How Claysburg Church of God Stays Connected All Week With Texting

The announcement went up on Facebook on Tuesday. By Sunday, half the room still hadn't seen it.

If that's happened at your church, you're in good company. It's exactly what Robert Sluder and his wife walked into when they became the lead pastors of Claysburg Church of God in Claysburg, Pennsylvania.

"The church didn't have a communication system set up to get messages out to the people of the church other than using social media," Robert says. "And we knew that wasn't going to last very long."

He was right. And what he built next is something any church can copy this week.

Quick Answer: Why isn't social media enough for church communication?
Social media posts get buried, and many members don't check their feeds often. Texting reaches people directly on their phones, and most texts are read within minutes. Churches that add texting can send reminders, prayer needs, and guest follow-up messages that people actually see.

The challenge: one channel that wasn't reaching everyone

Social media is good for a lot of things. Making sure every member hears about a schedule change, a special event, or an urgent prayer need isn't one of them.

Posts get pushed down the feed. Some people rarely log in. And the folks who most need to hear from their church are often the ones who miss it.

For a church of around 100 people, Robert didn't need anything complicated. He needed a simple way to reach people where they already are: their phones.

That's where Text In Church Messaging came in.

How Robert found Text In Church

This wasn't Robert's first time using Text In Church. He first heard about it while looking for better ways to communicate, and he didn't wait long.

"It didn't take me long to investigate after I heard it," he says. He set it up at the church he was pastoring at the time.

So when he and his wife arrived in Claysburg and saw the gap, he already knew the fix. "We quickly signed up with Text In Church."

5 ways Claysburg Church of God uses texting every week

Today, texting is how Claysburg Church of God stays connected with members and guests from Sunday to Sunday. Here's what that looks like.

1. Event reminders people actually see

When something special is on the calendar, a text goes out, and people show up.

"When we have a special event at church, we remind them and they'll come out," Robert says.

A text from a local church phone number feels familiar, not like junk mail. That's a big part of why people read it.

2. Encouragement between Sundays

Not every text is an announcement. Robert also sends encouraging messages during the week, so his people hear from their church when nothing is on the calendar. It's a small habit that tells people they matter on a Wednesday, too.

3. Getting prayer needs to the right people, fast

Texting has become the backbone of the church's prayer ministry. People send in requests, and urgent needs go straight to the prayer teams.

"We're able now, on urgent prayer requests that come in, to get those out to our prayer teams," Robert says. "The group feature is so, so powerful. We can communicate with just special groups at a time."

Want to set this up at your church? Here's how texting makes it easier to encourage prayer requests and respond with care.

4. A simple "hello" that starts guest follow-up

This is the part of Claysburg's system worth trying right away.

Every week, guests are invited to text HELLO to the church's number. That one text uses a keyword to add them to an automated workflow that keeps reaching out over the following weeks. No paper card to lose. No volunteer who has to remember on Monday. The follow-up runs every time.

"We get a positive response from those who feel like they're being touched and want to be a part of our church," Robert says.

Free resource: Build your guest follow-up plan
Not sure what your follow-up texts should say or when to send them? Download the Ultimate Guest Follow-up Plan and map out a guest follow-up plan your team can launch this week.

5. A church phone system that costs less

Claysburg also uses Text In Church Calling for its church phone line.

"It saved us a lot of money on our phone bill," Robert says, "and we have great access through that."

If you’ve ever missed a call from someone in the hospital because you were in a meeting, or handed out your personal cell number because the church landline goes unanswered, Calling was built for you. It’s a cloud-based phone system made for churches. There’s no hardware to install, you keep your existing number, and your team can answer church calls from any phone, anywhere, without giving out personal numbers.

A digital receptionist greets callers 24/7 and routes them to the right person. Voicemails are transcribed so nothing gets lost. And if someone calls and can’t reach anyone, an automated text goes out right away so they know they’ve been heard. Calling works alongside Messaging, so your texts and calls live in one place.

The outcome: communication that works for everyone

For Robert, the biggest change isn't one feature. It's that communication finally reaches everybody.

"The biggest change that we've known is the effectiveness of communicating with everybody," he says. "When they text HELLO to us at our number, they become part of the workflow, and we hear good response of them being touched on a regular basis until they get committed."

A church that once depended on Facebook now has a clear path for every kind of message: reminders, encouragement, prayer, and a warm welcome for every guest.

You can do this by hand. You don't have to.

You could post every update to Facebook and hope people see it. You could keep a stack of connect cards and try to text each guest yourself on Monday. Plenty of pastors have tried.

But manual follow-up depends on someone remembering, every single week. A system doesn't forget. That's the difference Robert found, and it's why his guests hear from Claysburg Church of God week after week until they're part of the family.

"I can't say enough good things about Text In Church," Robert says. "I encourage you to try it out."

Give your guests a simple way to say hello

New to Text In Church? Start your free 14-day trial today. Our team is here to set you up for success and get you started by your next service. See plans and start your trial or book a live demo.

Already a member? Add a HELLO keyword and connect it to a guest follow-up workflow inside your account. Need a hand? Our team is here to help.