You probably didn’t know this, but 59% of the millennials who grew up attending church every Sunday have dropped out. And it’s getting worse, with an increasing number of Christians identifying as “C.E.O” (Christmas, Easter, Only) churchgoers.
Now, 89% of Christians say that they believe in God, but only 36% are weekly religious service attendees. The missing 53% fail to attend for various reasons, with the most notable being improper communication. Churches use mass-marketing methods like print advertising, or they don’t promote themselves at all, and that’s where texting comes in!
Not only are text messages perfect channels for promoting your church, but you can also use them to keep the congregation engaged and informed. Here’s how to build a strong church community through texting:
1. Get a Tool That Supports Two-Way Texting
Understandably, pastors and church leaders can get so busy that it’s impossible to return calls promptly. Text messages are the perfect solution to make sure no question or comment goes unnoticed. Some of these tools even have auto-reply features that make it easier to respond to basic requests. And with the inception of the Artificial Intelligence era, it’s going to get even better.
Text In Church is a top-rated, church texting game-changing provider that is keen to introduce such features as they become available. At the moment, they offer a tool that will revolutionize how you communicate with your following. This texting software comes with all the bells and whistles you need to communicate effectively and connect with your congregation beyond Sunday mornings.
2. Welcome and Thank New Members for Coming
Going digital in welcoming your first-time visitors is an easier and more interesting way to make them feel like they are part of your family. The easiest way to do this would be to use a website integration that allows new visitors to click on a button and register with their primary details such as name and phone number. The system will automatically reply with a pre-written warm welcome message that will be the foundation for consistent communication.
Considering that new visitors are often shy, it will be easier to engage them from the comfort of their phones. In addition to welcoming them, make sure to thank them after attending their first service, and let them know that they can communicate with you whenever they wish.
3. Keep Your Congregation Informed
Making the most of texting broadcasts to share important church updates and other important information is a good way to ensure that you have everyone on board. Every member will get a text message that they can reply to with any questions they may have so that they won’t have to wait until the next church visit.
4. Share Helpful, High-Quality Content
In addition to updating church members regularly, it’s important to keep creating and sharing high-quality content with them. You can even use animation and other highly engaging content creation methods to ensure that the content you send is as entertaining as it is informative.
The goal is to give your members something worth checking out and sharing with friends. That way, you will be marketing your church as an interesting and nourishing place to be.
5. Create Subgroups and Ministry Teams
While Facebook groups are considerably effective for churches that want to create a deeper connection between their members, the problem is that not everyone is on Facebook. Besides, not everyone who uses the platform pays full attention to it.
If your texting software makes it possible to create groups and use certain keywords to manage your groups, make sure to maximize your use of such features. You can use such groups to communicate about volunteer opportunities, Bible studies, event updates, and other important information.
The groups should make it easy for people to opt in or out and manage their messages.
6. Gather Feedback
It’s important to know what the congregation feels about your church or the ideas they have for an upcoming project. You can even create polls and surveys that make it easy to collect feedback quickly and with ease and share the links to the surveys via text.
Engage Better With Text In Church
There are endless ways to use text messaging to build a strong church community. What’s more, texts have been statistically proven to be more effective in connecting with people on their phones, with approximately 98% open rates and 45% response rates.
If you want to engage your church members better and build a stronger community, Text In Church gives you all the power and support you need. With lots of features and integration options to support your mission, you can be sure you’ll get amazing results.
