SMS and WhatsApp
Ministrium sends SMS through SignalWire, with A2P 10DLC registration with The Campaign Registry (TCR), and WhatsApp Business through Meta’s Cloud API. Both channels need the Messaging module enabled for your church and deduct credits from the AI Credits balance.
When to use SMS vs WhatsApp
| Case | SMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Service cancellation due to weather | ✅ | ✅ |
| Reminder before an event | ✅ | ✅ (with an approved template) |
| 1:1 conversation with a pastor | ❌ | ✅ (pastoral inbox) |
SMS reaches any phone without an app. WhatsApp is widely used in LATAM and supports 1:1 conversations, but the person needs the app.
Requirements
- The Messaging module enabled (included in your plan or enabled by Ministrium).
- Credits available in AI Credits (
/admin-church/credits). - For SMS: telecom registration completed in Settings → SMS & WhatsApp.
- For WhatsApp: a WhatsApp Business account connected in Communications → Messaging → WhatsApp Business.
Set up SMS and WhatsApp (telecom registration)
Only organization admins see this option.
- Open Settings → SMS & WhatsApp (
/admin-church/onboarding/communications). The page is titled Communications (SMS & WhatsApp). - Payment: review the One-time setup fee and the Monthly fee, and complete the payment.
- Legal details: enter the church’s legal details for the TCR brand and campaign registration.
- WhatsApp: complete the Meta registration details.
- Status: track the registration. Approval typically takes 5 to 10 business days.
The same page has the SMS consent tools: Public SMS CTA, CTA QR code, SMS consent / Re-consent, Send invite, and Consent funnel with Export CSV. See Compliance and consent.
Connect WhatsApp Business
Open Communications → Messaging and click WhatsApp Business. On the Connection tab, click Connect WhatsApp. If you see Set up Communications first, complete the telecom registration first. When you connect, Ministrium asks Meta to create the standard templates; their status appears on the Templates tab. See Connect WhatsApp Business.
Outside the 24-hour window, WhatsApp only allows starting conversations with Meta-approved templates. Inside the window, replies from the pastoral inbox can be free text.
Send a campaign
- Open Communications → Messaging and click New Campaign.
- Enter the Campaign name and choose the Channel: SMS, WhatsApp, or Both (SMS + WhatsApp).
- Under Recipient type, choose All members, By campus, By group, or Individual.
- For SMS, choose the Category and write the Message (up to 1,600 characters). Each SMS starts with your church name so recipients know who is messaging.
- For WhatsApp, choose an approved WhatsApp template. The
{{1}}variable is filled with each recipient’s first name. - Review the Estimated cost and click Create campaign. The campaign is saved as a Draft.
- In the campaign list, click Send and confirm. The prompt shows how many credits will be deducted from your balance.
Step-by-step guide: Create an SMS campaign for a group.
Consent by channel and send type
| Send | Rule |
|---|---|
| SMS campaign | Only numbers with SMS confirmed receive it. Numbers with SMS pending confirmation, No SMS consent, or SMS stopped (STOP) are skipped. |
| WhatsApp campaign | Contacts who opted out or have WhatsApp turned off are skipped. |
| Pastoral inbox reply | Follows WhatsApp consent, not SMS consent. You cannot reply to a Not contactable contact or outside the 24-hour window. |
Minors do not receive campaigns directly: the message goes to their guardian, if one is on file, or is skipped.
Opt-out
SMS. If the person replies STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, BAJA, CANCELAR, CANCELAR TODO, or PARAR, their SMS consent changes to SMS stopped (STOP) and they stop receiving campaigns. Only the person can opt back in from their phone, with START or YES or a verification code.
WhatsApp. If a member replies STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, BAJA, CANCELAR, CANCELAR TODO, or PARAR, Ministrium turns off WhatsApp for that member. It also sends the acknowledgment “You’ve been unsubscribed. Reply START to re-enable.” in their language. To opt back in, the member replies START, UNSTOP, ALTA, or ACTIVAR.
Two-way conversations
Use Communications → Messaging to prepare campaigns. To handle 1:1 WhatsApp conversations, enter through /admin-church and open Communications → Pastoral inbox. The list masks each phone number except for its last four digits. From there you can reply while the 24-hour window is open. Each reply deducts credits from the church balance (AI Credits).
See WhatsApp pastoral inbox for the Window open, Window closed, and Not contactable statuses.
Costs
Every send deducts credits from the AI Credits balance. Current prices (subject to change): 1 credit per campaign SMS and 2 credits per WhatsApp message, whether from a campaign or a pastoral inbox reply. The campaign form shows the Estimated cost before you create it. See Credits and auto-recharge.