Ron Kinkade
In today’s digital age, staying connected with your congregation has never been easier, thanks to the power of mass texting for churches. Whether it’s for sharing important announcements, sending out prayer requests, or organizing fundraising events, mass texting is a versatile tool that can help churches strengthen their sense of community.
In this article, we’ll break down the features and pricing structures of the top five mass texting services for churches. Additionally, we’ll delve into some creative and useful ways churches can harness the power of mass texting to engage and inform their members.
The Top 5 Mass Texting Services for Churches
Since communication can be costly in both time and money, it’s important to make an informed decision about the mass texting service you choose. Churches should look for a plan that works with their budget and includes all the features they will need. Platform details are up-to-date as of September 2023.
Text-Em-All
Text-Em-All is the ideal solution for churches looking for a reliable mass texting service. The platform is easy to use, and the interface is incredibly intuitive, so it’s perfect for churches of all sizes, even if your team lacks IT expertise.
One of the reasons Text-Em-All stands out as the preferred choice is that we offer both a credit-based plan and a monthly plan based on group size, giving churches the option to choose the plan that works best for their needs. Moreover, we don’t allow marketing, sales, or spam, ensuring that the platform remains a dedicated space for meaningful and necessary communication.
This policy not only elevates the user experience but also ensures that messages received by church members are pertinent, valuable, and free from unwanted distractions. With Text-Em-All, churches can truly concentrate on their core objective – fostering effective communication within their congregation.
Text-Em-All stand-out features:
- 2-way communication
- Message scheduling
- Automation
- Personalization
- Reporting and analytics
- Integrations
- Unlimited numbers and users
- Award-winning customer support
Text-Em-All pricing:
- Monthly plan: Unlimited calls and texts starting at $10 per month. Most churches prefer this plan.
- Credit-based plan: 5¢-9¢ per credit, pay only for what you need.
2. Text in Church
Text in Church is another great option for group texting for churches, offering user-friendly features such as automated visitor follow-up, integration with church management software, and personalized communication options. One of the downsides of Text in Church is that they do not offer unlimited monthly plans, and they charge for extra text numbers.
Text in Church stand-out features:
- Integrations
- Contacts can add themselves through keywords
- Automated workflows
- 2-way texting
Text in Church pricing:
- Basic plan: $31/month for 500 texts and 1 local number
- Pro plan: $56/month for 1,500 texts per month and 2 local numbers
- Premium: $81/month for 2,500 texts per month and 3 local numbers
3. Flocknote
Flocknote emerges as a strong contender for churches with smaller contact lists who want to keep all of their church management on one platform. Unlike some other platforms, Flocknote offers email messaging and giving management, which negates the need to use another platform for these tasks. In addition, Flocknote is free for churches that have contact lists smaller than 40 members.
Flocknote stand-out features:
- Email messaging
- Signup forms
- Text-to-Join
- Analytics
- Text-to-Give and giving tracking
Flocknote pricing:
- Free unlimited texting for 0-40 members
- $9-$736 a month for unlimited texting for 41-42,000 members
- Churches with over 42,000 contacts should reach out to the support team.
4. Pastorsline
One of the things that makes Pastorsline unique is that churches in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and New Zealand can send messages from the platform, whereas most other platforms only allow messages from the United States and Canada. Pastorsline also offers email messaging.
Pastorsline stand-out features:
- International messaging
- Email messaging
- Unlimited users
- Integrations
- Auto-replies
Pastorsline pricing:
- $15-$750 per month for 500 - 57,500 messages and 1-30 numbers
5. Clearstream
Clearstream is another option for a church messaging platform. Some of the downsides of this platform are that the amount of local text numbers you receive varies depending on the pricing plan you choose and the number of sub-accounts. Clearstream also charges per month based on the number of credits you use (messages you send) instead of your group size, which could be beneficial or a downside for churches, depending on their needs.
Clearstream stand-out features:
- Shortcodes
- Live polls
- Text-to-join
- Automated workflows
- Integrations
Clearstream pricing:
- $29-$5,400 per month for 1,500-500,000 credits
Useful Ways for Churches to Use Mass Texting
Prayer Requests
Mass texting provides a swift and efficient method for churches to collect and distribute prayer requests. Church leaders can send a broadcast inviting people to reply with their prayer requests, specifying whether they prefer these to be shared publicly or kept private. Then, they can distribute the collected prayer requests via a mass text message to the wider congregation. This process enhances communal prayer by engaging a larger number of participants.
Youth Groups
Mass texting is extremely useful for youth groups looking to communicate with both students and parents. Leaders can send reminders about upcoming meeting times, trips, outings, fundraisers, and community outreach. Sending these reminders to parents and students ensures the information doesn’t get lost in the shuffle of busy schedules. For groups separated by grade or gender, leaders can create contact lists to send customized messages to each group.
Fundraising
Fundraising for the church is a crucial part of community involvement, but frequently, members don’t have cash on them when it comes time to “pass the plate.” Mass texting can solve that issue by bringing the ability to donate directly to their phones. Churches can use mass texting to promote fundraising events, share donation links, and update members on the progress of fundraising campaigns.
Community News
Mass texting makes sharing news easy and fosters community involvement beyond Sunday morning. Keep your congregation informed about local events, volunteer opportunities, and community outreach initiatives.
Feedback
Just like any other institution or business, it’s beneficial for churches to gain feedback on what they’re doing right and what they need to improve. Comment cards can be effective, but mass texting is a direct method that results in instant feedback. This can help church leadership quickly make informed decisions and improve the overall church experience.
Grief support and consultation
Losing a loved one is one of life's most challenging experiences, and it's during these times that the support and guidance of a church community can provide immense comfort. Churches can use a mass texting service as a compassionate way to provide grief support and consultation to their members who are navigating the difficult journey of loss.
Some of the ways you could provide support through a mass texting service include:
- Sending compassionate messages
- Sharing weekly grief support scripture
- Offering consultation and support through a keyword (i.e. SUPPORT)
- Sending resources and information
A major benefit of mass texting is its ability to provide immediate and personalized responses. Let's take the keyword "SUPPORT" as an example. Congregation members can text this keyword to the number associated with your church. Once this keyword is sent, it triggers an automatic response from the mass texting service.
For instance, after texting 'SUPPORT', the member could receive a message back offering them a time slot for a one-on-one meeting with a church leader or counselor.
Getting started
By choosing the right service and implementing creative communication strategies, churches can foster a stronger sense of community, share important information, and engage with their congregation in meaningful ways – so what’s holding you back? Sign up for your free account with Text-Em-All and get connected with your congregation today!