In this episode of The Pro Church Marketing Podcast, Luke Clayton and Jono Long dive deep into the realities of ministry, entrepreneurship, and digital strategy for churches.

Both Luke and Jono started in full-time ministry, felt the financial strain, and eventually built businesses that now help ministries thrive online. Together, they explore how pastors can pursue side hustles without guilt, why bivocational ministry is becoming the norm, and how ministry skills translate directly into entrepreneurship.

Listeners will hear practical strategies for leveraging the Google Ad Grant ($10K per month in free ads), the importance of SEO and content creation, and why churches need to prioritize their digital presence in the age of AI. They also share candid lessons from their own journeys, including mistakes in hiring, website development, and balancing ministry with business.

If you’re a pastor, creative, or church leader looking for real-world encouragement and actionable tools to expand your reach, this conversation will inspire and equip you.

Are your church’s outreach efforts falling flat—even though you’re running ads, building your website, and following best practices? In this episode, Jono Long sits down with Tyler Harden from Firm Foundations Marketing to reveal the #1 mistake most churches make in their growth strategy: not truly knowing their community. Tyler shares practical wisdom on identifying your church’s ideal audience, debunking surface-level targeting terms like “young families” and “unchurched,” and how post-COVID ministry must shift to meet people where they are. Discover the Five P’s of Church Targeting, why authenticity always wins, and why “being for everyone” usually means reaching no one. Whether you’re a rural church with 30 members or a large congregation with resources, this episode delivers fresh, hopeful clarity for engaging your mission field more effectively. Perfect for pastors, church communicators, and outreach leaders.

In this episode of The Pro Church Marketing Podcast, host Jono Long interviews leadership development expert and Multiply Group founder Mac Lake. Together, they explore why leadership development continues to be the #1 struggle for churches, despite the abundance of leadership resources. Mac explains the difference between leadership placement and true leadership development, shares insights from his book The Multiplication Effect, and walks through how churches can build a sustainable leadership pipeline based on biblical principles—not cultural norms. Discover practical tools to empower volunteers, train leaders with integrity and passion, and build a church growth strategy rooted in discipleship. Whether you're a solo pastor or part of a large church team, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you multiply healthy leaders and avoid ministry burnout.

🔗 Get Mac’s free eBook at multiplygroup.org/ebook

📲 Follow Mac on Instagram: @maclake24

In this power-packed episode of The Pro Church Marketing Podcast, Jono Long chats with Pastor Ryan Vernon of 902 Church about what it really takes to grow a church in a small town. From leveraging his marketing degree and business background to creating leadership pipelines that work, Pastor Ryan breaks down how 902 Church has thrived in Kinston, NC.

You’ll learn:

How to identify and develop leaders in your church

Why churches struggle with volunteer burnout—and how to fix it

The importance of community involvement for long-term growth

A biblical case for using marketing to spread the Gospel

Pastor Ryan also shares real-world wins from working with Faithworks and gives encouragement to pastors who are on the fence about modern outreach strategies. Whether you're leading in a small town or a growing city, this episode is full of wisdom to help your ministry move forward.

In this episode of The Pro Church Marketing Podcast, we’re diving deep into conversion tracking—why it matters and how to do it right. Jono Long is joined by Google Ads expert John Hosko and Faithworks’s Melissa Keane to simplify the ins and outs of tracking actions like form submissions, phone calls, and donations using Google Tag Manager and GA4 Analytics.

Whether you're a church using the Google Ad Grant or a nonprofit running paid ads, this episode shows how conversion tracking can be the key to unlocking performance. Learn how to stay compliant with Google’s ad grant rules, get practical steps to set up tracking without coding, and discover how to use that data to improve your website’s effectiveness and campaign results.

You’ll also hear real-world examples of how small changes on your website can lead to major gains—and how not tracking your conversions could be costing you clicks, opportunities, and even your grant.

✅ Great for churches, nonprofits, and anyone managing Google Ads!

#GoogleAdGrant #ConversionTracking #ChurchMarketing #FaithworksMarketing #NonprofitMarketing #GoogleTagManager #GA4 #DigitalMissions

In this episode of The Pro Church Marketing Podcast, Jono and Melissa continue their 3-part series on the 2025 Guide to the Google Ad Grant for Churches. If you've been struggling to get your ads to spend—or wondering why your click-throughs aren’t leading to engagement—this episode is for you.

We’re talking all about your church website and how it can make or break your ad performance. You’ll learn:

Jono and Melissa also share insights on conversion optimization, what Google considers a quality score, and why your website content plays a key role in both ad performance and SEO.

👉 Want more impact from your grant? Tune in and take action!

🔗 Learn more at faithworksmarketing.com

This is the first episode in our multi-part series on how churches can navigate the new changes to Google Ad Grants in 2025!

👀 In this episode, we cover:

📌 Coming Next in Part 2: We’ll discuss content and landing pages—how to optimize your website so your Google Ad Grant works without cluttering your site.

👉 Join the conversation! Follow Faithworks Marketing on Facebook & Instagram and join our Pro Church Marketing Facebook Group for exclusive insights and expert advice.

#ChurchMarketing #GoogleAdGrant #FaithWorksMarketing #ChurchGrowth #DigitalMinistry

How can churches use social media and digital marketing to spread the gospel more effectively? In this episode, Jono Long sits down with Pastor George Ashford of Journey Church to discuss how he’s using platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to reach more people. Pastor George shares insights from his background in marketing, the role of social media in evangelism, and practical strategies for church leaders looking to improve their outreach.

Key takeaways:

🔗 Connect with Pastor George and Journey Church: journeycolumbiasc.org

🎧 Tune in now and learn how your church can expand its impact!

Join host Jono Long on the Pro Church Marketing Podcast as he chats with Jorgen Strycharz of Story Thread Media about the art of storytelling in the church. Discover how compelling narratives and community testimonies can bridge gaps, foster engagement, and amplify your church's mission. Jorgen shares actionable tips for pastors on identifying and sharing their congregation's stories, aligning messaging with purpose, and why storytelling is central to building impactful relationships. Perfect for church leaders, communicators, and marketers, this episode highlights the transformative potential of a well-told story.

In this episode of the Pro Church Marketing Podcast, host Jono Long welcomes Doug Garasic, the passionate pastor of Rust City Church in Youngstown, Ohio. Doug talks about his two decades of ministry, including planting a thriving church in the heart of the Rust Belt. Learn how Doug’s church became a beacon of hope by meeting real community needs, the importance of being "known before needed," and why focusing on people rather than gimmicks is key to meaningful ministry.

Doug also shares the highs and lows of outreach efforts, including a heartwarming story with a surprising twist that taught him invaluable lessons. Whether you're a church leader seeking to engage your community or looking for innovative ideas to transform your outreach programs, this episode is packed with actionable insights.

Don’t miss Doug’s advice on finding champions and coaches within and beyond your church to supercharge your vision. Plus, discover his latest book, Transformative Gospel, a guide to leading yourself and others toward true spiritual growth.