2:06) #2: Lineto(3:16) #3: Optimo(3:43) #4: Typotheque(4:31) #5: Production Type(4:34) #6: SwissType Faces(4:36) #7: Typography(4:43) #8: Darden Studio(4:57) #9: 205 TF(5:02) #10: HVD Fonts(5:10) #11: Fonts In Use(5:50) #12: Type Wolf(7:13) #13: Foster Type(8:02)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 7 Free Summer Fonts For Churches | Ep. #139 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/13-premium-font-resources-for-churches-ep-149/.

Real photos of real people at your church are incredibly important when it comes to branding on your website and social media. Alex discusses his recommendations when it comes to gear.   What's In This Session? DSLR Camera Body (1:38) 6D Mk II(3:30) 5D Mk II(3:40) Fast Lens(4:02) Lens Pen(5:14) Pelican Case(5:56) Neewer Glass Prism(6:45) Backdrop Kit(8:50) Editing software - GIMP/Lightroom/Photoshop(9:46)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Nucleus Playbook Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-indispensable-photography-tools-for-churches-ep-148/.

Every one of our churches want to grow and the best way to do that is to increase next steps. Brady discusses how to make this happen in your church.   What's In This Session? Quick wins (2:05) The lie (2:36) The paradox (3:05) The study (3:25) Less announcements (7:03) Connect cards (7:31) A single call to action (8:17)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Church The 50% Rule For Church Announcements | Ep. #146 Why "Next Steps" Are The Best Metric For Tracking Church Growth | Ep. #145 The New Rules For Measuring Church Growth | Ep. #144 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-to-quickly-accelerate-growth-at-your-church-ep-147/.

Churches often struggle with having too many announcements, but being unsure about which ones to cut while keeping the peace. Brady shares his 50% rule that allows you to limit announcements without favouritism.   What's In This Session? Announcements promote first steps (2:25) The 50% Rule (3:16) Reason #1: Conditioning (4:02) Reason #2: Removes conflict (5:25) Reason #3: Reduces announcements (6:35) More next steps (8:05)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The New Rules For Measuring Church Growth | Ep. #144 Why "Next Steps" Are The Best Metric For Tracking Church Growth | Ep. #145 The Nucleus Playbook Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/the-50-rule-for-church-announcements-ep-146/.

Brady discusses why next steps are such a beneficial metric for your church and the steps you need to follow to begin tracking them.   What's In This Session? Ep. #144 (1:05) Every church mission statement (1:55) Next steps (2:18) Step #1: Audit (5:04) Step #2: Assign value (5:45) Step #3: Set your baseline (6:47) Step #4: Work to improve (7:49) Nucleus (9:37)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The New Rules To Measuring Church Growth | Ep. #144 The Nucleus Playbook Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/why-next-steps-are-the-best-metric-for-tracking-church-growth-ep-145/.

With church attendance continuing to drop due to major cultural shifts, it is no longer the best metric for tracking church growth or health. Brady shares 3 reasons why, and some other metrics to use instead.   What's In This Session? Current attendance trends (1:04) Reason #1: Millennial drop off (2:01) Reason #2: Affluence (2:38) Reason #3: Communication shift (3:17) Weight loss analogy (4:18) Determine WHY we do church (6:52) Next steps (8:05)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 9 sobering Church Attendance Statistics | Ep. #132 10 Reasons Even Committed Church Attenders Are Attending Less | Carey Nieuwhoff Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/the-new-rules-for-measuring-church-growth-ep-144/.

Brady shares a job description and five principle concepts to help your church decide if you need to hire someone to fill the role of communications director, or why you should have one at all.   What's In This Session? The DM (0:21) Job description (2:03) Pillar #1: Grand vision (2:54) Pillar #2: Communication shift (4:35) Pillar #3: Attention (6:15) Pillar #4: Seize the 167 (6:30) Pillar #5: Success stories (8:15)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How A Church Of 90 People Grew 42% In 6 Months Using Social Media | Ep. #141 How A Millennial Pastor Uses Vlogging To Grow His Church | Ep. #121 How A Church Of 150 Spent $109 On Facebook Ads And Got 241 New Visitors | Ep. #087 Communications Director Job Description From Fishhook Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/why-your-church-needs-a-communications-director-ep-143/.

Social media is constantly changing. Alex discusses a DM he received with story about using the slider feature on Instagram stories to encourage connection and engagement.   What's In This Session? Episode 108 review (0:21) Kieran's DM (1:05) The results (2:54) Tool #1: PicMonkey(4:01) Tool #2: WordSwag(4:46) Tool #3: Photoshop/ Illustrator(6:00)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How To Use Instagram To Engage Spiritual Practice | Ep. #108 @youngzeal on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/the-instagram-slider-prayer-request-technique-ep-142/.

Brady discusses a message he received from a pastor who is seeing the effects of using social media at his church first hand. EJ has seen incredible growth at his church plant, and Brady shares some principles you can apply to your church.   What's In This Session? Pastor EJ's story (1:09) #1: Low-hanging Fruit (2:26) #2: The Brand (2:14) #3: Facebook Live Devotion (5:34) #4: Ownership Over Attendance (7:30) #5: Google My Business (9:11) Share your stories with us! (9:56)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Field Of Grace Baptist Church Field Of Grace on Instagram Field Of Grace on Twitter 9 Sobering Church Attendance Statistics | Ep. #132 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-a-church-of-90-people-grew-42-in-6-months-using-social-media-ep-141/.

Social media provides a lot of feedback and accurate tracking on how well your posts and presence are performing. Brady discusses how to know if you're succeeding as a church on social media.   What's In This Session? The DM Brady received (0:22) Attention, engagement, and next steps (1:13) Brady's Face (3:07) Empty Church (3:43) Formula #1: Attention (4:32) Formula #2: Engagement (5:24) Formula #3: Next Steps (7:10)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The 3-Step Funnel To Predictable Church Growth | Ep. #125 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-effective-ways-to-measure-your-churchs-social-media-efforts-ep-140/.

We understand the struggle of designing graphics for summer events and needing new, up to date fonts, but without spending a ton of money. Brady shares 7 free fonts for your church to use this summer.   What's In This Session? #1: Mattilda(1:04) #2: Oxford(1:34) #3: Alberto(2:49) #4: Gilroy(3:23) #5: Hansief (4:35) #6: Garment District(5:45) #7: Tuesday Night(6:18)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Flywheel Font List Easil Font List Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/7-free-summer-fonts-for-churches-ep-139/.

Statistically less and less Americans attend church every single year. Ryan Wakefield of Church Marketing University joins us to discuss how to create a welcoming environment for first time guests.   What's In This Session? The world is becoming more unfamiliar with church (1:20) Tip #1: The Host Address (3:47) Tip #2: The FAQ Sheet (7:28) Tip #3: Be understandable (8:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Ryan Wakefield Church Marketing University Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/tips-for-welcoming-first-time-visitors-to-your-church-ep-138/.

If you spend enough time online - you'll get an angry comment. This can leave you wondering, what do I do? How do I respond? That's what this episode is about. Brady responds to a real life situation.   What's In This Session? Adam's experience (0:41) Option #1: Delete & reach out personally (3:33) Option #2: Hide (4:56) Option #3: Respond (5:55) The popcorn comments GIF (7:02)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Church Communications Facebook Group Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-churches-should-respond-to-angry-comments-online-ep-137/.

If you are a one man (or woman) band at your church, wearing multiple hats, and feel like your to-do list is a bit too much - Brady talks about building a team and bringing on new members.   What's In This Session? Misconception #1: You need people with experience (2:22) Misconception #2: I'm too important to delegate (3:22) Step #1: Audit (3:54) Step #2: Create standard operating procedures (4:48) Step #3: Delegate (7:12) Bonus: The E-Myth Revisted(10:35)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Video Announcements Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/building-a-church-media-team-from-scratch-ep-136/.

If you're wanting to grow your church's social media presence faster than you are currently - this is the Pro Church Daily episode for you! Brady discusses 3 methods to help encourage growth.   What's In This Session? Churches' unique advantage (0:30) Method #1: Cross-promotion (3:16) Method #2: Contest (4:21) Method #3: Paid promotion (7:30)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-to-rapidly-grow-your-churchs-social-media-following-ep-135/.

Tech is advancing at an incredible pace, which is great for creatives because technology that used to be reserved for studios with big budgets are now highly affordable. Brady talks about 5 pieces of gear we're excited about in 2018.   What's In This Session? Digital tools become more affordable every year (0:23) #1: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera V2 (announced for Fall 2018) (2:24) #2: DJI Ronin-S(4:25) #3: Syrp Genie II(6:40) #4: Canon M50(8:04) #5: DJI Zenmuse X7 Camera(8:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape DJI Osmo Ronin M Ronin Original Syrup Genie Mini Pro Church Vlog DJI Inspire 2 DJI Zenmuse X5S Camera Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-new-exciting-video-tools-for-2018-ep-134/.

Brady responds to a member of Pro Church Nation who feels stuck and is struggling to shift the culture of his church to become more healthy. Laying out a four step plan, Brady discusses how to get started.   What's In This Session? Human nature (1:03) To change culture you need: clout, patience, and time (3:24) Step #1: Ensure everyone agrees on the destination (4:23) Step #2: Wait and prove you're part of the team (5:52) Step #3: Suggest a small change (6:40) Step #4: Suggest progressively larger changes (8:54)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/how-to-reverse-an-unhealthy-culture-at-your-church-ep-133/.

Brady received an Instagram DM the other day from a member of Pro Church Nation. They asked the question, "how big is a small church? Less than 2,000?" Having attended a church over a thousand attendees, they didn't realize that this was not the norm. Brady discusses the facts on church attendance.   What's In This Session? 1: Only 23-25% of Americans show up to church 3 out of 8 Sundays(1:19) 2: 8% attend a church of 1,000 or more(3:04) 3: 46% of churchgoers attend a church of 100 or fewer(3:31) 4: 2 in 10 millennials believe church attendance is important(3:55) 5: 59% of millennials who grew up in church have dropped out(4:39) 6: 40% of churches in America average between 100 and 350 in attendance(4:57) 7: 10% of churches in America average more than 350 in attendance(5:03) 8: 50% of all churches in America average less than 100 in attendance(5:10) 9: The estimated attendance for 2050 is almost half of 1990's attendance(5:40)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/9-sobering-church-attendance-statistics-ep-132/.

We travel a lot here at Pro Church Tools. Whether it's capturing footage for Storytape, or speaking at conferences, there's always a trip in the works. Over the past couple years we've learned a lot about travelling light and efficient. Brady talks through our travel essentials.   What's In This Session? 1: Lowepro Flipside(2:01) 2: Hexad Access Duffel(3:20) 3: Skyroam(4:26) 4: Portable iPhone Charger (5:18) 5: Lens Cleaning Kit(6:38) 6: Rizon(7:30) 7: TSA Pre/ Clear/ Nexus(8:13) Bonus: Compact Camera Gear (9:48)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Manfrotto BeFree Tripod Blackmagic Procket Cinema Camera Parrot Teleprompter Westcott Flex Light Matthews RoadRags Kit Storytape Pro Church Vlog Lenspen Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-must-have-travel-tools-for-creatives-ep-131/.

We constantly encourage churches to seize the 167 hours outside their Sunday service each week. Brady explains why this applies to churches with older demographics as well.   What's In This Session? The stats (1:44) #1: Number one source for finding information (2:20) #2: 19 hours per week are spent online (4:50) #3: 4 hours & 9 minutes per week are spent on social media (6:30)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Internet/Broadband Fact Sheet Reaching Today's Boomers & Seniors Online 2016 Nielsen Social Media Report Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/older-churches-must-embrace-new-technology-ep-130/.

We are living through the biggest communication shift in 500 years. We see this reflected in companies like Disney and Netflix, and churches are not immune. Brady talks about how this changes the way you do outreach.   What's In This Session? Disney (0:21) Market value of Disney vs. Netflix (1:09) "Until Disney launches its own streaming service" (2:36) Churches aren't immune to this change (6:11) American statistics (6:26)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned It's Netflix's World, Disney Just Lives In It Surveying The Digital Future Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/20x-church-mission-field-ep-129/.

Brady has presented more than 30 thousand individual church announcements over the last 5 years which has helped him develop the unique skill of reading from a teleprompter well. He shares his tips and tricks for beginners.   What's In This Session? 7 feet between the teleprompter and the talent (1:50) Pre read the script (3:01) High contrast (3:37) Expressive face (4:07) Resting spot for your hands (5:49) Keep chin and feet flat (7:17) Gear (8:31)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Telmax Tablet Teleprompter Parrot Phone Teleprompter Teleprompt+ App Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/beginners-guide-using-teleprompter-ep-128/.

We have spoken a few times about Millennials here at Pro Church Tools, and the reason for that is because we are millennials, but also because we are in a very unique time period. Brady discusses one quality that sets millennials apart.   What's In This Session? Intergenerational friction (0:47) Older generations (1:33) Younger generations (2:29) The current pop culture shift (3:04) We need each other now more than ever (6:22)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/1-unsettling-way-millennials-truly-unique-ep-127/.

When Facebook updated their algorithm for 2018, founder Mark Zuckerberg said that the changes were to encourage "meaningful interaction." This is what you should be aiming for with your church accounts if you're wanting to see engagement. Brady talks about some ways to do just that.   What's In This Session? Meaningful interaction (0:31) #1: Day Of The Year (1:30) #2: The Elimination Game (3:49) #3: Door #1 vs. Door #2 (6:01) #4: Prompt (7:29) #5: Guessing Game (9:01)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The 3-Step Funnel To Predictable Church Growth | Ep. #125 DaysOfTheYear.com Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-unusual-social-media-templates-churches-ep-126/.

One of the struggles for churches in 2018 and beyond is the ever growing amount of digital and social platforms to be active on, and not understanding the value in this. Brady discusses how online presence relates to your church's vision.   What's In This Session? #1: Attention (3:12) #2: Engagement (3:57) #3: Next Steps (4:15) Example #1 (Analog) (5:01) Example #2 (Digital) (6:51) Predictable (7:57) Understand the path (8:47)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Church Storytelling Formula Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-step-funnel-predictable-church-growth-ep-125/.

We all know how important social media is to the life of our churches, and its searchability online, as well as just engaging your congregation throughout the week. Brady shares 11 social media tools you can use at your church.   What's In This Session? 1: Instagram Business(0:48) 2: Buffer(2:59) 3: Evernote(3:33) 4: VSCO(4:21) 5: Priime(5:33) 6: Airdrop(6:06) 7: Boomerang(7:40) 8: Hyperlapse(7:47) 9: Layout(7:57) 10: Focus(8:14) 11: Stop motion (Instagram stories feature) (8:46)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Lightroom Prime  Alex.Kauai on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/11-free-social-media-tools-churches-ep-124/.

A key component of communication, especially when you're want to be able to teach or encourage change in people's lives, is trust. Brady discusses a common way communicators build trust quickly from stage.   What's In This Session? Downtime in Hawaii (0:44) Get on their level (1:59) Headed to a conference (2:15) Self-deprecation (3:08) Example #1: Episode #116 (4:22) Example #2: Comedians talk about their parents (5:14) Example #3: Pastors talk about wives/staff/friends (7:43)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned ProChurchVlog.com How To Deal With Church Conflict | Ep. #116 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/1-simple-tip-gaining-trust-church-ep-123/.

Royalty-free audio is so useful in so many capacities, with the most common being the backing track in videos. Brady shares the 5 best royalty-free audio sites for churches.   What's In This Session? Soundstripe(2:06) Artlist(4:37) PremiumBeat.com(5:13) Marmoset Music(6:32) Musicbed(7:53)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned ProChurchVlog.com Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-best-royalty-free-audio-sites-churches-ep-122/.

YouTube is such a huge social media platform, especially with Gen Z. Brady shares some stories from a pastor who has blogged his church planting experience, and how these blogs are affecting people both local and worldwide.   What's In This Session? Trey Van Camp (2:21) Story #1: Fan of Casey Neistat (5:11) Story #2: Casey invites Dustin to come to NYC (6:46) Story #3: Couple attends church on Easter (7:47) End notes (9:36)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Passion Creek Church Trey on YouTube Trey on Instagram Trey's website Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/millennial-pastor-uses-vlogging-grow-church-ep-121/.

With attention being the most important commodity and engagement being the priority, Brady sits down and discusses using current events to spark conversation.   What's In This Session? Yanny vs. Laurel (0:57) Take advantage of current events (2:44) Engagement is the priority (2:52) Churches with reservations (4:43)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Life.Church on Instagram ProChurchVlog.com Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/life-church-social-media-smartly-uses-current-events-ep-120/.

We wanted to give a Biblical foundation for why we care so much about digital media. Brady shares three Bible passages that inspire us.     What's In This Session? What we found . . . (1:17) Acts 17 (2:26) Parable of the Sower (4:42) The Great Commission (7:27) A history of tech in church (8:59)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Vlog Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-bible-verses-support-technology-churches-ep-119/.

