The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

Latest Episodes:

Harmful Christian Narratives We Need To Stop Telling Jun 18, 2019

Show notes

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:

5 Leadership Lessons You Need To Know Before You're 30 Jun 13, 2019

Show notes

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:

13 Exciting New Instagram Features For Churches in 2019 Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

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:

How To Get HIRED By A Church (7 Skills You Need) Jun 06, 2019

Show notes

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:

How The Internet Is Provoking The Next Christian REFORMATION Jun 04, 2019

Show notes

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:

The 'Church Invitation' Social Media Template (11 Examples) May 30, 2019

Show notes

For the last few months, I've been experimenting with a new type of social media template for churches. And amazingly, this type of post has quickly become one of the most popular within our social program - and hundreds of churches are seeing great engagement numbers with this kind of post. And so in this video, you'll learn all about what I like to call the 'Church Invitation' template - and I'll share with you 11 real examples of what it can look like.

***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:

Simple & Cheap Church Stage Design Ideas (Real Examples) May 28, 2019

Show notes

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:

Why Churches Must Stop Caring So Much About CONVERSIONS May 23, 2019

Show notes

"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:

How to Design a Better Church Bulletin May 21, 2019

Show notes

Most churches still use bulletins. But with that being said, when was the last time you examined the true purpose of your church bulletin - and whether or not it was accomplishing its goal? In this video, we'll lay out a series of principles that we believe a church bulletin should abide by and I'll even give you a free bulletin Photoshop template to help you create your own. BULLETIN TEMPLATE: https://prochurchtools.com/u6oh

***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:

How To Get MORE Likes & Followers On Social Media With Contests May 16, 2019

Show notes

A simple and easy way to get more followers and likes on social media is to run a contest or giveaway. But beware! Because these types of promotions can turn sideways if you don't follow best practices. So by the end of this video, you'll know the tools, the strategies, and the frameworks needed to run a successful contest on social media.

***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:

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected