Top 10 Ways Your Church Can Use Text Messaging

April 14th 2013

Many churches no longer consider text messaging an optional tool in today’s ministry. Both urgent and non-urgent communications favor Text Messaging for speed, simplicity and cost. With most text messages being sent instantly and replies received seconds later, it has replaced many other forms of communication.

Here are ten popular uses for text messaging in your church.

Urgent Uses

  1. Notifications for Meeting, Event or Service Changes
    Example: “7pm Leadership meeting moved to 8pm”
  2. Prayer Requests for Pastor/Staff/Church Family
    Example: “Pastor had heart attack and is in ICU”
  3. Extreme Weather Conditions
    Example: “Local flood warning issued, service cancelled”
  4. Crisis Notification
    Example: “Church is flooded need help”

    Non-Urgent Uses

  5. Reminder of Important Meeting/Event/Service
    Example: “Special speaker in morning service”
  6. Attendance Poll for Meeting/Event
    Example: “Will you be going to Men’s Breakfast? If so reply “Going to MB”
  7. Transportation Assessment
    Example: “Please reply if you need a ride, or can offer a ride to the youth event next week and how many need ride or you can take/drive. Yes Ride 2 or Yes Drive 3”
  8. Text Message Questionnaire/Poll
    Example: “Which of the following do you prefer: Keep children in service-Reply CS1 or have full hour children church-Reply CC2”
  9. Bulletin Questionnaire / In-Service Poll
    Example: The pastor could ask a question they want everyone to answer, giving 3 possible answers and tell the congregation to text 1 to their SMS number if they agree with the first option, 2 to the SMS number if they agree with the second option, 3 to the SMS number of they agree with the 3rd option. Then someone can run the report and tally the answers and give the congregation the results in the service.
  10. Sermon Preview
    Example: Send your church family a message letting them know the topic for the coming sermon, or sermon series. This is a great way to engage your congregation and increase attendance.

 

Text Messaging Testimonial

Pastor Samuel uses Text Messaging in Church Office Online and has found it to be very beneficial to his ministry. Here is what he had to say…

“We see this as another tool to help us build a closer relationship with the members of our church, it is a way to stay connected without being too intrusive in their busy lives. It’s also a great way to communicate last minute changes. We use it to share the text for the sermon the day before and I have had people thank me for the messages they receive. I think it has helped us get more first time visitors in the door, because people have share the text with other people, also there have been many people who clearly have said they came to service because of the text!”

Some things to remember about text messaging…

  • Text Messaging messages are limited to 160 characters.
  • It’s good practice to abbreviate common words with popular abbreviations, but not every word.
  • Text Messages can only be sent to Mobile phones.
  • Text Message polling can give a real-time interactive way to use text messaging, which a lot of younger congregations will find engaging.

 

Thanks!

Church Office Online