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:

• 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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:

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?

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?

•     
• Real Church Examples (12:05)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:

• 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?

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?

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?

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:

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?

• 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

***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

***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

***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

***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

***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 

***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