From Grassroots to Growth: How Souls Church Used Text In Church to Streamline Communication and Engage Guests

A Relaunch with High Stakes

When Souls Church relaunched in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis, Denz and Dana Calhoun knew the challenge was steep. Their grassroots approach of texting individual friends and members worked for a while, but it wasn’t sustainable as they dreamed of growing a thriving, intentional community.

That’s when they found Text In Church.

“Text In Church was a complete game changer for us as we relaunched and continued to grow,” Denz shares. “We needed something professional, user-friendly, and affordable—and we found all of that and more.”

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Seamless Guest Follow-Up

On relaunch Sunday, Souls Church welcomed around 200 guests. Instead of scrambling to track each person, the team used Text In Church to collect information and automatically place people into personalized follow-up workflows.

“Nobody does text communication better,” Denz says. “It helped us connect quickly and meaningfully. This is how people communicate now—through their phones. Text In Church lets us show up in a way that feels natural, professional, and caring.”

Related: How to Turn First-Time Guests into Lifelong Members: The Gather Method™ in Action

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Volunteers Embracing the System

The church’s leadership team is mostly volunteers, but learning the platform was simple. Adoption was quick, and engagement soared.

“Our entire volunteer team picked it up quickly. It’s simple, intuitive, and they love it,” Denz explains.

With reply rates around 10% and very low opt-outs, Souls Church found that people were eager to respond and stay connected.

Ministry Beyond Sunday

One of the most powerful moments came during Easter, when the church used Text In Church to send out a faith survey.

“We did a survey on Easter and had a 75% response—then followed up within the hour,” Denz recalls. “Conversations continued all week. It didn’t stop at Sunday. It became ministry in motion.”

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Support That Makes the Difference

Even after experimenting with other platforms, Denz and Souls Church returned to Text In Church.

“Even after testing other platforms, we came back to Text In Church. The support team is first class. You fixed what needed fixing. Now, your support team is fast, kind, and thorough. It’s one of the reasons we recommend Text In Church to other pastors.”

For Souls Church, Text In Church isn’t just a communication tool, it’s a ministry partner.

Guest Follow-Up That Lasts

Souls Church’s story is a reminder of what happens when intentional ministry meets the right tools. Consistent communication, thoughtful follow-up, and simple systems can turn a single Sunday into an ongoing journey of connection and growth.

As Denz puts it, “Text In Church was a complete game changer.”

Ready to give Text In Church a try? Start your free trial here.