Life long learning is an integral part of being a person progressing toward a goal. It's also an integral part of being a great leader. Brady shares a couple of his favourite books that he's read this year.     What's In This Session? #1: Grit by Angela Duckworth(0:45) #2: Willpower Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy(2:59) #3: The Motivation Myth by Jeff Haden(5:40) BONUS: The Beauty Of Discomfort by Amanda Lang(8:26) Macro Thesis: Embrace discomfort. Work the process. (8:48)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-books-church-leaders-read-2018-ep-118/.

Brady recently spoke at Thrive Conference in California. After his session someone asked him a question about meshing multiple generations in a single church. He shares his answer for all churches.     What's In This Session? The question from Thrive (0:31) Storytelling is powerful (1:21) Storytelling brings focus (1:36) Storytelling is a solution (2:55) The Pro Church Tools story (7:34) What's your church's story & narrative? (8:38) Just start telling stories (9:02)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Church Storytelling Formula (YouTube Playlist) Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/ultimate-shortcut-earning-attention-distracted-culture-ep-117/.

Brady shares a recent experience of a conflict with a colleague online. He talks about some conflict best practices and how to apply them to church.     What's In This Session? Brady's recent experience (0:23) #1: You can't control what happens to you; you can choose how you respond (2:00) #2: What's the narrative? (2:47) #3: It's not always your job to protect your reputation (4:58) How does this apply to your church? (7:53) On Earth as it is in Heav   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/deal-church-conflict-ep-116/.

We often get asked for recommendations of live streaming gear. Brady breaks down a selection of affordable cameras for live streaming recommended by Joel W. Smith.   What's In This Session? Disclaimer (0:24) Joel W. Smith (1:01) Canon Vixia G20 (1:35) Canon Vixia G40 (2:50) Canon XA10 (3:31) Canon XA30 (4:06) Sony PXW-X70 (5:59) Other Considerations (7:04)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Best Cameras For Live Video The Budget Friendly Live Streaming Package Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/affordable-live-streaming-cameras-churches-2018-ep-115/.

Brady has often referred to his belief that live streaming your church service is overrated. He breaks down why this is the case and offers some alternatives.     What's In This Session? An unpopular opinion (0:20) The size of churches (1:02) Brady's claim (1:17) Price (1:39) ROI (3:31) Motivation (5:13) Alex's thoughts (6:27) Alternative options (8:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/live-streaming-churches-overrated-ep-114/.

Brady talks about how Jesus' call to be fishers of men translates to the church and our use of social media and technology. Go where the fish are.     What's In This Session? Alex talks about fishing (1:01) Best time & place to catch fish (2:00) Matthew 4:19 (3:12) Attention is the most valuable commodity your church can possess (4:40)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/fishers-men-digital-culture-ep-113/.

Brady often gets asked the question, what are some examples of churches who do social media exceptionally well? Elevation is definitely one of those churches. Brady talks about why this is.     What's In This Session? #StopTheScroll (1:56) Example #1: The Standing Camera (4:44) Example #2: The Text Message (5:41) Example #3: The Camera Roll (6:51) Example #4: The FaceTime (7:56) Study. Observe. Get creative. (9:19)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Elevation Church Thrive Conference Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/elevation-church-good-social-media-ep-112/.

We often receive emails asking about keys to crafting a perfect sermon bumper. Brady breaks down his top five tips to get you started.     What's In This Session? #1: Short (2:12) #2: Abstract (3:16) #3: Curiosity (4:20) #4: Emotional (5:16) #5: Incomplete (6:30)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pre-written scripts SermonBumpers.com The Good Place Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-tips-crafting-perfect-sermon-bumper-script-ep-111/.

If you're looking to create graphics for your church while keeping it quick, easy and affordable - look no further! Brady shares 7 free graphic design tools.     What's In This Session? Canva(0:35) Adobe Spark(1:59) Dribbble(2:33) Noun Project(4:00) Coolors(5:03) Unsplash(6:56) Instagram Stories (8:29)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Canva for work Photoshop Sketch Trello Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-free-graphic-design-tools-churches-ep-110/.

After doing several episodes on millennials, including a YouTube playlist mini course, Brady discusses a handful of churches that are ministering to this age bracket really well.   What's In This Session? Statistics on Millennials (0:58) Barna Trends 2017 study (1:52) Fortune's 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials (2:19) Elevation Church (2:32) Fuller Youth Institute study (4:19) Erwin McManus & Mosaic Church (5:15)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned PEW Research 11 Facts About The Millennial Generation Americans Divided On The Importance Of Church 100 Best Workplaces For Millennials Growing Young Elevation Church Mosaic Church Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/250-churches-successfully-reaching-millennials-ep-109/.

Instagram is one of Alex's favourite social media platforms, and he is constantly looking for new ways to engage his followers. He talks about how to use Instagram to engage your church in spiritual practice.     What's In This Session? Looking for creative ways to engage your church community online (0:34) Engaging your church in spiritual practice online (2:25) 800 million users as of 2017 (2:56) Creating wallpapers (3:43) Brady's thoughts (6:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Unsplash Lightroom Canva Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/use-instagram-engage-spiritual-practice-ep-108/.

Brady discusses our manifesto - #SeizeThe167 - and why this is such an important change in focus for churches as we live through the biggest communication shift in the last 500 years.     What's In This Session? What do these platforms have in common? (0:35) Social media usage in 2018 (1:47) Industries disrupted in 2018 (4:04) The state of our churches in 2018 (6:00) Fundamental idea #1 (8:22) Fundamental idea #2 (8:40) Fundamental idea #3 (9:10)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Social Media Use 2018 Neilsen Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/seizethe167-ultimate-manifesto-churches-changing-world-ep-107/.

So many people listen to podcasts, and churches are uniquely positioned to use this tool as statistically more Christians listen to podcasts than those who identify themselves otherwise. Brady talks about what you need to get started.     What's In This Session? What do we use? (1:30) Step #1 - Recording Source (2:37) Step #2 - Editing Software (5:06) Step #3 - Hosting & Sharing (8:34)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How Churches Can Reach Millennials Using Podcasts | Ep. #097 Nucleus Heil PR-40 Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro Sound Devices 702T Behringer Xenyx Q802 USB Adobe Audition Auphonic Libsyn Blue Yeti Shure MV88 Garageband Audacity Smart URL Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/beginners-guide-podcasting-churches-ep-106/.

One of the top priorities of your website is ranking well in search so that you can be discovered by new visitors. Brady shares 7 tools for search engine optimization.     What's In This Session? #1. Google My Business(0:54) #2. Google Page Speed Insights(1:57) #3. Moz Local Listing Score(2:33) #4. KeywordTool.io(4:08) #5. Google Analytics(4:41) #6. Google Webmaster Tools(6:27) #7. Yoast SEO Plugin for WordPress(8:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-free-seo-tools-churches-ep-105/.

Video equipment can add up quickly but you don't necessarily need the most expensive pieces of gear. Brady shares his updated $1000 camera set up.     What's In This Session? Disclaimer (0:53) The Camera: Canon M50 Mirrorless Camera with 15-45mm lens($899) (1:53) The Audio: Rode VideoMicro Compact On-Camera Microphone($59) (4:30) The Stabilization: Joby Gorillapod Mini($47.90) (5:37) Pros (6:12) Cons (7:19)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Canon 22mm f2 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/1000-church-video-camera-setup-2018-ep-104/.

"Just preach the gospel" is a common retort Brady sees used online. He discusses why this is bad advice, and how this statement is being misapplied.     What's In This Session? "Preach" is a verb. It demands a medium (1:59) "Preach" requires a listener (2:55) This statement is being misapplied (3:33) Timeless message in a timely medium (4:12) Attention is the most valuable commodity your church can possess (4:30) This statement does a disservice to the Gospel when it prioritizes mediums with less attention over mediums with more attention for the sake of tradition (5:32)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/just-preach-gospel-terrible-advice-ep-103/.

Brady discusses the core values he uses when creating videos, some pitfalls to avoid, and how to apply these concepts in your own videos.     What's In This Session? #1: Show don't tell (2:31) #2: Stunning visuals (3:46) #3: Don't force resolution (4:59) #4: No story is too small (7:46) #5: The responsibility falls on the storyteller (9:27)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 9 Questions To Ask In Your Next Church Testimony | Ep. #101 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-core-values-video-storytelling-churches-ep-102/.

Some of Brady's favourite projects have been testimony videos he's worked on. He shares 9 questions he uses to help get the best footage of the story being told.     What's In This Session? #1: Tell me about the time when . . . (2:15) #2: Tell me the story of . . . (2:46) #3: Describe the conversation . . . (3:25) #4: Tell me about the day you realized . . . (4:38) #5: What were the next steps that got you from here to there? (4:58) #6: How have you changed in the last 5 years? (5:32) #7: How do you see yourself? (6:22) #8: What was the pivotal moment for you? (6:56) #9: What have you not talked about that you'd like to mention? (8:08)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/9-questions-ask-next-church-testimony-video-ep-101/.

Before founding Pro Church Tools Brady worked in his local church as a media director. He shares a handful of his biggest mistakes and how you can learn from them.     What's In This Session? #1: Stock photos on our website homepage (2:28) #2: Mobile app (3:28) #3: Green screen for video announcements (4:46) #4: Watermelon disaster post on Facebook (6:07) #5: No compass; no "why" (7:27)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Subsplash Cowboy Studio Green Screen Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-mistakes-brady-shearer-made-media-director-ep-100/.

Email is still, in our opinion, the second most important platform for your church to be using on digital. Brady shares 7 of his best performing subject lines from this year.     What's In This Session? Example #1: Embarrassing (39.47% open rate) [CURIOSITY] (2:49) Example #2: [Blank subject line] (33.51% open rate) [CURIOSITY] (4:01) Example #3: Pastors are too old (33.9% open rate) [CONTROVERSY] (4:41) Example #4: 7 things Millennials don’t care about in your church (37.3% open rate - 10.83% click rate) [LIST] (5:46) Example #5: A gift from me to you (34.85% open rate) [FREEBIE] (6:49) Example #6: The easiest lighting setup I’ve ever used (32.82% open rate) [EASY] (7:05) Example #7: How to 27X your organic reach on Facebook (30.11% open rate) [HOW-TO] (8:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned MailChimp Active Campaign Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-best-performing-email-subject-lines-2018-ep-099/.

Brady shares seven statistics from Barna's Trends 2018 trends that he found particularly interesting in regards to church attendance and where Christians are currently.     What's In This Session? 1: 2 out of every 3 Christians admit to experiencing a season or spiritual doubt (1:59) 2: More than a quarter of Christians still find themselves doubting (2:26) 3: 38% of Americans are active churchgoers; 43% are unchurched; 34% is dechurched (3:51) 4: Only 9% of churchgoers attend a church of 1,000 or more (4:18) 5: 40% of churchgoers attend a church of 100 or fewer (4:58) 6: More than half of all American adults (58%) wish they read the Bible more often (6:28) 7: The ideal form of Bible study is 59% “discussion with friends or peers” and just 32% for “sermon or lecture" (6:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Barna Trends 2018 YouVersion App Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-important-church-statistics-2018-ep-098/.

Brady discusses the surprising statistic that almost 50% of Millennials listen to podcasts, and how your church can make the most of this medium.     What's In This Session? Podcast statistics (0:34) Brady & Alex's experience with podcasts (1:10) Idea #1: Q & A podcast (4:03) Idea #2: Conversational podcast (5:34) Idea #3: Short & off-the-cuff (6:53)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Barna Trends 2018 This Cultural Moment The Liturgists Podcast The Bad Christian Podcast Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/churches-can-reach-millennials-using-podcasts-ep-097/.

Brady has always had a morning routine, but over the last couple months has made some changes. He shares why this routine is so valuable, and both he hand Alex share what their morning routines look like.     What's In This Session? The importance of investing in yourself (0:18) 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation in silence (2:08) Read: Personal development book & the Bible (3:24) Journal: Goals, learnings, gratitudes & prayers (4:16) Alex's experiences (7:44)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Beauty of Discomfort by Amanda Lang The Sleep Cycle App Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/develop-morning-routine-ep-096/.

Brady discusses a copywriting tip that you can use to help drive more next steps at your church. The key to this is to respond to objections preemptively.   What's In This Session? Advanced copywriting & communication tip (0:24) Common objections (2:01) Fix #1: Confront the objection (2:50) Fix #2: Confront the rejection (4:31) Fix #3: Confront the alternative (6:17)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/advanced-church-communications-tip-preemptively-responding-objections-ep-095/.

In the past couple weeks Brady has been researching change, and how to make long term positive choices. He shares some thoughts on how to create lasting change in your church.   What's In This Session? Humans are predisposed to reject change (0:49) Necessity is the single biggest driver of change (1:51) Brady's work experience (3:59) Nucleus (4:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/finally-see-real-change-church-ep-094/.

Alex discusses how he is using Facebook groups in his church, the hesitation he felt before starting one, and the results he started seeing within the first 24 hours.   What's In This Session? 2018 algorithm change (0:29) "Facebook was built to bring people closer together" (0:45) Why Alex was originally hesitant (2:05) The first 24 hours (3:38) One or multiple groups? (4:44) A review (7:22)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How To Get More 5-Star Online Reviews For Your Church | Ep. #085 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/expect-launching-church-facebook-group-ep-093/.

Communication is tough, but even small changes can move the needle forward. Brady discusses a commonly used phrase in church announcements and why we should stop using it. What's In This Session? Small changes can move the needle forward (0:56) "Don't miss it!" (1:31) Reason #1: Consequences (2:06) Reason #2: Laziness (3:33) Alternative: "See you there!" (6:15)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Church Storytelling Formula Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/1-phrase-church-stop-using-say-instead-ep-092/.

Brady and Alex share some digital tools we have begun to use on a regular basis at Pro Church Tools and how they can be helpful for you and your church.     What's In This Session? Grammarly(0:31) ahrefs(1:57) Linktr.ee(3:32) Smart URL (5:38) Skyroam(7:51)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pretty Links ProChurchDaily.com Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-new-digital-tools-using-2018-ep-091/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:44 - If we have a youth group page what kind of stuff am I posting? What would they want to see, what kind of stuff would they interact with? 13:54 - When it comes to A/B testing hashtags on Instagram, should I make a new Instagram post with the second set of hashtags, or should I delete set A and replace with set B in the same comment? 19:58 - I saw that Nucleus.Church was pinned with an app like logo, I was wondering if you could explain how to make your website capable of doing this. 22:25 - Should I try to make every post something for both the youth and older crowd? Should I just focus on one group, or should I try to have some posts directed at each group?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

We are living through the biggest communication shift in 500 years, and social media and technology continues to advance and change. Brady discusses the platforms that are most popular with Gen Z.     What's In This Session? Attention is the most valuable commodity your church can possess (1:14) Timeless message in timely mediums (1:59) YouTube (2:37) Snapchat (5:22) Instagram (8:24) You don't need to create the content yourself (8:53)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned AdWeek Infographic Study: Gen Z frequents Snapchat more than its social media rivals Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/student-youth-ministry-gen-z-3-social-platforms-church-needs-consider-ep-090/.

The older you are, the more life experience you have to share. Brady discusses how millennials can make the most of the life lessons of those from older generations and learn from their experiences.     What's In This Session? What do you wish you knew at 25 that you know now? (1:24) Ask their opinion (4:45) Don't generalize an individual relationship (7:00) Conclusion (8:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 3 Ways Older Church Leaders Can Help Disciple Millennials | Ep. #088 How A 50+ Pastor Dominates Instagram with Carey Nieuwhof (PCP190) Carey Nieuwhof on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-ways-millennials-learn-older-church-leaders-ep-089/.

In past episodes Brady has discussed the implications of the millennial generation. In this episode he talks about how older church leaders can disciple millennials.     What's In This Session? Empower & Champion (1:14) Ask their opinion (5:40) Don't generalize an individual relationship (8:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Truth About Millennials And Church Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-ways-older-church-leaders-can-help-disciple-millennials-ep-088/.

It's important to use our resources wisely. Brady shares the story of a church who used Facebook Ads to benefit their growth strategy, and how to make it work for you.     What's In This Session? The story (0:30) Step #1: Promote an event, not a church service (4:18) Step #2: Target those 18-65+ within a 10 mile radius of your church (5:28) Step #3: Landing page with a form (5:52)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How A Church Of 120 Spent $78 On Facebook Ads & Got 47 New Visitors Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/church-150-spent-109-facebook-ads-got-241-new-visitors-ep-087/.

Every week has 168 hours. The average weekly church service is around an hour long, but the influence of your church doesn't need to end there. Brady talks about seizing the other 167 hours in a week.   What's In This Session? #1: Directed spiritual reflection (2:19) #2: Q&A Podcast (4:38) #3: Patreon (6:15) #4: Document the journey (7:22) #5: Facebook Ads (9:13)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned That Christian Vlogger Storytape Nucleus The Unveiled Wife on Facebook Patreon Rebecca Mills on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-groundbreaking-ways-churches-can-seizethe167-ep-086/.

