Dr. Shea Shrader runs Harman Memorial Baptist Church. Like most small church pastors, he wore multiple hats—preacher, counselor, admin assistant, receptionist.
The phone rang constantly. Service times. Directions. Event questions. And between the legitimate calls? Sales pitches. Lots of them.
His team was drowning.
Then something changed. Not a bigger staff. Not more volunteers. Something simpler—and it's working better than he expected.
Here's what he told us:
"Church Calls AI has truly been a game changer for us. As a smaller church, we have always struggled with phone issues and keeping up with incoming messages. Church Calls AI has taken a huge burden off our plate by filtering out sales calls, transferring those truly in need to the right person, and answering dozens of common questions automatically. It has been a tremendous asset as we work hard to manage costs while still serving our community well. We are so thankful for this tool!"
— Dr. Shea Shrader, Harman Memorial Baptist Church
If you're a small church pastor reading this, you already know the struggle. You're not looking for hype or magic solutions. You're looking for something that actually works—without breaking the budget or replacing the human touch that makes your church special.
This isn't a sales pitch. It's a breakdown of what's working for churches like Dr. Shea's. Real problems. Real solutions. No fluff.
Small churches face a unique communication challenge. You don't have a receptionist on staff. You can't afford an answering service. But the calls keep coming.
Here's what the research shows:
68% of pastors say they feel overwhelmed regularly (Barna Group, 2020). Phone management and administrative tasks sit right at the top of that list—pulling them away from actual ministry work.
80% of calls to businesses go to voicemail (RingLead research). Churches aren't exempt from this reality. When your small staff is in a meeting, visiting a member, or preparing a sermon, calls go unanswered.
80-85% of people won't call back if their call isn't answered (business communication studies). They just move on. For churches, that means visitors looking for a church home, members needing prayer, or people in crisis—gone.
Growing churches retain 20-21% of first-time visitors versus just 9% for non-growing churches (Lifeway Research). The difference? Follow-up communication within 48 hours. You can't follow up with people you never connected with in the first place.
For small churches, every missed call costs more. You don't have the margin to lose visitors, miss crisis moments, or waste hours on sales calls disguised as "opportunities."
Let's break down what's happening at Harman Memorial Baptist Church—because it highlights three hidden costs most small churches don't realize they're paying:
Dr. Shea mentioned "filtering out sales calls" first. That's not an accident.
Small churches get hammered with sales calls—security systems, church management software, landscaping, you name it. Each one takes 5-10 minutes of someone's time. Multiply that by 10-15 sales calls a month, and you've just lost 2-3 hours to interruptions that had nothing to do with ministry.
ChurchCalls AI screens these automatically. The AI recognizes sales language patterns and politely ends the call without ever bothering your staff. It's like having a receptionist who never gets annoyed by the fifteenth "limited time offer" call of the week.
"Transferring those truly in need to the right person."
This is huge. Small churches often have one main number. When someone calls with a counseling need, a facility question, or a youth ministry inquiry, they shouldn't have to explain their situation three times before reaching the right person.
The AI asks clarifying questions upfront and routes calls intelligently:
No runaround. No "let me find someone who can help you." Just direct connection to the person who can actually serve them.
"Answering dozens of common questions automatically."
Here's what most pastors don't realize: A handful of common questions make up the majority of your incoming calls.
These are legitimate questions. They matter to the caller. But when you're a small church staff answering the same questions repeatedly, those minutes add up fast—time that could be spent on sermon prep, hospital visits, and actual pastoral care that requires a human heart.
The AI handles these instantly—day or night—while your team focuses on ministry that truly needs their personal touch.
Here's what Dr. Shea isn't saying—but we want to be crystal clear about: ChurchCalls AI didn't replace anyone at Harman Memorial Baptist Church.
It's backup. Not replacement.
The AI works as an intelligent first line of support:
Your team still handles everything that requires pastoral care, personal connection, or complex decision-making. They're just not buried under "what time is service" calls anymore.
Think of it this way: If your church got a part-time administrative assistant who worked 24/7, never needed breaks, cost $38-60/month, and only handled the repetitive stuff—would you hire them?
That's what this is. Except it's always on time and never calls in sick.
For small churches managing costs while trying to serve their community well (Dr. Shea's exact words), this isn't about adding fancy technology. It's about staying accessible without burning out the team you already have.
How many ministry moments are being missed each week because your phone rings at the wrong time—or doesn't get answered at all?
What would it mean if every single person who called your church got immediate help, whether it's 2 PM on Tuesday or 11 PM on Saturday?
For Dr. Shea and Harman Memorial Baptist Church, it meant taking a "huge burden off our plate" while still "serving our community well."
What could it mean for yours?
Small church pastors are some of the hardest-working people we know. You're preaching, counseling, managing facilities, planning events, and still trying to answer the phone when it rings.
You don't need more tasks on your plate. You need support that works quietly in the background—so you can focus on the ministry that actually requires your presence.
If you're curious how other small churches are handling this, we'd love to show you. Use the "Try Me" feature on the home page, or send us an e-mail at hello@churchcalls.ai.
Because every call for help, hope, or prayer deserves an answer—even when you can't be the one to pick up.
