Pro Church Podcast With Brady Shearer

I've been part of growing churches most of my adult life - as a volunteer, on staff, and in the pews. What I've noticed is this: the difference between growing and stagnant churches isn't what you'd expect. But when you see a healthy church up close, clear patterns emerge - and after fifteen years, I want to share what growing churches consistently do differently.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 2:38 - Inspiration Beats Information Every Time 7:22 - Sunday Can't Fix Everything 14:58 - Right Invitation, Right Moment 20:23 - Build Systems Before Chaos 23:32 - Scrappy, Regardless Of Budget   IMPORTANT LINKS - Ryan Burge: https://x.com/ryanburge   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

The most frustrating loop in church creative is pouring hours into a design or video, only to hear "something's off" or "I don't like it" with no explanation. It's usually not stubbornness - most pastors just don't have the language to explain what they're reacting to - and today, we're going to fix that.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:06 - "I Don't Like It" Is A Symptom, Not The Problem 4:26 - Most Churches Have Never Defined Their Voice 8:02 - The Solution Is 8 Words 12:35 - Now You Have A Measuring Stick 20:58 - This Also Solves The "Conflicting Feedback" Problem 22:16 - Share It With Everyone   IMPORTANT LINKS - Why Your Church Only Attracts One Type of Person: https://youtu.be/k7ZZD_F9dn4 - WordHippo: https://www.wordhippo.com/   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

Hundreds of new AI tools launch every day, and most of them cost money. We've tracked down the ones that are actually free - beyond just ChatGPT - including tools most churches haven't heard of that could save your team dozens of hours every week.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:36 - Tool #1: TurboScribe 1:55 - Tool #2: tl;dv 3:00 - Tool #3: Claude Cowork 8:45 - Claude Cowork Church Uses   IMPORTANT LINKS - TurboScribe: https://turboscribe.ai/ - tl;dv: https://tldv.io/ - Claude Cowork: https://claude.com/product/cowork   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

Social media used to be predictable - now it's chaos, even when the averages are higher. This episode is about surviving the new game, with the metrics and mindset that actually keep you sane.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:35 - The Volatility Problem 7:45 - The Three Audiences Framework 10:11 - Content Equals Credibility 12:30 - The No Weeks Off Approach (Reframed) 14:26 - How To Stay Sane   IMPORTANT LINKS - Church Social Media Trends 2026: https://youtu.be/354IpgzSIEU   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

The most important email you'll ever send someone in your church is the very first one. So we're going to help you get it right. Today, we're sharing a 76-word church welcome email that works for churches of any size. It hits every goal a great welcome email should. Feel free to steal it word-for-word.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:50 - Big Idea #1: The First Email You Send Is The Most Important 5:53 - Big Idea #2: Send It From The Pastor 7:25 - Big Idea #3: Choose Your Focus - Connect Elsewhere Or Important Next Steps 9:46 - Big Idea #4: The P.S. Reply 15:04 - Big Idea #5: You Reply Back   IMPORTANT LINKS - The 76-Word Church Welcome Email Cheatsheet: https://prochur.ch/49vyftg - This Church Guest Follow-Up System Is…Unusual: https://youtu.be/pd6b7eRzmg4 - Pro Church Certified: https://prochurchcertified.com/   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

The world is changing fast. AI is reshaping economies, industries, and even how we relate to one another. So what does that mean for the church and its future? In one of our most important episodes yet, we're breaking down four changes every church should seriously consider making before 2030.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 10:18 - Canon vs. Content 18:00 - Formation vs. Information 26:15 - Communal vs. Individual 31:45 - Cost vs. Convenience   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

The language you use shapes the culture you build. And when that language goes stale, it quietly starts holding things back. So today, we're sharing our list of church lingo to retire in 2026 - and what to consider saying instead.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 2:30 - Why Does This Matter? 4:25 - Do Life Together 7:25 - Season Of Singleness 9:20 - Wow 12:03 - Circles Not Rows 13:03 - Welcome Home 16:22 - Don't Miss It 18:20 - Loving On 19:56 - Turn To Your Neighbor 21:17 - Daddy God   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