Brady shares why Google and Facebook reviews are so important for your church, as well as how to trigger more of them.   What's In This Session? Reviews appear first on Google (0:27) Google My Business pulls a star rating and displays it (0:51) Drown out false negative reviews (1:52) Host a contest (2:25) Use an anniversary or birthday to trigger reviews (4:55)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Google My Business ProChurchDaily.com Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/get-5-star-online-reviews-church-ep-085/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   0:59 - Other than passing the speed test, what are some tips and tricks to improve our site’s SEO? 9:08 - How many times could or would you play the same video announcement for an event? 10:46 - What are your thoughts on Facebook fundraisers for nonprofit and whether you think it can be a good tool for my church to utilize to accept donations, offerings, etc.? 15:27 - Is there any information or ministry that DOESN’T make the cut for the church website? If so, how do you decide?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Headlines can be used for a variety of things, from blog posts to podcast episodes. Brady shares some tips on how to make your headlines more captivating and clickable.   What's In This Session? #1: Numbered list (1:17) #2: Superlatives (3:03) #3: Audience specific (3:26) #4: How-to (4:45) #5: Negativity (5:41) Bonus: Add the year (8:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-easy-ways-write-better-headlines-2018-ep-084/.

As human beings we need someone to go first, especially when it comes to difficult choices like being vulnerable. A leader's job is to go first. Brady talks about leading with vulnerability and why it's so important.   What's In This Session? We all need someone to go first (0:22) Example #1 - the 2 hour marathon (0:34) Going first is the job of a leader (1:36) Example #2 - Brady's launch weight gain (3:16) Example #3 - Post-launch crash (4:42) Alex's examples (6:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/secret-leading-vulnerability-important-ep-083/.

Brady discusses three free third-party tools to use in tandem with your church website. These tools can enhance the user experience of your website with no extra cost.     What's In This Session? All-in-one or a combination of tools? (0:36) YouTube (0:59) Cloudflare (4:16) Drift Live Chat (6:01)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How To Add A Free Live Chat Widget To Your Church's Website | Ep. #071 Cloudflare Drift Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-free-third-party-tools-use-alongside-churchs-website-ep-082/.

Great photos used to be expensive and complicated - but not anymore. Advancements in technology have made great photography more readily available to everyone. Brady discusses how to take great photos on your phone.   What's In This Session? The Georgia Institute of Technology study (1:50) Step #1 - Portrait Mode (3:03) Step #2 - Find The Best Light (4:26) Step #3 - Edite Your Photos with a Free App (7:48)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned VSCO App Rizon Case Study & Examples Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/capture-beautiful-church-photos-free-ep-081/.

Brady discusses how every generation, just like every individual, has strengths and weaknesses and how you cannot expect to reach a generation you are busy insulting.   What's In This Session? The tweet that sparked this episode (0:21) Publicly insulting a generation of young people that is attending church at historically low numbers won’t help you reach them (1:36) Millennials need a champion (2:50) Every generation has their strengths & weaknesses (3:06) Take Brady as an example (3:34)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned What Millennials Want When They Visit Church - Barna Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/signature-way-churches-alienate-millennials-gen-z-ep-080/.

Senior pastors in small churches tend to be in charge of a lot things themselves. This can make delegation difficult. Brady talks about how this can impact creative ministries.   What's In This Session? Dustin's Facebook message (0:21) Small church pastors (1:15) Try to understand where they're coming from (2:46) Growth requires delegation (3:26) The process (3:26)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Storytape The E-myth Revisited Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/help-pastor-keeps-interfering-creative-ministry-ep-079/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:01 - Is there a specific email that you’ve done in the past and sent out which is really effective with the intent to purge your email list? 7:37 - A friend of mine and I are taking over my church’s social media as a project since we are interns through our church, and I was wondering if you have any information that may help us amp up our church’s social media when the older generation doesn’t like what we do. 16:01 - Do you have any suggestions on getting a full-time staff position? 21:14 - I’m working to try and give our church’s website home page a main focal point like you suggest, but I’m not sure how to. Any suggestions would be great!   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

We are living through the biggest communications shift in 500 years. Brady talks about translating a timeless message into a timely medium, and why this is so important.   What's In This Session? Where we're at (0:21) Attention is the most valuable commodity you can possess (2:24) Timeless message; timely medium (2:53) Where we're going (4:07) You need 3 things . . . (5:30)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Slapchop PEW Research Lyft Uber Blue Apron H&M Netflix Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/explain-pastor-importance-digital-media-ep-078/.

A common assumption in Christian culture is that millennials don't attend church because it's out of date. Brady discusses the percentage for who this is true, as well as what the top reason actually is.   What's In This Session? The assumption: it's out of date (0:28) The #1 answer: I find God elsewhere (1:53) The biggest communication shift in the last 500 years (2:37)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Making Space For Millennials by Barna Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/8-millennials-say-dont-attend-church-ep-077/.

Next steps need to be clear to your visitors, as well as your existing congregation. Brady discusses using colour as a solution to the Christianese surrounding connect cards and visitor centres.   What's In This Session? What is Christianese? (0:24) Example: the fellowship desk (1:22) Use colour instead (1:54) Example: a local restaurant (2:15) Applying this to connect cards (4:29)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Tide & Vine Life Abundant Niagara Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/eliminate-form-christianese-welcoming-church-ep-076/.

Storytelling is the most important skill you can learn to help your church grow, succeed, and accomplish your vision and mission. In this episode Brady shares his 3 step storytelling formula.   What's In This Session? Step #1: Take inventory (1:14) Step #2: Assign value (1:50) Step #3: Give credits (3:42) The benefits (5:04)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/ultimate-event-promotion-system-churches-ep-075/.

Storytelling is the most important skill you can learn to help your church grow, succeed, and accomplish your vision and mission. In this episode Brady shares his 3 step storytelling formula.   What's In This Session? #1 - Edit your Instagram name (1:07) #2 - Use Linktr.ee (2:41) #3 - Clickable hashtags & handles in bio   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Linktr.ee Bit.ly Gwinnett Church on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-new-instagram-profile-hacks-church-can-make-today-ep-074/.

A common question we receive is how often churches should post on social media. Brady talks about the intersection of quantity and quality and how to use this to determine a number.   What's In This Session? A common way churches sabotage (0:38) New algorithms (1:26) Most churches don't have the resources to post too much (2:21) The intersection of quantity and quality (4:00)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Elevation Church MeetEdgar SmarterQueue Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/frequently-church-post-social-media-ep-073/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   0:59 - When it comes to our churches Facebook group, what would you recommend as guidelines for things like soliciting from people who own businesses within our church? Should the group be private or public? 7:50 - So if you have 5 announcements on Sunday morning do you tell 5 stories and give 5 call to actions? 11:06 - Do you have any tips when it comes to naming a church or business? 19:23 - Our pastor uses fill in the blank sermon notes each week. Does anyone have a solution for doing this on your smart device?    Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

No one will know what your email says if they never open it. Brady and Alex discuss some email best practices that can help boost your email open rates.   What's In This Session? 10/10/80 Subject line testing (0:48) Re-send to those that haven't opened with a different subject line (1:56) Plain text emails (4:52) Purge your email list of dead contacts (6:08) Send at the same time of day and week (8:00)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned ActiveCampaign MailChimp Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-advanced-tips-boosting-churchs-email-open-rates-ep-072/.

Live chat enables people to get in touch with your church instantly. Brady shares some stories using live chat, and the software they're using to make it happen.     What's In This Session? Justin's story (0:26) The tools (2:09) Nathan's story (2:45) Devin's story (4:12) Owen's story (5:04) Ben's story (5:50)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Drift Intercom Nucleus ForefrontChurch.info Storytape Google AdWords Facebook LiveChat ManyChat.com Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/add-free-live-chat-widget-churchs-website-ep-071/.

Brady discusses a leadership lesson that is very important in his work and personal life - taking responsibility - in this episode of Pro Church Daily.   What's In This Session? Nobody likes someone who makes excuses all the time (0:22) Our haters (0:54) What can I learn? (1:33) You are not your work (3:07) Tiny example: Lily's toothbrush (4:10) Extreme example: Aunt asks about infidelity (4:56) Work example (6:27)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/leadership-lesson-personal-responsibility-ultimate-key-ep-070/.

Brady talks about the marketing of Nucleus, as well as the difference between a bootstrapped company and one with investors, and why being autonomous is so important to us.   What's In This Session? The emails that sparked this episode (0:23) How it normally works (1:46) How Pro Church Tools works (3:00) The Autonomy Advantage (5:43) 80% of Pro Church Nation will never give us a dollar - and we love that! (6:03) How Central is meeting the changing market (8:26)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Squarespace Dropbox Intercom HQ Pro Video Announcements Storytape Central Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/build-1-million-product-zero-funding-ep-069/.

Pre-registration for children of first time guests to your church and your kids' ministry will help streamline the sign in process, and save both your guests and volunteers time. Brady talks through the benefits and the process in this episode.   What's In This Session? Why you should offer pre-registration (1:02) Step #1 - The form (3:24) Step #2 - Follow up (4:28) Step #3 - First time visitor area (5:09)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Nucleus Example Card Nucleus Walkthrough Planning Center People MailChimp Brady Shearer on Instagram Pro Church Tools on Facebook The #AskBrady Show on YouTube Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Twitter Pro Church Podcast on Apple Podcast Elevation Church Hillsong Church   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/offer-pre-registration-church-kids-ministry-online-ep-068/.

Taking the step to attend a church for the first step is a huge step. Asking for their contact information is another big ask. A great thank you gift helps.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Why a free gift? (1:12) It invites your potential new visitor into the act of giving and allows them to make a choice of which charity they want to support (3:16) It demonstrates that you are a generous church that is outwardly focused on the world and community - not inwardly focused on your own self-interests (3:45) As you'll see in the email copy below, by inviting your new visitor into the act of giving, they are required to reply to your welcome email with their charity of choice. By doing this, you'll be marked as a safe sender in this individual's email inbox AND this will help contribute to a better overall email deliverability profile for your church (4:13) One-on-one interaction with a pastor through email (6:10)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Email copy: Hey *|FNAME|*! This is Brady from Hope Church. Thanks for filling out our "I'm New" form! Here's what you need to know about Hope Church... We LOVE generosity. And we think one of the best ways to live like Jesus is to give. Knowing this, we'd love to make a $5 donation on your behalf to a charity of your choice. Simply reply to this email with your choice from the list of registered charities below - and we'll make a donation on your behalf! Charity:water Prevent Child Abuse America American Foundation For Suicide Prevention Boys & Girls Clubs Of America Talk soon! Brady Shearer The Shore Church Nucleus MailChimp Nucleus walk through Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/best-free-gift-churchs-can-give-new-visitors-ep-067/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:00 - Apart from changing the website completely, how can I have a call to action without referring to our website? 5:32 - What do you do with the Let Us Know You’re Coming info as a church of about 600? How do we know which visitor to look out for in the sea of people? 7:14 - I get that everyone wants to know what we’re about by way of a mission statement, but I wonder if some ambiguity could be useful? Any thoughts? 14:06 - Any advice on how to create more interesting captions on Instagram to increase engagement?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

The footer of a website is often overlooked, but being one of the only things available on every page, it can be extremely valuable to use this real estate well. Brady discusses what should be included in the footer of a church website.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? #1 - Church Overview Statement (1:48) #2 - Physical Address (2:57) #3 - Email Address (2:57) #4 - Phone Number (2:57) #5 - Social Platform Links (3:59)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus 2015 B2B Web Usability Report Eye-tracking studies: first impressions form quickly on the web Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-items-every-church-website-footer-needs-ep-066/.

A lot of people find and research local businesses online. This means that it is important for your church to rank well in search results. Brady talks about Search Engine Optimization and some easy steps to improve your SEO.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? What is SEO? (0:57) Google My Business (1:43) Facebook Reviews (3:11) Google Reviews (3:11) Keyword Phrase Optimization (5:44) Pingdom Web Tools (7:07)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Moz Backlinko Pingdom Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-seo-improvements-can-make-churchs-website-ep-065/.

Your website is your church's main representative online. This is why choosing a great domain is so important. Brady discusses three rules to follow when choosing a domain.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Rule #1: Keep It Short (1:13) Rule #2: Keep It Memorable (1:13) Rule #3: Keep It Easy To Spell (1:13) Be careful with acronyms (2:01) Domain suffix: .com? .org? .church? (4:32)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Centralcc.ca LifeAbundantNiagara.com Storytape.com HopeChurch.xyz Life.Church Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-rules-church-domain-names-ep-064/.

Print may not be efficient, but it's not dead. Brady talks about the unique role connect cards play in church communications and his single best tip to get more people to fill it out.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Why is a church connection card so important? (1:19) How few fields can you ask for while still keeping a card relevant? (2:33) Use a connection card as an extension of your central hub (5:28) Some people prefer a physical card (6:35)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Barna What Millennials Want When They Visit Church The Central Hub: Why Every Church Needs One | Ep. #061 The Lobby Kiosk: How To Drive More Next Steps At Church | Ep. #062 7 Perfect Church Connection Card Examples  Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/perfect-church-connect-card-template-ep-063/.

Having a single destination for information makes communication simple and streamlined. Brady talks through some tips on how to make a central hub kiosk work for your church.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Tim's Facebook post (0:50) Why a single destination? (2:19) Tip #1: Use an older person to man the station (3:54) Tip #2: We send out a “What’s Happening” note to all our volunteers serving that week (5:01) Tip #3: Have a list of the days announcements so volunteers are prepped on the most important next steps (6:28) Tip #4: Call your kiosk the name of the URL plus kiosk to ingrain the domain name in your church’s mind (7:30) Set up suggestions (9:17)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Tim's kiosk set up: The Central Hub: Why Every Church Needs One | Ep. #061 Planning Center Mount It! Tablet Stand Lamicall Tablet Stand Kiosk Pro iPad Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/lobby-kiosk-drive-next-steps-church-ep-062/. SaveSave

Brady discusses the concept of a central hub. He covers the necessary elements for a central hub, as well as how it can help your church accomplish its vision and mission in the world.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? The best way to accomplish your church's mission is through next steps (0:41) Brady's experience with announcements (1:04) The fewer the choices the better (2:49) Ryan Gosling meme example (3:44) The jam case study (4:00) The key elements of a central hub (6:31)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Pro Video Announcements Ryan Gosling - What Do You Want? When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing? Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/central-hub-every-church-needs-one-ep-061/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:00 - What do you know about a company called Filmora - a video editing software? 5:32 - What are your thoughts on content used for Instagram & Facebook stories? Same content on both? 7:14 - I’m trying to get into video testimonies/stories of how groups have helped people, what are your methods for learning names and stories for this purpose? 14:06 - What are the advantages to using only one person vs. a different person per announcement? Do you memorize the script? Or use a teleprompter?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

During the construction of Nucleus Brady has done, and read, tons of research on what makes a website great. In this episode he shares the single best way to improve your church's website.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Etsy's research on product photos (1:15) The value of photos of human faces (2:07) Applying this to churches (2:26) Medalia's study of faces vs. paintings (4:30) Other studies on pictures with human faces (4:47)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus The Human Face of E-Business: Engendering Consumer Initial Trust Through the Use of Images of Sales Personnel on E-Commerce Web Sites Shiny happy people building trust?: photos on e-commerce websites and consumer trust Exploring Human Images in Website Design Across Cultures: A Multi-Method Approach Do human photos on a landing page increase sales and conversions? Face It: Instagram Pictures With Faces are More Popular Behind the scenes: A/B testing part 3: Finalé How To Capture Stunning Church Photos Without A Camera…For Free [Case Study] 7 Church Website Page Templates Etsy Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/best-way-improve-churchs-website-today-ep-060/.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Brady discusses the types of images churches are using on their websites, as well as which types to avoid and which to use more of.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? A picture is worth a thousand words (0:43) Clip art search statistics (1:30) Hamburger example (3:30) Etsy example (4:48) Bible college Brady (5:41) Portrait mode case study (7:56)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Hambrgr - St. Catharines Etsy How To Capture Stunning Church Photos Without A Camera . . . For Free [Case Study] 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/stop-dont-allow-church-use-stock-photos-ep-059/.

As part of his research Brady conducted a study on church websites and whether they can pass a first impression test. In this episode he breaks down each part of this test.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? The goal (0:38) The results (1:05) Part 1 - Primary Focal Point (2:40) Part 2 - Responsive Design (4:55) Part 3 - Speed Test (6:39) Part 4 - Stock Photos Of People (7:04) Part 5 - New Visitor Information (8:30)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Report: 57% of traffic now from smartphones and tablets Web Design Statistics for 2017 Report: 96% Of Church Websites Fail The First Impression Test [Case Study] Users love simple and familiar designs – Why websites need to make a great first impression Etsy Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-part-first-impression-test-church-websites-ep-058/.

Using statistics and studies, Brady discusses three aspects of websites that can elevate your church website and make a great first impression.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? #1 - Inspirational Imagery (1:03) #2 - Prioritize Design (2:23) #3 - Fast Load Times (4:05)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Most Important Marketing Tool For Every Church | Ep. #037 The #1 Goal Of Every Church Website | Ep. #056 First Impressions Matter: The Importance of Great Visual Design Visual Appeal vs. Usability: Which One Influences User Perceptions of a Website More? Trust and mistrust of online health sites Users love simple and familiar designs - Why websites need to make a great first impression Speed Is A Killer - Why Decreasing Page Load Time Can Drastically Increase Conversions Pingdom Nucleus The 11-Part Church Website Homepage Formula 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-surefire-ways-churchs-website-can-make-great-first-impression-ep-057/.

