The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

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

The Church Announcements Formula [Building Block #6] 08/12/2026

The New Church Bulletin Design [Building Block #5] 08/05/2026

The Church Event Promotions Playbook [Building Block #4] 07/29/2026

The Secret Weapon of Church Communications [Building Block #3] 07/22/2026

The Rulebook For Church Communications [Building Block #2] 07/15/2026

Church Communications 101: The 7 Building Blocks 07/08/2026

Great vs. Average: A Church Announcement Workshop 07/01/2026

Sprint, Sprinkle, Smuggle: How to Promote Anything at Church 06/24/2026

1 in 3 Christians Trust AI as Much as Their Pastor (Now What?) 06/17/2026

Nobody Trusts Your Pastor Anymore (The Numbers Are Ugly) 06/10/2026

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. /episode/index/show/prochurchtools/id/40805545

People Are Asking ChatGPT to Find Them a Church. Are You Showing Up? 06/03/2026

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: 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/ /episode/index/show/prochurchtools/id/40793865

Father's Day at Church 2026: Fresh Ideas 05/27/2026

Stop Promoting Church Small Groups Like This 05/20/2026

13 Church Social Posts for Summer (steal these) 05/13/2026

Why Young People Leave Churches (New Data) 05/06/2026

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 /episode/index/show/prochurchtools/id/40697695

The Gen Z Church Communication Playbook 04/29/2026

The Gen Z Church Communication Playbook You’ve seen the headlines about Gen Z and church - but many popular stats are misleading or unverified. So we took the biggest claims and rated them by confidence - based on real studies and data. ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 4:12 - Gen Z Churchgoers Attend More Frequently (But Read the Fine Print) 11:38 - The Gender Shift in Church Attendance 15:30 - YouTube, Instagram, TikTok Are the Big Three 19:58 - Gen Z Prefers "Authentic" Lo-Fi Content 28:07 - "Nearly Half of Gen Z Would Attend If Invited” 30:46 - "Record Bible sales prove Gen Z is coming back to faith.” 32:22 - "Two-thirds of Gen Z are spiritually open.” 33:39 - "Gen Z is leaving because it's too political.” 36:10 - "Asbury revival proves Gen Z is returning." 36:37 - Big Takeaways 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 "Young Adults Lead a Resurgence in Church Attendance" (September 2025): https://bit.ly/4rYyYcd "Is Church Attendance Turning Upward? And a Surprising Gender Gap" (October 2025): https://bit.ly/4sIUMtJ "New Research on Church Attendance: Decline of Women or the Rise of Men?" (October 2025): https://bit.ly/4tk1mXA "Barna's Top Trends of 2025, Part 2" (December 2025): https://bit.ly/417j04J "Barna's Top Trends of 2025, Part 1" / "The Open Generation" (December 2025): https://bit.ly/3PGuDNw "Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off" — Religious Landscape Study (February 2025): https://pewrsr.ch/4sIVbwf "Religion Holds Steady in America" (December 2025): https://pewrsr.ch/41CNDz7 "Has There Been a Christian Revival Among Young Adults in the U.K.? Recent Surveys May Be Misleading" (January 2026): https://pewrsr.ch/419oyM2 Analysis cited in Church Leaders, "Ryan Burge: There Is No Statistical Evidence of a Gen Z Religious Revival" (January 2026): https://bit.ly/4tjTeX1 Analysis cited in Deseret News (September 2025): https://bit.ly/3NWXrAT Analysis cited in Patheos, "The Truth About The Gen Z Revival" (December 2025): https://bit.ly/48h4US4 "Study: Gen Z Now Leads in Church Attendance" (September 2025): https://bit.ly/4uXFgvD "The Quiet Revival" (2023–2024 data, published 2025): https://bit.ly/4s5EDxq Note: This dataset is heavily disputed. See Pew critique (January 2026) and Professor David Voas/UCL analysis linked above. Critique of Quiet Revival methodology — cited in Humanists UK, "More Bible Sales Do Not Equal More Christians" (February 2026): https://bit.ly/4chwHnS "Religious Change in America”: https://bit.ly/4c2aTvf "The Complicated Truth Behind Gen Z's Religious Resurgence" (The Hill, July 2025): https://bit.ly/4m12oFt "Young Women Are Leaving Church in Unprecedented Numbers”: https://bit.ly/4bJegse "Generation Z and the Future of Faith in America" (March 2025): https://bit.ly/4thFj3B "Gen Z Media Consumption 2026" (February 2026, n=1,000): https://bit.ly/4bWDQbM "The 2025 Sprout Social Index" / "How Gen Z Uses Social Media”: https://bit.ly/4s99FEu "New Data: Short Form Video Explodes in Popularity" (Q1 2025, n=2,900+): https://bit.ly/4ceqVU2 "The Fractured Future: Mapping the AI Divide" (March 2026, n=14,000+): https://bit.ly/417mdkN Gen Z and AI survey (October 2025, n=2,500) — published via Harvard Business Review (January 2026): https://bit.ly/4s6a9v0 Pre-print: https://bit.ly/4cgTUXm AI vs. Human-Made Content Study (April 2024, n=2,000, US & UK): https://bit.ly/4dlFSow UGC statistics roundup (authenticity and engagement data): https://bit.ly/483AqTA UGC + branded content engagement analysis (~28% higher engagement) — cited via Nosto roundup above "Bible Sales Hit Records in US and UK" (January 2026): https://bit.ly/4s6aa22 Note: SPCK is a Bible publisher with commercial interest in the Gen Z narrative. CEO Sam Richardson is the primary voice connecting Bible sales to Gen Z — inference from separate Quiet Revival data, not from sales demographics. Global Youth Culture Report (global version): https://bit.ly/4lYyz8e Global Youth Culture Report (U.S. version): https://bit.ly/4v1kriT Note: Data from February 2020. Teen-focused. Neither report says "nearly half of Gen Z" — that's a downstream misquotation. "100 Church Tech Trends for 2026”: https://bit.ly/4uW8pqR "Gen Z's Future with the Catholic Church" (December 2025): https://bit.ly/4v2siN5 "Gen Z Social Media Statistics 2025”: https://bit.ly/3Ocul0r Origin of the unverifiable "85% lo-fi" and "4.2x UGC engagement" claims cited throughout church marketing content. /episode/index/show/prochurchtools/id/40682065

