As far as things that probably shouldn’t be in a church, a smartphone is probably right near the top of the list.

Yet it’s also something that probably most of the congregation, and perhaps even the minister himself or herself, has within easy reach, and the only way you’d even find out is if someone’s device makes an unexpected ring, chirp or cheery tone during a service.

A typical service universally should be a time free of outside distractions, so that means that people should refrain from checking sports scores, snapping selfies or sending any kind of text in church.

But this general awareness of sacred etiquette doesn’t seem to be stopping people, observed the National Catholic Register in 2014, when it listed a litany of offenses that church leaders have spotted, from people playing games to simply not watching where they’re going and walking into furniture.

It’s not likely that this battle between observing decorum and wanting to stay plugged in will be resolved anytime soon.

But at the same time that ministers are looking for ways to pull the plug on their congregation’s phone use during ceremonies, they’re exploring ways mobile devices can be used to further the faith and spread the word.

Some churches are putting their services, or at least sermons, on the Internet in the form of YouTube videos. Others are experimenting with social media and interacting with patrons through these newer channels.

Being able to text in church also can offer plenty of assistance to outreach efforts, and even supplement some practices that have been around for years, such as handing out weekly bulletins or phone trees.

If your church leadership is trying to find the value in texting, not just something to be cracked down upon, try these strategies.

• Regular inspirational readings. Whether your faith uses the Bible or other sacred books, there’s no shortage of words of wisdom contained in the pages. Some may be shared during a service or study group, but others can be sent out on a regular basis to text subscribers. Maybe a Monday morning affirmation to start everyone’s week in an uplifting direction, or a mid-week passage about the importance of working hard. Or some background for a reading that will be discussed at a coming service – or even a reminder of what was discussed at a previous sermon for those who were absent. With automated texting services, the text author can compose several texts and schedule them to go out at different times. The texts also could include other links for more analysis of a particular passage.
  
  
• Boost attendance. One of the risks of weekly services and traditional weekly bulletins is that it’s easy to forget. You may learn about an interesting event, but the thought goes away quickly once you go back to “regular” life. But texting can be used to remind people about what’s coming up and encourage them to attend. It could be a service with an unusual time, like Christmas, or it could be a special event, such as a guest speaker. Sending out texts can help organizers gauge interest and provide a general head count.
  
  
• Prayer requests. Some church phone trees are legendary in their structure, and often an entire legion of concerned congregants can be mobilized and praying within hours. But it can be labor-intensive, and never completely thorough, especially if one ‘link’ in the chain isn’t able to call all the numbers on his or her list quickly. Email has been able to modernize some of these practices, but mass texting can streamline the process even more. Now, the originator only has to pull up the mailing list of ‘prayer chain members’ or even the ‘everyone’ group, write one message, and send it out. Since more and more people have their phones within reach, they’ll get it in a hurry – and no need to pass it on to another 20 members. The same tool can also provide updates and additional facts to the entire group, another flaw that prayer tree members sometimes ran into. “I don’t know any more details, I’m just supposed to call X more people and relay this info.”
  
  
• Organize staff. A big congregation can benefit from direction, and the priest or minister can’t be everywhere all the time, no matter how much they’re asked. So he or she must find trusted leaders able to handle different duties, from music to youth programs to ministry to scheduling and maintaining facilities. These positions are often on a volunteer basis, so it’s rare for the entire group to be in one place at once. But a text in church can keep everyone in contact even if people are unable to converse in person. This type of communication can avoid problems like several groups trying to be in the same meeting room at once or trying to use the kitchen simultaneously. This can work better and be more immediate than memos.
  
  
• Critical alerts. “Emergencies” can mean different things in church settings, from crises of faith to actual physical peril. Texting can help spread the word in a hurry, especially for the latter. A modern church should have an emergency plan in place for everything from natural disasters to criminal activity, and a text can be part of this. In a crisis, messages don’t have to give a lot of specifics but provide information on what to do, such as evacuate in a hurry or to take shelter and lock the doors. During these kinds of situations, members will be looking for the church leaders for guidance, and being able to send a bulk text to certain leaders or the entire church community could get the word out faster than a phone tree, the media or law enforcement.
  
  
• Updates. Things are always changing at a dynamic church environment, and what was discussed in the Sunday bulletin or post-service announcement may not be necessarily be true by Wednesday. Meetings could be canceled or postponed, meeting rooms could be changed, an scheduled event could be canceled because of a snowstorm, or a minister could be called out of town unexpectedly. Texts can alert people to these updates.
  
  

Churches considering utilizing texting services may find it easy to build up their subscriber list – most members who are already proficient at sending and receiving texts will likely want to be in loop of upcoming activities and occasionally receive a text in church. But it also might be a challenge making sure others who aren’t regular texters don’t feel left out. For more suggestions and strategies, visit www.trumpia.com.

Free Mobile Marketing Success Kit

Get Your Copy Today