Having, and knowing, the main goal for your church website can help clarify what should and should not be included on it. Brady discusses what your website goal should be.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Your church website’s number one goal is to make a great first impression (0:58) Brain science & snap impressions (1:23) NBA draft story (3:14) The stats (5:12) 1st impressions stick (5:53)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Most Important Marketing Tool For Every Church | Ep. #037 Sunk Costs in the NBA: Why Draft Order Affects Playing Time and Survival in Professional Basketball The 11-Part Church Website Homepage Formula Your Business Needs To Get Social, Local And Mobile--Fast 16 Stats That Prove the Importance of Local SEO A New Study Reveals the Power of First Impressions Online The Good Place Report: 96% Of Church Websites Fail The First Impression Test [Case Study] 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/1-goal-every-church-website-ep-056/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:01 - I have a question for you in regards to staffing assignments, is Nucleus going to include any kind of scheduling software? 3:35 - Best (affordable/under $300) audio set up for iPhone X? 9:10 - On a church Instagram account, should you follow back those that follow you or only a select few. 12:10 - How many social media links do you recommend on a church website and what order would list them in?17:29 - How should I be using email effectively for church?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

One of the most necessary pages on your website is the kids ministry page. When done correctly this page will put parents' minds at ease when attending your church for the first time. Brady breaks the parts of the page down.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Part #1 - Introduction (1:12) Part #2 - Your First Visit: (1:52) Part #3 - How Check-In Works (3:50) Part #4 - Parent’s Viewing Room (4:52) Part #5 - Meet Our Kids Director (5:45) Part #6 - Got Questions? (7:08)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/anatomy-perfect-kids-ministry-website-page-ep-054/.

In Brady's experience with church websites there are some necessary pieces of information that are often left off otherwise great websites. He discusses what these are and why they are important.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? #1 - Search (1:06) #2 - New Visitor Info (2:16) #3 - Service Times & Address (4:46) #4 - Phone Number & Email (5:24) #5 - Social Links (6:06)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Report: 96% Of Church Websites Fail The First Impression Test [Case Study] The 2-Part Church Website Headline Formula | Ep. #051 7 Church Website Headlines We Can All Learn From | Ep. #052 Eye-Tracking Studies: First Impressions Form Quickly On The Web 2015 B2B Web Usability Report Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-easily-forgotten-elements-every-church-website-needs-ep-053/.

Brady shares 7 great church website headlines and what makes them so good, while demonstrating how they use the 2 part website headline formula.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Example #1 (0:59) Example #2 (2:03) Example #3 (2:39) Example #4 (3:44) Example #5 (5:35) Example #6 (6:30) Example #7 (6:59)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Hill City Grace Hills Church Bridgetown Church The Village Church Fellowship Church Cornerstone Community Church 12Stone Church 19 Perfect Church Website Main Headline Examples 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-church-website-headlines-can-learn-ep-052/.

Statistically 5X more people will read the headline on your website compared to the body copy. Brady discusses how to make the most of your headline by writing for your audience, not yourself.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? The facts (0:56) A bad example (2:10) The formula (3:07) Example #1 (4:30) Example #2 (7:00) Example #3 (7:42) Testimonial example (8:08)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus David Ogilvy's 7 Tips For Writing Copy That Sells Crossroads Church Action Church Enjoy Church Good News Church 7 Church Website Page Tamplates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/2-part-church-website-headline-formula-ep-051/.

The "Plan A Visit" page on your church's website is one of the most important pages you have. Brady discusses the information that should be included on this page in his 7-part framework.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Part #1 - Getting To Know Each Other (1:02) Part #2 - Service Times (2:07) Part #3 - Location & Directions (2:14) Part #4 - What Can I Expect? (2:33) Part #5 - What About My Kids? (3:58) Part #6 - Let Us Know You’re Coming (6:06) Part #7 - Testimonial (7:32)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Part #1 - Getting To Know Each Other (1:02) Part #2 - Service Times (2:07) Part #3 - Location & Directions (2:14) Part #4 - What Can I Expect? (2:33) Part #5 - What About My Kids? (3:58) Part #6 - Let Us Know You’re Coming (6:06) Part #7 - Testimonial (7:32)   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-part-plan-visit-church-website-page-framework-ep-050/.

With people spending such a large portion of their time on apps, churches are often tempted to build their own. Brady discusses the stats and investment.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? The data (1:26) There is nothing a church app can do that either your website or social cannot do (3:02) Let's get logical (3:20) This isn’t Nucleus vs. Apps (7:30) Limited resources need to be wisely spent (8:09)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus 5 Reasons Church Apps Are Vastly Overrated | Ep. #041 How To Send Push Notifications For Free (Without A Church Mobile App) | Ep. #042 The 2017 U.S. Mobile App Report Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/use-mobile-apps-grow-church-ep-049/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   0:59 - How do you navigate different regular events inside one ministry grouping? Is it just “Ministry Category” & “Event Name”? 3:05 - When you make a good / funny promo video intended for showing in a service, do you wait until after its shown live before you post it online? Or do you use it to drive people to your social media / newsletter (or whatever) before the service its originally shown? 12:04 - How early do you suggest to start promoting your church events on social media? 17:29 - How should I be using email effectively for church?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Brady has tons of experience with building websites. In this episode he talks about custom websites - what to expect to pay, and the question you need to ask to determine if your site is truly custom.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Brady's experience with building websites (0:45) What is a custom website? (1:29) Finding an agency is very difficult (2:36) If you’re quote is between $1,000 and $3,000 . . . (4:09) If you’re quote is between $5,000 and $10,000 . . . (5:01) The Nucleus Blog cost about $15,000. For just a blog. (6:48) Church expense story (7:58)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Wordpress Squarespace 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/much-money-church-spend-custom-website-ep-046/.

Brady has described in depth why you shouldn't have a slider on your website, so in this episode he talks about what you should put on your website instead.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? #1 - Logo (2:01) #2 - Navigation Menu (2:54) #3 - Headline (5:15) #4 - Call-To-Action (6:14) #5 - Inspirational Imagery (7:11)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus 1 Simple Reason To Never Use A Slider On Your Church's Website | Ep. #043 3 More Reasons To Delete Your Church Website Slider Immediately | Ep. #044 The 11-Part Website Homepage Formula 19 Perfect Church Website Main Headline Examples 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-elements-every-church-website-needs-top-homepage-ep-045/.

Previously on Pro Church Daily Brady discussed why sliders are not the best option for your website. Today he shares 3 more reasons why you should delete your slider.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Recap (0:49) #1 - Sliders Make Your Website Slower (2:15) #2 - Sliders Are Ignored By Visitors (4:16) #3 - Experts Agree Sliders Suck (6:32)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 7 Church Website Page Templates Nucleus 1 Simple Reason To Never Use A Slider On Your Church's Website | Ep. #043 ThemeForest 3 Reasons To Delete Your Church Website Slider (And What To Replace It With) Search Engine Land Fight Against "Right Rail Blindness" AGConsult Be Like Amazon Siteturner UserZoom Report: 96% Of Church Websites Fail The First Impression Test [Case Study] Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-reasons-delete-church-website-slider-immediately-ep-044/.

Churches love to use sliders on their websites, but data is showing that they are not the best option. Brady explores why sliders are so popular, and why you shouldn't follow the trend.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Defining what a slider is (0:38) Of the 1,008 church websites that we tested, 76.1% lacked a primary focal point (1:22) Churches love sliders, but why? (1:53) Bottom line: prioritize your external audience (3:21) Sliders have a clickthrough rate of less than 1% (3:55)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Themeforest 3 Reasons To Delete Your Church Website Slider (and What To Replace It With) Why website sliders aren’t as great as most people think Do slideshows work? 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/1-simple-reason-never-use-slider-churchs-website-ep-043/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:00 - Do you have any suggestions of what content should be posted for churches in the 3 post? And do you all have a suggestion how to store or categorize your hashtags for Instagram posts? 10:34 - How in the world do you get rid of the “glasses glare” when doing 3 point lighting? 15:44 - What content do you think should be in a church’s weekly email and what is a waste of space? 23:12 - How can you get more DMs? What kind of story/IG content will increase that type of engagement?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

The one unique feature apps offer when compared to websites is the ability to send push notifications. Brady discusses how to use push notifications without building your own app.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Church apps are vastly overrated - websites can do anything church apps can do and much, much more…except for send push notifications (0:38) Push notifications are rarely enabled (1:19) Every single one of the most popular communication apps in the world (Text, Email, Facebook, YouTube, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Snapchat) allows you to send push notifications to your contacts and followers – for free (2:58) 80% of people that download an app never become active users (4:45) 75% of people download an app, open it once, and never come back (5:01)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus 5 Reasons Church Apps Are Vastly Overrated | Ep. #041 The 2017 U.S. Mobile App Report 7 Church Website Page Templates Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter 75% of people download an app, open it once, and never come back Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/send-push-notifications-free-without-church-mobile-app-ep-042/.

Brady shares stats and data on whether your church actually needs an app or if your website is more than enough.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Churches that succeed with digital media tend to do two things very well: make informed decisions based on data and they don’t try to do too much (1:00) #1 - Mobile apps are crazy expensive (1:27) #2 - Your church website should be able to do anything an app can do (2:47) #3 - 90% of app usage is spent on a user’s top 5 apps (4:30) #4 - App discovery is down across several channels (5:16) #5 - Push notifications are rarely enabled (6:02)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus How Much Does It Cost To Develop An App: 2017 Survey Church Community Builder Planning Center The 2017 U.S. Mobile App Report SquareSpace Wordpress 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-reasons-church-apps-vastly-overrated-ep-041/.

In the pursuit of originality people often lose focus what is truly important to their creative project. Brady talks about why being original is not the best marker for your website.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Originality is overrated (0:39) According to Google, websites that perform the best were found by users to be “simple” and “familiar” (1:20) Everything Is A Remix (3:03) In manufacturing (4:26) In film & television (5:27) In storytelling (6:18) In the Bible (6:45) The bottom line (6:51)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus The Top 25 Best Church Websites Of 2017 Everything Is A Remix - Kirby Ferguson The Greatest Showman TV Tropes The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker The 3 Duties Every Church Website Must Fulfill | Ep. #039 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/please-dont-try-make-churchs-website-original-ep-040/.

Brady condenses the most important aspects of website design into 3 simple check list items. Focus on these items to help your church website succeed.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? An introduction to the holy trinity of church website design (0:55) #1 - Make a good first impression (primary duty) (1:11) #2 - Provide helpful information and next steps (4:19) #3 - Rank as high as possible in search engines (5:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus The Role Of Visual Complexity And Prototypically Regarding First Impression Of Website Report: 96% Of Church Websites Fail The First Impression Test [Case Study] How To Build Quality Content 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-duties-every-church-website-must-fulfill-ep-039/.

Your church website is integral to your first impression, and your online presence. In this episode Brady discusses three benefits of your website that are commonly overlooked.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? #1 - it's 100% controlled by you (1:11) #2 - it's cost effective (3:38) #3 - it's quick and easy to change (5:52)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-overlooked-benefits-churchs-website-ep-038/.

In the past it was common for churches to use newspaper ads for marketing. Now there are so many more avenues available. Brady talks about which tool is the most important to have and use.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Brady grew up attending a small Baptist church - they advertised in the newspaper (0:39) Now there are so many options for churches (1:50) Brady's experience looking for a counsellor (2:27) According to Forbes, 97% of people look for local organizations online (3:48) According to HubSpot, 46% of all searches on Google are local (4:02) 89% of surveyed participants admitted to searching for a local business on their smartphone once a week or more with 58% searching at least daily (4:19) Discovery happens online (5:44) Always accessible (6:24)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Your Business Needs To Get Social, Local And Mobile -- Fast 16 Stats That Prove The Importance Of Local SEO Nucleus 7 Church Website Page Templates Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/important-marketing-tool-every-church-ep-037/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:00- How can we, content creators, use our social media platforms to reach those who do not know Jesus yet? And what are your ideas on how we can better market to those people? 8:30 - I want to start putting everything we’ve ever put on Vimeo and over to Youtube. Is it worth the time and effort? 15:02 - If a church posts too often, isn’t there a chance people will get tired of it and start ignoring it? Or are you going to say there’s no such thing as too often? 21:10 - Is it okay to totally overhaul the logos and artwork that organizations have previously generated to create our own look? Is there any infringement of copyright here?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

With attention spans being so short, holding attention is a skill worth honing. Brady shares a copywriting tactic he uses to keep people reading.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Original concept by Brian Dean (1:01) This concept is universal and proven over decades (1:51) The LOST example (2:01) Bucket brigades (3:04) Examples (3:22) Combine with an ellipse or colon to make a bucket brigade even more compelling (6:13)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape Backlinko LOST (TV show) Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/best-copywriting-hack-2018-ep-036/.

Brady shares some of the mistakes he made when first starting out in video and how these wrong beliefs can damage what you create.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? 1. Sharpness is the most important thing (0:39) 2. Movement is how great shots are made (3:01) 3. Noise is bad (3:59) 4. On-camera mic was sufficient (5:18) 5. Lens flares make everything awesome (6:55)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Panasonic GH2 Lady Bird Video Influencers Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-beliefs-creating-videos-completely-wrong-ep-035/.

Brady encourages you to put the local back in local church by being involved in your community on Instagram. He shares a low time investment strategy you can use to get connected.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Put the “local” in local church (0:32) Follow restaurants, business professionals, and small businesses in your local area (1:15) Like and comment on 2-3 posts every single day (comments must be 100% authentic and non-promotional) (1:48) Only takes about three minutes each day, but over the course of three to twelve months this will raise your profile amongst the local community (2:21) Think about how much a like and comment means to you on Instagram - it means the same thing - if not more - to the businesses, organizations, and professionals in your community (2:41) Even a simple heart eyes emoji on a restaurants image of their food makes a huge difference (4:50) The principle of reciprocity means that a certain percentage of these brands will follow to back and comment and like back (don’t ask for it - don’t even expect it, let it come naturally) (4:50)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape Jeep Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-minute-instagram-comment-strategy-really-works-churches-ep-034/.

Unlike Facebook, Instagram still allows you to leverage organic reach through the use of hashtags. Brady and Alex discuss how to best use them to your advantage.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Max out all 30 available hashtags on every post and post them in the first comment - not in the caption (add three periods with line breaks to hide hashtags in collapsed part of comment) (0:59) Save your researched list of 30 hashtags in a note on your phone for easy copy and pasting (or create a keyword shortcut) (2:36) Type of Hashtag #1: Custom (ie. #centralcommunitychurch or #centralliving) (4:35) Type of Hashtag #2: Community (ie. #niagararegion or #niagarafallscanada) (5:12) Type of Hashtag #3: Faith/Spiritual/Church (ie. #jesusislove or #churchfamily) (5:43) Use hashtags with a post count between 1,000-200,000 (6:16)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Grum Hootsuite Evernote Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/use-instagram-hashtags-gain-followers-church-ep-033/.

With Facebook now prioritizing groups, Brady talks about how to use this featured to build community amongst your congregation online.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Our experience with the new Facebook algorithm (0:42) Facebook wants you to use Groups for your church (2:10) The algorithm treats Facebook Groups similar to friends and family (3:30) Depending on the size of your church, you could benefit from a single group or multiple groups (4:13) Specifics (5:17)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Mark Zuckerberg's Answer To A World Divided By Facebook Is More Facebook (Wired Magazine) How To Build A Church Communications Plan From Scratch | Ep. #031 Church Motion Graphics Visual Church Media Facebook Group 3 Ways Churches Can Combat The 2018 Facebook Algorithm Update Nucleus  Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/beginners-guide-facebook-groups-churches-ep-032/.

Brady received an Instagram DM from a Pro Church Daily follower asking how to create a communications plan for his church. On this episode he discusses where you should start.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Website (2:01) 97% of people search for local organizations online (Forbes) (2:26) 46% of all searches on Google are local (Hubspot) (3:12) Platform owned by you and accessible 24/7/365 (3:34) Email (all stats from OptinMonster) (4:11) 50% more email users than Facebook (4:30) 58% people say email is the first thing they check online each day; only about 15% check social first (4:40) 91% of people use email daily compared to 57% on Facebook and just 14% on Twitter (4:54) 77% of people prefer email for permission-based promotions from brands compared to 4% on Facebook (5:10) Facebook (5:58) As of 2016, 68% of all American adults were active on Facebook (Pew) (6:19)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Your Business Needs To Get Social, Local And Mobile -- Fast (Forbes) 16 Stats That Prove the Importance of Local SEO (Hubspot) Email Marketing vs Social Media Performance (OptinMonster) Pew Research Institute Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/build-church-communications-plan-scratch-ep-031/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:01 - We are trying to keep all our ministries under one church brand, so far we have been pretty successful except with one ministry. Any advise on how to move forward to resolving this? 10:20 - Since I’m a little late to the game, Facebook has changed its algorithm. So I don’t know if we post to our page first and then share it to our group or do we develop two different strategies for our page and our group? 15:52 - What are your thoughts as to whether churches should switch to a business Insta account or stay as a regular account? 18:45 - Where do you go for design inspiration when you just can’t make it happen.   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

There are 3 variables when it comes to success in any area of your life. In this episode he goes over these variables and discusses what it takes to improve.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Skill (1:24) Hardwork (3:45) Patience (5:03)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-variables-always-determine-success-ep-030/.

