The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

Latest Episodes:

The 3-Step Church Storytelling Formula | Ep. #001 Jan 08, 2018

Show notes

Storytelling is the most important skill you can learn to help your church grow, succeed, and accomplish your vision and mission. In this episode Brady shares his 3 step storytelling formula.

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What's In This Session?

Storytelling formula overview (1:23)
Step #1: A character with a desire (1:36)
Step #2: Encounters a problem (2:14)
Step #3: Makes a decision (2:23)
BIG story example (2:39)
SMALL story example (4:31)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-step-church-storytelling-formula-ep-001/.

197 - Maximizing New Visitor Follow-Up with Kyle Kutter Jan 04, 2018

Show notes

http://prochurchtools.com/197 - Getting people to go from visitor to a fully integrated member of your community can be difficult. Kyle discusses how to make the most of your visitor follow up process.

What's In This Session?

Leading the way with MORE free resources for the local church (8:27)
How your church can take advantage of the free items on Open Network (11:19)
Avoiding band-aid solutions by copying other churches (13:04)
Tracking the metrics that truly matter to your church (21:25)
How Life.Church manages follow-up with their new visitors (23:12)
The gap between automation and individualization in visitor follow-up (27:34)
The future of Open Network (30:37)
The Scrum Methodology (32:57)
How to convince your senior leadership to begin using new resources (37:34)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

Avoid bandaid solutions by understanding the why. It's easy to look at what other churches are doing and think that by replicating their programs or other strategies you can replicate their success. This is not always the case because their ministry was built on their context. Before implementing other church's tactics make sure you understand why it works and why it could work for you.
Allow people to belong before they believe. Create an environment where visitors are welcome to attend and become part of your church before you expect anything from them. Remove any barriers between them and their next step into your community. This could be anything from making sure the kids' check in procedures are clear on their first visit, or joining a life group is simple further along the way.
Lead with the heart of it. When convincing leadership to begin using new resources start with how the resource can help push the heart of their vision forward.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp197/.

196 - The Next Generation Of Churches with Phil Bowdle Dec 28, 2017

Show notes

http://prochurchtools.com/196 - It's important to look ahead and plan for the future. Phil joins us to take about this next generation of churches, and where he sees the church going in the future.

What's In This Session?

Ministering through the biggest communication shift in the last 500 years (9:11)
Recognizing the importance of change despite being wildly successful (10:35)
How much longer will the megachurch model remain viable? (14:05)
Why churches are missing the mark when it comes communication (17:55)
What makes change so difficult (23:08)
Navigating difficult decisions & relationships with senior leadership (27:45)
3 questions to continually ask your team/leadership (30:46)
What to do if you're an older pastor recognizing the need for change (34:28)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

In the last decade the average church hasn't changed how they communicate, but the average person has. It's critical that churches recognize this shift and learn to communicate to their community in a way that they will recognize and understand. The medium isn't sacred - the message is.
People are starving for authenticity. People want to go some place where they don't feel like everyone wants something from them. Our culture is inundated with advertisements. Stand out by putting people first, not your church. Don't be another sales pitch.
Fear makes change difficult. 80% of people do not like change. To overcome this, consider decisions based on the people in your community that still need to be reached, instead of just your existing congregation.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp196/.

195 - The First Impressions Checklist with Greg Atkinson Dec 26, 2017

Show notes

http://prochurchtools.com/195 - Most people will look at your website before visiting your church. Greg talks about how to make a great first impression.

What's In This Session?

What makes a church website so important? (6:38)
Improving your website's SEO (search engine optimization) (13:43)
The most important button on your church's website (18:55)
Checklist for your website's 'I'm New' page (19:00)
Allowing for kids pre-registration on your church's website (23:53)
The importance of setting expectations (28:52)
Pro tips & tricks for church websites (34:16)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

Have a single call to action. It's important that your congregation always knows where to find the next step. A great way to ensure this is to always point them to the same place, such as a website. Whether they're filling out a connect card, signing up for classes, or submitting a prayer request - have it hosted in a single place so that it's always easy for them to find.
When creating an 'I'm New' page, don't assume anything. You'll want to create this page as though the person reading it knows nothing about who you are. You'll want to have the street address, your service times, and some discussion on what to expect.
If everything is important then nothing is. By giving stage time and announcing everything, you actually diminish the importance of everything. The reason for this is that the people listening are only able to retain and remember a small amount of information. If you give them too much to try to remember and they'll end up forgetting everything you've said.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp195/.

Making Your Church The Top YouTube Result, Interviewing & Sound Mix Tips | #AskBrady Episode 47 Dec 23, 2017

Show notes

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools

#TIMESTAMPS: 1:01 - Churches are predominantly made up of an older generation, knowing they need to change, but struggling to know how. How can we help them and what should that compensation look like? 12:20 - How do we adjust the sound between the worship time and the video of our announcements? 16:48 - How can my church become the top result in the search on YouTube? 22:06 - We want another person on our communications team. Are there any specific questions I need to ask them in the interview process? Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month. Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast. Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

194 - 5 Productivity Pro Tips For Pastors with Casey Cease Dec 21, 2017

Show notes

http://prochurchtools.com/194 - Balancing multiple jobs can make it difficult to feel like your ministry is reaching it's full potential. Casey shares his tips on making the most of your productivity.

What's In This Session?

