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.

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Show Notes:

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- ChurchCandy: https://churchcandy.com/

- Brady Sticker IG: https://www.instagram.com/bradysticker/

- ChurchCandy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bradysticker/

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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.

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Show Notes:

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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/

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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.

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Table of Contents:

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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?

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Show Notes:

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- Social Media Trends 2024 | Hootsuite: https://bit.ly/3xpoxbk

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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.

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Table of Contents:

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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

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Show Notes:

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- Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/

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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.

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Table of Contents:

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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

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Show Notes:

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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

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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.

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Show Notes:

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- 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

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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

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.

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Show Notes:

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- Katlyn Hovland IG: https://www.instagram.com/kayhov

- Monarch Collective: https://www.monarchco.studio/

- Brand Your Church: https://www.brandyourchurch.co/

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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.

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Table of Contents:

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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?

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Show Notes:

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- 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

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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. 

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Show Notes:

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- "Do the New You" by Steven Furtick: https://stevenfurtick.com/do-the-new-you

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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 📲

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Table of Contents:

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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?

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Show Notes:

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- 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/

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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 📲

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Table of Contents:

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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?

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Show Notes:

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- 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/

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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 📲

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Table of Contents:

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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

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Show Notes:

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- “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

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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 📲

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Table of Contents:

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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

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Show Notes:

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- The 2020 Faith Communities Today Overview: https://bit.ly/3SfRUnf

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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 📲

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Table of Contents:

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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

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Show Notes:

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- Start your 30-day free trial (no credit card required) of Nucleus here: https://www.nucleus.church/

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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 📲

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Table of Contents:

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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? 

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Show Notes:

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- Social Ministry Mountain: https://prochurchtools.com/mountain

- PORTRAITS: socialsermons.com/portraits

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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 📲

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Table of Contents:

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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

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Show Notes:

=============================

- PORTRAITS by SocialSermons: https://socialsermons.com/portraits

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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