The Top 10 Church Technology Podcasts

Update 2/1/17: This post has been updated to include new podcasts and remove those that are no longer relevant. There are now 16 total podcasts in the list rather than just the original ten.  We’ve also added images, an updated description, and several additional popularity metrics to each entry.

Integrating new technology is a critical issue for modern churches. New technology can improve the perception of the church in the modern era, increase the opportunities and limits of communication between participants, and bring new life to old concepts.

Of course, podcasts are one of the best ways to learn new information, and there is no shortage of podcasts about the integration and use of church technology. Leading authorities dive deep into the issues and opportunities, giving you all the resources you need to make bold new decisions or simply learn more about the modern environment.

If you’re interested in church technology in any form, be sure to check out these 16 church technology podcasts, eight of which have recorded new episodes so far in 2017, and eight of which are on hiatus or retired, but still have lots of great, relevant episodes in the archives. We’ve broken them down into those two groups, then listed them in order based on ratings, reviews, and number of episodes.

Active in 2017

Pro Church Podcast With Brady Shearer

Host: Brady Shearer

Description: “the Pro Church Podcast is the show that helps you learn creative skills and feel like a pro. Every single Tuesday we publish a new session handing out pro tips & practical tools for communications, video, & design. Find show notes at Pro Church Podcast.”

Rating: 5

Reviews: 185

Episodes: 152

First episode: “The Future of Church Media,” March 26, 2014

Most recent episode: “The Best Ways To Improve Your Church’s Giving In 2017 with David Barnett,” Jan. 31, 2017

Sound bite: Host Brady Shearer, who hails from Ontario, is a phenom in the world of church technology and media. He taps into the vast resources at Pro Church Tools and welcomes frequent expert guests to cover everything from Snapchat to the implications of virtual reality on faith. The Pro Church Podcast also boasts a production value on the par of major terrestrial radio shows. This is the podcast to share with your friends to show that church technology can be cool.

Social Media Church

Hosts: Nils Smith, Jay Kranda, and DJ Chuang (founder)

Description: “Social Media Church is a podcast for conversations with church leaders about social media, web strategy, and online trends.”

Rating: 5

Reviews: 26

Episodes: 200+

First episode: NA*

Most recent episode: “Author of “The Shame Myth” Eddie Park Talks about Social Media Learnings to Publishing a Book,” Jan. 25, 2017

Sound bite: When host DJ Chuang decided to move on to spend more time with his family in 2015, he knew that the Social Media Church podcast had become too valuable to let it fade into obscurity. So he turned the microphone over to Nils Smith and Jay Kranda. That duo has kept the podcast running strong, tackling topics like Pokemon Go and Apple TV. The hosts and their guests aren’t afraid to talk about sports or current events if the conversation takes them there, and you might be five minutes into an episode before you realize you’re learning about church media.

*Note: The latest 100 episodes are available on iTunes, but the back catalog at Social Media Church Podcast goes back to Episode 109 (Jan. 28, 2015), when Chuang passed the baton to the new hosts.

ChurchMag

Hosts: Eric Dye, Jeremy Smith, and Phil Schneider

Description: “The #1 Resource for Church Technology and Creativity”

Rating: 5

Reviews: 21

Episodes: 143

First episode: “What If the Church Was More Like Google?,” May 27, 2013

Most recent episode: “Justin Dean from That Church Conference Talks Social Media Crisis,” Jan. 27, 2017

Sound bite: The ChurchMag web site has long been a trusted source for church techies, and the crew decided to share its deep knowledge base with podcast listeners in 2013. The guys aren’t afraid to take on the tough issues, like sexism in church tech, but have also been known to regularly drift into passionate debates about superheros and video games. Techies will be techies.

 

The Church Media Podcast

Host: Carl Barnhill

Description: “The Church Media Podcast is the definitive podcast for helping you create dynamic experiences and build solid media production teams at your church. Hosted by Church Media Coach Carl Barnhill, topics on the show include church video, audio, lighting, stage design, volunteer culture, leadership and more. Carl is the Creative Director/Owner of [twelve:thirty]media, a company that serves churches and organizations with media content and production training.”

Rating: 5

Reviews: 11

Episodes: 74

First episode: “25 Ways to Use Video at Your Church (Part One),” Aug. 31, 2015

Most recent episode: “Motion Graphics 201 with Jason Watson,” Jan. 30, 2017

Sound bite: Carl Barnhill hosts The Church Media Podcast on his own, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a variety of voices. The church media expert brings in specialists on everything from motion graphics to Periscope to ensure that he’s providing the most accurate information possible. Barnhill even netted Mike Seaver as a guest!

