The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

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:

 

Direct download: Podcast-0o1-The-New-Rules-For-Church-Buildings-088.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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:

 

Direct download: Podcast-02-How-We-Lost-A-Teacher-In-The-Burning-of-Notre-Dame-087.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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:

 


YouTube is the second most visited website in the world. And it’s far and away the most popular platform amongst Gen Z. And yet, most churches are completely absent from this platform. Thankfully, there’s a solution. Frankly, it’s been right in front of my face this whole time and I’ve been missing it. So in this video, I’ll reveal to you the absolute best YouTube strategy for churches that you can start implementing right away.

 

***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/?p=16464&preview=true

 

What's In This Session?

  • YouTube is the second most visited website in the world. (1:41)
  • 500 000+ searches are made on YouTube every month on how to study the bible. Churches are not stepping up with YouTube videos. (1:50)
  • One study suggests 75% of kids want to be YouTubers (4:40)
    95% of Gen Z use YouTube, 50% say they can't live without it, and 75% say they use it every day. (6:59)
  • Churches should be empowering young people to create YouTube content. (8:12)
  • 56% of Gen Z want to see Vlogs--document what your church is doing. ()
  • Search popular YouTubers to find ideas for video content. (12:58)
  • So much of what makes student ministry "sticky" has to do with autonomy and empowerment. (14:06)

 

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:

 

Direct download: Podcast-02-The-BEST-YouTube-Strategy-For-Churches-In-2019-085.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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:

 

Direct download: Podcast-01-How-PreachersNSneakers-Exposes-All-Christians-084__1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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:

Direct download: Podcast-03-How-To-Capture-Amazing-Staff-HEADSHOTS-083.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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:

 

Direct download: Podcast-02-The-NEW-Sermon-Bumper-Formula-082.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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:

Direct download: Podcast-01-How-To-Beat-Social-Media-ALGORITHMS-081.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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:

 

Direct download: Podcast-03-27-Ways-Gen-Z-Uses-Social-Media-080.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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:

Direct download: Podcast-02-3-Ways-Social-Media-Is-Killing-Us-All-079.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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:

 

Direct download: Podcast-01-How-To-Construct-The-Ideal-Church-Giving-Form-078.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:24am EDT

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