Announcements are the part of most church services that is generally tossed together and presented with very little thought. Brady shares 3 of his go to announcement scripts to help you communicate some common announcement well.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Brady's experience (0:31) Welcome (1:09) New Visitors (4:18) Give (6:34)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Welcome: “Well hey there, welcome to Central today, and thanks so much for spending part of your weekend with us. My name’s Brady, I’m your host, and we’re gonna get things kicked off here in just a moment with the band coming out to lead us in a few songs. The lyrics will be up on the screens so you can sing along and engage in worship however you feel comfortable. After that, one of our pastors will come out to share a great message. And all in all we’ll be here for just about an hour. If you have kids with you, we wanna let you know that we’ve got fantastic kids programming happening throughout the entire service. It’s safe, it’s secure, and most importantly your kids are gonna have a blast. There’s still time to check them in; just head to the big orange wall in the lobby and you can check your kids in there. With all that being said, we’re gonna kick things off here in just a minute. Find your seats if you haven’t already, and we’ll get started shortly.” New Visitors: "If you’re new with us today, we want you to feel at home and know that this is a safe place—and we’re so glad to have you here. For us, church is so much more than just a Sunday service, and we want you to know that there’s a place perfect for you at Central. One of the best ways you can get connected with us is to fill out the blue card in the seat back in front of you. Take that card out sometime during the worship experience and fill out as much information as you feel comfortable sharing. And then, after the service, take that card to the big blue wall in the lobby and we’ll put a small gift in your hands. Just a small token of our appreciation for you being here. And that’s it! Later this week one of our pastors will connect with you. And once again, thanks for being here. Give: "At this time, I want to invite the hosts to come forward as we give. If you are new with us, don’t feel any obligation to give whatsoever. We’re just so glad you’re here. If you did come prepared to give, there are a number of different ways you can do that. You can place your gift directly in the basket as it comes down your row, you can give via debit or credit card at the big blue wall in the lobby, or you can also give online." Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-copy-n-paste-church-announcement-scripts-ep-029/.

Sometimes smaller churches feel like they're at a disadvantage, and are unsure of how to grow beyond where they are. In this episode Brady talks about the advantages these churches have and how to move forward.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? The question (0:40) Do something you’ve never done. Get somewhere you’ve never been (1:08) Disadvantage: Less resources (2:12) Advantage: Move quickly, small improvements result in huge change (2:36) Set your expectations: you don’t need huge growth - nor would you want it (3:51) Set a clear goal (4:54) Acquisition experiments (Facebook ads, community events, Google AdWords) (6:16) Bring value (7:58)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/reach-people-youre-church-50-less-ep-028/.

Is the point of social media solely to collect likes and followers? Brady discusses how your social media accounts can support your vision statement.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? A DM Brady received (0:32) What’s the point of a Sunday morning? Accomplish your vision (1:45) Most churches use social to push back to Sunday; but what would your church post online if your Sunday service didn’t exist (3:39) Attention is the commodity that matters most (6:55) How do we measure attention on social? Engagement vs. Reach (7:14)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Where Social Media Is Headed In 2017: The Biggest Trends To Watch For Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/whats-point-social-media-ep-027/.

There is a right and wrong way to "steal" other people's ideas on social media. Brady talks about being inspired without breaking copyright laws.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? We talked about the best churches to follow on Instagram… (1:06) Innovation comes at the intersection between that which is proven and that which is foreign (1:55) If you’re a church; don’t copy other churches, copy entirely different industries (3:18) Fitness industry example (3:56)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape 7 Innovative Churches To Follow On Instagram | Ep. #024 Why Your Church Should Never Use Copyrighted Material | Ep. #010 Fiverr 3 Words Every Church Must Memorize To Master Social Media | Ep. #025 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/best-way-steal-social-media-ep-026/.

In this episode Brady discusses stopping the scroll and capturing attention through pattern interrupt.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? Stop the scroll (1:06) Why it's important (1:16) The valuable commodity of attention (2:08) Pattern interrupt (2:34)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 3 Ways Churches Can Combat The 2018 Facebook Algorithm Update | Ep. #013 The Endless Struggle Between Attention & Artistry | Ep. #009 7 Innovative Churches To Follow On Instagram | Ep. #024 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-words-every-church-must-memorize-master-social-media-ep-025/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:04 - I’m struggling with producing a ‘welcome video’ for our church to put on social media and our website. Any advise or tips or links? 7:50 - What do you guys find is the most effective way to get contact information out? 16:57 - When choosing a thumbnail for a sermon video, do you guys use a good shot from the sermon itself or do you go with the series graphic? 21:39 - What’s everyones thoughts ensuing memes for your church social media posts?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

The best way to find inspiration is to get outside of your context. In this episode Brady & Alex go through seven must follow Instagram accounts, and what makes them so great.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? @peoplechurch (0:42) @homechurchnash (2:19) @pearlstreetchurch (3:48) @c3brooklyn (4:25) @freshlife (5:13) @legacyhouse.life (6:02) @soco.church (7:04)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-innovative-churches-follow-instagram-ep-024/.

Statistically 7 out of 10 current pastors feel like there is no one capable of replacing them. Brady talks statistics and personal experience in this episode.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer  - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? The largest generation in existence is 40 and under, and yet pastors don’t feel like can find adequate replacements (0:52) 7 out of every 10 current pastors believe identifying suitable candidates is becoming more difficult (69%), even though a majority believes their church is doing what it takes (69%) (1:02) “Being 27 and on staff at a church that I grew up my whole life is so difficult. I never get taken seriously and I am always working against the norm.” (2:35) “I recently stepped down from a church where the pastor was in his 50’s and one of threatens why was because I did not feel supported in my decisions and responsibilities at all. Coming to that decision was hard because I had to do a lot of searching as to why I felt that way. Ultimately, I had a seat at the table, but I felt like I was put up with - not part of the team.” (2:45) “I was in a church service and the (older) pastor said, “Let me talk to the Millennials for a minute” and proceeded to call all Millennials lazy, entitled, ungrateful, etc.” (3:04) "I am a 31 year old student/administrative pastor in a denomination that predominately has lead pastors in their 50’s and higher. I’ve been in ministry since I was 18. I’m still treated like I have little life experience or like I’m not ready to be a lead pastor. It’s ridiculous. I’m a father of two girls, ages 7 and 5, I lead a family, I’ve been leading in ministry for over a decade, I’ve been leading worship since I was 15.” (3:16) Brady was sent a video from a church with the pastor from stage saying, “Millennials, the generation that thinks the world revolves around them and that every thought they have is brilliant…” (3:42) Brady recently came under fire for an episode of Pro Church Daily Ep. 4 titled Why Pastors Are Too Old (angry emails, comments, “cocky jerk Millennial”) (4:03) Perception is reality; Millennials have a branding problem (4:14) Look inward - how are you perhaps contributing to this problem? (6:06) Start your own thing - it’s never been easier (7:17)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Why Pastors Are Too Old | Ep. #023 The Aging of America's Pastors - Barna Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/millennials-arent-ready-pastors-ep-023/.

You have a vision. Your church has a vision. Brady discusses how to line these up and ask the big ask of your senior leadership.   February is the month of giveaways! All of these giveaways will be happening over on Instagram, so be sure to give Brady a follow - @BradyShearer  - he will be sharing what the giveaways are, as well as how to participate throughout the month.   What's In This Session? You can’t achieve all your hopes and dreams for ministry in one conversation (0:55) No one cares as much as you do (1:36) Understand how you’re being perceived (3:01) Link your project to the mission/vision of your senior leadership (3:47) Accomplish your first project with zero investment on the part of your senior leadership (5:50) Go in for the big ask; show three different proposals and purposefully put the middle one as the one you want (7:15)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/convince-pastor-wont-listen-ep-022/.

In this episode Brady talks about the 3 key concepts that he used as the foundation of the Pro Church Podcast and how they translate to church communications.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Overview (1:08) Stories: Storytelling most powerful form of human communication (1:47) Statistics: Persuasive; lend legitimacy beyond simple anecdotes (4:17) Steps: Breakdown complex ideas into easy to digest, easy to accomplish actions (4:52)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape - Flames & Embers Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-ss-quality-communications-ep-021/.

Social media is ever evolving. Brady talks about a weird Instagram story post that has been increasing his views.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Annotated DM screenshots (1:40) Puts the user back in control (2:11) Feeling of exclusivity (3:38) Answers questions for other people (4:02) Make sure to cover-up the sensitive details (4:38)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Endless Struggle Between Attention & Artistry | Ep. #009 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/1-weird-strategy-acquiring-instagram-story-views-ep-020/.

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. Brady discusses how to build up your channel, your following and video views.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? YouTube second largest search engine in the world (1:20) People use YouTube to get answers to questions (1:47) Find keywords people are searching for (2:25) Create awesome thumbnails for your videos (6:10) Is this right for your church? (6:29)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Google Keyword Planner Google AdWords Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/ultimate-youtube-growth-strategy-churches-ep-019/.

Sometimes it can feel like you're putting out a ton of resources into marketing with little to no return. Brady discusses a common pattern of thinking that is holding church marketing back.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? The Sharefaith ad for a website builder (0:40) What a website should do (1:37) A DM from Alex (3:14) A DM from Adam (4:15) You are not your target audience (5:58)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Sharefaith Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/1-simple-reason-church-marketing-fails-ep-018/.

Brady dives into the statistics that prove most people use social proof and reviews to make decisions. He also outlines how your church can use this to their advantage.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Defining social proof (0:31) The 2010 environmental study published by the Wall Street Journal (1:12) An empty restaurant vs. a full one (2:46) 70% of consumers look at reviews before making a purchase (3:36) Facebook and Google reviews (4:22) How GoodNews.Church uses social proof on their website (5:59) Social proof at the bottom of your Plan A Visit and I'm New pages (7:23)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 7 Things You Must Understand When Leveraging Social Proof In Your Marketing Efforts How To Use The Psychology Of Social Proof To Your Advantage The Secret To Turning Consumers Green - Wall Street Journal ProChurchPodcast.com The Top 25 Best Church Websites Of 2017 GoodNews.church Flames & Embers on Storytape Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/unstoppable-power-social-proof-ep-017/.

Instagram's algorithm is opening up the opportunity to post more content on the platform. Brady talks about using this to your advantage and boost your follower count.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? How Jordan Syatt (Gary Vee's trainer) grew his Instagram following (0:35) The Instagram algorithm no longer shows every one of your posts (2:45) 3X your post volume to 3X your results (3:58) The advantage churches have (6:24)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Jordan Syatt on Instagram 3 Ways Churches Can Combat The 2018 Facebook Algorithm Update | Ep. #013 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3x-instagram-strategy-churches-2018-ep-016/.

Brady talks about some of Pro Church Tools most popular pieces of content and why they succeeded. He also shares how to do the same as churches.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Email from Luke (0:33) The more tickets you have; the better your odds (1:15) The video on why churches shouldn't copy Elevation Church is our most popular piece of content (2:14) 9X out of 10 Brady has no idea if a post will do well or not (2:55) Our post on the best church websites (3:33) Why we started Pro Church Daily (4:30) Balance quantity and quality (4:54)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Why You Should Never Copy Elevation Church 5X Your Pastoral Care Ministry Using Facebook Messenger | Ep. #014 3 Ways Churches Can Combat The 2018 Facebook Algorithm Update | Ep. #013 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/church-can-play-win-content-marketing-lottery-ep-015/.

Alex talks about how he uses Facebook messenger to extend his ministry beyond Sunday mornings, and encourages other churches to do the same.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Alex's context, and experience (1:04) A message we received from a member of Pro Church Nation who is using Facebook to expand their ministry (3:04) Your online presence is like a porch light (4:03)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 3 Ways Churches Can Combat The 2018 Facebook Algorithm Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5x-pastoral-care-ministry-using-facebook-messenger-ep-014/.

Facebook has announced some big changes to their newsfeed algorithm. They plan to share more of your friends posts and less branded content. Brady talks about what this means for your church.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Mark Zuckerberg's statement (0:38) #1: Accept the change (3:50) #2: Focus on meaningful interaction (4:49) #3: Focus on shares (5:57) PCD #008 How To 4X Your Church’s Facebook Engagement In 2018 (6:46)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Mark Zuckerberg's statement Buffer blog's post PCD #008 How To 4X Your Church’s Facebook Engagement In 2018 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-ways-churches-can-combat-2018-facebook-algorithm-update-ep-013/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   0:59 - What kind of videos should I put on YouTube? 11:03 - What are your recommendations on cameras for live producing? 15:52 - What important skills should I possess as a future creative director/pastor? 21:01 - We record just about everything in 1080p. Is it worth uploading at 1080p or720p?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Our culture is saturated with advertisement and marketing. With so much vying for our consideration, attention has become a huge commodity.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Without attention, it doesn’t matter what message you’re sharing (0:55) American Marketing Association wrote about how the average consumer is exposed to up to 10,000 brand messages a day (2:11) Attention Span: the average human attention span has fallen from 12 seconds to about 8 seconds. (2:54) Canadians with more digital lifestyles struggle to focus in environments where prolonged attention is needed. (3:53) Early adopters and heavy social media users front load their attention and have more intermittent bursts of high attention. (4:38) Best way to get attention is to go where the attention is already being given (5:27)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned American Marketing Association research Canadian Attention Span research What Happens In 1 Second On The Internet | Ep. #011 Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/valuable-commodity-church-can-possess-ep-012//.

The world moves fast - especially online. In this episode Brady talks about what is happening every single second online.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Larry Kim's Twitter post (0:34) What happens in 1 second (0:54) Cumulus media report (2:17) How communication changed between the time when Alex's brother was dating and when Alex was (4:20) InternetLiveStats.com (5:23)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned InternetLiveStats.com Larry Kim on Twitter WordStream Cumulus Media Vidyard Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/happens-1-second-internet-ep-011/.

Many people in the church community are unaware of copyright laws and consequences. Brady and Alex share some insight.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Do not steal. A Biblical mandate. (0:36) James' story (1:11) Streaming culture changed the music industry forever (2:52) Alex's experience (3:25) Companies that create royalty free content (5:05)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram Unsplash.com Soundstripe.com Iconfinder.com Lightstock.com   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/church-never-use-copyrighted-material-ep-010/.

There's consistent tension between wanting to create beautiful art online, and also wanting to attract attention. Brady discusses the struggle.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Justin Dean's story of posting a screenshot of a tweet on Instagram and calling the practice out (0:43) Jon Acuff's Instagram posts of tweet screenshots are his highest performing posts of the year (1:13) Every person has their own line they won’t cross (1:36) Brady almost delayed the launch of Pro Church Daily because the Pro Church Tools website is not what he would like it to be (4:54) Know yourself and push your own boundaries (7:07)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram Justin Dean on Instagram That Church Conference Jon Acuff's Best 9 Post on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/endless-struggle-attention-artistry-ep-009//.

Brady talks about how you can 4Xs the engagement on your church's Facebook page by using your existing audience in new ways.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? How a church increased their Facebook engagement (0:35) How this church leveraged their social media team (1:24) How Storytape used a similar social media team during its launch (3:13)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/4x-churchs-facebook-engagement-2018-ep-008/.

Brady shares some surprising statistics on which generations are spending the most time on social media.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Adults 18-35 are spending 6 hours and 19 minutes on social media each week (1:07) Gen X spends 39 more minutes per week on social than Millennials (Source: Nielsen) (1:19) Adults age 35-49 are spending 6 hours and 58 minutes on social media each week (1:32) Adults over 50 are spending 4 hours and 9 minutes on social media (1:40) The average Sunday service is a little over one hour in length - so even adults 50+ are spending about 4X as much time on social media as they are in church - and that’s assuming the attend every week (1:59)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nielsen Social Media Report Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/much-time-generation-spends-social-media-ep-007/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   2:57 - What are some posts that you would maybe see on aworship ministry page that would get good engagement? 13:17 - The focus for my church is our local area but for my Pastors ministry, it’s international.I am interested in how you would approach marketing being this, is it together or separately? 18:05 - What should we do with prophecies in relation with service order? They're hard to just “schedule in”. 24:46 - What is best way to communicate with our main campus that is a more older generation, and the new campus that is predominately millennials?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Go where the attention is - with most North Americans using social media daily, churches have an incredible opportunity. Brady shares which platform your church should be on.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? 68% of all American are active on Facebook (Pew)(0:38) Go where the attention is (1:04) Imagine a giant shopping plaza is put in your community… (2:04) Facebook targeting (4:24) If there was a public place in your community where 7 out of every 10 people visited daily, would you as a church have a presence there? (5:07)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pew Research Center Study Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/best-social-media-platform-churches-ep-006/.

