Ryan Wakefield Church Marketing University

Ryan is the founder of Church Marketing University, where he helps churches all over the world get more visitors each week. He and his wife, Amy, and daughter, Katelyn, are a part of Summit Park Church in Kansas City, Missouri.  Ryan has many years of experie... read more

The Best Church Texting System | 14 Reasons I love Text In Church

If you’ve spent any time in the Church Marketer’s Facebook Group, you know I’m a fan of Text In Church.  If you’ve browsed our website and articles, you’ve probably seen that they’re one of our partners. From my experience using it at my church- Summit Park Church– I truly believe it’s the best church texting system out there. You can try Text In Church out for free here. Here are 14 reasons I recommend it:

They’re a Great Team.

Text In Church has hired some of the smartest, kindest people on the planet (aside from the staff at CMU, of course!  😉).  They’re working around the clock to make sure that your church texting system is the best it can be.  Whether they’re writing code, crafting copy for your follow-up system, or helping you understand how to best use the software, the Text In Church team is here to help your church flourish.

You Get a 10-digit, Local Phone Number.

This might not seem like a big deal, but think about it: when have you ever texted one of those 5-digit phone numbers and thought, “Wow, this is a valuable number to keep in my contacts?”  Unless you get a rush from having thousands of contacts in your phone, probably never.  A 10-digit, local phone number enables you to connect with people on a personal level.  Speaking of connecting with people…

Their Automation Leads to Personalization. (Like I said- best church texting system- ever!)

The best part about texting is the high response rate- texts are an insanely personal method of communication.  The folks over at Text In Church understand this, but they also realize that typing individual messages to everyone who visits you takes time away from visiting the sick, meeting people for coffee, praying, and other things that are essential to your ministry.  That’s why they’ve designed Text In Church to initiate the follow-up process for you. Automation should never replace personalization. When used correctly automation should give you more time for personalization and meaningful ministry.

With Text In Church you get more time for ministry. Simply add people to a sequence of follow-up texts and emails, and their software will start the conversations for you. All you have to do is start the sequence, then respond to people as they reply.

Their Sleek App and Desktop Functionality.

Speaking of replying, Text In Church makes it super convenient to reply to texts. You can respond via their app (available for both Apple and Google devices), which makes it more like regular texting.  If you have some links to send or need to give your thumbs a rest, you can also respond from your desktop.  However you prefer to respond, Text In Church will send your message directly to their phone.

It’s Great For Teams.

The convenience of replying makes it a great tool for your church teams! Every team member can send and receive text messages from their personal devices. The shared inbox also means that it’s easy to pass messages along to the person who needs to see them while creating a layer of accountability. That extra accountability is especially great if you are wanting to utilize text messaging with your student ministry.

They Provide Pre-done, Church-Specific Templates, Scripts, and Automations.

If you’re not sure what to say to first-time guests, don’t worry! The Text In Church team has your back.  They’ve created templates for texts and emails, scripts, and preset automations.  As you become more comfortable using the software, you can craft your own messages to make your communication even more personal!

They also have added a feature where you can import complete workflows (automation strategies) into your account with one click. For example, you can import the Church Marketing University Plan A Visit Workflow here. 

If you’re looking for even more inspiration on using Text In Church, check out the coaching and scripts available in our Follow-Up Course!

You can Organize People Using Group Segmentation.

Text In Church’s group segmentation means everyone in your church can text from the church’s number.  Because they give you the ability to organize people according to lists, you can follow up with new guests at the same time your youth leaders are sending a message to students about upcoming activities.

Their Online Plan-A-Visit / Kids Pre-Registration Smart Connect Card is a Game-Changer!

This is a new feature, and I love it so much that I created a course on how to use it. 

What’s so great about these new online connect cards? 

• Calls-to-action like “Plan Your Visit” or “Pre-Register Your Kids” make it easy to encourage people to let you know they’re interested in coming to your church.
• When you use Text In Church, you’re starting a relationship with someone before they show up. 
• Many churches will be able to install it on their website using their “Install with One Click” feature.
• When someone signs up using the link on your website, you’ll have their info entered in your texting software.  That’s what I call a win!  🎉

Text In Church makes using a smart connect card extremely easy for your guests.  The only disadvantage is that you might need someone with some technical expertise to get the card installed and running on your website.  There’s good news here, too!  First, if you’re a subscriber to the CMU website solution, then we’ll help you install it on your site!  If you use a different web builder, the friendly folks at Text In Church can help walk you through the process.

Need a website refresh?  Check out our Ultimate Guide to Church Website Builders.

Text In Church Integrates with Church Software Like Planning Center.

At Summit Park Church, we use Planning Center, and it’s easy to export contacts into Text In Church.  If your church doesn’t use Planning Center, you’ll be happy to know that they also provide integrations with Church Community Builder and Mailchimp.  Currently, they’re working on integrating with Zapier, too.

They Provide Training for Pastors on How to Use the Texting System. 

The Text In Church team loves helping you effectively use their software.  They have a fantastic support team as well as weekly LIVE coaching to help you out. Church Marketing University also offers lots of courses that will help you implement text messaging strategies at your church:

• Text Course
• Plan A Visit Course
• Follow-Up Course
• Guest Experience Course

You’ll Have Plenty of  Keyword-to-Workflow Capabilities.

“Keyword to workflow capabilities” sounds a lot more complicated than it is.  Basically, it means that you can direct people to text specific words to your church, which will prompt a series of texts and/or emails.  You can use this feature for giving, guest follow-up, and anything else you can think of- the possibilities are endless! At Summit Park Church we loving using keywords during our announcements to promote our next steps like the Welcome Party, Volunteering, our Connect Night, and more. 

Their Leadership is Awesome!

When you know can trust the leadership of a company, using their product becomes even better.  I might be a little biased because they’re here in Kansas City, but their co-founder, Tyler Smith, is a great guy who understands both churches and marketing.  He’s also very willing to listen to churches and pastors and innovate based on their needs.

You Can Text and Email Using the Same Platform.

With Text in Church, you can send the bulk of your digital communication using a single platform.  This makes it much easier to implement follow-up plans and to enter people’s contact information into your system.  Plus, their interface is easy to use!

Text In Church Free Trial

Bonus Interview: How Summit Park Church Uses Text In Church for Guest Follow-Up.

I truly feel that Text In Church is the best church texting system out there.  If you’re interested in learning more about how we use Text In Church at Summit Park, check out this interview I did with our Connections Pastor:

Want to sign up?  Click here for a special offer for CMU churches!