When it comes to church shirts, most of us default to tossing a logo on the front and calling it done. But with a few thoughtful changes, you can turn simple merch into something people genuinely love to wear outside of Sunday morning. So today, we've invited our friend Karl Nilsson onto the podcast to walk us through his practical workflows and share the wisdom he's picked up creating merch that actually gets worn.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:10 - Design Process 5:50 - Karl's Style 8:56 - Design Process Cont'd 13:20 - Overcoming Communication Issues 18:54 - Balancing Aesthetics With Audience Needs 22:42 - Garment Selection And Print Production   IMPORTANT LINKS - Karl Nilsson | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sigvardnilsson/ - Karl Nilsson | Dribble: https://dribbble.com/KarlNilsson - LA Apparel: https://losangelesapparel.net/ - AS Colour: https://ascolour.com/   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

When you serve at church, there are always going to be ideas, projects, or ministries you're unsure about. Sometimes your instincts are right. Sometimes they're not. Today, we're sharing real stories from churches that pushed past their initial resistance, took the risk anyway, and saw incredible results.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:55 - Building A Human Claw Machine 5:26 - Hiring A Full Time Creative 10:02 - Live Stream 15:32 - Getting Away From "Professional" Video Announcements 19:02 - Youth Group Instagram Account 20:13 - Letting The Holy Spirit Lead. 10/10 Recommend 20:51 - Planning Events Months Ahead And Not A Month Before   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

Skills alone can't compensate for a broken culture. If the team is unhealthy, the ministry will always feel stuck. Today, we're laying out a reset plan — a practical roadmap to start rebuilding trust, clarity, and a healthy team culture. Let's get to work.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:12 - Why This Matters 7:53 - Value 1: Bring Heaven to Earth 11:52 - Value 2: Say the Quiet Part Out Loud 17:48 - Value 3: Yes Be Yes, No Be No 21:48 - Value 4: Disagreement Is Not Disrespect 27:06 - Value 5: Solutions First 33:05 - How to Use Values to Shape Culture   IMPORTANT LINKS - The Creative Team Culture Cheatsheet DOWNLOAD: https://prochur.ch/4az1JXQ - Pro Church Certified: https://prochurchcertified.com/   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

Level up your church's social without spending a cent. From scheduling and analytics to project management and planning, today's episode is all about the best $0 tools churches can use to streamline their work and improve results. Let's upgrade your workflow and keep costs at zero.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:36 - Instagram Insights 10:44 - Buffer 14:00 - Trello 15:09 - Linktree 16:16 - The Launcher by Nucleus 17:54 - Coschedule Headline Analyzer 19:58 - Auphonic 21:41 - Canva   IMPORTANT LINKS - Buffer: https://buffer.com/ - Trello: https://trello.com/ - Linktree: https://linktr.ee/ - The Launcher by Nucleus: https://www.nucleus.church/the-launcher - Coschedule Headline Analyzer: https://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer - Auphonic: https://auphonic.com/ - Canva: https://www.canva.com/ - PNAS NEXUS Article: https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/4/11/pgaf327/8285703   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

I asked you all, "What's one thing that frustrates you about church comms?" Today, we're unpacking your top answers — counting down from the least to the most common. And as we go, we'll share practical advice from real church experiences on how to fix these frustrations for good.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:43 - Lack Of Risk Taking 7:30 - Doing Over Being Effective 12:11 - Too Many Events To Talk About 20:06 - Not Understanding How Long Stuff Takes 24:00 - Complain There Isn't Enough/Too Much Info 27:44 - People Thinking They Know Best 30:12 - Last Minute Requests   IMPORTANT LINKS - DOWNLOAD Project Request Timelines [Example]: https://prochur.ch/4oAKjhN - Pro Church Certified: https://prochurchcertified.com/ - The Church Website Masterclass: https://youtu.be/0IfuwIa3qjw - Nucleus Makeovers: https://www.nucleus.church/makeovers   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

The next era of social media is arriving - and recent court filings from Meta give us a glimpse of what's coming. These revelations reveal a major shift in how platforms will operate moving forward. In this episode, we're breaking down what it means for your church and how to prepare.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 2:58 - Social Is Television 8:18 - Podcasts Are Television 10:10 - The Algorithm Is Television   IMPORTANT LINKS - Everything Is Television - Derek Thompson: https://bit.ly/4nEXqgD - YouTube Plans to Win Over Spotify's Audio-First Podcasters With AI - Business Insider: https://bit.ly/4hNCClZ   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

Why do great volunteers stop serving at good churches? The reason usually isn't hard to spot — but finding a real solution takes work. That's exactly what we're unpacking in today's episode.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:05 - Habits Of Joy 7:13 - Practice Intentional Discomfort 15:22 - Becoming Unbothered   IMPORTANT LINKS - The MOST Important Thing I Learned BEFORE 30 [CHURCH LEADERS]: https://youtu.be/CFVJeEfQvkA   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