Communication has shifted drastically in the last several years with the introduction of the internet and social media. Brady talks about this shift and how it's changing the world.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? In 2006 I was 15 years - just a little over ten years ago...here's a list of things that didn't exist at the beginning of 2006: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, iPhones, Uber, Airbnb, Dropbox, Spotify, Netflix, and it goes on...(0:36) The communication shift (2:21) This is just the beginning - how are you going to react? (3:50) Every industry is being disrupted; churches are not immune (4:10) Point of contact (5:52)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram Snapchat Uber Airbnb Dropbox Spotify Netflix Warner Bros. Lionsgate Lyft Frank and Oak   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/biggest-communication-shift-last-500-years-ep-005/.

Storytelling is the most important skill you can learn to help your church grow, succeed, and accomplish your vision and mission. In this episode Brady shares his 3 step storytelling formula.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? In 1992, the average age of a Protestant lead pastor was 44 years old. In 2016, the average age was 54 years old - a full decade older (Barna) (0:42) Millennials are the largest living generation in North America (1:36) In 1968, 55% of pastors were under the age of 45. In 2017, just 22 percent are under the age of 45 (Barna) (2:32) Give every decade a voice (3:49) Two way problem: More Millennials need to step up (do it yourself if you need to Millennial); More older pastors need to step aside (or watch your legacy crumble) (3:12)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram Barna - The Aging of America's Pastors   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pastors-old-ep-004/.

Storytelling is one of the most important communication skills. Brady gives 3 tips on how to make your stories more engaging.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com;. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Be specific: He was tall vs. He was 6 foot 5 inches tall - adds credibility and helps audience see in their mind's eye what you saw with your real eyes (1:00) Dialogue: He said and she said; dialogue is more powerful than narration - people want to be in the moment, not hear about the moment (2:14) Five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, taste - The chilly barn smelled like fresh sawdust as sun rays slipped through the cracks of the walls and the floor boards creeped beneath me with every step (3:24) Summary (6:02)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-ways-instantly-supercharge-stories-ep-003/.

Millennials are currently the largest living generation. Brady discusses the facts, and how this affects everyone - including churches. Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com;. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Millennials are the largest living generation in the United States (Pew)(0:55) 79.8 million people between the ages 20 and 37; 74.1 million Boomers (1:44) Millennial population expected to continue growing until 2036 because of immigration and top out around 81 million (2:32) 1 in 3 American workers is a Millennial (3:11) 26 year olds are the single largest age cohort in North America (Wall Street Journal) (3:21) Why Millennials scare me (4:50)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram Pew Research Center Wall Street Journal article   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/millennials-scare-ep-002/.

Storytelling is the most important skill you can learn to help your church grow, succeed, and accomplish your vision and mission. In this episode Brady shares his 3 step storytelling formula.   Pro Church Daily is brought to you by Storytape.com. Unlimited stock video downloads on a single monthly subscription. For the month of January, join Storytape Unlimited and use the coupon code “daily” to get a 10% forever discount, along with Brady’s private vault of 25 proven video templates.   What's In This Session? Storytelling formula overview (1:23) Step #1: A character with a desire (1:36) Step #2: Encounters a problem (2:14) Step #3: Makes a decision (2:23) BIG story example (2:39) SMALL story example (4:31)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-step-church-storytelling-formula-ep-001/.

http://prochurchtools.com/197 - Getting people to go from visitor to a fully integrated member of your community can be difficult. Kyle discusses how to make the most of your visitor follow up process.   What's In This Session? Leading the way with MORE free resources for the local church (8:27) How your church can take advantage of the free items on Open Network (11:19) Avoiding band-aid solutions by copying other churches (13:04) Tracking the metrics that truly matter to your church (21:25) How Life.Church manages follow-up with their new visitors (23:12) The gap between automation and individualization in visitor follow-up (27:34) The future of Open Network (30:37) The Scrum Methodology (32:57) How to convince your senior leadership to begin using new resources (37:34)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Open Network Life.Church Open Network Blog Life.Church Church Metrics Church Online Platform Develop.Me Trello   3 Instant Takeaways Avoid bandaid solutions by understanding the why. It's easy to look at what other churches are doing and think that by replicating their programs or other strategies you can replicate their success. This is not always the case because their ministry was built on their context. Before implementing other church's tactics make sure you understand why it works and why it could work for you. Allow people to belong before they believe. Create an environment where visitors are welcome to attend and become part of your church before you expect anything from them. Remove any barriers between them and their next step into your community. This could be anything from making sure the kids' check in procedures are clear on their first visit, or joining a life group is simple further along the way. Lead with the heart of it. When convincing leadership to begin using new resources start with how the resource can help push the heart of their vision forward.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp197/.

http://prochurchtools.com/196 - It’s important to look ahead and plan for the future. Phil joins us to take about this next generation of churches, and where he sees the church going in the future.    What's In This Session? Ministering through the biggest communication shift in the last 500 years (9:11) Recognizing the importance of change despite being wildly successful (10:35) How much longer will the megachurch model remain viable? (14:05) Why churches are missing the mark when it comes communication (17:55) What makes change so difficult (23:08) Navigating difficult decisions & relationships with senior leadership (27:45) 3 questions to continually ask your team/leadership (30:46) What to do if you’re an older pastor recognizing the need for change (34:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned West Ridge Church PhilBowdle.com Phil on Facebook Phil on Twitter Drift   3 Instant Takeaways In the last decade the average church hasn't changed how they communicate, but the average person has. It's critical that churches recognize this shift and learn to communicate to their community in a way that they will recognize and understand. The medium isn't sacred - the message is. People are starving for authenticity. People want to go some place where they don't feel like everyone wants something from them. Our culture is inundated with advertisements. Stand out by putting people first, not your church. Don't be another sales pitch. Fear makes change difficult. 80% of people do not like change. To overcome this, consider decisions based on the people in your community that still need to be reached, instead of just your existing congregation.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp196/.

http://prochurchtools.com/195 - Most people will look at your website before visiting your church. Greg talks about how to make a great first impression.   What's In This Session? What makes a church website so important? (6:38) Improving your website’s SEO (search engine optimization) (13:43) The most important button on your church’s website (18:55) Checklist for your website’s ‘I’m New’ page (19:00) Allowing for kids pre-registration on your church’s website (23:53) The importance of setting expectations (28:52) Pro tips & tricks for church websites (34:16)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned ExPastors.com Worship Impressions Full Strength Network GregAtkinson.com Secrets Of A Secret Shopper by Greg Atkinson Countdown   3 Instant Takeaways Have a single call to action. It's important that your congregation always knows where to find the next step. A great way to ensure this is to always point them to the same place, such as a website. Whether they're filling out a connect card, signing up for classes, or submitting a prayer request - have it hosted in a single place so that it's always easy for them to find. When creating an 'I'm New' page, don't assume anything. You'll want to create this page as though the person reading it knows nothing about who you are. You'll want to have the street address, your service times, and some discussion on what to expect. If everything is important then nothing is. By giving stage time and announcing everything, you actually diminish the importance of everything. The reason for this is that the people listening are only able to retain and remember a small amount of information. If you give them too much to try to remember and they'll end up forgetting everything you've said.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp195/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:01 - Churches are predominantly made up of an older generation, knowing they need to change, but struggling to know how. How can we help them and what should that compensation look like? 12:20 - How do we adjust the sound between the worship time and the video of our announcements? 16:48 - How can my church become the top result in the search on YouTube? 22:06 - We want another person on our communications team. Are there any specific questions I need to ask them in the interview process?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

http://prochurchtools.com/194 - Balancing multiple jobs can make it difficult to feel like your ministry is reaching it’s full potential. Casey shares his tips on making the most of your productivity.   What's In This Session? The rise in prominence of bi-vocational lead pastors (6:00) Productivity tips from a busy bi-vocational leader (11:37) Tip #1: Powerful Exercise: Determining your hourly rate and then putting a dollar amount on each of your weekly tasks (12:37) Tip #2: Transitioning to a digital calendar to instantly save time (22:30) Tip #3: Long term vs. Short term productivity formula (25:22) Tip #4: Turning off mobile device notifications (29:15) Tip #5: Locking in on the perfect productivity tool for you and your team (32:09)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned C3 Church Lucid Books Sermon To Book The E-Myth Revisited Calend.ly ScheduleOnce System Busters Trello Slack Podio Asana Basecamp Butler For Trello Ultimello Clear Todos   3 Instant Takeaways Take a week and track your tasks. Write down every task and how long each one takes you. This will help you see how you are spending your time, and where can cut out or better prioritize your tasks. Pass off low level tasks. Even though these tasks are important, if they are filling up too much of your time and keeping you from tasks that only you can do, then delegate these tasks. Prioritize your tasks and pass on the things that can be accomplished by someone else. Turn off notifications on your phone. Constantly receiving notifications places you in a reactive position, where you're constantly 'just texting' or 'just replying.' Instead turn off your notifications and plan to check your email or social media at a set time for a designated amount of time. This puts you in control of how much time and attention each platform is absorbing.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp194/.

http://prochurchtools.com/193 - Storytelling is the best form of communication, but sometimes it can be difficult to translate it to social media. Rob discusses how to share micro stories on social.    What's In This Session? How to track down the worthwhile stories in your church community (7:04) Why it’s important to begin capturing stories before you need them (10:28) The storytelling “c word” (if you don’t have this - you don’t have a story) (12:45) Examples of conflict in Jesus’ storytelling (17:28) How to make your congregation the hero of your stories (20:27) Using social media to share “micro-stories” (27:58) Common mistakes churches make with their storytelling efforts (32:21) Why storytelling is the most powerful form of human communication (35:55)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned OriginalStoryteller.com The Orange Conference Product Hunt   3 Instant Takeaways Create a story database. One of the best ways to be prepared is to have a single place where you keep the a list of stories for future use. Whenever you hear a story from someone, just jot it down. This ensures that whenever you need a story, you can find one rather than scramble to come up with something at the last minute. Conflict is the fuel for storytelling. It is what gets the story moving forward. Conflict gives your story purpose. It is the reason for change. The reason for resolution. If you don't have conflict - you don't have a story. Slice stories down into smaller pieces for social media. You can do this by focusing on a single element or moment within the larger story.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp193/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:04 - I was wondering if you had a solid workflow there at Pro Church Tools with how you manage your photography? 8:51 - Do you have any tools or thoughts on how to help my staff understand how people will perceive what they communicate? 15:50 - Most churches use their logo as their profile, should we use our logo or a person as our profile picture? 16:48 - Any tips on how to tell someone that they aren’t what we are looking for on camera?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Engage Church is taking reaching their community through social media very seriously. In fact they set the audacious goal of being the most followed church in their city on Instagram. Currently they are 835 people away from reaching this goal. Their storytelling architect, Billy Humphrey, joins Brady to figure out what they can improve to hit their goal.   Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: Engage Church Church Location: Tallahassee, Florida Church Age: 5 years Church Size: 400 On the coaching call: Billy Humphrey - Storytelling Architect   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Engage Church on Instagram City Church on Instagram Storytape.com Linktr.ee Bit.ly EngageTallahassee.com Pretty Link for Wordpress WhenToPost Buffer Later Grum Iconosquare Brady Shearer on Instagram Gleam.io CreativeLive.com Tek Syndicate Photography Tutorial Building A Volunteer Photography Team At Your Church with Dave Adamson   3 Instant Takeaways Set a goal. Having a goal gives your work purpose. Like most projects, social media requires daily effort with only a small margin of growth per day. Having an overarching goal can help you maintain consistent effort knowing that even small increases are moving the needle forward. Following local shops and businesses. Be invested your community. By following local businesses, and interacting with them, you not only become more aware of things that are happening in your community, but you get the opportunity to invest and become involved. Use hashtags and location tags to help garner more organic traffic. Instagram is a social platform that still allows you to be found organically through hashtags, so be sure to use them on every post. Use location tags on your posts as well as on your Instagram stories.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/levelling-up-on-instagram-with-engage-church/.

  On this episode, we switch up the podcast and have our friend Peter Guirguis interview Brady about Pro Church Tools, how it started, and how he deals with set backs.   What's In This Session? What Brady was like as a child (7:41) Why Brady decided to attend Bible College (15:34) How Pro Church Tools began (19:14) Learned vs. innate abilities (24:25) God's role in the accomplishments of Pro Church Tools (28:03) What's next for Pro Church Tools? (33:08) How Brady stays so productive (38:22) Rapid Fire Fun Questions (50:40)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned MailChimp Pro Church Podcast 039 NotAshamedOfTheGospel.com Audible Tribe Of Mentors by Tim Ferriss Tools Of Titans by Tim Ferriss The E Myth Revisited Blue Ocean Strategy #AskGaryVee Book Steal The Show Nucleus   3 Instant Takeaways Hustle hard and know what your talents are. When it comes to success, a willingness to work hard; to try and fail and try again is imperative, but so is knowing where your innate skills and talents lie. Know your lane, and run in it. Go where the puck is going. Being a visionary means looking ahead. Like in hockey. It means not aiming for where the puck is presently, but instead anticipating where it will be. The same for church leaders - look ahead and anticipate where the church will need to be in a couple years. Aim for that. Failure is the way forward. If you have audacious goals; if you want to be the best of the best, then you must expect roadblocks. Achieving the extraordinary is no simple task. Failure and roadblocks are a requirement. They are how you learn to be a success.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp192/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   0:59 - I’m about to be hired as the director of media and communications for my church but neither of us really know what to charge. How does one go about figuring out the numbers? 5:24 - Do you have mic recommendations for announcements or interview videos? 12:53 - Do you think it’s necessary to post signs throughout your building that video/audio recording will be going on in the service? 17:13 - How often do you change your church profile and cover photos?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

  Being a once a year event, Bold Conference is struggling to build a year round advertising strategy. Brady sits down with Carson to put some plans in place.   What's In This Session? Church Name: Bold Conference Church Location: Kansas City, Missouri Church Age: Pre-planning Church Size: Sponsor church is 500 On the coaching call: Carson Cooper - Creative Contract   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned That Church Conference Start With Why by Simon Sinek Boomerang for Gmail Helpscout Intercom Storytape on Instagram Brady on Instagram Jab Jab Jab Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk   3 Instant Takeaways Be more than promotion. You want to be present in the lives of your audience, but this can be more than just advertising. It can be blog posts, behind the scenes content, podcasts, videos - anything that is valuable to your audience. Find ways to accomplish the vision of your conference in an online space. Have a measurable goal. If your goal is too broad, it will make it difficult to work toward because so much can fit into it. By narrowing down your goal you can better focus your energy, as well as know when you're actually achieving it. Put in effort that is equal to the size of your goal. Often churches use God as an excuse to not put in the necessary work. Yes. God partners with us, but we still need to do our part. If you choose a big goal - plan for hard work.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/single-event-advertising-bold-conference/.

http://prochurchtools.com/191 - One of the struggles when it comes to storytelling in your church is finding stories to tell. Adam shares his strategy, as well as storytelling structure in this session.    What's In This Session? How to discover stories in your church (and why not everyone’s story is worth telling) (14:13) Convincing individuals in your church to share their stories on camera (17:59) Church on the Move’s story structure (21:37) The best place to record a video interview (27:59) Essential gear for story videos (30:55) Pro video storytelling tips from the trenches (35:18)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Story Guide Church On The Move Adam on Twitter Adam on Instagram Manuscripts Books   3 Instant Takeaways The key to stories worth telling is change. Every great story has a main character who changes. Use this as a guide when choosing stories from your congregation to tell. Look for someone who has changed. What location will support this story? When choosing where to film your story videos, choose places that make sense to your story. This will help you tell the story visually before your subject even begins speaking. Choosing space that make sense for the story will also help the story feel authentic. Audio first. When it comes to gear, start with quality audio. People are more likely to stop watching due to poor audio quality rather than poor picture quality. Put thought and money into a quality microphone and learn how to use it properly.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp191/.

