How Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene Turned One Number Into Their Complete Communication Hub
Lead Pastor Jason Matters and his team found a way to keep their congregation connected through a pandemic, a neighborhood event, and everything in between.
The Challenge: COVID Hit, and Their Communication Playbook Did Not
In early 2020, Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene faced what churches everywhere were facing: their congregation went home, and their usual ways of staying connected suddenly were not enough.
The team knew they needed an additional communication channel, something that could reach people where they were, keep conversations going, and work in multiple formats. Their connections staff member started searching for a solution.
"Before we had Text in Church, it was 2020, and COVID started. Our folks were at home, and we recognized we needed an additional channel to be able to communicate with our members, keep a conversation going in multiple formats, and so we started using Text in Church."
The criteria were clear: it had to be easy to use, it had to integrate with their existing Church Community Builder database, and multiple staff members had to be able to get in and use it without a steep learning curve.
What Made Them Choose Text In Church
A Google search led their connections staff member to Text In Church, and one feature in particular sealed the deal.
"One of the nicest features about Text in Church is the ability to forward the Text in Church number to our church phone, so that it could be used for both phone calls and for texting. Which allowed us to use this number as our one way for people to get questions answered any time of the day, whether they are at home watching a service or they are sitting in the sanctuary."
One number. Every format. Any time of day.
For a small staff trying to stay accessible to a whole congregation, that kind of simplicity is not a minor convenience. It is the whole game.
What They Actually Use It For
Ridgefield Church did not just use Text In Church to survive the pandemic. They built it into the fabric of how they communicate, and they have kept it there.
During weekend services, they actively encourage their congregation to text in with questions or prayer requests. Staff monitor those messages in real time, creating a two-way conversation even in a room full of people. For members watching from home, that same number keeps the door open.
Text In Church has also become the go-to channel for all announcements and general communication. Every bulletin, every update, every "here is how to reach us" points to that one number.
And then there is the Halloween neighborhood pop-up. Each year, Ridgefield Church hosts community events in the neighborhoods around them, and Text In Church's Connect Cards made it easy to register attendees for a date night giveaway on the spot. New contacts came in, conversations continued, and the church had a way to keep following up long after the event wrapped.
The Outcome, In Jason's Words
"It has become just this streamlined way for engagement, two-way engagement, that keeps people engaged and has just become the way for us to have every announcement. Everything we do is like, 'Here is how to get ahold of us. Here is the one way: call or text us anytime. This number.'"
One number. One platform. A congregation that knows exactly how to reach their church, and a team that can actually keep up.
Ready to Simplify How Your Church Communicates?
If your team is juggling multiple numbers, missing texts, and struggling to stay consistent, Text In Church gives you one place to manage it all.
