Twilio SMS Messaging Integration

Twilio is a third-party integration for ministries that wish to have their own dedicated phone number for sending SMS messages. Twilio works for sending voice messages from ChurchTrac as well. Ministries located outside of the United States will need to use Twilio SMS to send voice or text messages to their people.

Step 1: Create a Twilio Account

To send messages through Twilio, you will need to create a Twilio account. If you do not have a Twilio account, use this link to get started.

Click here to Create a Twilio Account

Proceed by providing Twilio with basic information for your ministry. You will need to verify your email address as well as a phone number to officially create your account.

Once verified, Twilio will prompt you to tell them about yourself so that you can personalize your Twilio experience. You will be using Twilio for SMS, Alert Notifications, with no code at all, and a 3rd party integration. Be sure to indicate your billing country.

Step 2: Upgrade your Twilio Account

In order to send SMS messages with the ChurchTrac Twilio integration, you will need to upgrade your Twilio account to a paid account so that you can purchase a Toll-Free number (as Twilio does not allow you to purchase a number with the initail free credit they offer). On your Twilio Dashboard, proceed in clicking the "Upgrade Account" link to add your payment information.

You need to use the billing address associated with your credit card.

If your ministry has a business tax number, proceed in providing that information as well.

Your account will need to be funded. Twilio has a minimum of $20 for funding your account. We recommend enabling automatic recharge for your account to avoid having to continuously log into Twilio to add funds.

Step 3: Purchase a Toll-Free phone number

Once you have upgraded your Twilio account, navigate back to your Twilio dashboard to Phone Numbers Buy a number. You can search for an available number that you wish to choose for your ministry.

Ministries located in the United States are urged to select a Toll-Free number, as local numbers will incur additional carrier costs that can range from $50 to $100 yearly. Churches outside of the United States do not need to use a Toll-Free Number.

Step 4: Release Your Trial Number

By default, Twilio assigns you a trial number for your trial. You will need to release that number to use your own number for your ministry. Select the active number and navigate to the link that says "Release This Number".

Step 5: Link ChurchTrac to Twilio

Now that you have a Twilio number, you can link it to your ChurchTrac Account. From your Twilio Dashboard, you will copy and paste both your Account SID and your Auth Token from Twilio to be entered into ChurchTrac.

The credentials used to link ChurchTrac and Twilio are NOT your Twilio user name and password. They are your Account SID and Auth Token as shown in the screenshot above.

In ChurchTrac, go to SETTINGS ADMIN SETTINGS VOICE AND SMS SETTINGS to paste your Account SID and Auth Token from Twilio. Once pasted, select "Validate Twilio Credentials". Your SMS number will appear once the credentials have been validated. This should happen almost immediately.

Step 6: Verify Your Account

Twilio will prompt you for further verification of your Toll-Free number in order to start using it. This process is done by Twilio to verify that your ministry is legitimate and has the proper opt-in process in place prior to using text communication.

Churches must follow the same texting guidelines as businesses. Per carrier guidelines, all businesses are required to provide proof of how they are collecting their consumer's consent. An online form is the best way to do this for churches. Click HERE to view an example of a form card you can easily create in Church Connect.

Step 7: Send a Test Message

After you have verified your Twilio SMS number and have opted-in, you are ready to send a test SMS message. Proceed in sending a text message to yourself from ChurchTrac Messaging.

Twilio Troubleshooting

When sending/receiving messages with the Twilio Messaging Integration, here are a few solutions to common problems:

Insufficient Funds

If your account has insufficient funds, you will NOT be able to send or receive messages through the Twilio Messaging Integration. Navigate to the "Billing" option on the top right of your Twilio Console to resolve this.

Incorrect Account SID or Auth Token

In order to Validate your Twilio Account with ChurchTrac, the proper Account SID and Auth Token need to be pasted into your ChurchTrac "Voice and SMS Settings" configuration. Ensure that there are no added dashes, spaces, or additional characters when you paste your Twilio credentials.

Missing or Incorrect Webhook

By default, ChurchTrac should automatically insert a messaging webhook into your number configuration. To check this in your Twilio Account, navigate to Phone Numbers Manage Active Numbers. Your messaging webhook should be displayed as "https://www.churchtrac.com/twilio_webhook"

If this webhook is not displayed, edit your webhook by selecting your number and updating the webhook settings under MESSAGING as shown below:

Tip

Text for FREE

Is your church a 501(c)3 organization? If so, you could qualify for a $500 credit with Twilio messaging by verifying your organization with Techsoup.

For more info, including steps to apply for this credit, read this post.