Clearstream is a great texting tool. But if your church uses Planning Center and needs more than mass texting — pastoral intelligence, at-risk member tracking, donor lifecycle analysis, and AI-powered care — you need something built for pastors, not marketers.
Clearstream excels at texting. Pastoral Care for PCO is built for shepherding — it goes far beyond messaging to give you a complete picture of your congregation.
An AI assistant trained on pastoral care, risk signals, and your congregation's data — not just a chatbot.
ExclusiveAutomatic risk scoring based on attendance drop-offs, giving gaps, and engagement signals. Know who needs care before they leave.
ExclusiveTwo-way sync with Planning Center People, check-ins, giving, and notes — not a third-party connector.
ExclusiveLog care visits, hospital calls, and crisis moments. Every note syncs back to the person's PCO profile automatically.
ExclusiveRun coordinated calling campaigns with volunteer-facing assignment queues, outcome tracking, and auto-stats reporting.
ExclusiveSend beautiful emails directly to your Planning Center people, lists, and groups — no manual imports, no CSV uploads. Your congregation is always in sync.
Easier than ClearstreamEverything Clearstream does for texting and email, unified with your full pastoral care workflow. No switching apps.
IncludedAn honest look at what each platform does — and doesn't — do for churches on Planning Center.
| Feature | ✦ Pastoral Care for PCO | Clearstream |
|---|---|---|
| 📱 Messaging | ||
| Two-Way SMS TextingIncoming & outgoing conversations | ✓ Included | ✓ Core feature |
| Mass / Broadcast TextingSend to large lists at once | ✓ Included | ✓ Core feature |
| MMS / Picture Messages | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Email CampaignsBuild, design & send emails | ✓ PCO-integrated email builder | ✓ Included |
| PCO-Synced Audience for EmailSend to PCO lists, groups & segments without importing | ✓ Auto-synced from PCO | Manual import required |
| Drag-and-Drop Email DesignerVisual builder with blocks & templates | ✓ Built-in visual editor | ✓ Included |
| Text-to-Join Keywords | — Not yet | ✓ Core feature |
| Automated SMS Workflows | Care reminders only | ✓ Full drip sequences |
| Video Texting | — Not included | ✓ Included |
| Five-Digit Short Codes | — Not included | ✓ Available |
| Multiple SMS Inboxes | ✓ Per ministry | ✓ Subaccounts |
| Message Scheduling | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| 🔗 Planning Center Integration | ||
| Native PCO People SyncReal-time two-way person data | ✓ Deep native sync | ✓ Integration available |
| PCO Check-In TrackingAttendance pulled automatically | ✓ Automatic sync | ✗ Not available |
| PCO Giving / Donor DataLifecycle and lapse detection | ✓ Full donor lifecycle | ✗ Not available |
| Write Notes to PCO ProfileCare notes sync back to PCO People | ✓ Automatic | Partial — send only |
| PCO Workflow / Tag Sync | — Roadmap | ✓ Available |
| PCO Spiritual MilestonesBaptism, salvation dates tracked | ✓ Displayed & tracked | ✗ Not available |
| 🙏 Pastoral Care Intelligence | ||
| At-Risk Member ScoringAI-weighted risk score per person | ✓ Automatic | ✗ Not available |
| Attendance Trend AnalysisDrop-off alerts, streak tracking | ✓ Built in | ✗ Not available |
| Donor Lapse DetectionIdentify lapsing givers proactively | ✓ Built in | ✗ Not available |
| Pastoral Care Notes LogCall, visit, crisis, hospital logs | ✓ Full note system | ✗ Not available |
| Prayer Request Tracking | ✓ Full module | ✗ Not available |
| Outreach Contact SessionsCoordinated volunteer calling campaigns | ✓ Built in | ✗ Not available |
| Care Follow-Up Reminders | ✓ Automated | ✗ Not available |
| Pastor AI AssistantAI trained for pastoral care use cases | ✓ Exclusive feature | ✗ Not available |
| Care Reporting DashboardAt-risk counts, notes, follow-up stats | ✓ Full dashboard | ✗ Not available |
| 📊 Analytics & Reporting | ||
| Membership Trend Reports | ✓ Included | ✗ Not available |
| SMS Delivery Analytics | ✓ Included | ✓ Detailed reports |
| Household Grouping & Reports | ✓ Included | ✗ Not available |
| Check-In Frequency Reports | ✓ Last 90 days | ✗ Not available |
| Segment / List Analytics | Basic | ✓ Advanced |
| CSV Data Export | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| ⚙️ Platform & Administration | ||
| Multi-Campus / Multi-Ministry | ✓ Included | ✓ Via subaccounts |
| Role-Based User Permissions | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Mobile-Friendly Interface | ✓ Responsive web app | ✓ Mobile app available |
| Public-Facing Volunteer PortalFor outreach calling volunteers | ✓ Included | ✗ Not available |
| Tap Tags / QR Codes | — Not included | ✓ Available ($1 each) |
| Built for Planning Center Churches | ✓ Designed from day one | PCO integration only |
Clearstream's pricing is credit-based and scales with volume. Pastoral Care for PCO starts at $39/mo — with every pastoral care feature included at every tier, no credits required.
Pastoral Care for PCO gives your team the tools to know who needs care, reach them personally, and keep every detail in one place — all connected to Planning Center.