The rise in prominence of bi-vocational lead pastors (6:00)
Productivity tips from a busy bi-vocational leader (11:37)
Tip #1: Powerful Exercise: Determining your hourly rate and then putting a dollar amount on each of your weekly tasks (12:37)
Tip #2: Transitioning to a digital calendar to instantly save time (22:30)
Tip #3: Long term vs. Short term productivity formula (25:22)
Tip #4: Turning off mobile device notifications (29:15)
Tip #5: Locking in on the perfect productivity tool for you and your team (32:09)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

Take a week and track your tasks. Write down every task and how long each one takes you. This will help you see how you are spending your time, and where can cut out or better prioritize your tasks.
Pass off low level tasks. Even though these tasks are important, if they are filling up too much of your time and keeping you from tasks that only you can do, then delegate these tasks. Prioritize your tasks and pass on the things that can be accomplished by someone else.
Turn off notifications on your phone. Constantly receiving notifications places you in a reactive position, where you're constantly 'just texting' or 'just replying.' Instead turn off your notifications and plan to check your email or social media at a set time for a designated amount of time. This puts you in control of how much time and attention each platform is absorbing.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp194/.

193 - The "Story-Slice" Technique with Robert Carnes Dec 19, 2017

Show notes

http://prochurchtools.com/193 - Storytelling is the best form of communication, but sometimes it can be difficult to translate it to social media. Rob discusses how to share micro stories on social.

What's In This Session?

How to track down the worthwhile stories in your church community (7:04)
Why it's important to begin capturing stories before you need them (10:28)
The storytelling "c word" (if you don't have this - you don't have a story) (12:45)
Examples of conflict in Jesus' storytelling (17:28)
How to make your congregation the hero of your stories (20:27)
Using social media to share "micro-stories" (27:58)
Common mistakes churches make with their storytelling efforts (32:21)
Why storytelling is the most powerful form of human communication (35:55)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

Create a story database. One of the best ways to be prepared is to have a single place where you keep the a list of stories for future use. Whenever you hear a story from someone, just jot it down. This ensures that whenever you need a story, you can find one rather than scramble to come up with something at the last minute.
Conflict is the fuel for storytelling. It is what gets the story moving forward. Conflict gives your story purpose. It is the reason for change. The reason for resolution. If you don't have conflict - you don't have a story.
Slice stories down into smaller pieces for social media. You can do this by focusing on a single element or moment within the larger story.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp193/.

You're Not The Host We're Looking For, Managing Photography & Profile Pics | #AskBrady Episode 46 Dec 16, 2017

Show notes

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools

#TIMESTAMPS: 1:04 - I was wondering if you had a solid workflow there at Pro Church Tools with how you manage your photography? 8:51 - Do you have any tools or thoughts on how to help my staff understand how people will perceive what they communicate? 15:50 - Most churches use their logo as their profile, should we use our logo or a person as our profile picture? 16:48 - Any tips on how to tell someone that they aren't what we are looking for on camera? Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month. Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast. Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Levelling Up On Instagram with Engage Church: Coaching Edition #026 Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

Engage Church is taking reaching their community through social media very seriously. In fact they set the audacious goal of being the most followed church in their city on Instagram. Currently they are 835 people away from reaching this goal. Their storytelling architect, Billy Humphrey, joins Brady to figure out what they can improve to hit their goal.

Meet The Church Being Coached

Church Name: Engage Church
Church Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Church Age: 5 years
Church Size: 400
On the coaching call: Billy Humphrey - Storytelling Architect

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

Set a goal. Having a goal gives your work purpose. Like most projects, social media requires daily effort with only a small margin of growth per day. Having an overarching goal can help you maintain consistent effort knowing that even small increases are moving the needle forward.
Following local shops and businesses. Be invested your community. By following local businesses, and interacting with them, you not only become more aware of things that are happening in your community, but you get the opportunity to invest and become involved.
Use hashtags and location tags to help garner more organic traffic. Instagram is a social platform that still allows you to be found organically through hashtags, so be sure to use them on every post. Use location tags on your posts as well as on your Instagram stories.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/levelling-up-on-instagram-with-engage-church/.

192 - A Personal Interview With Brady Shearer Dec 12, 2017

Show notes

On this episode, we switch up the podcast and have our friend Peter Guirguis interview Brady about Pro Church Tools, how it started, and how he deals with set backs.

What's In This Session?

What Brady was like as a child (7:41)
Why Brady decided to attend Bible College (15:34)
How Pro Church Tools began (19:14)
Learned vs. innate abilities (24:25)
God's role in the accomplishments of Pro Church Tools (28:03)
What's next for Pro Church Tools? (33:08)
How Brady stays so productive (38:22)
Rapid Fire Fun Questions (50:40)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

Hustle hard and know what your talents are. When it comes to success, a willingness to work hard; to try and fail and try again is imperative, but so is knowing where your innate skills and talents lie. Know your lane, and run in it.
Go where the puck is going. Being a visionary means looking ahead. Like in hockey. It means not aiming for where the puck is presently, but instead anticipating where it will be. The same for church leaders - look ahead and anticipate where the church will need to be in a couple years. Aim for that.
Failure is the way forward. If you have audacious goals; if you want to be the best of the best, then you must expect roadblocks. Achieving the extraordinary is no simple task. Failure and roadblocks are a requirement. They are how you learn to be a success.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp192/.

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