Text In Church is an excellent church texting and communication platform. But if your church runs on Planning Center and needs deep pastoral intelligence — at-risk member tracking, care notes that sync to PCO, donor lifecycle analysis, and AI-powered shepherding — you need a tool built for pastors, not just communicators.
Text In Church excels at church-wide communication. Pastoral Care for PCO is built for shepherding — it goes far beyond messaging to give you a complete, AI-powered picture of your congregation's health.
An AI assistant trained on pastoral care, congregational risk signals, and your PCO data — not just a chatbot or message composer.
ExclusiveAutomatic risk scoring based on attendance drop-offs, giving gaps, and engagement signals. Know who needs care before they slip away.
ExclusiveTwo-way sync with PCO People, Check-Ins, Giving, and Notes — not just a people list import. Donor lifecycle and lapse detection built in.
ExclusiveLog care visits, hospital calls, and crisis moments. Every note syncs back to the person's PCO profile automatically — no double-entry.
ExclusiveRun coordinated calling campaigns with volunteer-facing assignment queues, outcome tracking, and automatic stats reporting.
ExclusiveEverything Text In Church does for 1:1 texting, unified with your full pastoral care workflow and congregation dashboard — in one platform.
Also IncludedJust describe your follow-up process in plain English and the AI builds the entire workflow for you — triggers, delays, messages, and branching logic included.
ExclusivePull content directly from Planning Center groups, registrations, and calendar events into your emails in seconds. No copy-paste, no switching tabs.
ExclusiveSend a live poll to your congregation, or instantly share a Planning Center item — event details, registration links, notes — straight from your dashboard.
ExclusiveAn honest look at what each platform does — and doesn't — do for churches on Planning Center.
| Feature | ✦ Pastoral Care for PCO | Text In Church |
|---|---|---|
| 📱 Messaging & Communication | ||
| Two-Way SMS / 1:1 TextingIncoming & outgoing conversations | ✓ Included | ✓ Core feature |
| Mass / Broadcast TextingSend to large lists at once | ✓ Included | ✓ Core feature |
| MMS / Picture Messages | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Email CampaignsPull from PCO groups, registrations & calendar events | ✓ PCO-native content pulling | ✓ Generic email builder |
| Text-to-Join KeywordsPeople text a word to subscribe | ✓ Included | ✓ Core feature |
| Send a PollCollect responses from your congregation | ✓ Included | ✗ Not available |
| PCO Quick-Send NotesInstantly share a PCO event, registration, or note | ✓ One-click from dashboard | ✗ Not available |
| Automated Workflows / Drip SequencesDescribe in plain English — AI builds it for you | ✓ AI Workflow Builder | ✓ Manual builder |
| Video MessagingSend video files via MMS | ✓ Via file attachments | ✓ Included |
| Digital Connect CardsCapture guest info & auto-update Planning Center | ✓ Via forms → syncs to PCO | ✓ Included (no PCO write-back) |
| Calling Features / Phone Receptionist | — Not included | ✓ Full calling suite |
| Multiple SMS Inboxes / Ministry Teams | ✓ Per ministry | ✓ Included |
| Message Scheduling | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Message Templates | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| 🔗 Planning Center Integration | ||
| PCO People SyncReal-time person data | ✓ Deep native sync | ✓ Integration available |
| PCO Check-In / Attendance TrackingAttendance pulled automatically | ✓ Automatic sync | ✗ Not available |
| PCO Giving / Donation DataDonor lifecycle analysis built in | ✓ Full giving sync | ✗ Not available |
| Write Notes Back to PCO ProfileCare notes auto-synced | ✓ Automatic | ✗ Not available |
| Segment by PCO List / Group | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| PCO Groups / Ministry Assignments | ✓ Included | Lists only |
| Other Integrations (Rock, CCB, Zapier, etc.) | PCO only | ✓ Multiple integrations |
| 🧠 Pastoral Intelligence (Exclusive to Pastoral Care for PCO) | ||
| At-Risk Member ScoringAutomatic flagging based on attendance & giving gaps | ✓ Automatic & real-time | ✗ Not available |
| Donor Lifecycle AnalysisLapsed, at-risk, and new donor detection | ✓ Included | ✗ Not available |
| Pastoral Care Notes & Visit Logging | ✓ With PCO sync | ✗ Not available |
| Prayer Request TrackingLog, manage, and follow up on requests | ✓ Included | ✗ Not available |
| Pastor AI AssistantCare-trained AI for insights & outreach drafts | ✓ Built in | ✗ Not available |
| AI Workflow BuilderDescribe your follow-up in plain English — AI builds the automation | ✓ Exclusive feature | ✗ Not available |
| Outreach Contact SessionsVolunteer-facing calling campaigns | ✓ With volunteer portal | ✗ Not available |
| Congregation Health DashboardMembership, attendance & care trends | ✓ Included | ✗ Not available |
| 📈 Analytics & Reporting | ||
| Message Delivery & Open Rate Stats | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Attendance Trend Reporting | ✓ Full PCO data | ✗ Not available |
| Giving & Donor Trend Reporting | ✓ Full PCO data | ✗ Not available |
| Care Activity ReportingWho was visited, called, or prayed for | ✓ Included | ✗ Not available |
| Opt-Out / Compliance Tracking | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| ⚙️ Platform & Administration | ||
| Multi-Campus / Multi-Ministry | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| 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 |
| Plan a Visit / Guest Experience Flow | — Not included | ✓ Included |
| Built Exclusively for Planning Center Churches | ✓ Designed from day one | PCO is one of many integrations |
Text In Church pricing scales by congregation size. Pastoral Care for PCO starts at $39/mo — with every pastoral care feature included at every tier, no per-contact fees.
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.