ChurchCandy with Brady Sticker
The Church Candy Podcast. We're on a mission to connect 1 million people to a local church. Join Brady Sticker, founder and CEO of ChurchCandy Marketing, as he brings practical and motivational information designed to help you build a thriving ministry. ChurchCandy Marketing is a digital marketing agency for churches. While we help pastors get new church visitors with digital marketing, this podcast will help you get new visitors, keep them long term, and serve them with excellence. Church Candy with Brady Sticker helps pastors and churches with social media marketing, Facebook ads for churches, the google ads grant for churches, and church candy marketing also helps pastors with marketing for churches.
ChurchCandy with Brady Sticker
How this church grew by 70% in 1 year!
Want to grow your church with Facebook and Instagram ads? Schedule a discovery call with the ChurchCandy team here:
go.churchcandy.com/new-guests
What happens when God calls you to sell the building and start fresh? In this powerful episode of the ChurchCandy Podcast, Pastor Andy Bernard of Thrive Church (Vacaville, CA) shares how he and his wife launched a church in their 40s, joined a church planting network, and partnered with ChurchCandy to grow 70% in just one year. If you’re a church planter or pastor trying to reach your city, this is a must-watch.
Andy also tells the story of a young single mom who kept seeing their church’s ads and eventually found community, healing, and hope. This episode is full of heart, practical tips, and real results.
👇 CHAPTERS:
00:00 – A guest’s life-changing moment from a Facebook ad
00:40 – Welcoming Andy to the podcast
01:00 – The unexpected start of Thrive Church
02:00 – A bold decision: selling their church building
03:20 – Renting to another church… then handing over the keys
04:20 – Discovering the Thrive Network
05:20 – From 30 people to 270 at launch
06:30 – Defining Thrive: Simple, Fun, Real
07:20 – Church planting in unchurched California
09:00 – Why they chose ChurchCandy
10:20 – Breaking down the ChurchCandy strategy
11:30 – What it’s like working with the team
12:20 – The numbers don’t lie: 70% growth
13:30 – Awareness is everything
14:30 – How the ads are changing lives
16:00 – A powerful testimony from “M”
17:20 – What didn’t work: direct mail & DIY social media
18:30 – Turning visitors into returning guests
20:00 – Follow-up systems that work
22:30 – Groups that build real community
24:10 – Planting in your 40s: what it’s really like
27:00 – Do you only attract people like you?
29:10 – Advice Andy wishes he had 10 years ago
31:00 – Shift your mindset: pray for impact, not just growth
32:30 – The danger of moving too fast
34:20 – Thrive’s approach to culture and outreach
35:00 – How Thrive is serving their local schools
37:00 – Is ChurchCandy worth it?
38:30 – Real numbers: 160 to 300+ in one year
40:00 – Why the church needs to be on social media
📍 Learn More About ChurchCandy:
Website: https://churchcandy.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/churchcandymarketing?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
Get Brady’s book for church planters, Launch Big:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DH1XB7F7/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_XWCVF6K6TNSFRF8HB82D?linkCode=ml1&tag=bradysticker-20
🔗 Connect with Brady:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradysticker/
🔗 Connect with Pastor Andy Bernard:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andy.bernard.79/
Website: https://thrivechurchca.com
👍 Like this video if it helped you
📲 Share with a pastor or church planter
🔔 Subscribe for more real conversations with pastors crushing it in ministry
#ChurchCandy #ChurchGrowth #ChurchPlanting #ThriveChurch #Vacaville #DigitalMinistry #PlanYourVisit #ChurchMarketing #FacebookAds #ChurchPodcast #PastorInterview