Got a quick question about messaging in Text In Church? This article answers the most common questions about the Inbox, message allotment, sending to Groups, emojis, and more.
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Inbox & Notifications
Q: What do the blue flag icons next to my Inbox messages mean?
The blue flag indicates an unactioned message. These don't clear automatically when the message is read — because multiple account Admins may see the same inbox, reading a message doesn't mean someone has responded to it. The flag stays until the message is actioned: replied to, marked as read, or archived.
Q: How do I clear inbox notifications?
To clear inbox notifications, action your messages by replying, marking them as read, or archiving them.
Q: How do I know when a new text comes in? Can my personal phone be notified?
Yes — you can receive push notifications for new incoming messages through the Text In Church mobile app. Learn more about the mobile app here.
Q: Do I need to be logged in on the mobile app to receive push notifications?
Yes. You must be logged in to receive push notifications. If you're frequently being logged out, try these steps:
Check for app updates in your device's app store, or uninstall and reinstall the app.
Confirm that only one person is using your login credentials.
If the issue persists, reach out to support@textinchurch.com for further help.
Q: Why is my local church number greyed out?
If your local number appears greyed out, it likely isn't ready for texting yet. Reach out to support@textinchurch.com and a team member will look into it for you.
Message Allotment & Compliance
Q: Do my replies to incoming messages count toward my allotment?
Yes. Any outgoing text that successfully leaves the platform — including replies to inbound messages — counts toward your allotment. Incoming messages do not count.
Q: What is the Spam Compliance Message, and can I turn it off?
The Spam Compliance Message is an automated text sent to every contact the first time they receive a message from your account. It looks like this:
"You'll now receive communications from Example (frequency varies). Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel or HELP for help."
Carriers require this message so contacts know how to opt out and that they'll be hearing from you. Because it's a carrier requirement, it cannot be turned off. The only part that can be customized is your organization's name. This message does count against your allotment, but only sends once per contact.
Q: How often should we message our congregation?
There's no one-size-fits-all answer — it depends on your congregation's preferences and needs. Before sending, consider whether the message is relevant to everyone, or whether a more targeted group would be more appropriate. A message about a kids' event, for example, is better sent to parents and grandparents than your entire contact list.
Q: Can I send messages during the Text In Church free trial?
Messages can be sent once your 10DLC registration with the carriers has been approved. To get this submitted as quickly as possible, fill out your Sender Profile under Settings in your account. The registration process typically takes 1-3 days, depending on the carrier's processing time. If any information is rejected, the timeframe increases because the team will need to contact you for corrections and resubmit.
Sending to Groups
Q: If I send a message to multiple Groups and someone belongs to all of them, will they get duplicates?
No. Text In Church automatically prevents duplicate recipients when you send to multiple Groups — each person receives only one copy of the message, regardless of how many Groups they're in.
Q: A contact who is in multiple Groups received two copies of the same message. Why?
This usually happens when there are duplicate contact records sharing the same information. Check whether the person has more than one contact record in your account, and clean up any duplicates to prevent it from happening again.
Q: How do I send the same message to multiple Groups?
When creating a new message, select all the Groups you want to include. The platform automatically deduplicates the list so no one receives the message more than once.
Q: How do I send a message to only some members of a Group?
Go to the People section and search for Group: [GROUP_NAME] (include the colon). Select your Group from the results to display its members, then check the individuals you want to message. Click Action → Create Message to send to just those people.
Q: Is there a way to prevent people from replying to my messages?
You can disable incoming SMS by going to Settings → Phone Numbers, clicking the three dots next to your number, choosing Edit, and unchecking Allow Incoming SMS. Keep in mind this also prevents Keywords from being triggered on that line. Since incoming messages don't count against your allotment and two-way communication builds stronger relationships, we generally don't recommend turning this off.
Contacts & Blocking
Q: We've been receiving spam texts. Can I block the number?
Yes. Go to People and search for the phone number. Click the three dots to the right of the contact and select Block.
Q: How can I prevent my personal name from appearing as the sender in messages from the church?
A few things can help:
Ask contacts to save your number under your church's name rather than your personal name.
Avoid including your personal name in message content — use your church's name instead.
Avoid using the User_Signature variable, which pulls from your User profile.
If you're using the Sender_Name variable, verify it's set to your church name under Settings → Message Variables.
Emojis
Q: Can I send emojis in text messages?
Yes! Emojis are fully supported. Keep in mind that emojis are encoded differently from standard characters, so including them will affect the total character count of your message. Learn more about message length and character counting here.
Q: How do I insert emojis when composing a message on the website?
On PC, use Windows Key + Period. On Mac, use Command + Control + Space.
Still have questions? No worries, we're always happy to help!
Send us a chat message or email our Member Support team at support@textinchurch.com