We’re pulling back the curtain on the exact systems we use to stay inspired and creative - week after week - without burning out. You’ll learn how to build processes that generate fresh ideas on demand, even when you feel stuck or uninspired.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 01:53 — The Question Every Church Asks  04:38 — System #1: You Need Less Variety Than You Think  06:24 — System #2: Steal Like a Pro (From Other Industries)  10:49 — System #3: Repeat the Best, Forget the Rest, Continue To Test  18:27 — System #4: Repurpose Sermon Content  23:10 — System #5: Build a Vault of Inspiration    IMPORTANT LINKS - ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com - Free AI Transcription Tool: https://www.descript.com   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

When tragedy strikes and the world turns to social media, churches often wonder whether to speak up or stay silent. Today, we're unpacking a clear, actionable policy for navigating tragic current events online - complete with real examples and the key caveats every church should consider before posting. Learn how to respond with wisdom, compassion, and clarity when the world is watching.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:40 - Policy Questions 12:12 - Real Example #1 15:00 - Critical Feedback 20:35 - Real Example #2   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

Gen Z is now attending church more than any other age group — what Barna calls “a historic and generational reversal.” In this video, we’ll explore why it’s happening and what it means for your church moving forward.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:38 - Thoughts on Gen Z being on the top of church attendance? 9:58 - Biggest social media differences between Gen Z and Gen Alpha? 15:40 - The people want to know what your Fall Fragrance is this year! 21:02 - What do you think of churches sending greetings/thank yous to new followers on Instagram? 24:00 - What would be the Facebook equivalent of carousels? 25:22 - What's your favorite thing about F1 after over half a season of watching? 33:28 - How to finish more work in less time?   IMPORTANT LINKS - Gen Z Now Leads In Church Attendance | Christianity Today: https://bit.ly/420QYZy   THE 167 NEWSLETTER

Smaller churches have a unique edge on social media — one that actually becomes more powerful the smaller your church is. It’s a feature that can completely transform the way you approach social. And here’s the kicker: bigger churches don’t really have access to it.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:22 - The State of Church Social Media 10:32 - How To Reach Your People 19:15 - More Post Strategies   IMPORTANT LINKS - DOWNLOAD the “Add to Favorites” card: https://prochur.ch/3Mc9963  - Why Your Church's Instagram Stories Flop: https://youtu.be/z_VfjR0WxaA - The Busy Pastor's Guide To Instagram Stories: https://youtu.be/e4gYhPwOyJA - 20 Church Social Media Ideas You've Never Tried: https://youtu.be/ZBeCkcIlzPA - Steal These 15 Church Social Media Posts For Summer: https://youtu.be/y8QiCkGFDFo - The 2025 Church Social Media Calendar: https://youtu.be/dy9J92P5Xjo - Steal These Viral Hooks: Church Social Media Edition: https://youtu.be/ncBP4cUcY0E   THE

Small churches actually have a big advantage on social media — as long as they’re not trying to copy bigger ones. The secret is in what you measure. Forget likes and followers. There are two other metrics that matter far more, and they’re the key to thriving on social as a smaller church.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:50 - Abandoning the Old Metrics 7:25 - The 1st New Metric We Care About 13:50 - The 2nd New Metric We Care About 19:07 - What's The Point Of All This?   IMPORTANT LINKS - Buffer | How Often Should You Post on Instagram in 2025? What Data From 2 Million Posts Tells Us: https://buffer.com/resources/how-often-to-post-on-instagram/    THE 167 NEWSLETTER

We’ve put together the ultimate list of 49 free tools churches are using right now. And here’s the best part — these aren’t just our picks. Every single tool comes directly from churches like yours, already putting them to work in real ministry.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:17 - Communication 9:05 - Project Management 11:58 - Creative Resources 17:25 - Audio 20:43 - Production 24:50 - *Free, Not Free* 28:30 - Most Popular Tools   IMPORTANT LINKS - The Church Smartphone Photography Masterclass: https://youtu.be/KaUPT9o4Lus - WhatsApp: https://www.whatsapp.com/ - Slack: https://slack.com/ - Invite Everyone: https://inviteeveryoneapp.com/ - Messenger: https://www.messenger.com/ - Asana: https://asana.com/ - Trello: https://trello.com/ - Notion: https://www.notion.com/ - Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/ - ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ - Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/ - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ - VSCO: https://www.vsco.co/ - YouTube