What are the best email and texting platforms for publishing service updates and event info at a multisite church?

For a multisite church, the best platforms are usually the ones that can do targeted communication by campus, group, ministry, and volunteer role without becoming hard to manage. Here are the strongest options, grouped by use case.

Best all-around church communication platforms

1. Planning Center + Church Center

Best for: churches already using Planning Center for services, people, groups, or check-in.

Why it’s strong:

• Great for segmented email and texting
• Ties communication to people, groups, and serving teams
• Easy to target by campus, ministry, or role
• Good member-facing experience through the Church Center app

Limitations:

• Texting/email features are good, but not the most advanced marketing-style tools
• Best if your church already lives in Planning Center

Ideal for: multisite churches that want church operations and communication in one ecosystem.

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2. Subsplash

Best for: churches that want a polished app, messaging, media, and giving in one place.

Why it’s strong:

• Strong church app + communication combination
• Good for push notifications, email, and texting
• Useful for promoting events, sermons, and campus-specific updates
• Works well if you want a more modern digital front door for your church

Limitations:

• Can be more platform than some churches need
• Best value when you use the broader ecosystem, not just messaging

Ideal for: multisite churches wanting an integrated app experience.

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3. Breeze ChMS

Best for: smaller-to-mid-sized churches that want simple, affordable communication.

Why it’s strong:

• Easy to use
• Built-in email and texting
• Straightforward group and people segmentation
• Good for churches that want less complexity

Limitations:

• Not as powerful for advanced multisite workflows
• Fewer enterprise-level features

Ideal for: churches that want a simple system and don’t need a lot of automation.

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4. TouchPoint

Best for: larger churches or churches with strong data/segmentation needs.

Why it’s strong:

• Very capable communication and database tools
• Strong segmentation and workflow possibilities
• Can handle more complex multisite structures

Limitations:

• More complex to implement and maintain
• Usually requires more staff training

Ideal for: multisite churches with more administrative sophistication.

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Best dedicated texting platforms

If your main need is high-quality texting, these are the top choices:

5. Text In Church

Best for: church texting, follow-up, and conversation-based communication.

Why it’s strong:

• Excellent for real-time texting
• Great for follow-up after events
• Helps with personalized conversation threads
• Easier than many ChMS texting tools

Limitations:

• Email isn’t the main strength
• Not a full church management system

Ideal for: churches that want texting to feel personal and organized.

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6. Avochato

Best for: churches needing conversational texting at scale.

Why it’s strong:

• Strong two-way texting
• Good team inbox and automation
• Useful for event follow-up, prayer requests, or response-based messaging

Limitations:

• More of a general business texting platform
• Less church-specific than Text In Church

Ideal for: churches that want robust texting workflows and team collaboration.

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Best dedicated email platforms

If you want better email design, automations, and analytics than most church systems provide:

7. Mailchimp

Best for: churches that want easy, polished email campaigns.

Why it’s strong:

• Easy to create attractive emails
• Strong automation and reporting
• Familiar interface
• Good for service updates, event launches, and newsletters

Limitations:

• Not church-specific
• Segmentation depends on how well you keep your list organized
• Texting is not its core strength

Ideal for: churches with strong communication teams that want better email marketing tools.

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8. Constant Contact

Best for: simple, reliable church email marketing.

Why it’s strong:

• Easy to learn
• Good templates
• Dependable for announcements and event emails

Limitations:

• Less powerful than some platforms for advanced automation
• Not as flexible for complex multisite data structures

Ideal for: teams that want straightforward email communication.

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My short recommendations by church size/use case

If you want the best overall fit for a multisite church:

• Planning Center + Church Center
• Subsplash if you want a stronger app-centered experience

If you want the simplest option:

• Breeze ChMS

If you need advanced multisite segmentation and workflows:

• TouchPoint

If texting is your biggest need:

• Text In Church

If email campaigns are your biggest need:

• Mailchimp

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What matters most for a multisite church

Look for these features specifically:

• Campus-based segmentation
• Role-based lists for volunteers, leaders, and members
• Two-way texting
• Scheduled campaigns
• Automation for event reminders and follow-up
• Mobile-friendly viewing
• Integration with your ChMS
• Permission controls so campus staff only message their own people if needed

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Practical best-stack suggestions

Option A: Most churches

• Planning Center for data
• Church Center for member access
• Text In Church for texting
• Mailchimp for polished email

Option B: All-in-one church ecosystem

• Subsplash

Option C: Budget/simple setup

• Breeze for both email and texting

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If you want, I can also give you:

1. a side-by-side comparison table,
2. a best option by church size, or
3. a recommended stack for your specific multisite setup.