Texting is a way to send information to congregants from various Planning Center products. Depending on the product, you can use texts to communicate last-minute changes, send urgent announcements, provide another way to give, and notify congregants who don't use Church Center.
Look at the table below to see an overview of each product, or scroll to find specific details about texting in each product.
|
Product |
Can send texts |
Can receive replies |
No mobile carrier restrictions |
Free to use |
Opt-in/out options |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Check-Ins |
X |
X |
X |
||
|
Giving |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
People |
X |
X |
X |
||
|
Services |
X |
X |
X |
||
|
Services Mobile |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Tip
A great alternative to text messaging is Church Center. You can use Church Center for announcements, group messages, push notifications, and donations.
If you need to contact an adult to help their child, and you are in the US or Canada, you can send them a pre-written text message from a manned or roster station. Replies are not received.
Check out this article for instructions!
Text2Give allows donors in the United States to give online through text message, which is included in your Giving pricing package. Once this is enabled by an Administrator and the donor has completed the initial setup, all they have to do is text a dollar amount to 84321 to donate!
Check out this article for instructions!
If you need to send quick information to people, send them a text message! All texts are sent from lists and stored on the Message History page. You can also see them on the Communication tab of any profile. Replies are not received.
Check out this article for instructions!
You can receive text messages about scheduling requests or emails sent to you. Depending on your carrier, you may also be able to respond to text messages to accept or decline requests. However, replies do not go to a team leader.
Check out this article for instructions!
If you need to touch base with your team members about an upcoming change, you can email or text them right from their scheduled plan. Tell them where the change was made in the order or notify them of a time change, and they'll receive the message and link to the plan in their inbox. Replies will go to the sender of the message.
Check out this article for instructions!