Churches are a cornerstone of their communities. They serve as a gathering place, a source of inspiration and comfort, and a hub for community fundraising and philanthropy.
It stands to reason, then, that every church needs an effective, affordable way to get fast updates and important announcements out to its congregation.
That’s where texting comes into play. With 98% open rates and up to 45% conversion rates, SMS is by far the fastest and easiest way to reach a large community.
To get started texting, you’ll need to get set up with a good SMS platform.
Choosing the right software might seem like a chore–but we’ll give you a few pros and cons on the top five platforms in the industry to help you make an informed decision.
The 5 Best Church Texting Services
1. ChurchCastA product of High Ground Solutions, a direct communication company, ChurchCast is (as the name suggests) built just for ministries looking to connect with their members and community.
ChurchCast church texting service
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Source: ChurchCast
Pros: ChurchCast offers SMS services along with voice, email, and social media integrations. For churches looking to communicate across multiple channels without too many bells and whistles to navigate, that’s a plus.
This is also a great tool for organizations that want a church-specific platform. ChurchCast is specifically designed for Ministry outreach and faith-based communication.
Cons: The drawback of such a specialized SMS software system is that you may find your options limited if you want to branch out where your communications are concerned. There are also few to no reviews or case studies to draw on as of now.
2. SimpleTexting
Call us biased, but there’s a reason so many churches choose SimpleTexting for their SMS efforts.
Church texting with SimpleTexting
Attentive is an international text marketing platform aimed at ecommerce businesses. The company is focused on making mass messaging as easy as possible for its customers, especially those who run online stores.
For brands looking to invest in an ecommerce-first platform, Attentive offers opportunities to integrate across tools, create autoresponses to ensure no customer is left unattended, and review campaign performance with its analytics feature.
Attentive is a desktop tool, and those interested in the platform must go through a demo before they buy so they can decide if it’s the right tool for them. Thanks to the demo, Attentive customers know exactly what they are signing up for and are familiar with the platform when they sign up.
What customers love
Attentive primarily targets e-commerce businesses, so their support team has an in-depth knowledge of the industry and how to best use SMS within it.
You can integrate Attentive with data from other platforms, including Shopify and Salesforce.
The platform offers Attentive Playbook — a community for customers to gain wider support from the Attentive team, access an SMS knowledge base and access customizable templates.
What customers dislike:
Every new Attentive customer must
quest a demo before having access to the platform.
Attentive pricing is not available upfront – customers must sign up for the demo before being quoted a price.
Access to the Attentive platform is only available through desktop.
Attentive does not offer traditional two-way messaging, where retailers can chat back and forth with customers in real time. Instead, they have Two-Way Journeys™, which limits customers’ messaging options. They do, however, offer the Attentive Concierge™ service team that interacts with your customers on a one-to-one basis.
Why does that matter for your church? It means you can run all of your outreach through one platform, from personal prayer requests to mass announcements, email updates, easy-to-use web pages and beyond.
It also gives you plenty of options for integrating with your favorite church management tools.
P.S. Want to see how real churches use our platform? Check out some of our success stories
Milestone Church Engages Its Youth Ministry Using SMS
Eagle Brook Church Drives Hundreds of Decisions for Christ with Text Messaging
How Texting Helps This Church Reaches Its Rural Congregation
How Central Church Uses Keywords to Engage and Inform Its Congregation
EZTexting for church SMS
Source
Pros: Along with a full suite of SMS resources, EZTexting offers flexible pricing plans and a support staff you can reach 24/7.
Many churches come to text marketing without a lot of experience in the space. Having help you can reach anytime and packages that fit your comfort level can be a big plus.
Cons: The biggest drawbackaccording to user reviews) is that campaigns may not send as effectively on certain types of phone numbers. Others users say they have a hard time getting hold of support when they need it.
4. PastorsLine
This is another SMS platform built specifically for churches. You’ll find senegal whatsapp number resource features to help you engage with your congregation, increase attendance, and coordinate things like Bible study groups and even fundraising efforts.
Church texting with PastorsLine
Source: PastorsLine
Pros: The standout feature of PastorsLine is its user-friendliness. It offers integrations with other church-centered apps like Church Community Builder and Tithely.
This makes for a smooth workflow that doesn’t require a lot of switching between tools, and, with PastorsLine’s automations, you can set your workflow up and let it run by itself.
Cons: Users have reported that PastorsLine occasionally falls behind on app upgrades, and that the software can be a little glitchy prior to updates being rolled out.
5. SlickText
SlickText frequently ranks among the top SMS platforms, and it’s easy to see why. The platform comes with all the features you expect from a text marketing software, and it’s a pretty straightforward software to use.
SlickText SMS service
Source: SlickText
Pros: One look at the website will tell you that SlickText prides itself on a hands-on support staff and in-depth analytics. Since knowing how your messages perform is key to making sure they improve as you go, that’s a plus.
They also have their finger on the pulse of the industry, so if you’re looking for up-to-date SMS functions for your church (especially if you have a large congregation), SlickText might be your platform.
Cons: Of the texting platforms out there, SlickText is one of the more by lists expensive. If you aren’t sure yet about texting, or are only using it for a few people or a few functions, it may not be worth it.
The Wrap on Church Texting Services
Every church is different, and the right texting service for your church will depend on your needs and your goals.
At the end of the day, SMS is the most
effective, easiest, and by far the fastest way to connect with the community that gives your church its life and purpose. The right software can take your texting to the next level and make communicating with your people a breeze.
