Pro Church Podcast With Brady Shearer

Instagram is one of Alex's favourite social media platforms, and he is constantly looking for new ways to engage his followers. He talks about how to use Instagram to engage your church in spiritual practice.     What's In This Session? Looking for creative ways to engage your church community online (0:34) Engaging your church in spiritual practice online (2:25) 800 million users as of 2017 (2:56) Creating wallpapers (3:43) Brady's thoughts (6:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Unsplash Lightroom Canva 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/use-instagram-engage-spiritual-practice-ep-108/.

Brady discusses our manifesto - #SeizeThe167 - and why this is such an important change in focus for churches as we live through the biggest communication shift in the last 500 years.     What's In This Session? What do these platforms have in common? (0:35) Social media usage in 2018 (1:47) Industries disrupted in 2018 (4:04) The state of our churches in 2018 (6:00) Fundamental idea #1 (8:22) Fundamental idea #2 (8:40) Fundamental idea #3 (9:10)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Social Media Use 2018 Neilsen 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/seizethe167-ultimate-manifesto-churches-changing-world-ep-107/.

So many people listen to podcasts, and churches are uniquely positioned to use this tool as statistically more Christians listen to podcasts than those who identify themselves otherwise. Brady talks about what you need to get started.     What's In This Session? What do we use? (1:30) Step #1 - Recording Source (2:37) Step #2 - Editing Software (5:06) Step #3 - Hosting & Sharing (8:34)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How Churches Can Reach Millennials Using Podcasts | Ep. #097 Nucleus Heil PR-40 Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro Sound Devices 702T Behringer Xenyx Q802 USB Adobe Audition Auphonic Libsyn Blue Yeti Shure MV88 Garageband Audacity Smart URL 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/beginners-guide-podcasting-churches-ep-106/.

One of the top priorities of your website is ranking well in search so that you can be discovered by new visitors. Brady shares 7 tools for search engine optimization.     What's In This Session? #1. Google My Business(0:54) #2. Google Page Speed Insights(1:57) #3. Moz Local Listing Score(2:33) #4. KeywordTool.io(4:08) #5. Google Analytics(4:41) #6. Google Webmaster Tools(6:27) #7. Yoast SEO Plugin for WordPress(8:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/7-free-seo-tools-churches-ep-105/.

Video equipment can add up quickly but you don't necessarily need the most expensive pieces of gear. Brady shares his updated $1000 camera set up.     What's In This Session? Disclaimer (0:53) The Camera: Canon M50 Mirrorless Camera with 15-45mm lens($899) (1:53) The Audio: Rode VideoMicro Compact On-Camera Microphone($59) (4:30) The Stabilization: Joby Gorillapod Mini($47.90) (5:37) Pros (6:12) Cons (7:19)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Canon 22mm f2 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/1000-church-video-camera-setup-2018-ep-104/.

"Just preach the gospel" is a common retort Brady sees used online. He discusses why this is bad advice, and how this statement is being misapplied.     What's In This Session? "Preach" is a verb. It demands a medium (1:59) "Preach" requires a listener (2:55) This statement is being misapplied (3:33) Timeless message in a timely medium (4:12) Attention is the most valuable commodity your church can possess (4:30) This statement does a disservice to the Gospel when it prioritizes mediums with less attention over mediums with more attention for the sake of tradition (5:32)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/just-preach-gospel-terrible-advice-ep-103/.

Brady discusses the core values he uses when creating videos, some pitfalls to avoid, and how to apply these concepts in your own videos.     What's In This Session? #1: Show don't tell (2:31) #2: Stunning visuals (3:46) #3: Don't force resolution (4:59) #4: No story is too small (7:46) #5: The responsibility falls on the storyteller (9:27)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 9 Questions To Ask In Your Next Church Testimony | Ep. #101 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-core-values-video-storytelling-churches-ep-102/.

Some of Brady's favourite projects have been testimony videos he's worked on. He shares 9 questions he uses to help get the best footage of the story being told.     What's In This Session? #1: Tell me about the time when . . . (2:15) #2: Tell me the story of . . . (2:46) #3: Describe the conversation . . . (3:25) #4: Tell me about the day you realized . . . (4:38) #5: What were the next steps that got you from here to there? (4:58) #6: How have you changed in the last 5 years? (5:32) #7: How do you see yourself? (6:22) #8: What was the pivotal moment for you? (6:56) #9: What have you not talked about that you'd like to mention? (8:08)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/9-questions-ask-next-church-testimony-video-ep-101/.

Before founding Pro Church Tools Brady worked in his local church as a media director. He shares a handful of his biggest mistakes and how you can learn from them.     What's In This Session? #1: Stock photos on our website homepage (2:28) #2: Mobile app (3:28) #3: Green screen for video announcements (4:46) #4: Watermelon disaster post on Facebook (6:07) #5: No compass; no "why" (7:27)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Subsplash Cowboy Studio Green Screen 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-mistakes-brady-shearer-made-media-director-ep-100/.

