Discover How SMS for Churches Can Help You Reach More People in 2025

If you’ve ever tried coordinating an event with your church, then you know how much it can feel like herding cats.

For example…

With youth groups, you’re trying to communicate with younger students who don’t drive and rely on parents for rides to church events. And with older students who drive themselves but are balancing their youth group activities with a number of other after-school and extracurricular activities.

Oh, and you’re also needing to coordinate with parents.

And that’s just youth ministry!

If you add the rest of your church ministries to the list, the complexities simply increase.

You have a scattered group of people, all of whom are busy, all of whom are getting pulled in a hundred different directions every day.

How can you possibly communicate with all of those people in a way that is reliable and won’t create an enormous amount of additional administrative work for already overworked church employees?

Answer: SMS for churches.

Why Use SMS for Churches?

Text messaging is a far superior method of communicating with your church members.

It’s better than email or Facebook or even some of the private church network apps that are becoming increasingly common.

Why is texting better?

It’s universally used, universally engaged with, and—most importantly—text messages are universally viewed.

We’ll get into more specifics of all of that in just a minute, but suffice it to say that just about everyone at least sees their text messages.

That’s certainly not the case with emails, group chat apps like GroupMe, social media posts, print newsletters, website notifications, or phone trees.

In fact, the benefits of sending SMS for your church’s updates is such a no-brainer that the question almost doesn’t even need to be asked!

10 Benefits of SMS for Churches

1. Unbeatable View Rate

First, using Facebook as a point of comparison—unlike Facebook and email, texting produces consistently high engagement rates. Facebook posts will only be seen by 5% of your Facebook followers—unless you buy ads on Facebook, that is.

Emails will probably be opened by at most ⅓ of your congregants. Text messages, in contrast, will be viewed by up to 100% of the people you send your messages to.

So text messaging is simply a more reliable way of communicating, compared to, say, a Facebook page or email.

2. High Engagement with Your Notifications

With high view rates will naturally come higher engagement.

If people actually see the message about the Fall Festival event or the new adult Sunday School class or the need for more men in the choir—they’ll of course be more likely to take the desired action.

Which, of course, means…

• More people attending the Fall Festival event
• More adults joining the Sunday School class

• More men signing up for choir

3. Ease of Use

But what about the various social networking products or chat apps now available to churches that allow them to create exclusive networks only for church members? These kinds of apps do offer some benefits.

However, there is one major problem: Many of your congregants won’t use the app.

Many won't know how to use it, as is likely with older congregants. Or they won’t want to add another app to their phone that they have to keep track of, as is more likely with younger church members.

Even relatively younger people can have a hard time with these apps…

Case in point: my wife is a part of a group for homeschool moms at our church. They recently started using a group chat app, but she finds it confusing to navigate and finds how it sends constant notifications a bit obnoxious.

In contrast to that, text messaging is incredibly easy and won’t require your church members to add any new software to their phone in order to receive messages.

Everything will happen through a text messaging app, which everyone already has—and everyone already knows how to use.

And getting people added to the text list is as easy as… sending a text message!

4. Simple Organization

To “segment” a list is to break a large list out into smaller sub-groups in order to allow for more direct communication with particular people.

In other words, with text messaging you can have one master list for your entire congregation and then as many sub-lists as you need to communicate all that is going on in the church.

You can have sub-lists for your youth group, for Bible study groups, different small groups, and so on.

All of this organization makes it substantially easier to communicate with different groups within your church.

5. Convenient Access

SMS, unlike some other communication tools, is extremely convenient.

It’s convenient both for ministry leaders trying to reach people in their church, and for church members.

After all, everyone is used to texting. So it’s simple for recipients to just peek at their phone and see the notifications you send.

And on your end, mass messaging can be done with just a few clicks on your computer, or - even easier—a few taps on a mobile app).

You can send messages whenever you need to, or you can schedule messages for whatever perfect time works for your recipients.

