Texting and church—not exactly a match made in heaven, right? Phones are distracting. People forget to silence their ringtone, and everyone from kids to adults eventually gets caught fiddling with their phones instead of paying attention to the message.
But it’s important to realize that text messaging can actually help churches overcome common problems. Ministries and religious organizations of all kinds face the same basic challenges:
- Keeping your congregation engaged in a world of digital distractions and information overload
- Connecting with the youth, teens, and young adults of your community
- Making your message meaningful the whole week long—not just the Sabbath
With text messaging for churches and group texting powered by VIPTap, your religious organization will be able to address each of these issues with ease.
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How It Works
With text messaging (or SMS, “Short Message Service”), it’s easy to contact your members instantly.
But before you can start texting, you need cellphone numbers and permission from your members. Sound complicated? It’s simple!
All you need is a keyword and a 10-digit or toll-free number on our platform. Once you’ve reserved a keyword on VIP Tap (“1STCHURCH” or “BETHSHALOM” for examples), just ask your congregation to text it to your designated SMS number. Your keyword confirmation, which can be an SMS or MMS message, also gives you a great opportunity to welcome new subscribers right off the bat! To be compliant it’s also important to add the following text wherever you advertise your keyword: “Msg&Data rates may apply.”
Today 11:25 AM
1STCHURCH
Welcome to the First Church list! Msg&Data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel.
That’s all it takes to gather their number and consent. They’ll automatically be subscribed to your text messages—it’s really that simple!
You can also manually import your contacts if you have them stored in a spreadsheet.
How Your Church Can Use Text Messages
Wondering what a church could possibly use text messages for? Below we’ve shared several ideas to help you get started.
1. Send daily Bible verses straight to your members’ mobile phones
Text quotes from Scripture that is relevant to that week’s sermon and keep congregants inspired all week long.
Today 8:54 AM
This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24
2. Alert members instantly about schedule changes
Sending timely texts about schedule changes means no one will be left in the dark. Need to cancel Sunday school due to dangerous weather? Text alerts let you reach the multitude in minutes.
Today 8:00 AM
Sunday school classes have been cancelled due to inclement weather. Check email for updates. Stay safe and warm!
3. Notify parishioners of upcoming events
Want to ensure your social events are well-attended? Remind members with automatic texts.
Today 2:14 PM
Bonfire tonight @6pm! Hot dogs and s’mores galore- don’t forget to bring your friends and family!
4. Reach your youth by speaking their language
Did you know that for ages 15-24, text messaging is by far the most frequently used channel for personal written communication?
Today 3:22 PM
Reminder that the High School Boys Game Night is tomorrow at 7:30 pm at the church gym. Feel free to bring a friend!
5. Get feedback and suggestions from your community
Looking for a suggestion? Have an idea and need the feedback of your entire congregation? Send a text, ask for input, and reap the responses.
Today 1:09 PM
Help First Church better serve members & visitors by taking this quick survey here: http://link.url
6. Ask for volunteers to help out at events
Getting volunteers on board is a lot easier with SMS—just send a quick text message.
Today 11:00 AM
Who wants to help out at the car wash Saturday morning? Reply “YES” if you’re available. Thank you!
If you need to let everyone know about an important prayer request, that’s easy, too.
Today 8:54 AM
Pastor John is in surgery today @11 am. Please keep him and his family in your prayers as they go through this difficult time.
… and the list just goes on and on:
- Hold a Bible trivia contest
- Send out a teaser for an upcoming sermon
- Share a link to notes for the weekly Bible study
- Communicate with fellow pastors and church leaders
- Provide updates on missions trips
- Let people know where their donations are going
- Wish members a happy birthday
As you can probably tell by now, there’s really no limit to how your church can use text messaging!
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Spreading the Word
We’ve seen what you can do with church texting, but how do you tell your members about it? Surprise, this is actually pretty simple, too! Here are a few ideas on how to get the word out.
Announce it from the pulpit
You’re already making other announcements from the pulpit—so why not add “new text messaging service” to that list? Just let your congregation know at the beginning or end of a sermon that they can opt-in to receive daily Bible quotes, prayer requests, sermon notes, or whatever it is you’ve decided to use SMS for.
Include signs and notices in your place of worship
Bulletin boards, brochures, newsletters, donation boxes, sermon notes—all of these and more make great places to inform people about your texting service. All you need is something simple, like “Text 1STCHURCH to 555-555-8888 for weekly event reminders.”
Feature it online
Don’t forget to announce your texting service to the internet. This means updating your website, social media accounts, emails, and wherever else you have an online presence.
Follow these simple steps and you’ll be texting in no time!