► Subscribe to my channel here: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:03 - How do we measure if a creative project “moves the needle forward” enough? 9:48 - What’s your opinion on website video background? 16:28 - Any suggestions to improve our countdowns so people in the lounge stop ignoring them? 23:38 - We are looking for a solution for sending nursery alerts to parents during our worship service. Any suggestions?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here:   Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer iTunes Podcast | http://prochurchtools.com/itunes

Peninsula Covenant Church is just about to launch their second campus and are wanting to flesh out out what that means when it comes to structure and communications. Brady weighs in with his thoughts.    Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: Peninsula Covenant Church Church Location: Redwood City, California Church Age: 65 years Church Size: 900 - 1,000 On the coaching call: Tony Gapastone - Worship Arts Pastor, Kristin Hernandez - Communications Director   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned MailChimp Slack Spotify Building A Volunteer Photography Team At Your Church with Dave Adamson The Best Social Media Strategy of 2017   3 Instant Takeaways Keep your social together and streamlined. Splintering your audience apart based on campus location can dilute your online presence. It can also make it confusing for new visitors, or people searching for information. Community trumps programming. What will make your outreach sticky is whether or not students can identify the group. As human beings we were created for community. We all want a group of people to call our own. Feeling like they fit in and belong with the group will keep students around. Create a content marketing strategy. College age students spend a lot of time online, which is exactly why you need to be present online. This can be in the form of YouTube videos, podcasts, blogposts, etc. The key is to make sure you create content that fits the platform, and that this content is not just advertising, but instead is valuable on its own.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/moving-multisite-model-peninsula-covenant-church/.

http://prochurchtools.com/190 - Carey Nieuwhof is a pastor who does Instagram well. He joins us to discuss learning Instagram when you’re not a digital native, and his best Instagram tips.    What's In This Session The origins of the name Connexus Church (11:34) Why an older pastor would dive into Instagram (17:01) Using social platforms aspirationally (21:44) How to learn Instagram when it feels foreign to you (25:35) The best way to use Instagram Stories to drive results for your church (32:03) Carey’s favorite moments on Instagram (36:57) Best advice for Instagram rookies from an older pastor (39:41)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Carey on Instagram LeadLikeNeverBefore.com CareyNieuwhof.com Carey Nieuwhof's Leadership Podcast Connexus Church Breaking 200 Craig Groeschel on Instagram Brian Houston on Instagram Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss   3 Instant Takeaways Do market research. When Carey was first starting Connexus he took the time to poll his target audience and understand his community. This research enabled him to set his church up for success, and a great first impression, by listening to the people he planned to serve. Use social media aspirationally. If your target audience is on a specific platform - why wouldn't you be there? Even if for the first month you just create an account and observe. Figure out the culture and rules of the platform, but be present where your people are. It really does come down to whether you truly want to connect with them or not. Don't let your conflict simmer. Use Instagram stories to share your life. One of the major complaints against churches and church leaders is that they're fake, so allow them to know who you are. Be authentic. Allow people to know what it's like to live as a Christian, and as a leader. Be a real human being.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp190/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:04 - How can we pray for you? Also, what are your top five things that are quality content that a mobile church can offer to their community that could convert into a non-creepy invite? 13:34 - Why is ‘hello@whatever’ better than ‘office@whatever’ or ‘info@whatever’? 15:57 - Where can you get cheap, quality background music? 18:53 - Everyone thinks their event is the most important. Can you share some strategies on how to deal with the inevitable conflicts that will arise?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

  Calvary Apostolic Church wants to project a unified welcoming message across everything they do, but aren't sure how to get everyone on the same page. Brady talks with their Creative Director about their current new visitor follow up sequence, and how they can improve their retention.   Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: Calvary Apostolic Church Church Location: Columbus, Ohio Church Age: 100 years Church Size: 350 On the coaching call: Isaac Cowden - Creative Director & Band Leader   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned CalvaryColumbus.com Squarespace Calvary Apostolic Church on Instagram Storytape Nucleus 37 Copy-And-Paste Email Subject Lines For Churches   3 Instant Takeaways Have consistent handles across every platform. Consistent handles make it easy for your audience to find you on every platform. Where as needing to remember multiple handles can be confusing and can keep people from following your church on social media. Develop a true sense of community. With the coming of the digital age people have access to education, music and ideas at the click of a button, but are often left feeling lonely. The church was designed to be an integrated community, and living this out can fill a need for the people who visit you and can help them decide whether or not to stay. Base your small groups around activities. Having a common activity helps dissipate awkwardness and gives people common ground to bond over. This common ground can lead to deter connections and conversation.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/building-unified-brand-calvary-apostolic-church/.

  http://prochurchtools.com/189 -  Justin is a digital missionary, and joins us to discuss how to make the most of YouTube. He shares tips on YouTube keywords, what it takes to grow your followers, and the perfect YouTube video.    What's In This Session? Why Justin turned to YouTube to become a digital missionary (7:34) The true definition of the word “vlog” (12:36) How Justin grew from 0 to 40,000 subscribers in 18 months (15:00) Dissecting what it takes to get 100,000+ views on a YouTube video (20:39) Pro tips for YouTube keyword research (24:03) The perfect anatomy of a YouTube video (31:38) The most important metric that YouTube tracks (and why it’s so important) (35:21) Best strategies for YouTube titles & thumbnails (39:51)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned That Christian Vlogger TubeBuddy VidIQ Google Keyword Planner YTCockpit Storytape   3 Instant Take Aways Millennials disproportionately trust individuals over institutions. Logging gave Justin a great platform from which to share his faith because it was him, an individual, talking about it and living it out. This helps millennials connect more willingly with his message. Be relevant to your target audience. This doesn't mean avoiding truth or "watering down" the gospel. It means making the truth of who Jesus is applicable to the situations people find themselves in every single day. Some of Justin's most viewed videos were on dating, and the reason for this is that dating is something millennials spend a lot of time thinking about because it is a part of their day to day life. Ask yourself why someone would want to watch a video. Is it because they're asking a specific question? Are they looking for a different perspective on an issue? It might be different for different videos, but by being aware of this you can give your videos focus. Remember to promise the value you will be offering up front at the beginning of the video.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp189/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:04 - Should I get rid of the past history of our social media posts? 6:50 - Are there circumstances when we should not use stock video? 14:18 - What is the difference in style between a social graphic and a church slide graphic if they’re both announcements?  19:27 - When your church is able to grow their communications department, what are some key positions to fill?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Redemption Church is a mobile church run out of a middle school in Oklahoma. This being the case, they have a lot of new visitors, but their team is concerned that they don't have a great infrastructure in place when it comes to guests. Brady sits down with their communications team to put a plan in place.   Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: Redemption Church OKC Church Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Church Age: 3 years Church Size: 250 - 350 On the coaching call: Heidi Clarke - Communications Director, Chris Clarke - Worship & Arts Pastor   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 7 Perfect Church Connection Card Examples Barna - What Millennials Want When They Visit Church MailChimp Active Campaign Storytape.com The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker #AskBrady Episode 26 The Ultimate Social Media Blueprint For Churches   3 Instant Takeaways Balance the line between quality and quantity. With connection cards if you ask for too much information you'll receive less responses, but at the same time you want to collect enough information for it to be helpful for your team. You'll need to balance the line between asking too much and not enough so that people will fill out the card and hand it in. Incentivize. Any healthy relationship needs to be reciprocal so when a new visitor attends your church they've already given so much. They've given their time and stepped out of their comfort zone. To then ask them to give their personal information - it can come across like a big ask. By giving something in return for them filling out a connect card you help even out the give and take of the relationship. Be genuine. Incentives and connect cards can come across as gimmicky, so find ways to communicate them authentically. Tie them into who you are as a church. Give an incentive that means something and is valuable. Show your visitors that they matter.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/welcoming-new-visitors-redemption-church/.

  http://prochurchtools.com/188 -  I went and studied 100s of almost identical Facebook posts to discover what really worked (and more importantly, what really didn’t) when it came to growing engagement.   What's In This Session? Defining the case study (6:54) The video guarantee (10:13) The statistics (11:20) Why a share is important (12:14) The case study results (21:25) Real life examples (30:03) Storytape pricing (44:40)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape.com Rev.com Trint.com   3 Instant Takeaways Video out performs text and photo based posts on Facebook. This makes sense because video will keep our attention on a single platform and post longer. Due to this prolonged attention Facebook is prioritizing video, meaning that video posts are more likely to be seen by your audience. Viewers retain more of the message when watching a video compared to text. Even if the retention rate is only an extra 50%, this still means that your audience is still means that your audience is still capturing more of your message when you put it out in video form than when you use a text and image combo. Add captions. A high percentage of videos on social media are viewed without sound. By adding captions you allow this large portion of your audience to still engage with you content. You make it accessible.    Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp188/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:06 - Worship backgrounds: motions or stills? 3:05 - Everything I try to do creative or new gets shut down by my lead pastor. Do you have any advice or ideas as to what I should do? 17:03 - I’m being asked about offering an online church directory and looking for some insights as to whether that’s still something worth doing. 21:54 - Any suggestions on how to use the 300 character limit status update for our church’s Google Business page?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Connection Church knows the importance of great digital and social media content, but right now they don't have someone to head it up. They're not sure what they needr in the person they hire. Brady sits down with their communications team to discuss the type of person they should look for.   Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: Connection Church Church Location: Canton, Michigan Church Age: 75 years Church Size: 2,600 - 3,000 On the coaching call: Austin - Youth/Tech/Communications, Jared - Youth Intern   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape Church Community Builder Typeform Ninja Forms Gravity Forms Formstack   3 Instant Takeaways More is not always better. If your social media strategy is struggling, don't try to fix it by adding more channels. Instead take the time to figure out why your strategy is not working and how to improve. Learn how to go deep on your most popular social channel before taking on more. Look for a practitioner. Because social media is constantly changing so quickly, there is no formal education system for how to become a church communicator. This makes it important to find someone who is already applying the qualities in their own life. They are active on social media. They understand the platforms. Manage expectations. When it comes to creative projects make sure the other people on staff are aware of the timeline required. Put deadlines in place. This will help make sure their expectations line up with what is possible, as well as with the other members of your team.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/expanding-creati…onnection-church/.

http://prochurchtools.com/187 - Tristan is the creative mind behind a large percentage of the abstract footage available on Storytape. He joins us to discuss what it takes to orchestrate and film an abstract scene.    What's In This Session? The origins of Storytape (8:07) Executing a reverse bet (10:15) What it takes to orchestrate an abstract scene (14:20) Filming abstract clips using fire and flames (16:04) Why a macro lens is the key to great abstract footage (20:27) Building an abstract scene around a broken speaker (22:35) How to bounce back when a video shoot fails (26:05) Adding visual effects to abstract footage in post-production (41:00)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape Storytape on Instagram Westcott LED Flex Lights Savage Seamless Paper Backgrounds Tristan on Instagram Tristan on Twitter Grasshopper   3 Instant Take Aways Draw inspiration from the work of others. Tristan remembers seeing clips of paper burning, and later used this to inspire a sequence of clips of fire and ember. Write down the things that inspire you, as well as things you want to try in the future. Use a macro lens. A macro lens allows you make small things appear large. This combination can turn even normal, everyday objects into unrecognizable, abstract shots. Don't be afraid to fail and try again. Part of creating is coming up with things that haven't been done or seen before - or at least not your way. Sometimes it will take a couple of shots to get something just right. Don't allow it to discourage you. Come back with new and better ideas.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp187/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:05 - How do I reach people, apart from Facebook ads, how can I reach people within our own city? 7:38 - Is it better to have all of your registrations in one place, or is better to keep people on your website? 12:40 - Do you have any ideas on how to deal with the practical realities of posting stories about your kids on Facebook? 17:02 - If apps are going away, what is the solution we can use that would have the necessary functions like secure giving, joining groups, signing up for teams… all the church app perks?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

OneHeart Ministry has recently moved into their permanent location, whose demographic is vastly different than their previous mobile location, and now they're looking to grow both in numbers and diversity. Brady chats with their creative team about strategies to fit their community & culture.   Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: OneHeart Ministry Church Location: Sydney, Australia Church Age: 8 years Church Size: 50 On the coaching call: Josh Wyatt - Creative Ministry Leader, Hang - Social Media Manager, Blair - Photography & Website, Emily - Film & Photography, Allison - Lyric Operator   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape Storytape on Instagram Google AdWords Facebook Ads Tips For Churches From The Trenches with Steve Fogg Adobe Photography AskBrady.TV   3 Instant Takeaways  Be patient. Starting in a new place means that it will take time and consistency to see relationships built with your community. Don't allow your natural inclination to want immediate results discourage you. Don't be afraid to give the process time. Depth & reach - you need both. You may notice in your metrics that certain posts get a lot of engagement, but very little reach and vice versa. The key is to include both types of post. This way you continue to reach a wide audience while still building a relationship with your core social media audience. Use a templatized systems to include new and inexperienced volunteers. People want to be included and contribute to their community, but sometimes don't have the preexisting skills you need. Templates allow them to be part of the team without compromising standards. Then you can expand their training from there if you want.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp184/.

http://prochurchtools.com/186 - Alex is one of the certified drone operators here at Pro Church Tools. He discusses drone laws and operation when it comes to filming.   What's In This Session? The 3 phases of worldwide drone laws (8:38) The best countries to fly your drone in legally (11:16) Becoming a certified drone pilot (21:38) Flying a UAV commercially in America (25:14) The difference between flying “commercially” and “recreationally” (30:22) Best practices for capturing stunning aerial videography (32:48) Why flying your drone slower is always better (36:23) Drone footage at golden hour (39:59)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Alex on Twitter Alex on Instagram Storytape DJI Inspire 2 Zenmuse X5S DJI Phantom 4 Zenmuse X7 DJI CrystalSky Monitor Golden Hour Videography Blue Hour Videography Prime   3 Instant Takeaways Be educated. Before flying your drone, make sure you understand the rules for the country and region you're playing in. Knowing basic laws about airspace and using common sense when choosing where you fly will help keep everyone safe, and your drone intact. The government sees almost no drone flying as recreational, even though you might. As soon as you're flying a drone with a camera attached the government views it as a commercial flight because you could film, create a video, post that video on YouTube and the video could be monetized. Even if this isn't your intention, because of the possibility of monetization, your flight could be categorized as commercial flying. Fly slower. Create a cinematic feel by flying slow enough to allow the scene to unfold rather than creating scenes that feel rushed.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at ">http://prochurchtools.com/pcp186/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:09 - I’ve done a variety of Facebook Live videos, and one of the challenges I have had is having an inconsistent internet connection. Is that a common problem, or if it’s just me? 8:23 - Just wondering if you guys have an opinion on the Melo camera for Facebook Live or Live streaming?  12:36 - When it comes to online prayer requests, is it better to respond in a timely way that maybe lacks some thoughtfulness? Or to respond in a thoughtful way that might lack some timeliness? 16:28 - Can you provide a link for the announcement by Apple that they will be removing Subsplash apps from the App Store?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Grace Church of Napa Valley is a family. Close knit and friendly, they've done a great job building their internal community. Now they're ready to extend that relationship further into their city. Brady talks with their team about how to overcome apathy and shift their focus.   Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: Grace Church of Napa Valley Church Location: Napa Valley, California Church Age: 42 years Church Size: 400 On the coaching call: Justin Nune - Jr. High & High School Director, Nathan - Director of Media & Communications, Jake - Worship & Discipleship Pastor   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Compassion World Vision LearnChurchVideo.com The Method And Message Of Jesus' Teachings by Robert H. Stein Storytape.com 7 Social Media Templates For Churches The Best Social Media Strategy For Churches in 2017 Spotify.me Livestream AskBrady.TV   3 Instant Takeaways Assess where you're at. Be honest with yourself about why you want to see your church culture change. Is it about the number? Is it about the call of God? Is it about finances? And then be honest about your flaws - as a leadership team, as a church - what is going on that could be holding you back from moving forward. Use storytelling to motivate change. Expectations in the form of rules or guidelines aren't necessarily bad, but they aren't compelling either. Instead share stories. Stories can create emotional reactions and empathy toward the people you want your church to begin to reach out to.. Over communicate. People are forgetful which is why it's important to reiterate your church's purpose over and over and over again. It's like when a worship team begins to feel like they've heard a song a million times. It's usually at that moment the congregation is finally starting to know it.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp184/.  

 http://prochurchtools.com/185 - Brandon is the creative mind behind Storytape’s unique Instagram stories. He shares his gear and tips in this session of the podcast.  What's In This Session? An intro to creating produced Instagram Stories (15:22) Dealing with the 24-hour expiration factor of Instagram Stories (17:16) Our Instagram Stories camera rig (21:48) Production workflow for Instagram Stories (28:09) Why quick cuts are the key to compelling Stories (33:50) How to master camera-motion transitions (38:51) Editing and export settings for better Instagram Stories (43:12) Pro tips & tricks for Instagram Stories (47:18) Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Brandon Canning on Instagram Brandon Canning on Twitter Jesse Driftwood on Instagram Storytape on Instagram Linktr.ee Amazon Prime Photos Panasonic Gh5 Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 Rode VideoMic Pro Joby Tripod Sony a6500 Canon 5D Mark IV CutStory 3 Instant Takeaways Enjoy the process of creating. Be honest with yourself - you're never going to go back 20 years from now and rematch yourself making your morning cup of coffee, and that's okay. Instead let the fact that your story will expire inspire your creativity everyday. How can this day be turned into a fun or beautiful story worth sharing? Challenge yourself enjoy the process. Work with what you have. Whether it's what you're doing that day, or the gear you're using - don't try to force it to be something it's not. Let your creativity find the ways to make the most of it. Break it up. With Instagram stories being such short clips of time, if a single clip of footage in your story is more than a few seconds long it can seem to drag on. By keeping clips and transitions short, you can maintain high energy throughout your story.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/becoming-communi…urch-napa-valley/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:07 - What is the best way to give at a 5 to 1 ratio of the amount of times we ask something of people on social media? 8:11 - Should we get a SEO consultation for our website, or should we keep the basic concepts of SEO in the back of our heads and redesign our website based on that? 12:35 - Is it better to have a Facebook group or a Facebook page? 15:59 - Where should our video announcements live after Sunday?   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

