Messages is where your church talks to people at scale. It has three channels, and choosing between them well is most of what makes church communication work.
The three channels
| Channel | Reaches | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Feed — "a post in the member app feed" | Members with the app | Everyday news. Nobody has to be interrupted for it. |
| SMS — "a text message to phones" | Anyone with a phone number | Genuinely urgent things. It reaches people who have no app, and it uses SMS credits: one for each part of a message, for each person. |
| Email — "a designed email to inboxes" | Anyone with an email address | Longer messages, and anything people need to keep or forward. |
Sending a message
See Send a message for the walkthrough, including how to choose who receives it.
Before SMS will work
Texting is not available the moment you sign up. You need a phone number, and in the United States that number has to be registered with the mobile carriers before they will carry your messages. Registration is reviewed by the carriers and takes days, not minutes — so start it well before the week you need it — see Get a phone number and switch on texting. Anything you send while it is being reviewed shows “Waiting on activation” and goes out by itself once approved.
Registering costs a one-time fee, paid once per church, when you claim your first number; the amount is shown before you confirm. Your plan includes a monthly allowance of SMS credits, and email and feed posts never use credits — see How pricing works.