That Church Podcast

Hosts: Justin Dean and Van Baird of That Church Conference

Description: “We help digital communicators tell the best story the Church has to tell, built on great content and open collaboration. That Church Podcast is a collection of some of our free content, interviews, conference sessions, and more.”

Rating: 5

Reviews: 7

Episodes: 24

First episode: “Our First Blab: Interview with Katie Allred,” March 16, 2016

Most recent episode: “Creative Volunteer Teams and Blogging with Alec Tod of E91 Church,” Jan. 26, 2017

Sound bite: Borrowing their show’s nomenclature from “That ‘80s Show,” you know that hosts Justin Dean and Van Baird aren’t going to take themselves too seriously on the air. That approach is on display in episodes like “You Gotta Get Weird to Reach Millennials with Jeremy Poland.” Don’t be fooled though. Dean and Baird are gurus on church communications, and they are humble enough to bring in the experts for more complex topics.

The Church Communications Podcast

Hosts: Katie Allred and Darrel Girardier of Church Communications

Description: “Darrel and Katie interview church communicators about social media, websites, branding, and more. They discuss practical tips for church communication and marketing.”

Rating: NA

Reviews: 3

Episodes: 14

First episode: “Serving in Church Technology with @gumbystation,” June 17, 2016

Most recent episode: “Social Media for Student Ministries with Ashley Aucker,” Jan. 30, 2017

Sound bite: The Church Communications Podcast has only been around since last summer, but hosts Katie Allred and Darrel Girardier bring a wealth of church comms knowledge to the airwaves. They have interviewed fellow podcasters from this list, but also up-and-coming church techies with new ideas. This podcast is off to a strong start with new episodes almost every week and lots of information that you won’t be able to find elsewhere.

Church Solutions

Hosts: Phil Thompson and Steve Lacy of StreamingChurch.tv

Description: “…providing solutions to your church ministry and tech issues. Phil and Steve share their combined experience of over 50 years in ministry.”

Rating: NA

Reviews: 3

Episodes: 115

First episode: “Recruiting Tech Help,” May 6, 2014

Most recent episode: “Digital vs Analog Mixers,” Jan. 26, 2017

Sound bite: Thompson and Lacy specialize in live streaming, but they bring decades of experience in a wide range of church tech and media production skills to the podcast studio. Consistency is key, and Thompson and Lacy haven’t missed a beat in almost three years.

Tech, No Babel

Host: Paul Alan Clifford

Description: “Making Church Technology Ministry Understandable”

Rating: NA

Reviews: 1

Episodes: 5

First episode: “Using communications systems (coms) in live video production,” April 8, 2016

Most recent episode: “Why use a stage tv?,” Jan. 26, 2017

Sound bite: Clifford wins the award for most clever podcast name, and he keeps listeners coming back with lots of expert advice on equipment and production techniques. He also hosts two other church tech podcasts, Tech Help For Churches and Live Q&A, available on iTunes and at Trinity Digital Media.

On Hiatus / Hall of Fame

Church Tech Weekly

Host: Mike Sessler of Church Tech Arts

Description: “The weekly show discussing all manner of church technology; sound, lighting, video and projection.”

Rating: 5

Reviews: 41

Episodes: 279

First episode: “It’s a MADI, MADI, MADI World,” June 16, 2010

Most recent episode: “The Druids are not on the Recording,” Sept. 11, 2016

Sound bite: With almost 280 episodes in the backlog, you could listen to tech director Mike Sessler (who bears a striking resemblance to Ed Helms) and his expert guests for months and still find new info from Church Tech Weekly, the podcast of Church Tech Arts.

The Plugged In Church

Hosts: Eric Frisch and Dusty Wallace

Description: “Power to the Church! The Plugged In Church is a biweekly podcast dedicated to tech resources and solutions for the small or under-resourced church.”

Rating: 5

Reviews: 6

Episodes: 128

First episode: “Pilot,” Aug. 10, 2012

Most recent episode: “An Important Announcement From Eric,” Dec. 23, 2016

Sound bite: The Plugged In Church is officially on hiatus as of December, 2016, but host Eric Frisch hopes to return to the airwaves with cohost Dusty Wallace once their “schedules quiet down a bit.” The world of church tech will be a better place when they do, because these guys put together a terrific show for small churches looking to up their production value.

Church Marketing Podcast

Host: Dave Shrein

Description: “Finally, a podcast all about church communication for church communicators. There’s a lot of great content being created for church communicators, but not a whole lot of podcasts… so we started one. Uncover scalable solutions when it comes to marketing your church’s mission and vision to the context you’ve been called to serve. The Church Marketing Podcast is the official podcast of Church Marketing Sucks.”

