Case Study: UBC Makes Effective Use of Text Messaging to Reach Its Congregation
Over the past decade, United Baptist Church (UBC) in Hempstead, NY has been developing a digital communication strategy, to grow their church. Their main communication channels include a mobile app, a website and a Facebook page. They also utilize the PastorsLine (formerly crossMRKT) text messaging service. When Pastor Sedgwick Easley first arrived at UBC, the…
Read MoreCase Study: Pastor Richie Halversen, College Drive Church and The Ridge.
Pastor Richie Halversen is a dynamic preacher and caring pastor at the College Drive Church and its plant, The Ridge. These are Seventh Day Adventist congregations located outside of Jackson, Mississippi. When it comes to communications technology, Pastor Richie believes that it is of the utmost importance when spreading the Gospel in today’s world. He…
Read MoreBeyond the US: How SMS is saving lives outside the Internet’s current reach
With over 6.3 billion mobile connections in the world (based on one UN study), text messaging in developing and underdeveloped countries still trumps other communication methods (that we all may take for granted). The power lies in the ease of implementation of cell towers, in areas where traditional ‘pole and line’ networking would be economically…
Read MoreTexting vs. E-mail, in the pocket or on the desktop
There was a time when writing a letter was the easiest way to communicate with family and friends all over the world. Then, the computer was developed. E-mail was one of the selling points of the computer, along with all the glitzy programs and games, but not everyone had a computer. Nearly everybody had a…
Read MoreHow to roll out an effective Text subscription campaign & Rules you should follow
Once you have purchased or subscribed to a SMS service, your members and visitors can easily agree to accept messages from you or opt-in to your service. You are not allowed to simply enter in a batch of phone numbers into the application and send out messages, because that is considered spam and is not allowed…
Read MoreWhy cloud-based text trumps other applications like Skype, iMessenger, WhatsApp, etc…
With text messaging services like Viber, Skype, iMessenger, Google hangouts, WhatsApp, GroupMe, Kik, etc.- available free to use, why would you need anything else? For example, both GroupMe and Kik are applications for a smartphone, but have a limited number of features to use. The application GroupMe allows you to create groups on your mobile…
Read More10 Ways Ministries are Using Text Messaging
Churches and ministries are using text messages on cell phones and devices in increasing numbers. Texts are short messages of up to 160 characters that can be sent from one cell phone to another. Once the teen-aged crowd made the cell phone a ubiquitous device carried everywhere, anytime, anyplace, they began creating a shorthand form for words, to pack even more into the short (160 – character) messages.
Read MoreSo, I noticed some churches use short codes and others long. What’s the deal?
Members and visitors must opt-in to be able to receive messages sent by service providers. To do this, most service providers use what are called short codes or long codes. A short code is a number to which an SMS, or text message, can be sent. The code is usually five or six digits in…
Read More5 Real Life Examples of Ministries That are Using Our Text Messaging System
Smart phones are everywhere. It does not matter whether you are in a church service or a coffee shop, nearly every person has a smartphone on their person. In fact, 90% of adults in the United States carry a cell phone.
Read MoreFive Ways Churches Can Use Text Messaging
If you think texting is only for Generation LOL, think again. Reputable churches around the world are taking this popular mobile-phone feature more seriously; they’ve discovered that text messaging allows them to communicate more frequently, and more efficiently, with their members and followers. Compared to newspapers, junk mail, radio or TV, mobile text messaging (or…
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