Katie Pelton, Girls’ Choir Director at Indian Hills Community Church, says, “It's nice to schedule alerts, then when I think about it at 1:00 in the morning I can just schedule a message for the next day.”

How’s that for convenient?

6. Available Support

Learning to implement new technology can be intimidating, even if it’s a simple tool.

What if you can’t figure everything out? What if things don’t work as expected?

That’s when you’re grateful for ready, available, friendly support.

Sometimes you just need someone to hold your hand and walk you through things.

And at the risk of sounding impatient, you don’t want to have to wait days and days for a response. You need someone to be available in a timely manner when you need to contact with questions.

Your SMS platform provides that so that you can make the best use of the tool at your disposal.

7. Individual Conversation Management

SMS more than many other channels is conducive to individual 1-on-1 conversations.

And that can be very important, depending on your use case.

For example…

• If you send a reminder about an upcoming church event, people may have questions about the event details, so you’ll be able to answer their questions
• If you’re trying to connect with visitors and new members, you may want to have an exchange of several messages back and forth
• If you want to ask for prayer requests, you can allow people to respond with their requests

Being able to have these 1-on-1 conversations via SMS could be a major asset for your church’s communication efforts.

8. Easy Link Sharing

SMS is one of the best ways for churches to share links with church members.

Why is that important?

Because that means that SMS gives you an easy way to…

• Get RSVPs
• Allow people to donate
• View sermons
• See more information for an event
• Share music for rehearsal or for simply for the congregation to listen to before services

You’ll likely see more responses when you’re able to share links like these directly to people’s phones.

9. Automation Capabilities

With SMS it doesn’t have to be complicated to set up automated workflows that help free up your time and maximize your communication efforts.

Automation means you can walk new members through a series of messages, for example. Or you can schedule the same reminders to go out on a regular basis. Or you can set up different flows for different groups based on the ministry they’re involved in.

There’s also automation available as far as syncing up your text message list with whatever other databases of church members you have—so that can make organizing your messaging efforts a whole lot easier.

There really are a lot of possibilities when it comes to automation, and SMS is a tool that allows for those automation opportunities.

10. Better Connections

Having more (and better!) communication options means you can grow deeper connections within your church body.

And that’s really the ultimate goal—it’s not just to promote your church as if it’s a business. It’s to help your church family get connected to the life of the body, engaging in the events and the community.

Obviously SMS alone won’t get you there. But it’s one small tool to help you work toward that goal.

15 Ways to Use SMS for Churches

In light of all the benefits listed above, there are a lot of ways that churches can use SMS.

Here’s a sampling of those different use cases and ideas…

1. Easy Cancellation Notices

Let’s say a snowstorm looms ahead in the forecast.

You have to make the decision of whether or not to cancel church services, or cancel an event. How do you communicate this decision to all the people in your church?

An update to your website and social media profile won’t be seen by a large number of your church members.

As mentioned previously, an email will reach maybe a quarter of recipients.

A call tree is out of the question. (What decade are we living in?)

What else is there so that you don’t have a mess of scrambling as people are unsure about canceled services and events?

Texting.

A simple text blast is an easy way to notify everyone that services or events are canceled.

This means less scrambling, less hassle, and less confusion!

Example:

“

Service is canceled tomorrow due to the impending snowstorm. Pastor Nelsen will be delivering his message via Zoom. We’ll send the link tomorrow!

2. Encouraging Midweek Alerts

Want to give your church body encouragement and keep them engaged throughout the week?

After all, one of the goals of churches meeting together is to grow in knowledge and understanding of the Bible.

So knowing this, you can use text alerts to send out encouraging (and challenging) Bible verses to keep their minds on God’s Word.

This will help them live out the apostle Paul’s exhortation to “let the Word of Christ dwell richly.”

Example:

“

'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.' - John 3:16, ESV

3. Simple Ministry Coordination

We mentioned previously about the often messy task of coordinating church ministry.

If your church is like most, it’s comprised of all sorts of different ministries.