Rating: 5

Reviews: 35

Episodes: 30

First episode: “Sneak Peek With Phil Bowdle,” March 25, 2014

Most recent episode: “The Email Marketing for Churches Episode,” June 30, 2016

Sound bite: Church Marketing Podcast has been on hiatus since last summer. The crew at Church Marketing Sucks has taken church marketing to new levels, so it will be exciting to see what they have in store when the podcast returns. “The Church Marketing Podcast is currently on hiatus. We’re reimagining what it can be and working to come up with a new approach, hopefully launching sometime later in 2017,” according to the web site.

The Ask Darrel Podcast

Host: Darrel Girardier

Description: “Hello… I’m Darrel Girardier and I’m the Digital Strategy Director for Brentwood Baptist Church and I blog at darrelgirardier.com. This podcast is designed to answer your questions about social media, communications and technology. The format is simple. You send me your questions and I’ll choose one question and answer it the best way I know how. No interviews, no hour long murder mysteries or sports talk. Just me, your question and an answer.”

Rating: 5

Reviews: 6

Episodes: 69

First episode: “How to Help Your Church Leadership Change Strategy,” March 27, 2015

Most recent episode: “How to Never Run Out of Social Media Content,” Nov. 14, 2016

Sound bite: Before Girardier joined forces with Katie Allred on The Church Communications Podcast, he ran this streamlined podcast with a simple Q&A format. He hasn’t posted a new episode since last November, but there are still lots of helpful answers in the archives.

The Creative Church Show

Host: Josh Blankenship

Description: “Tips, tricks and shortcuts making church media easy for you and your team. All in under 10 minutes each week.”

Rating: 5

Reviews: 13

Episodes: 10

First episode: “5 Instagram Tips In Under 5 Minutes,” Dec. 8, 2015

Most recent episode: “3 Ways Your Church Can Succeed On Snapchat,” Aug. 29, 2016

Sound bite: Blankenship took a unique approach with The Creative Church Show, offering quick hits on specific topics. You could listen to the entire series in one day and educate yourself on everything from Instagram to Snapchat.

Church Tech Talk

Hosts: Jason Shreve, Perry Thomas, Dave Harris, and Steve Stone

Description: “Weekly podcast for folks involved in church tech and production. Hang Out, Talk Tech, Get Inspired, Have Fun.”

Rating: 4.5

Reviews: 11

Episodes: 10 (plus 44 more in the archives)

First episode: “Should You Upgrade to 4k,” April 29, 2015

Most recent episode: “Doing More to Do Less,” Sept. 2, 2015

Sound bite: The quartet of characters at Church Tech Talk had a memorable run until September of 2015, bringing their experience from working tech in local churches to a conversational, roundtable format with colorful guests. They previously took a two-year hiatus from 2012 until 2014, so who knows when they might reunite again?

Church IT

Host: Jason Powell of Church IT Network

Description: “Discussing technology tips, tools, news and best practices as they relate to church organizations.”

Rating: NA

Reviews: 3

Episodes: 105

First episode: “Church IT Discussions,” Dec. 1, 2006

Most recent episode: “WiFi Q&A with Greg Kamer,” Aug. 5, 2015

Sound bite: Jason Powell of Church IT Network had one of the longest running podcasts on this list, dating back to 2006. The archives still provide a valuable resource for anyone looking to learn about church IT, and the forum at Church IT Network still sees lively discussion.

Church Tech Profiles

Host: Van Metschke of Tech Arts Network

Description: “On the Church Tech Profiles netcast we interview a cross section of Church Techs from large, medium, and small churches, as well as those that support the church through tech. And we want you to be a part of the show. You may think your story or what you are doing isn’t that amazing, but you never know who it will inspire. There are so many of us out there that feel isolated and what you say could really encourage someone.”

Rating: NA

Reviews: 2

Episodes: 50

First episode: “Rob McInteer,” Sept. 30, 2010

Most recent episode: “Luke McElroy,” April 2, 2014

Sound bite: Church tech director Van Metschke hosted this very helpful podcast, with a focus on expert interviews, before joining forces with fellow Tech Arts Network podcaster Mike Sessler on the Church Tech Weekly podcast in 2014.

More?

With podcasts, you can listen and learn on the go. Whether you’re driving, exercising, or just sitting and relaxing, fire up one of these church technology podcasts and learn something new!

Do you know of any church tech podcasts that should have made the list? Let us know in the comments!

Header by Abby Kahler