Getting started with Text In Church is fast and easy. This article walks you through signing up for a trial, what to expect during account activation, and how to set up your account so you can start connecting with your congregation right away.
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How to Sign Up for a Free Trial of Text In Church
Text In Church offers a 14-day free trial so you can explore the platform before committing to a plan. To get started:
Visit the Text In Church Pricing Page and select the plan that fits your church's size. You can always adjust your subscription after signing up. Larger plans are available at textinchurch.com/pricing/premier5 and textinchurch.com/pricing/premier25.
Click Try it Free for 14 Days to begin.
Complete the registration form with your church's details.
US-based churches: An Employer Identification Number (EIN) and a church website or Facebook page are required to register your texting service with mobile carriers — a process called 10DLC registration. This registration is mandatory for US carrier compliance, and carriers will reject messages from unregistered accounts.
If your church website is still under construction, you can use your church's Facebook page or any webpage that displays your church's name. This confirms your organization is legitimate and helps prevent spam accounts from signing up.
How Long Does Text In Church Account Activation Take?
Your Text In Church account is accessible as soon as you complete registration and verify your email. For US-based churches, 10DLC registration — required before you can send messages to contacts in the United States — is submitted through your Sender Profile and typically takes several weeks to process through mobile carriers.
At the end of your 14-day free trial, your account automatically rolls over into the paid subscription you selected. No manual renewal is needed. If you want to change your plan before the trial ends, you can do that at any time from your account settings.
Setting Up Your Phone Number in Text In Church
When choosing your Text In Church phone number, if your preferred area code is not available, check alternative area codes — they often have more numbers to choose from. Once you have a number, give it a name in your settings so you and other users can easily identify it when sending messages or building automated workflows.
Your dashboard walks you through the setup process step by step. The Quick Start graphic below shows the four key steps to get your account ready:
After completing the Quick Start, explore the Text In Church Playbook for sample messages and ideas on how to use the platform with your congregation.
Onboarding Your Congregation in Text In Church
Text In Church gives you several ways to bring contacts into your account:
Keywords: Set up a Keyword so contacts can text it to your TIC number and automatically join a Group with an automated response.
Congregation Communication Workflow: Use this built-in template to send contacts a text asking them to save your number, plus a follow-up email introducing your communication channel. To set it up: create a Group in the Groups tab, then go to Connect > Workflows, click Add New, and choose Create from Template. Find the Congregation Communication Workflow, click Select, then Next, and link it to your Group. Review the messages, make any adjustments, then click the blue Activate button. Contacts you add to the Group will receive the text immediately and the follow-up email three hours later.
CSV import: Under the People tab, click the arrow next to Add New to import contacts from a spreadsheet. You can also use Import People under the Tools tab.
Text In Church Message Deliverability Tips
To keep your messages reaching your congregation's phones, follow these carrier-recommended best practices:
Include your church name and opt-out language in every Group message. For example: "Hey {FIRST_NAME}, is there anything we can pray about with you? We're here for you! — [Church Name]. Text STOP to opt out." This is a requirement from carriers and helps improve deliverability.
Use the built-in URL Shortener instead of public shorteners like Bit.ly or TinyURL — those can trigger carrier filtering. Find it under the Tools tab. Include your church's name in the link prefix (for example, yourchurch/Zoom) to create branded links that follow carrier guidelines.
Text In Church Onboarding Resources and Training
If you need help at any point during setup, Text In Church has a range of training options to get you moving in the right direction:
Free Onboarding Workshop: Live sessions where TIC walks you through the platform. Register at go.textinchurch.com/onboarding after creating your account. Workshop attendees also receive a free TIC T-shirt.
TIC Academy: On-demand video training covering all platform features. Access it directly from your account dashboard.
TIC Playbook: A collection of sample messages and implementation ideas for your ministry. Available in the Text In Church Help Center.
Concierge Account Setup: Available for $249 at signup or any time after. TIC's team sets up your Groups, Keywords, and Automated Workflows based on your goals — including a 30-minute discovery call, custom account configuration, and a follow-up launch call to review everything.
Live Help Desk: Drop-in support sessions on Tuesdays at 10 am CST and Thursdays at 2 pm CST.
Reach out to the TIC support team anytime at support@textinchurch.com or from the Resources tab inside your account.