Church Volunteer Appreciation: Unique Ideas 04/22/2026

We Analyzed 500+ Churches On Social Media. The Results Were Embarrassing. 04/15/2026

Mother's Day at Church: 10 Unique Ideas 04/08/2026

Church Copywriting 101 (yes, it matters) 04/01/2026

Baptism Sunday: 7 Unique Ideas 03/25/2026

Free Stock Resources Every Church Should Bookmark 03/18/2026

Forget Sermon Series Mini Movies - Do This Instead 03/11/2026

Easter At Church: 10 Unique Ideas 03/04/2026

Top Church Podcasting Gear for 2026 02/25/2026

Top Church Podcasting Gear for 2026 Church podcasting has evolved from simply uploading sermons to producing interviews, devotionals, leadership content, and more. If you’re exploring podcasting for your church, we’re sharing our recommended gear for 2026. From mics to interfaces and accessories, we’ll cover options for every budget from two podcasters who’ve been hosting since 2014. ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:11 - Microphones 9:22 - Interfaces & Recorders 17:30 - Headphones 19:40 - Accessories 21:06 - Software 22:32 - Full Setups IMPORTANT LINKS - Micro Church Podcast Studio [Tour]: https://youtu.be/aCrpic5rugc - Shure SM7B: https://bit.ly/3Ob9s5x - Rode PodMic: https://rode.com/en-ca/products/podmic - Shure MV7+: https://bit.ly/40abh5b - Audio-Technica AT2040: https://bit.ly/4raD5Cl - DJI Mic 2: https://www.dji.com/mic-2 - Rodecaster Pro II: https://rode.com/en-int/products/rodecaster-pro-ii - Rodecaster Duo: https://rode.com/en-ca/products/rodecaster-duo - Focusrite Scarlett 2i2: https://focusrite.com/products/scarlett-2i2 - Focusrite Vocaster Two: https://focusrite.com/products/vocaster-two - Sound Devices MixPre: https://www.sounddevices.com/mixpre/ - Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro: https://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/p/dt-770-pro - Sony MDR-7506: https://bit.ly/4tuzlgz - Audio-Technica ATH-M50x: https://bit.ly/46A7eTr - Audio-Technica ATH-M20x: https://bit.ly/4rdBw6Y - Rode PSA1+: https://rode.com/en-ca/products/psa1-plus - Audacity: https://www.audacityteam.org/ - DaVinci Resolve: https://bit.ly/4adljIX - Adobe Audition: https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/audition.html - AutoPod: https://www.autopod.fm/ - Auphonic: https://auphonic.com/ - HELP ME SEE Show: https://www.youtube.com/@helpmeseepossibility 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 /episode/index/show/prochurchtools/id/40099050

Things Growing Churches Do Differently 02/18/2026

Your Pastor Says "I Don't Like It" But Can't Say Why 02/11/2026

Top Free AI Tools for Churches 02/04/2026

Surviving the Newest Updates to Church Social Media 01/28/2026

The 76-Word Church Welcome Email That Works 01/21/2026

The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

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