The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

On this episode of the Pro Church Tools Show we talk with the social media and production directors from Legacy Church in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Ruth Seal and Vitaliy Kot joined us to let us in on their social media strategy, their production process, and how they work together to create viral content to reach millions with the message of Jesus. We talk about the philosophical to the very practical, and everything in between.

On this episode of the Pro Church Tools Show we interview Crystal Ennis, Creative Director at One Church in Sulphur Springs, Texas. One Church has experienced rapid growth on social media thanks to some viral videos, and Crystal joins us to speaks to how that has impacted the life of their in-person gatherings. She shares about her social strategy, how to lead a creative team, and how to help millions of people take next steps with Jesus without ever stepping foot in her church.

On this episode of the Pro Church Tools Show we interview Trey VanCamp, pastor of Passion Creek Church in Queen Creek, Arizona. Trey has been effectively using digital media to reach new people with the message of Jesus and spiritually form people who already belong to the church. We talk about the success of his Plan Your Visit video, his unique discipleship strategy through podcasting, and the delicate balance of being a content creator and a pastor.

Topics include: reasons to stop certain church practices, coping as an Enneagram 1, improving church coffee, drafting popular songs, applying fragrance technique, best eats in Niagara Falls, church's social media tone, starting a podcast, favorite Bible verses, and internal monologue experiences.

On this episode of the Pro Church Tools Show we interview Jeremy Cole, pastor of Mosaic Dubai. Jeremy is a former airline pilot and an unconventional pastor, serving a very unique congregation in the UAE that's experiencing notable growth. We talk about the particular challenges of pastoring in Dubai and the great success that they've had on social reaching many people with the message of Jesus.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (2:49): What are the most common mistakes to avoid when considering website design? We are a small congregation (average attendance 100) and we cannot afford full time tech people. Question #2 (12:55): What are your top three leadership tips? Question #3 (26:31): Hi Brady! I just took over the comms for our church. What is your advice or strategy for a church rolling out a new sermon series? Three weeks out? Two weeks out? One week? Week of? Question #4 (32:45): What's wrong lately?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (2:15): Brady, what's the story behind your Bible College experience? Why did you never become a pastor? Question #2 (20:43): If you work at your church full-time, what is your day off each week? Question #3 (36:42): How does a church recover in the social media climate when there is a viral video that tries to cancel the church for false reasons? Our church has gotten many death threats and harassment via phone, email, and especially social media. We've had to turn comments off on most things. I was wondering if you had any wisdom! Question #4 (50:17): The two of you seem to have such good chemistry. We would like to know what is it you have most in common, versus not so common.

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (05:24): What are your thoughts on Threads? Is Meta doing too much? How can churches utilize this new platform? Question #2 (20:00): Love the new podcast studio. Can you talk about the setup? Question #3 (28:28): On The Social Media Church Podcast this week, they talked about developing an AI policy similar to how you should have a social media policy. Is that something you've processed at all yet? If so, what would you include in a policy like that? Question #4 (34:36): You have mentioned that you are breaking into the world of watches! (Happy dance!)I was skeptical until you mentioned Wolf 1834 watch cases! What are you looking at Watch wise and have you made any purchases?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (1:49): Responding to Christian comments like "just preach the gospel!" Question #2 (7:30): We've long used connection cards at our church for people to take next steps, digitally and physically. And then other signup pages or PCO forms for people to take other steps. I love your view of next steps, and the central hub concept, I've been trying to get buy-in across the board on this and utilizing our website's main page as a central hub. Here in lies my question. I know your thoughts behind mass texting as a church, very limited if at all. What are your thoughts on engaging people through text in keywords and one-on-one follow up for next steps, all through text? Question #3 (15:45): Will there be a backlash against generative AI where people intentionally move offline? Question #4 (24:22): What are your beige flags?

Send in your question via text to 1-800-485-3139. Question #1 (02:27): If a church wants to do a podcast, what should they consider? (Tech, Content, labor, red flags, etc.) Question #2 (15:58): I'm amazed at the number of churches that do photo dumps on social media. There is the wide spread belief that you should share everything you snap. Just curious of your opinion as to the optimal number of pics to include in a post. Also, am I wrong to feel a bit squeamish about posting pics of people praying or worshiping? Are there any studies on how non-believers react to these? Are we invading someone's personal moment even if it's experienced in corporate worship? Question #3 (25:45): Are there any "best practices" you guys talk about on the pod/social/website/YouTube that you DON'T do at the church you pastor? If so why? Question #4 (32:24): What's WRONG lately?