The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

Latest Episodes:

The Worst Church Website Design Trends Jul 31, 2024

Show notes

Today, we list 15 supposed essentials for church websites. Some are unnecessary! We'll categorize them: necessary, nice to have, or nonsense. By the end, you'll know what truly matters for your site. Let's dive in.

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Table of Contents:

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0:00 - Intro

1:03 - Speed

10:08 - Live Stream Primary CTA

14:22 - Pop-Ups

20:37 - Sermon Archive

24:22 - Beliefs

30:29 - Links To Social

32:01 - 5-Star Domain Name

35:48 - Sliders

44:55 - Responsive Design4

8:02 - App CTAs

52:30 - Service Times, Address, & Contact Info

55:55 - Staff Page

59:56 - Scroll Animation

01:03:18 - Photography

01:06:42 - SEO

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Show Notes:

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- Pingdom Website Speed Test: https://bit.ly/4fi7ut3

- Makeovers: https://www.nucleus.church/makeovers

- Holy Trinity Brompton: https://htb.org/

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Connect With Brady:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer

The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

The Online Church Myth Debunked with Ryan Burge Jul 24, 2024

Show notes

Does online church negatively impact in-person attendance? It's a debate we've been having for years, and now we finally have some great data to shed light on it. Join us as Ryan Burge from Graphs About Religion helps us untangle the insights and implications.

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Table of Contents:

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0:00 - Intro

0:54 - Who Is Attending Online Church?

17:53 - Does Going To Church Keep Youth From Drinking And Smoking?

38:04 - Are Women More Spiritual and Men More Religious?

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Show Notes:

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- Who is Attending Online Church?: https://bit.ly/4fceCHe

- Does Going to Church Keep High School Students from Drinking and Smoking?: https://bit.ly/4bJzPWc

- Are Women More Spiritual and Men More Religious?: https://bit.ly/4bPoxQl

- Generations by Jean M. Twenge: https://bit.ly/4d9PleX

- Ryan Burge: https://www.drburge.com/

- Ryan Burge | Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ryanburge

- Graphs about Religion: https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/

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Connect With Brady:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer

The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Trending Sounds Church Social Media Report Jul 17, 2024

Show notes

Rohn Starling returns to the show for a section we're called "Rohn's Rankings". We're discussing trending social media sounds and sharing five church post ideas.

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Table of Contents:

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0:00 - Intro

1:58 - Trend #5: Part of me feels bad, but not that bad

12:28 - Trend #4: Not my problem

28:23 - Trend #3: Number 44, that's me!

35:08 - Trend #2: Inside Out 2

43:46 - Trend #1: Blinking Sound

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Show Notes:

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- Trend #5: Part of me feels bad, but not that bad: https://bit.ly/3LrAeli

- Trend #4: Not my problem: https://bit.ly/4f2a5au

- Trend #3: Number 44, that's me!: https://bit.ly/46a2HFR

- Trend #2: Inside Out 2: https://bit.ly/3LqaG8j

- Trend #1: Blinking Sound: https://bit.ly/3W3lzSq

- Rohn Starling IG: https://www.instagram.com/rohnstarling/

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Connect With Brady:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer

The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Apps We Can't Live Without, Burnout, & Church Podcast Channels Jul 10, 2024

Show notes

Today on the show we're answering your questions. Questions about burn out, bilingual church social media strategies, and everything in between. Let's dive in.

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Table of Contents:

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0:00 - Intro

0:36 - How should bilingual churches post on social media?

4:25 - Where did you get all the wisdom for naming Alex?

7:32 - Best food in Montreal?

17:15 - After 10 years of PCT, what would you do differently as a team?

26:47 - Should we look into creating a new YouTube Channel for our podcast or do we keep it on our church's YouTube channel?

29:52 - Heard you're going to be at SALT Conference. Excited?

32:56 - What is your daily workflow? Apps? Schedule? Integrations?

44:02 - Can you talk about burnout?

53:50 - What does a well-structured administrative team look like on a church organization chart?

59:11 - How can churches with no sermon build up content for #noweeksoff foundation material?

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Show Notes:

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- Our big announcement (finally): https://youtu.be/edD_Nsu3Qsg

- Church website red flags: https://youtu.be/lV_P3I0NvSc

- The best church websites of 2024: https://youtu.be/oSpcw7dkXAM

- Mon Lapin Montreal: https://vinmonlapin.com/

- SALT conference: https://www.salt2024.com/

- Fischersund: https://www.fischersund.com/

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Connect With Brady:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer

The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Summer 2024 Church Social Media Trends Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

It's our quarterly social media review. Discover changes, constants, and their impact on your church.

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Table of Contents:

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0:00 - Intro

3:10 - Assessing Our Previous Predictions

8:54 - Adult Content on X

17:40 - Church Invite Memes

23:22 - Reels Split Design

31:26 - YouTube Thumbnail A/B Testing

42:28 - Carousels Over Reels?

