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How to Celebrate Birthdays Using Text In Church

A handy how-to guide to celebrating birthdays using Text In Church!

Written by Tyler Smith

Sending birthday messages to your church members is a simple but meaningful way to show people they are noticed and valued.

Text In Church makes it easy to automate birthday greetings using a dedicated Group, a Person Date trigger Workflow, and a Connect Card to collect birthday information. This guide walks through the full setup.

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Step 1: Create a Birthday Group in Text In Church

Create a dedicated Group for everyone whose birthday you want to recognize. This can include volunteers, staff, first-time guests, and regular attendees.

Step 2: Set Up a Birthday Workflow

Create the Workflow:

  1. Go to Connect > Workflows and click Add New.

  2. Choose Create From Scratch, click Next, and name the Workflow (e.g. "Happy Birthday Messages").

  3. Select the Person Date trigger.

  4. Set the trigger to fire on the birth date and assign it to your Birthday Group.

Configure the message:

  1. Set the message to send on the birth date at a specific time and set it to repeat yearly.

  2. Set a repeat limit for longevity (e.g. 30 years).

  3. Write a heartfelt birthday message and save your settings.

Step 3: Collect Birthday Information

Design a Connect Card:

  • Create a new Connect Card for collecting birthdays.

  • Include fields for name, email, phone number, and birth date.

  • Smart Save the birth date question to your Birthday Field.

  • Link the Connect Card to your Birthday Group to automate adding new members.

Distribute the Connect Card:

  • Share the Connect Card link via email, social media, or QR codes at your church.

Manually add birthdays:

  • For existing members, add birthdays manually in the People tab under Custom Fields, then add them to the Birthday Group.

  • You can also update birthday data with a .CSV import.

Tips for Birthday Messages

  • Keep messages fresh: Update your birthday message template periodically so members receive a unique greeting each year.

  • Promote your Connect Card: Encourage your congregation to fill it out during services, on your website, and in newsletters.

  • Personal follow-up: For milestone birthdays, consider a personal call or message from a church leader.

How to Sort Your Birthday Group by Date

To view Birthday Group members in chronological order, open the Group and click the Members tab. Click the Birthday column header to sort by date. This makes it easy to see who has an upcoming birthday.

Have questions? Chat with us from the Resources tab or email support@textinchurch.com.

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