So how can you keep all the volunteers and members of your youth ministry, music ministry, children’s ministry, women’s ministry (just to name a few) connected and coordinated?

The best way: texts!

People will pay attention to their texts so you can use it to help keep your ministries organized.

Need to update volunteers about a meeting time? Send a text.

Need to tell youth group students about an upcoming event? Send a text.

Need to let musicians know about a change in rehearsal time? Send a text.

(The list goes on.)

Example:

“

Don’t forget about the youth service project tomorrow at 10am! Meet in the church parking lot at 9:30 if you want to carpool downtown.

4. Effective Event Reminders

Ministry leaders all know the disappointing feeling of lack of attendance at events.

You’re excited to put on a particular event, thinking it will be a great way to bless people or to outreach to the community.

You invest time, effort, and often money into planning everything and working out all of the details.

And then barely anyone shows up.

It’s true that numbers aren’t everything and many groups are “small but mighty.”

But let’s just be honest: it’s always nice to get more attendance when possible!

Sometimes all it takes is a simple reminder - Sending a quick text or two ahead of time is an effective way to drive up attendance.

Because all of our lives are busy, and we could all use a little reminder from time to time!

Example:

“

Hope to see you at the Worship Night at 7pm tonight in the Family Center!

5. Engaging Visitor Outreach

We all can relate to the uneasy feeling of coming somewhere new - a new environment, new group of people.

Church leaders and members all want to make newcomers and visitors feel comfortable and welcome.

How can SMS help?

Texts provide another tool for outreach to guests. You can conveniently provide them with information and other follow-up details right there on their phone.

Through text you can ask how their visit was and whether they have any questions about your church and ministries.

This will be much less likely to be ignored than an email, and feels more personal too.

Example:

“

Thanks for visiting on Sunday! We love to see new faces! Were there any questions we could help answer for you?

6. Informative Updates

What do you currently rely on for church updates and announcements?

Newsletters? Emails? Social media? Website? Verbal announcements?

I’m sure you can agree that these are all flawed methods.

As we’ve discussed, most of these updates won’t be seen by a majority of church members. Or they’ll be quickly forgotten.

In contrast, texts can communicate announcements and updates in a way that won’t be ignored or forgotten nearly as easily.

Example:

“

In case you missed the announcement Sunday, the Christmas program will be on Saturday, Dec. 13th at 7pm. Hope to see you there!

7. Convenient Q&A

Church leaders love helping people understand the Bible. That is, after all, one of the main reasons people work in ministry!

Texts give you a way to expand people’s knowledge of God’s Word by providing an avenue to submit questions.

Some people may be more likely to submit fairly anonymous questions via text rather than in person. So this can give them a non-intimidating opportunity to learn and grow.

Your pastors or church leaders could answer the text-in questions live from the pulpit. Or it could be a more personal one-on-one exchange over text.

Example:

“

Text “Question” to ###-###-#### and follow the instructions to submit a question for Pastor Nelsen!

8. Effective Small Group Notices

Your church probably has small group meetings throughout the week - Bible study groups, prayer groups, accountability groups, “life groups,” and so on.

But let’s say you need to change the meeting location on a particular week.

Or you’re planning a Christmas party and need to communicate the details.

Or you want to reiterate prayer requests that were shared during your meeting.

The best way to keep these small groups up to date on meeting times/locations, events, and other details is through SMS.

That way, everybody knows what’s going on and no one is lost in the shuffle! (Plus, communicating all of this information via SMS is a snap.)

Example:

“

Bible study is tonight at 7pm at the Jensens’! You can review the discussion questions ahead of time here: [link]

9. Easy Need Sharing

A local church is a community - a family. They are brothers and sisters doing life together.

And families take care of each other!

But how can you care for each other if you aren’t aware of the needs that are out there?

Social media is OK for this, but it’s a little too public sometimes. And not everyone is on every platform.

On the other hand, everyone texts.

SMS provides a quick and easy way to share needs with church members. That way, everyone can be praying for one another and filling needs as they are able.