48:45 - Apple AI & Unplugging From Our Devices

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Show Notes:

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- Our big announcement (finally): https://youtu.be/edD_Nsu3Qsg

- Talking Tech and AI with Tim Cook!: https://youtu.be/pMX2cQdPubk?feature=shared

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Connect With Brady:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer

The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Instagram's Most Important Metric Revealed Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

On June 10th, the head of Instagram made a significant statement: "____ matters most across the board." So, what is it? Likes? Comments? Watch time? Saves? None of the above. Today on the show, we're diving into the most important metric on Instagram—a metric that's not easy to find and requires some digging.

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Table of Contents:

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0:00 - Intro

3:04 - Sends per reach are one of the most important things to look at

11:23 - Most people won't like *and* send

24:51 - IG heavily preference accounts who both follow each other

32:44 - Priority notifications come with the verified badge

36:16 - Instagram focuses on creators, not publishers

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Show Notes:

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- An honest conversation with the CEO of Instagram [Colin and Samir]: https://bit.ly/3KOQUmr

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Connect With Brady:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer

The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

The Small Rural Church Social Media Blueprint Jun 19, 2024

Show notes

In today's episode, we feature a rural pastor who discovered he had more time for social media than he thought…it's our very own Alexander Mills! This episode is packed with both introductory and advanced social media tips for churches. If you're part of a smaller church or serving in a rural area, this one's for you.

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Table of Contents:

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0:00 - Intro / Alex's Church

5:46 - Strategy for Sustainability

12:10 - High Quality Content

34:10 - Low Effort Design Tools

43:20 - Post Examples

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Show Notes:

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- Life Abundant (Alex's church): https://www.lifeabundant.info/

- Life Abundant Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeabundantniagara/

- Canva: https://www.canva.com/

- CapCut: https://www.capcut.com/

- Sermon quote (carousel) - https://bit.ly/3RoZiga

- Guided prayer (carousel) - https://bit.ly/3Rm8GRT

- Simple story (iPhone Reel) - https://bit.ly/4bXXWRW

- Simple story (CapCut Reel) - https://bit.ly/4bVh6b1

- Meditation + Program Post (Nucleus Media) - https://bit.ly/4bMcpAl

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Connect With Brady:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer

The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Trends We Were Wrong About, Declining Engagement, & Giving Up Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

Join us in today's episode as we tackle your burning questions! Ever wondered about the ideal time commitment for pastors on social media? Or how to navigate challenges when your social media efforts seem to fall short? Plus, discover insights on maintaining a God-centered focus in fulfilling pursuits.

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Table of Contents:

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0:00 - Intro

2:15 - What are your thoughts on church politics? Are they inevitable?

9:10 - What should we do if Facebook engagement drops but Instagram rises?

15:06 - How much time should a pastor dedicate to making content for social media if any?

20:35 - Should we honestly care what others in church think about us?

24:53 - What are the boys wearing for summer this year?

28:06 - What is the hiring process for Pro Church Tools?

31:00 - Drinks in the shower? Yes or no?

37:54 - Your view on having tattoos? Especially as a leader in the church.

46:16 - Was there a social or communication trend you didn't see coming, but really blew up?

50:18 - Have you ever considered sharing more lifestyle content? Clothing, health, travel, etc.

56:10 - If you were to frame your ministry in a bit of Scripture, what would it be?

58:42 - What are the top five voices you lean into and trust in life and ministry?

01:04:49 - I'm giving it my all for my church's social media and see little growth. Any advice?

01:08:58 - You posted on Instagram Stories your reuben sandwich. What else have you been cooking lately?

01:15:34 - Do you encourage or discourage the 'hide like count' feature?

01:17:22 - What do you do to make sure you're always serving God in a field so gratifying in itself?

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Show Notes:

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- SocialSermons: https://socialsermons.com/

- How Churches Are Really Reaching Young People with Dr. Kara Powell: https://youtu.be/v6O0USRnwbY

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Connect With Brady:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer

The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Big changes on social media that have churches worried Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

Social media changes fast! Today, we discuss these changes with church social media expert Danielle Davis. Alex, Danielle, and I each bring two topics: one exciting and one concerning trend for the future. We're here to keep your church in the know on all of the changes happening on social.

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Show Notes:

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Danielle on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imdanielledavis
Churchfluence: http://churchfluence.com/

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Connect With Brady:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer

The Pro Church Tools Show: https://prochurchtools.com/podcast

Lightroom Presets From Former Life.Church Photographer May 29, 2024

Show notes

Today we're welcoming back to the show, for the second time, former Life.Church photographer - Benjamin Suter. We get to follow along a live demonstration of his photo editing process. We'll cover exposure, white balance, sharpening, grain, and preserving skin tones under stage lighting. Plus, he shares his custom presets, available as a free download in the show notes.

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Show Notes:

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- Adobe Lightroom: https://lightroom.adobe.com/

- Benjamin J Suter Presets: https://benjaminjsuter.com/presets

- Pro Church Tools Presets: https://prochurchtools.com/presets

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Connect With Brady:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/

TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradyShearer