The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

Pro Church Tools
  • 4.9 (470)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Helping your church navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years. Hosted by Brady Shearer and Alexander Mills.

  1. 7h ago

    Sprint, Sprinkle, Smuggle: How to Promote Anything at Church

    GET YOUR CHAOS SCORE: https://churchchaos.com/   Church promotions can start to sound the same - repetitive, predictable, and easy to ignore. Today, we'll show you three better approaches - Sprint, Sprinkle, and Smuggle - so your announcements drive action without sounding like promotions.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 2:40 - The No Promo Code 6:30 - Sprinkle Promotions 17:53 - Sprint 28:13 - Smuggle 34:20 - When To Use Which   IMPORTANT LINKS - Church Chaos Index: https://churchchaos.com/ - The Church Communications Masterclass:    THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

    40 min

  2. Jun 17

    1 in 3 Christians Trust AI as Much as Their Pastor (Now What?)

    Get the AI Policy Template: https://prochur.ch/4cZowNq   30% of practicing Christians say AI is as trustworthy as a pastor for spiritual advice - closer to 40% among younger generations. And many are already using it for prayer and spiritual growth.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:56 - The Barna Data 4:47 - Why This Is (and Isn't) as Alarming as It Sounds 11:00 - What Your Church Should Do About It 17:33 - AI POLICY   IMPORTANT LINKS - AI Policy Template: https://prochur.ch/4cZowNq - Barna Group, "State of the Church 2026: Key Trends Shaping Faith": https://bit.ly/4elW7Cz - Christian Post, "A third of Christians trust spiritual advice from AI as much as pastor": https://bit.ly/4vKdQcN - Christian Post, "Most pastors use AI, some worry it could replace their guidance": https://bit.ly/4cqVO7V   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

    40 min

  3. Jun 10

    Nobody Trusts Your Pastor Anymore (The Numbers Are Ugly)

    In 1985, 67% of Americans rated pastors high in honesty and ethics. Today? Just 27% - and only 17% among those under 35. It's one of the steepest trust declines of any profession. The question isn't if this affects your church - it does. The question is what you do about it.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:15 - The Numbers Are Worse Than You Think 3:38 - Why This Happened 13:18 - How to Rebuild Trust Through Communications   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer   ALL CITATIONS - Gallup, "Honesty and Ethics" Survey (December 2025, n=1,016, nationally representative sample) — PRIMARY. 27% rate clergy "high/very high" in honesty and ethics (historic low); down from 67% in 1985 and ~56% average in the 2000s; largest trust decline (−29 points) among tracked professions; generational breakdown: 55+ (38%), 35–54 (~24%), under 35 (17%). - Lifeway Research, "Americans' Trust in Pastors Hits Historic Low" (January 2026) — SECONDARY (analysis of Gallup data). Confirms generational trust gaps and historic decline. https://research.lifeway.com/2026/01/16/americans-trust-in-pastors-hits-historic-low/ - Christian Post, "Americans Rank Clergy at Record Low in Honesty and Ethics Ratings" — SECONDARY (summary/reporting on Gallup findings). https://www.christianpost.com/news/americans-rank-clergy-at-record-low-in-honesty-and-ethics-ratings.html - PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute), "Religious Change in America" (2024) — PRIMARY. Clergy sexual abuse scandals cited as a reason for leaving religion increased from 19% (2016) to 39% (2024). - PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute), "Health of Congregations" (2024) — PRIMARY. 34% of former evangelicals cite scandals as a reason for leaving; 45% among former Catholics. - Pew Research Center, "Why Do Some Americans Leave Their Religion While Others Stay?" (December 2025) — PRIMARY. 50% of religiously unaffiliated ("nones") don't like religious organizations; 49% don't trust religious leaders. - Gallup, "Confidence in Institutions" (2025 update) — PRIMARY. Confidence in the church as an institution increased from 31% (2022 low) to 36% (2025), indicating a modest rebound despite declining trust in clergy.

    33 min

  4. Jun 3

    People Are Asking ChatGPT to Find Them a Church. Are You Showing Up?

    Here's what's already happening - a family moves to a new city and asks ChatGPT for church recommendations instead of Googling. Seconds later, they get a curated list they trust.   So the question is - is your church on it? Today, we're giving you a simple 5-step checklist to make sure you show up in this new era of search.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:51 - The Shift Is Happening, But Let's Get the Data Right 7:12 - How AI Decides Which Churches to Recommend 13:55 - The 5-Step Church AI Visibility Checklist 21:06 - What This Means for Your Website Strategy   IMPORTANT LINKS - ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ - Claude: https://claude.ai/ - Superprompt: https://superprompt.com/ - Technical SEO: https://bit.ly/4sn5IfC - Practicing the Way: https://www.practicingtheway.org/   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer ALL CITATIONS   - SSRS/Edison Research, "AI User Metrics" (February 2026, probability-based national panel, ~1,000 U.S. adults) — PRIMARY. 52% weekly AI usage.   - Orbit Media, "AI-Search Adoption Survey" (March 2026, survey of digital professionals) — PRIMARY (but industry-specific sample, not general population). 55% AI chat as primary/frequent research tool; 24% prefer AI for local queries (down from 26%); 25.7% of marketers developing AI-specific content.   - OpenAI — ChatGPT 800M weekly users (2026).   - Superprompt.com, "AI Search Traffic Converts 5x Better Than Google" (2025, analysis of 12M visits across 350+ businesses) — PRIMARY but vendor study with commercial interest. 14.2% vs. 2.8% conversion comparison. E-commerce/SaaS data, not church-specific.   - Princeton University, "Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Research" (peer-reviewed) — PRIMARY. Up to 40% increase in AI visibility (measures visibility in AI responses, not click-throughs or real-world conversions).   - TechnicalSEO.com, "Schema Markup Generator Tool" — PRACTICAL RESOURCE. https://technicalseo.com/tools/schema-markup-generator/

    36 min

  5. May 27

    Father's Day at Church 2026: Fresh Ideas

    Most Father's Day services fall into the same tired clichés. So in this episode, we share simple, fresh ideas your church can actually use - no stereotypes required.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 4:30 - Idea #1: First Father's Day 12:48 - Idea #2: Letters From Kids, Sealed For Next Year 14:46 - Idea #3: One Story, Multiple Parts 19:29 - Idea #4: The Grandfather's Blessing 24:28 - Idea #5: The Anonymous Dad Survey   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

    30 min

  6. May 20

    Stop Promoting Church Small Groups Like This

    Today we're unpacking a different approach to getting people into small groups - backed by national data so you can see where your church stands. We'll also walk through a simple exercise to identify who isn't joining and why.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:38 - THE BENCHMARK (Know Your Number) 6:45 - THE PHILOSOPHY (Groups as the Ultimate Value) 9:26 - THE PERSONAS (Know Who You're Talking To) 14:12 - THE GROUP TYPES (Broaden the Definition) 20:08 - THE CAMPAIGNS (Sprint vs. Sprinkle)   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

    26 min

  7. May 13

    13 Church Social Posts for Summer (steal these)

    Today - 13 summer social media post ideas your church can actually use. Real formats you can copy, with examples ready to drop into your calendar. If you're stuck or repeating yourself, this will help.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 1:11 - Church Summer Bucket List 3:33 - Come With Me... 10:46 - B-Roll Inspo 16:23 - The 'Stance' Post 20:22 - Summer Event Photo Dump 22:00 - Happy Birthday To Pastor 23:04 - The "What Our Pastor Actually Does in Summer" Post 24:23 - Mic Someone Up On Sunday / Who Volunteers At VBS 27:40 - "This Or That" Summer Edition 31:04 - Summer Reading Recommendations 32:58 - The "Caption This" Post 33:40 - The "Best Summer Moments" Recap Carousel   IMPORTANT LINKS - Church Social Media Audit: https://auditmychurch.com/   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

    36 min

  8. May 6

    Why Young People Leave Churches (New Data)

    Is it the worship? Politics? Programs? That's what we tend to blame. But new data from Pew and PRRI - covering 80,000+ respondents - points to a very different primary reason people leave. Today, we'll unpack what the data actually says, why common assumptions fall short, and what churches can do in response.   ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:39 - The #1 Reason People Leave - They Stopped Believing 10:05 - The Quiet Exit - Drift, Not Drama 16:07 - Childhood Experience Is the Strongest Predictor of Whether Someone Stays 29:50 - Scandals and Institutional Distrust 36:49 - Big Takeaways   IMPORTANT LINKS - The Gen Z Church Communication Playbook: https://youtu.be/zQnhOKlV91Q - People Complained Our Church Was Too Loud. So We Did This: https://youtu.be/4ij1tR-EMHE   THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com   GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder:  https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com    JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer   ALL CITATIONS PEW RESEARCH CENTER - "Why Do Some Americans Leave Their Religion While Others Stay?" (December 2025, n=8,937 ATP + n=36,908 RLS) — PRIMARY https://pewrsr.ch/3NATWA3 - "Religion Holds Steady in America" (December 2025) — PRIMARY https://pewrsr.ch/4bLrZ1y - "Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off" — Religious Landscape Study (February 2025, n=36,908) — PRIMARY https://pewrsr.ch/4bZp7Nm   PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute) - "Religious Change in America" (March 2024, n=40,000+ via American Values Atlas) — PRIMARY https://bit.ly/4s6Y2xM - "Exodus: Why Americans Are Leaving Religion—and Why They're Unlikely to Come Back" (2016 baseline data) — PRIMARY https://bit.ly/3PGWdu1 - "Religion and Congregations in a Time of Social and Political Upheaval" / Health of Congregations survey (2024) — PRIMARY https://bit.ly/4tjNAUC - "Unveiling the Exodus: Americans' Reasons for Leaving Religious Traditions" (2024) — PRIMARY https://bit.ly/3PRRy8z   SURVEY CENTER ON AMERICAN LIFE / AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE - "Young Women Are Leaving Church in Unprecedented Numbers" (2024) — PRIMARY https://bit.ly/4chJXZK - Note: This is an AEI project, not PRRI — frequently conflated in church media.   PRRI CENSUS OF AMERICAN RELIGION (2024) - Substack analysis by Melissa Deckman (PRRI CEO) — SECONDARY analysis of primary PRRI data https://bit.ly 3PK3I3k

    41 min
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Helping your church navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years. Hosted by Brady Shearer and Alexander Mills.

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