http://prochurchtools.com/005 - It's finally here! ProChurchTools.com has a brand new look! In this session we'll discuss the new design and why we made the choices we did. We'll also talk about the 3 cores of a quality church website.

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

• The 3 basic elements of a church brand
• The easiest way I know to create a quality church logo

Three core, essential, foundational features of a good church website, in this session of the Pro Church Podcast.

3 Instant Takeaways

1. Give your website one focus. Your church website should have one clear goal that drives its entire structure. Your homepage should have only one or two 'calls to action' which visitors to your site immediately see. As well, your menu should only have 4-6 pages, all of which are consistent with your main goal: whether that is inviting visitors to your church, ministering to your existing church, or creating evangelistic content. If your main goal is to attract visitors, leave pages or information for 'insiders' accessible through a smaller channel like a link on your footer.
2. What can you remove? And don't say, "Nothing." Chances are, unless you've recently done a minimalist redesign (in which case, feel free to skip this part) your website has extraneous clutter. A busy slider, social media icons, extra buttons, your latest sermon series plus lots of other activities, a calendar of events . . . have I hit one yet? Pare your site down to its core message and purpose.
3. Solidify your brand. Your logo, your color theme, and your fonts should be consistent across your website. That means every single page needs the same color family and fonts. That doesn't mean you can't use more than one color or font, but that you should choose a minimum amount and stick with them.

http://prochurchtools.com/004 - Video is one of our biggest focuses at Pro Church Tools. There are simply so many opportunities to inject video into your church services. In this session of the Pro Church Podcast we explore 18 different avenues.

http://prochurchtools.com/003 - Church media can be daunting. It can feel like there's just so much to learn, and if you're starting from scratch it can be intimidating. But this is how I started, and if I can do it...so can you.

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

If you want to excel in church media you don't need any prior experience, or necessary skills. You just need a willingness to learn and a desire to improve.

• The first video I ever made (scroll down half the page)
• Music from the album my wife (girlfriend at the time) did together

http://prochurchtools.com/002 - The future of church media revolves around your church. And your church's story. It's not about mass production and following the big guys. It's about identifying your church's unique story and letting that influence every type of media you produce. But how do you find that story? Just ask yourself these 5 questions.

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

Identifying your church's unique story and narrative isn't always easy - but it's absolutely necessary. And once you figure it out it should inform every type of media your church produces.

• Branding interview with Mars Hill
• State Farm advertisement (focusing on the convenience and comfort)
• Progressive advertisement (focusing on the price)

5 Action Steps

1. Identify church leadership
2. Examine your church's size
3. Examine church demographics
4. Identify church talents
5. Identify church values

Switchfoot Lyrics

I wanna thrive not just survive
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
You and I were meant to live for so much more
I made a mess of me, I wanna get back the rest of me
I’m ready to come alive, I’m not waiting for the afterlife

Beginning to see a trend? Switchfoot has found their niche in the alt-rock scene. They continue to sing the same song over again - but not in a bad way. They voice their story and narrative and they do it better than most.

http://prochurchtools.com/001 - What does the future of church media look like? It's not doing what the church down the road is doing. It's not doing what the big guys are doing. In the very first session of the Pro Church Podcast we'll explore the future of church media and what to expect.

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

• Take the Millennial Quiz - Click Here
• Millennials aren't materialistic. Newsweek even says so. Read the article.

The very first session of the Pro Church Tools podcast, where we discuss the future of church media.

2 Instant Takeaways

1. Millennials are the future. And Millennials love anything tech: videos, devices, on-demand content, live streaming, mobile giving, and worship with backing tracks. The church Millennials grew up with the "staged" church; but they want the "experiential" church. This generation is so media-saturated that they can smell hype a mile away and long for authenticity. All of this needs to be taken into account by the church if they want to reach out to next gen believers.
2. Every church speaks with its own voice. In the past, the church may have done things because other churches did it, because it was tradition, because it was the default. In a crowded, loud culture, churches can use media to differentiate themselves from the crowd.