How to text your congregation, the right way.

A plain-English guide for pastors and church staff: getting a number, getting permission, what to send, and what it costs.

Updated October 18, 2026 · 7 minute read

1. Use a church number, not a personal phone

Texting a few people from your own phone is fine. Texting your whole congregation is different: carriers treat the same message sent to many people as business messaging, and they filter unregistered group texts as spam. A dedicated church number keeps your personal number private, lets your team share replies, and gives everyone a simple way to opt out.

Most churches use a local 10-digit number (called 10DLC) in their own area code. A toll-free number works too and is a common choice for steady weekly reminders. Very large ministries sometimes lease a short code, but most churches never need one.

2. Register with the carriers

Before a church number can send group texts, it has to be registered with the mobile carriers. You’ll need:

• Your church’s legal name exactly as it appears on IRS records, and its EIN.
• A street address and a working website.
• A short description of what you’ll text (service reminders, events, guest follow-up).
• How people sign up, and two or three sample messages.

Many churches are tax-exempt without ever receiving an IRS determination letter. That’s fine: registration uses your EIN and legal name, and a good texting service helps you describe your ministry the way carriers expect. Approval usually takes days to a few weeks.

3. Get permission the simple way

Only text people who asked to hear from you. Easy ways to collect that permission:

• A keyword on a slide or bulletin: “Text GUEST to (555) 010-0100.”
• A QR code in the lobby that opens a short sign-up form.
• A connection card with a clearly worded checkbox, never pre-checked.

Whatever the method, tell people what they’ll get and how often, that message and data rates may apply, and that they can reply STOP at any time. Keep a record of who signed up and when.

Example sign-up wording: “Yes, text me Grace Community updates, about 1–4 a month. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel, HELP for help.”

4. What to send

• Welcome first-time guests within a day of their visit.
• Service changes: weather closings, time changes, holiday schedules.
• Event reminders: VBS, potlucks, volunteer shifts, small groups.
• Prayer and care: let people reply with requests your team answers privately.
• Giving moments: a link to your giving page for a building fund or mission trip, now and then.

Start each text with your church’s name, keep it short, and make one point per message.

5. When and how often

Send announcements between 8 AM and 9 PM in your members’ time zone. A daily verse people signed up for can go a little earlier, like 7 AM, as long as your sign-up says “one verse each morning.” For announcements, one to four texts a month is plenty for most churches. Saturday afternoon is a natural time for a Sunday reminder; a weekday morning works for events.

6. What it costs

Most church texting services sell a monthly plan sized for your busiest month, so a quiet summer costs as much as Easter. With pay-as-you-text pricing, you pay only for what you send. A church texting 150 people once a week sends about 600 texts a month; at 2.8¢ a text, that’s about $16.80. Replies from your people should be free, and your number itself costs about a dollar a month.

Common questions

Do churches need to register to send texts?

Yes. Group texts from a local 10-digit number to many people are business messaging, and US carriers require the sender to be registered (10DLC). Unregistered traffic gets filtered or blocked. Registration needs your church’s legal name, EIN, address, website and a description of what you’ll send.

Can I just text my congregation from my own phone?

For a handful of people, a personal text is fine. Sending the same message to a large list from a personal phone often gets filtered as spam, exposes your personal number, and gives people no easy way to opt out.

What time should a church send texts?

Announcements between 8 AM and 9 PM in the recipient’s time zone, at a predictable time, like Saturday afternoon for a Sunday reminder. A daily verse people signed up for can go out at 7 AM.

How many texts a month is too many?

Most churches do well with one to four texts a month per person. Tell people the frequency when they sign up, and keep each message useful.

Can we send prayer requests by text?

Yes, with care. Ask before sharing anyone’s request with a list, keep details general, and let replies come to a shared inbox your team answers privately.