Shepherding Connections
- 1Runs onAndroid, iOS, Web
- 2CostsFree plan · paid from $29/mo
- 3Two-way messagingYes
- 4Scheduled messagesYes
- 5Recurring messagesYes
- 6Audience segmentationYes
- 7Church software integrationsYes
- 8Mobile appYes
Overview
Shepherding Connections is a messaging tool for following up with visitors and others outside a church’s rolls. It supports SMS announcements, two-way texting, automated welcome sequences, call forwarding, and keyword responses. Public connect pages collect visitor details and can trigger follow-up, and digital visitor welcome cards are also described. Automations can send texts or email, create tasks, assign team members, branch on replies, and repeat on a cadence. Contacts can be grouped into segments, while links in messages can be shortened and tracked. The product requires recorded consent for announcements and automated messages and handles STOP, START, and HELP keywords. Phone numbers and texting are not included in the free plan; paid Tracker plans enable them. Messaging is limited to United States and Canada numbers. Connections is labeled Beta, and delivery confirmation is unavailable: a sent status means the carrier accepted a message, not that it reached a handset. The free plan allows up to five accounts. Paid plans start at $29.00 USD per month for Small Church, which includes SMS messaging.
Who it is for
Connections is aimed at churches following up with visitors and other contacts, especially pastors, elders, and deacons. It suits teams needing automated text and email follow-up, provided their contacts are in the United States or Canada.
What is good
- Automations can branch based on replies and assign tasks.
- Contacts can be segmented and message links tracked.
- Recorded consent and STOP, START, and HELP handling.
- Available on Android, iOS, and web.
What to know first
- Free plan excludes phone numbers and SMS.
- Messaging is limited to United States and Canada numbers.
- Sent status does not confirm handset delivery.
- The product is labeled Beta.
Verdict
Connections offers church-focused follow-up workflows, but texting requires a paid plan and works only with US and Canadian numbers. Its Beta status and lack of handset delivery confirmation are worth considering.
Shepherding Connections plans and pricing
All plansCompared on church text messaging software
- Free plan
- Yesshepherdingtools.com
- Paid from
- $29/moshepherdingtools.com
- Two-way messaging
- Yesshepherdingtools.com
- Scheduled messages
- Yesshepherdingtools.com
- Recurring messages
- Yesshepherdingtools.com
- Audience segmentation
- Yesshepherdingtools.com
- Church software integrations
- Yesshepherdingtools.com
- Mobile app
- Yesshepherdingtools.com
Facts
- Purpose
- Connections is the text messaging side of Shepherding Tools for following up with visitors and other people who are not on the church's rolls.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Messaging
- It supports SMS announcements, two-way texting, automated visitor welcome sequences, call forwarding, and keyword auto-responses.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Visitor forms
- Public connect pages collect visitor details and can trigger automated follow-up; the maker also describes digital visitor welcome cards.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Automations
- Automations can send SMS or email, create follow-up tasks, assign team members, branch based on replies, and run on a repeating cadence.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Segmentation and links
- Contacts can be grouped into segments, and links in hand-sent or automated messages can be shortened and tracked.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Consent controls
- The product requires recorded consent for announcements and automated messages, and handles STOP, START, and HELP keywords.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- SMS availability
- Phone numbers and texting are not included on the free plan; any paid Tracker plan enables them, and custom arrangements may also enable them.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Geographic limit
- Connections sends messages to United States and Canada numbers only.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Notable limitations
- The documentation says contact spreadsheet import and self-service merging of duplicate contacts are not available.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Beta status
- Connections is labeled Beta, and the documentation says delivery confirmation is unavailable, so “sent” means the carrier accepted the message rather than confirming handset delivery.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Security
- The maker says data is transmitted over HTTPS/TLS, encrypted at rest with AES-256, and isolated by church at the database layer.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Support
- The documentation says support messages receive a reply within one business day.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Who it is for
- Shepherding Tools describes its applications as designed by a pastor for pastors, elders, and deacons.shepherdingtools.com · 2 Oct 2026
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Sources
- shepherdingtools.com/documentation/connections· checked 2 Oct 2026
- shepherdingtools.com/applications/connections· checked 2 Oct 2026
- shepherdingtools.com/security· checked 2 Oct 2026
- shepherdingtools.com/documentation· checked 2 Oct 2026
- shepherdingtools.com/about· checked 2 Oct 2026
- shepherdingtools.com/pricing· checked 2 Oct 2026