Example:

“

Pray for Kelly Harper and her family as she was just diagnosed with breast cancer. Let’s surround the Harpers with our prayers, love, and support in this time of trial!

10. Personal Sermon Follow-Up

Want to help the Sunday sermon “stick” with your church members?

Use texts to send follow-up reminders of the sermon points, key Bible verses, and/or challenging questions on how to apply the message.

This can help make churchgoing less of a consumer-based “enjoy the sermon and go home” experience.

Instead, help make church attendance more of a life practice to live out throughout the week.

Example:

“

Remember from Pastor Nelsen’s sermon that if you’re a believer in Christ alone for forgiveness of sin, you’re a child of God. This week, think especially about God as Father and how that impacts your life and your relationship with Him.

11. Quick Volunteer Recruitment

One issue that plagues every church is not enough volunteers to get everything done.

But it’s not always that people don’t want to help. They just might need a little nudge.

SMS can provide a gentle nudge that’s easy for people to respond to—by letting people know volunteers are needed and asking them to consider volunteering.

Example:

“

We need 5 volunteers to make sandwiches for Jane Allen’s funeral this Wednesday. Reply FOOD if you can help. Thank you for serving!

12. Non-Icky Donation Requests

SMS gives you a personal yet non-intrusive way to ask for donations.

And you can actually give people an easy way to actually submit those donations by sharing a simple donation link in your messages.

People may be willing to give more if they are specifically asked.

Example:

“

We're halfway to our goal of $10,000 for the new youth center! Text GIVE to donate any amount. Every contribution helps our young people!

13. Easy Prayer Request Sharing

Text messages can be an effective way to share prayer requests.

That way, more people can be aware of the requests that are out there—and more people can be praying.

That’s helpful, because the more people you have praying, the better!

Example:

“

Urgent prayer request: John Smith is in the hospital after a car accident. Please pray for his healing and comfort for his family.

14. Efficient Emergency Notifications

Sometimes emergencies or urgent situations happen, and you may need to keep people in the know.

And one great part about this use for SMS is that it lets you send out these urgent messages quickly—in situations where time is of the essence.

Plus, since the channel is SMS, people are much more likely to actually see the notice in time.

Example:

“

ALERT: Tornado warning in our area. All activities should cease and people should seek shelter in basements if possible. Stay safe and check local news for updates.

15. Helpful Scripture Memory Challenges

Most Christian adults will tell you that they have a hard time memorizing Scripture.

SMS could provide a helpful way to assist people in their memorization efforts—whether adults, teens, or children.

This can therefore be an effective tool to help equip your church members to memorize God’s Word.

Example:

“

This week's memory verse: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6) Can you memorize it by Sunday? Share with a friend for accountability!

How to Choose the Right SMS Platform for Your Church

So how can you know what’s the best SMS platform for your church?

There are a few things you’ll want to look out for…

1. An Easy Way to Get Your Church Members Loaded In

You’ll need a platform that makes it easy to get your church members’ contact information loaded into a system.

Some options offered by text messaging platforms include:

• Integration via API or Zapier
• Importing your contact list via a spreadsheet
• Methods for your church members to opt themselves in

2. Something That Works for Your Budget

Although not true of all churches, many churches operate on a shoestring budget.

So you’ll need something that works for your budget.

The good news is that most SMS platforms operate on a subscription basis and you can just purchase the subscription level that matches your needs and your finances.

3. A Team That Can Help with Compliance

Compliance has always been a big issue for SMS, but now more than ever mobile carriers have strict guidelines for the types of messages they allow.

Your SMS platform should offer support to help walk you through all of that.

How SMS for Churches Works (and How to Get Started)

So how does SMS for churches actually work? And what are the first steps to getting started?