Email is still, in our opinion, the second most important platform for your church to be using on digital. Brady shares 7 of his best performing subject lines from this year.     What's In This Session? Example #1: Embarrassing (39.47% open rate) [CURIOSITY] (2:49) Example #2: [Blank subject line] (33.51% open rate) [CURIOSITY] (4:01) Example #3: Pastors are too old (33.9% open rate) [CONTROVERSY] (4:41) Example #4: 7 things Millennials don’t care about in your church (37.3% open rate - 10.83% click rate) [LIST] (5:46) Example #5: A gift from me to you (34.85% open rate) [FREEBIE] (6:49) Example #6: The easiest lighting setup I’ve ever used (32.82% open rate) [EASY] (7:05) Example #7: How to 27X your organic reach on Facebook (30.11% open rate) [HOW-TO] (8:20)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned MailChimp Active Campaign 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   Find the full transcript for thi

Brady shares seven statistics from Barna's Trends 2018 trends that he found particularly interesting in regards to church attendance and where Christians are currently.     What's In This Session? 1: 2 out of every 3 Christians admit to experiencing a season or spiritual doubt (1:59) 2: More than a quarter of Christians still find themselves doubting (2:26) 3: 38% of Americans are active churchgoers; 43% are unchurched; 34% is dechurched (3:51) 4: Only 9% of churchgoers attend a church of 1,000 or more (4:18) 5: 40% of churchgoers attend a church of 100 or fewer (4:58) 6: More than half of all American adults (58%) wish they read the Bible more often (6:28) 7: The ideal form of Bible study is 59% “discussion with friends or peers” and just 32% for “sermon or lecture" (6:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Barna Trends 2018 YouVersion App 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   Find the fu

Brady discusses the surprising statistic that almost 50% of Millennials listen to podcasts, and how your church can make the most of this medium.     What's In This Session? Podcast statistics (0:34) Brady & Alex's experience with podcasts (1:10) Idea #1: Q & A podcast (4:03) Idea #2: Conversational podcast (5:34) Idea #3: Short & off-the-cuff (6:53)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Barna Trends 2018 This Cultural Moment The Liturgists Podcast The Bad Christian Podcast 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/churches-can-reach-millennials-using-podcasts-ep-097/.

Brady has always had a morning routine, but over the last couple months has made some changes. He shares why this routine is so valuable, and both he hand Alex share what their morning routines look like.     What's In This Session? The importance of investing in yourself (0:18) 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation in silence (2:08) Read: Personal development book & the Bible (3:24) Journal: Goals, learnings, gratitudes & prayers (4:16) Alex's experiences (7:44)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Beauty of Discomfort by Amanda Lang The Sleep Cycle App 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/develop-morning-routine-ep-096/.

Brady discusses a copywriting tip that you can use to help drive more next steps at your church. The key to this is to respond to objections preemptively.   What's In This Session? Advanced copywriting & communication tip (0:24) Common objections (2:01) Fix #1: Confront the objection (2:50) Fix #2: Confront the rejection (4:31) Fix #3: Confront the alternative (6:17)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/advanced-church-communications-tip-preemptively-responding-objections-ep-095/.

In the past couple weeks Brady has been researching change, and how to make long term positive choices. He shares some thoughts on how to create lasting change in your church.   What's In This Session? Humans are predisposed to reject change (0:49) Necessity is the single biggest driver of change (1:51) Brady's work experience (3:59) Nucleus (4:28)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/finally-see-real-change-church-ep-094/.

Alex discusses how he is using Facebook groups in his church, the hesitation he felt before starting one, and the results he started seeing within the first 24 hours.   What's In This Session? 2018 algorithm change (0:29) "Facebook was built to bring people closer together" (0:45) Why Alex was originally hesitant (2:05) The first 24 hours (3:38) One or multiple groups? (4:44) A review (7:22)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned How To Get More 5-Star Online Reviews For Your Church | Ep. #085 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/expect-launching-church-facebook-group-ep-093/.

Communication is tough, but even small changes can move the needle forward. Brady discusses a commonly used phrase in church announcements and why we should stop using it. What's In This Session? Small changes can move the needle forward (0:56) "Don't miss it!" (1:31) Reason #1: Consequences (2:06) Reason #2: Laziness (3:33) Alternative: "See you there!" (6:15)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned The Church Storytelling Formula 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/1-phrase-church-stop-using-say-instead-ep-092/.

Brady and Alex share some digital tools we have begun to use on a regular basis at Pro Church Tools and how they can be helpful for you and your church.     What's In This Session? Grammarly(0:31) ahrefs(1:57) Linktr.ee(3:32) Smart URL (5:38) Skyroam(7:51)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Pretty Links ProChurchDaily.com 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-new-digital-tools-using-2018-ep-091/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:44 - If we have a youth group page what kind of stuff am I posting? What would they want to see, what kind of stuff would they interact with? 13:54 - When it comes to A/B testing hashtags on Instagram, should I make a new Instagram post with the second set of hashtags, or should I delete set A and replace with set B in the same comment? 19:58 - I saw that Nucleus.Church was pinned with an app like logo, I was wondering if you could explain how to make your website capable of doing this. 22:25 - Should I try to make every post something for both the youth and older crowd? Should I just focus on one group, or should I try to have some posts directed at each group?   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

We are living through the biggest communication shift in 500 years, and social media and technology continues to advance and change. Brady discusses the platforms that are most popular with Gen Z.     What's In This Session? Attention is the most valuable commodity your church can possess (1:14) Timeless message in timely mediums (1:59) YouTube (2:37) Snapchat (5:22) Instagram (8:24) You don't need to create the content yourself (8:53)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned AdWeek Infographic Study: Gen Z frequents Snapchat more than its social media rivals 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   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/student-youth-ministry-gen-z-3-social-platforms-church-needs-consider-ep-090/.