The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

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 churchgoe...

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...

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...

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 Menti...

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 Ch...

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)   Sho...

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...

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 YouT...

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,...

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 nee...

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 & Resour...

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 To...

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 & R...

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...

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 G...

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...

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 & Infl...

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 g...

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. #0...

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 A...

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...

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 Mention...

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...

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 & Resource...

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 M...