The Process

The process for sending SMS for churches looks like this…

• Step 1: Get church members loaded into your SMS platform
• Step 2 (Optional): Organize your member list into appropriate categories/groups
• Step 3: Automate or send your message via an out-of-the-box online platform (or via an SMS API if you have access to developers)

How to Get Started

To get started, all you need to do is select the SMS platform (or two or three) that you’d like to test out.

Most SMS platforms will give you a free trial period, so you can test it out without any risk to see how it works.

Then you can load in your church member list and start sending.

Best Practices for Church SMS

Here are some ideas of best practices to keep in mind as you go about sending SMS for churches.

Sender Reminders for Major Events

If you really want to make sure you get the best attendance for your events, don’t forget to send out reminders.

Because we all can use reminders!

Don’t Overuse

Although you should take full advantage of SMS, and there are many ways you could use SMS in a church context, you don’t want to send too many text messages.

If you send too much, people may start to tune out your messages.

Try to keep it to one message per week at the maximum.

Organize Your Church Members into Groups

You’ll get better use out of your SMS if you organize your church member list into different groups—that way, you can send highly relevant messages pertaining to different categories of people.

For example…

• Youth group
• Church staff
• Men’s ministry
• Women’s ministry
• Choir
• Board of elders
• Individual Bible study groups

How to Make Sure You’re Getting the Best Use of Your Church’s Resources for SMS

As mentioned previously, churches are often on a shoestring budget.

But even if they’re not, you want to make sure you’re spending money wisely.

Here are some insights on how to do that…

Get an Annual Subscription

With how SMS pricing is structured, annual plans typically end up costing less than month-to-month plans.

And SMS is a tool that you’ll be able to use for your church no matter your circumstances, so there’s little risk in purchasing an annual plan as opposed to a monthly plan.

As long as you’re reasonably confident that you like a particular SMS service that you’re testing, you’re better off in the long run if you purchase annually.

Keep Messages Short

When it comes to SMS, messages that are longer than 160 characters typically get charged more.

So in order to get the most bang for your church budget, keep your messages under 160 characters when possible.

Make a Plan to Actually Use SMS

SMS is worthwhile and beneficial, but like any tool, it can become a wasted opportunity if you never use it.

And in order to make sure you actually use it, and that you use it well, you’ll want to make a plan—then try to follow through.

How to Integrate SMS with Your Church’s Other Tools

You’ll be able to make best use of SMS if you can integrate it with your church’s other tools—whether that’s Planning Center or Slack or any other tool.

There are two basic ways you can integrate:

• If you have developers: use SMS API
• If you don’t have developers: use Zapier

These options will allow you to set up your SMS processes the way that you want them to be in relation to the tools that you already use.

SMS for Churches FAQ

Now let’s go through some other questions you may be wondering if you’re considering using SMS for your church…

Are there hidden fees?

Some SMS platforms do have pass-through carrier fees on top of the advertised pricing subscription fees. (Mobile Text Alerts does not charge carrier fees.)

Before moving forward with an SMS platform, make sure to ask what additional fees exist on top of the listed subscription pricing.

How is an SMS platform different from a group text?

With a group text, everyone will see all the other recipients’ contact information, as well as any replies that any of the group members send in responses.

With an SMS platform, each recipient receives the message individually, as if they were the only recipient. So no one can see all the other phone numbers or responses to the messages.

Is there a discount for churches or nonprofits?

Yes, you can get a 15% discount on any Mobile Text Alerts plan using the promo code CHURCH.

Get Started with SMS for Your Church

In this article, we’ve had a comprehensive walkthrough of several of the benefits of using SMS for churches, plus many different ways churches can use SMS and various insights on how that all plays out in a church setting.

Clearly SMS is a good solution for churches. Have you tried implementing it for your church?

The good news is that getting started doesn’t cost you anything as you try it out.

Get a free trial now and see how SMS will work for your own church.

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Sam Pelton is the content director for Mobile Text Alerts, an SMS marketing service that gives businesses an easier way to really reach customers. He has 10 years of experience working with the texting platform in the areas of customer support, quality assurance testing, content creation, copywriting, and marketing strategy.