New Hope Christian Center is almost 40 years old and it shows. With it's 90s themed decor their church building is in desperate need of an update. Brady chats with their executive pastor, Adam, about how to make their building look less dated.   Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: New Hope Christian Center Church Location: Waterloo, Indiana Church Age: 37 years Church Size: 400 On the coaching call: Adam Diehl - Executive Pastor   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape Film Supply Nucleus   3 Instant Takeaways  Understand why you're wanting to change something. Before painting your sanctuary black because "everybody else is doing it" make sure you understand the reason behind it and whether it's a good fit for the vision of your church. Be simple. Making simple design choices - like monochromatic colour schemes and minimalistic decor - can help create a complementary look. Adding more variables, such as extra colours, creates more pieces you need to be able to pull together, and the more of a chance you'll have that they don't work together. Aim for cohesion. Whatever colour and decor scheme that you decide on, be sure to continue that throughout the building rather than having a sanctuary that looks completely different than your foyer and so on. You want your building to tell a single story, and for each room to look like it belongs to the whole. Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/updating-church-building-new-hope-christian-center-coaching-edition-018/

http://prochurchtools.com/184 - Bad things happen, but what about when they happen to your church? Nathan shares the story of how his church handled it when their building burned down.   What's In This Session? What happens when your church building burns to the ground (10:20) Managing your emotional response to a catastrophe (14:03) Planning an impromptu service for thousands of people when your gear is gone (16:40) Dealing with insurance when your church loses everything (20:26) Lessons for rebuilding from nothing (30:27) The 3-pronged approach to managing volunteers (32:34) Can a disastrous event cure apathy or indifference in a congregation? (36:35) Big tips for church filmmaking (41:00)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Gracepoint Vision Makers Course Uganda Man The Movie Ahrefs.com   3 Instant Takeaways Unexpected circumstances can force you to think outside the box and be creative. This applies to the problem solving needed to fix the immediate situation, but it also can help you get creative with underlying issues, like Gracepoint's decision to try something new with their stage placement. Be humble. Most people like being self reliant and independent, but when trouble hits be willing to ask for help and let people know what you need. Be realistic. Any time there are major changes - even if they're caused by an unexpected disaster - there will be people who decide to leave. Remember to be realistic in times of transition. Realistic about your congregation and where they're at, and realistic about the resources you will need to move forward.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp184/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:03 - How would you recommend promoting mission trips? We want to hear the stories but not every person who goes on a trip is a excellent speaker. 5:08 - How might you create a top-level event to promote a greeting ministry? 14:26 - Any suggestions for software and how to manage templates to help non-designers? 19:12 -  What would you suggest to do for a logo of a church that has a really long name?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

New Harvest Chicago knows that seizing the 167 hours outside of their Sunday service is integral to growing their church, but they're unsure what they should focus on first. Brady sits down with Eric, their service producer, to put a plan in place. 

http://prochurchtools.com/183 - A large portion of a pastor’s week is spent working on their sermon. Alejandro joins us to talk about how to repurpose the content to reach beyond Sunday.   What's In This Session? Why you need to become a practitioner (10:19) How to accelerate your digital engagement (12:16) The 3-Part Sermon Snippet Strategy (General Overview) (14:11) The #1 reason why 76% of people choose to go church (16:49) The unfair advantage your church has over other industries & institutions (18:55) Low-hanging fruit for repurposing your church’s Sunday service content (20:26) The power of scheduling a week’s worth of social content in one hour (27:33)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Alejandro on Twitter Alejandro on Instagram Church Marketing Summit Hype Type   3 Instant Takeaways Attending church for the first time is extremely daunting. Use social media as a way to build trust with people before they even step through your door. The more people feel like they know you, the more willing they will be to step outside of their comfort zone and attend for the first time. Social media is a peek into your church. Although modelling your social media posts after other churches can seem like a great place to start (and it can be!) it is important to use your own content - images, quotes, sermon clips etc. Using content that is authentic to you allows people to grasp who you are. Recap. One easy way to repurpose your Sunday sermon is to do a Monday recap on Facebook live. In just a couple of minutes recap the big idea from your service the day before.   Find the full transcript at https://prochurchtools.com/pcp183/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:40 - What is your favorite sort of stabilizer gimbal? 6:24 - How much of a drill sergeant should I be about church fonts and different ministries using different fonts? 14:33 - Is it a good idea to purge your email list of anyone who hasn’t opened any emails in the past year? 21:06 - How do I get our emails from going into peoples Promotions and into their Primary?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Charlotte Assembly of God is struggling with finding balance with their in service video and photography. If they capture the screen correctly, the exposure of their pastor is incorrect and vice versa. Brady sits down with a couple members from their team to discuss potential fixes.

http://prochurchtools.com/182 - Everything you do and say as an organization is crafting a brand. So what is your church trying to say to the world? And are you succeeding? Barbara discusses the brand discovery process.  What's In This Session? Don’t worry - we’re all just winging it (10:53) Finding the intersection between form and function (15:22) The 3 types of questions you need to ask to make a creative project successful (18:35) Identifying your church’s target audience (and why pastor’s hate this question) (22:58) Moving beyond empty mission statements (26:43) 2 favorite questions to ask during the discovery process (30:55) Developing a persona avatar for your church (33:45) Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Word Revolution 4:12 Lab Church Communication Strategies Davis and Sanford Provista 7518B Tripod Storytape 3 Instant Takeaways You are a pioneer. The world of church comm. and social is so new and we're all discovering it together. If you are endeavouring to tackle this digital world - be encouraged! You are not alone. We are all working together. Define what makes your church unique. Go beyond broad terms like Christian or your denomination and instead focus on the details that set you apart. This will help you reach out to people who are searching for your unique brand of Christian community. Ask people what it's like to be on the other side. You can only see from your own perspective, which leaves blindspots for your church when it comes to people with life experiences that are different than yours. Whether it's people who are new visitors, a different age, sex, race etc. the best way to learn about the way your church is perceived by them is to ask the people who live in those perspectives. Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/pcp182/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:10 - Do you have any input into teen or youth ministry social media strategies? 10:20 - Is there one best place for hosting our sermon podcast? 15:27 - What are the best software options to project in our meetings? 19:53 - What can I say or do to influence my Pastor to get a better website?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Discovery Church has a follow up plan for first time guests, but what about people who have been attending for a few months to a year? Brady sits down with Zach, their creative director, to discuss just that.

http://prochurchtools.com/181 - Handling the digital media and marketing for a church can be stressful . Daniel breaks it down in 4 building blocks to help you stay on track. What's In This Session? Determining if your church’s media & marketing stress you out (12:03) Building Block #1: The Strategy (14:01) Building Block #2: The Budget (17:21) Building Block #3: The Time (18:53) Building Block #4: The Expertise (26:43) The ideal marketing budget for a church of any size (27:05) Identifying the right ROI for your church’s communications efforts (29:00) Finding a way to get a budget for church media when your senior leadership is unwilling (38:37)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned ChurchHero.com Daniel on Twitter Daniel on Facebook Cinevate Duzi Slider   3 Instant Takeaways You need a media & marketing strategy. A strategy is a plan of action to achieve a desired goal. Don't copy the outcome of other church's strategies, instead figure out what your goal is and decide what elements will best help you accomplish this goal. Define a budget for your project Take time to really consider what your project is going to need. Invest time into creating a realistic budget for your lead pastor or leadership. Strategize your time. Most major projects - like Easter - are recurring. Use each year as an opportunity to tighten up your projected timeline and improve on creating an accurate time estimate. Don't start from scratch every single time.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/pcp181/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:19 - Should we include the name of the person in our church who sometimes writes devotional posts or do we just leave the names out? 7:03 - What do you think about small groups that are based on questions from the weeks' most recent sermon? Also is there a good way to do video announcements using an iPhone? 11:55 - And tips on service intro videos? 16:53 - Why do you not use images in your email campaigns?     Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Red Rock Church is still in their pre launch phase, but lead pastor, Rob Nadalsky, is already looking ahead to their social media strategy. Brady sits down with him to discuss managing the amount of time spent on social media, and how to follow up Facebook Ad campaigns.

http://prochurchtools.com/180 - Managing a brand and public perception can be difficult. Brad Hill discusses how Ministry Brands has dealt with this exact thing. 

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:04 - Should I focus my attention on Instagram stories or just do an Instagram post or do I do both? 4:25 - What kind of things you do for team building there at Pro Church Tools. 13:27 - What would you put on a reading list for people wanting to make their church more engaging, attention grabbing and digital? 19:19 - What would be the best way to get the attention of a church to become a part of their digital media ministry.     Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Summit Crossing Community Church has new guests visiting almost every week, but they want to make sure they're making the best first impression. Brady sits down with their creative team to go through their user experience from start to finish.

http://prochurchtools.com/179 - Posting consistently on social media is key to building and maintaining an audience. Seth shares some of his favourite unusual social media posts to help your church stay creative and present.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:05 - How would you go about running an event? What recommendations would you have to pull that off successfully? Also, how would you suggest when you’re in a small church with a small congregation to recruit for volunteers? 7:34 - How do we apply the concept of "show don’t tell" in 15 to 30 second Facebook and Instagram stories in such a way to build trust with our audience but also share what we believe in the long term? 14:40 - What is your process for finding a host? Someone who won’t just read the script but also who won’t just go off on a tangent? 20:09 - The number of baptisms at my church is growing and it's really chaotic to film so many people, what’s another method we could use. Also, what’s another method for filming testimonies of kids?     Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Antioch Community Church has a demographic of mostly young adults with 50% of their congregation being college students, but they have yet to tap into the full power of their social media presence. Brady sits down with Jonathan, their Administrative Pastor, in this session of the Pro Church Podcast: Coaching Edition to build a social media strategy and begin connecting with their demographic outside of their Sunday service.

http://prochurchtools.com/178 - Almost everyone has email, which is why it is still one of the best ways to connect with people. But how do you make the best of it? Kevin discusses email strategies that work.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:10 - I’m wondering what your recommendation would be about storage, and what’s the most cost effective way and secure way to keep these things for the history of the church? 6:51 - Best time of day for a FB Live broadcast?  11:59 - What best practices are there for photo management? 16:16 - Any tips or advice on building a team that holds the same values and understands of social media like me? How would you go about building that team?     Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

All Nations Church is a ministry of from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada beginning to explore multi-campus ministry. In this session of the Pro Church Podcast: Coaching Edition, Brady walks the trio from All Nations Church through ways of keeping vision and branding consistent across multiple campuses and languages.

http://prochurchtools.com/177 - Marketing can seem scary. How do we connect with the right people? Is our strategy the best use of money? Ryan chats with us about his marketing insights for growing churches. 

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:23 - Where would you invest first to start growing in marketing for a church plant? 9:07 - What do you do to capture stories so frequently, and then how do you tell them so frequently as well? 15:18 - Just wondering if you have any advice on the best way to run a contest?  19:12 - Where do you suggest would be the best place to do testimony videos without interrupting the flow of the service.     Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

The Grace and Peace Community is a church in Chicago, Illinois preparing to relocate into a new facility. Along with this relocation, they're readying a complete rebrand including their logo, web presence, and branding. Brady walks the church through the rebrand process from beginning to end.

 http://prochurchtools.com/176 - Church plants come with their own unique challenges, Quincy joins us to discuss how to make the most of your launch.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:02 - When it comes to musicians or media professionals in the church, do you believe that those people should be getting paid? 8:37 - I heard you mention that you use a server, so what type of server do you use? 15:16 - If not Right Now Media, then what else is a solution to empower willing volunteers to lead a small group without spending way too much time planning their lessons? 24:03 - Is there a reason you would choose to do video announcements rather than presenting announcements live?     Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

King's Way is a church of about 150 in Ashland, Kentucky. They've recently moved into a new building and are ready to grow as a church. The core leadership team of King's Way joins Brady in this session of the Pro Church Podcast: Coaching Edition to discuss a systematic plan for growing their church in the months and years to come.

http://prochurchtools.com/175 - Beau discusses the strategy he they use over at Life.Church when it comes to social media. From the importance of having fun, to using Instagram stories for your church - he covers it all.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:19 - Just preach the Gospel. 11:16 - What are some brainstorming tools? 16:19 - Could you share some of the podcasts you listen to? Specifically business podcasts and/or media business related. 21:29 - Where is the best place for announcements on Sunday?   For those that will be quick to say that they don't use technology much, how could we as the communications staff to get them into the central hub model?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Real Life is a church with a creative workflow problem. They've got a killer communications team, but lack the structural discipline to be efficient. When ministries make demands, the communications team isn't sure when to say "yes" and when to say "no" - and this leads to unwanted inter-church politics. Brady and the Real Life communications team sit down in this session of the Pro Church Podcast: Coaching Edition to create a systematic creative workflow that will solve this issue once and for all.

http://prochurchtools.com/174 - Scripting your announcements in a way that is engaging can seem daunting, Adam talks about how to use story, but still communicate details.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:03 - Thoughts on using things like Tweetdeck? Scheduled FB posts? The equivalent for Instagram? Wise/unwise/doesn’t matter? 6:42 - What tools do you recommend for internal communications in church & how do you drive adoption/create a process? 12:35 - When does the bulletin become unnecessary? How do we best transition to not having so much printed? 21:52 - How important has a gimbal been to your video work? Glass or a gimbal, what would you recommend?   For those that will be quick to say that they don't use technology much, how could we as the communications staff to get them into the central hub model?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Grace Family Church is a multi-campus ministry in Tampa, Florida. The church runs close to 10,000 on the weekends, but despite their impressive numbers, they still lack a cohesive social media strategy. In this edition of the Pro Church Podcast: Coaching Edition, Brady joins dozens of staff members from Grace Family Church to discuss their social media strategy and how to move forward with a clear vision.

http://prochurchtools.com/173 - Most pastors spend a big portion of their week on their sermon. Justin discusses how to extend the life of your sermon by repurposing the content.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:02 - Is it foolish to upload our churches podcast only to our website? 8:38 - I’m wondering what the difference is between using Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Pro, and if they are the same thing which is better? 15:30 - How effective are Facebook check ins? 22:32 - Should we put our personal social media links on our church’s website? Is this a good or bad idea?   For those that will be quick to say that they don't use technology much, how could we as the communications staff to get them into the central hub model?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Forward Church is a new church plant launching in 2018 in Summerville, South Carolina. In this session of the Pro Church Podcast: Coaching Edition, Forward Church's worship pastor, Jonathan Zeman, joins Brady to discuss the best communications strategies for a brand new church.

http://prochurchtools.com/172 - It can be tough to stay consistent on social media. Knowing what to post day after day can challenging, so today Kenny joins us to give his social media tips & tricks.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:03 - Do you think it’s better to post 30 images per Sunday in one post, or is it better to have 1 photo with a story. 7:10 - Any Advise on a church welcome centre? 11:43 - What best practises are there for safety policies pertaining to adults interacting with teens on snapchat. 18:35 - Should I abdicate leadership just to raise up a millennial? How do I become all God desires of me, if I am too old to matter anymore?   For those that will be quick to say that they don't use technology much, how could we as the communications staff to get them into the central hub model?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

JC Worley is the Lead Pastor of GO Church in Germantown, Maryland. GO Church is young and growing, but JC has questions about the Millennials on his staff. How can he motivate them? Why do they seem to approach work differently than he does? In this session of the Pro Church Podcast: Coaching Edition, Brady and JC discuss the mindset of Millennials and how to create a winning working dynamic with younger leaders.

http://prochurchtools.com/171 - Facebook ads are a great way to reach out and get your church out there, but what about reaching people of other faiths? Steve joins us and discusses just that. 

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:06 - When it comes to taking photos of the people in my church and posting it on social media, and putting it all over our website. Do we have to get talent release forms for everybody in the church? 9:38 - How do I help the kids’ ministry not look cheesy, like when the pastor wants bubbly fonts and curved letters? Where would the line be in being consistent and the branding over all with the whole church? 18:25 - What would you recommend as a policy regarding pinning posts on my church’s Facebook page? 23:15 - Should we post the same theme across all social media platforms on the same day?   For those that will be quick to say that they don't use technology much, how could we as the communications staff to get them into the central hub model?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Anthem Church is a four-month old startup church in Plano, Texas. Kris Prince is their bi-vocational lead pastor shepherding a church about 50 people. Kris is convinced he has the volunteer resources and infrastructure to double in size. In this edition of the Pro Church Podcast: Coaching Edition, Brady and Kris discuss growing Anthem Church using a value-first Facebook Ads funnel.

http://prochurchtools.com/170 - With Millennials being a dominant portion of the workforce in America it is important to understand who they are, and why they aren’t as involved in church life. Wes joins us to discuss common misconceptions regarding millennials.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools --   #TIMESTAMPS: 1:06 - What would you actually target for your website headline? Would you target the greatest felt need, or would you target what you’re positioned to provide right now? 12:20 - What is the best way to find your style? How can I find out what people like to see without copying ideas from other churches? 23:25 - Do you think it is ok to mention giving in announcements videos? 28:04 - What do you recommend for podcast hosting?   For those that will be quick to say that they don't use technology much, how could we as the communications staff to get them into the central hub model?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Northwest Assembly Of God is the perfect example of a prototypical church. The church averages about 200 in attendance, their website homepage has a giant slider on it, and their domain name is a five-letter acronym. The great news is that they've got a young and talented leader on staff named Christian Lamb, and he's ready to lead the church through a rebrand. I sit down with Christian and together we create a gameplan for his ambitious rebranding project.

http://prochurchtools.com/169 - Images are an important part of your church brand. Alexander share how capturing and editing photos can add to your visual brand.