Compliance and consent
Mass messaging is regulated. In the US, SMS requires prior consent (TCPA) and A2P 10DLC registration. Other countries have data-protection laws such as Mexico’s LFPDPPP. This page explains what Ministrium does and what your church must do. It is not legal advice.
General rules
- Consent: message only people who authorized it.
- Identification: the sender must identify itself. Ministrium prefixes every campaign SMS with the church name.
- Opt-out: the person must be able to opt out by replying
STOP. - Evidence: keep a record of when and how you obtained consent.
What Ministrium does
| Capability | How it works |
|---|---|
| SMS consent statuses | Each number has a status: No SMS consent, SMS pending confirmation, SMS confirmed, or SMS stopped (STOP). Only numbers with SMS confirmed receive SMS campaigns. |
| Optional checkbox | Visitor registration includes the checkbox “I agree to receive SMS messages from the church (optional).” |
| Public SMS CTA | A public church page where the person confirms consent with START or YES, or with a verification code. It is used in the TCR registration and can be shared with the CTA QR code. |
| Re-consent | SMS consent / Re-consent shows how many numbers are Confirmed, Pending, No consent, and Revoked (STOP). Send invite requests confirmation by SMS or email. |
| Exportable evidence | Consent funnel (phone, status, source, and invite) with Export CSV. |
| Automatic SMS opt-outs | STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, BAJA, CANCELAR, CANCELAR TODO, and PARAR revoke SMS consent. |
| Automatic WhatsApp opt-outs | STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, BAJA, CANCELAR, CANCELAR TODO, and PARAR turn off WhatsApp for the member. START, UNSTOP, ALTA, and ACTIVAR turn it back on. |
| WhatsApp change log | Opt-outs, opt-ins, and changes made by an admin are recorded as consent events. |
The SMS consent tools live in Settings → SMS & WhatsApp (organization admins only).
A phone number in the directory is not permission
Having someone’s number does not mean they consented to receive SMS. Only numbers with SMS confirmed receive campaigns. After a STOP, only the person can opt back in from their phone (with START or a verification code). Staff cannot bulk-confirm consent.
WhatsApp: rules by send type
- Campaigns: require a Meta-approved template and skip contacts who opted out or have WhatsApp turned off.
- Pastoral inbox: you can reply only within 24 hours of the person’s last message, and never to a Not contactable contact.
What your church must do
- Complete the telecom registration with accurate legal details (Settings → SMS & WhatsApp).
- Request SMS consent before sending campaigns: share the Public SMS CTA or its QR code, or send re-consent invites.
- Never import purchased or unconsented phone or email lists.
- Review the Consent funnel regularly and invite Pending or No consent numbers to confirm.
- Respect opt-outs and do not follow up through another channel to insist.
- Handle requests to access or delete personal data as the applicable law requires.
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