The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

Latest Episodes:

3 Of My Favorite Church Slogans [Plus…How To Write Your Own] Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

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?

#1: What is a slogan? It includes a key benefit. (3:15)

#2: What is a slogan? It differentiates your church. (6:25)

#3: What is a slogan? It's your church's story/vision/mission. (8:15)

Real Church Examples (12:05)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:

19 PERFECT CHURCH WEBSITE HEADLINE EXAMPLES

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

5 Unusual Church Website Design Ideas That I Love Aug 22, 2019

Show notes

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?

#1: The Gospel Church (Destiny Keller) (0:40)

#2: Peoria Nazarene Church (Joel Davis at Cross & Crown) (4:25)

#3: First Baptist Church of Allegan (8:35)

#4: Faith Church Gold Coast (Nate Zerk) (10:30)

#5: Hill City Church (12:25)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:

6 Positive Church Branding Trends That Deserve Your Attention Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

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?

Defining Branding (0:40)

#1: Trade in a color palette for a color matrix (2:00)

Vineyard Colombus design by Jeff Miller (3:41)

#2: Branded house; not a house of brands (5:35)

East Gate design by Dave Keller (6:40)

#3: Logo with meaning (8:00)

Catch the Fire design by Samuel Nudds (9:10)

#4: From me to we (12:30)

Westside King's Church design by Matthew Birtch (13:15)

#5: Short church names (14:20)

#6: Sermon series' addressing doubts (16:45)

Asking For A Friend design by VISUAL Jams (16:55)

Stats on doubting (17:20)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:

5 Church Announcement Frameworks That Really Work Aug 15, 2019

Show notes

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?

One Story (2:30)

One Next Step (3:00)

The 50% Rule (5:40)

#1: New People Category - also works great for volunteers (8:30)

#2: Annual Event Category (11:10)

#3: Small Groups Category (11:30)

#4: One-Off Event Category (17:50)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:

The Church Announcements Formula

The Church Announcements Scripts Bundle

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

How To Attract New People To Church Through Invitations Aug 13, 2019

Show notes

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:

The 5 Unwritten Rules Every Church Announcement Should Follow Aug 08, 2019

Show notes

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?

Announcement #1 (2:50)

Unwritten Rule #1: Don't use guilt as a motivator (5:00)

Alternative Announcement (6:20)

Announcement #2 (7:15)

Unwritten Rule #2: Don't lead with rhetorical questions (9:30)

Announcement #3 (10:25)

Unwritten Rule #3: Don't be break your own rules (11:05)

Announcement #4 (13:30)

Unwritten Rule #4: Don't use acronyms that need explanation (14:30)

Announcement #5: (18:30)

Unwritten Rule #5: Don't elevate information over inspiration (19:20)

Honorable Mention (20:00)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned:

How To Build A Social Media Following From Scratch For A Church Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

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:

3 Ways To Ensure Church Services Are Never Predictable Or Stale Aug 01, 2019

Show notes

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:

How Smart Churches Use Social Media To make Better Decisions Jul 30, 2019

Show notes

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:

The Business Owners Guide To Running A Church [Tips From Ex-Pastors] Jul 25, 2019

Show notes

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)