Cedar Hills, a vibrant church in picturesque North Idaho, used innovative ways to connect with its adventurous and outdoors-loving community. Along the way, they transformed how they connected relationally with their people and even increased giving by a remarkable 20%. 

Here’s how they did it.

Email & Sunday Stage Announcements Just Didn’t Get the Job Done.

Before adopting Gloo+, Cedar Hills relied on traditional communication methods like email and Sunday stage announcements. Like many churches, they considered these tier-one platforms. However, after decades of success and despite their efforts, email engagement only reached a limited percentage of the congregation, and younger families were almost impossible to reach.

As open rates slipped from 42% to 34% and sometimes lower, Ceder Hills knew they needed a more effective way to engage and nurture their congregation, particularly between Sunday services.

Like every great ministry, Ceder Hills knew that effective communication is essential, and with numbers slipping, they took action.

Texting & Storytelling Increased Giving & Engagement as Much as 2x. 

In February, Communications Director Melanie Hoggin at Cedar Hills, who joined a year prior, read a stat that changed the communication approach at Ceder Hills forever. Melanie read: “SMS is the new frontier. It has a 98% open rate and average response time around 3 minutes.”

Armed with this information and her determination to reach and engage the congregation, Melanie took the bold step of introducing Gloo+ texting into the communication strategy. 

By pairing this powerful tool with their church’s storytelling approach, Melanie found a way to not only engage more people but also create a more relational, ongoing conversation with them.

Key Campaign: The 90-Day Giving Challenge

Their lead pastor taught a four-week giving sermon series that ended by inviting members to participate in a 90-day giving challenge. To keep people engaged, Melanie set up a 12-week SMS campaign. 

Here’s what Melanie sent over the course of  12 weeks:

• Every Monday
  Melanie scheduled a short text from the pastor with a, two-minute video encouraging the congregation in their giving journey.
  
  
• Every Wednesday
  Melanie sent a follow-up text from a coach providing additional support and encouragement.
  
  
• Every Friday
  Melanie shared a recap that highlighted challenges and wins from congregation members.

This strategy gave the challenge a personal feel, and fostered a sense of community and encouragement. People even responded via text to share their struggles or successes in a way that inspired others.

“Pastors have teaching gifts, and when you pair powerful technology with a powerful message, it's pretty unstoppable, and people super resonate,” Melanie remarked.

The impact was stunning—95% of the people who joined the challenge completed it, and their giving over those three months exceeded their entire giving from the previous year.

Second Campaign: The Exiles Sermon Series

After the success of the giving campaign, Ceder Hills knew they were onto something and used a similar approach with their Exiles sermon series.

This series was designed to prepare congregants to navigate polarizing cultural moments. A series the pastor described  as “the most important series in 20 years.”

Because she knew how important the series was, Melanie wanted to ensure the pastor’s message got out. So every Saturday night she used Gloo+ texting to send out teasers before each Sunday service. These short texts provided a sneak peek into the next message, and created a sense of anticipation for congregants. 

As a result, attendance spiked during the series and remained consistently high, even through the summer months, which are notorious for lower attendance.

A Small Adjustment Yielded Increased Giving & Deeper Connections

As a result of their Gloo+ texting campaigns Ceder Hills increased attendance and giving by 20% and members say they felt a deeper connection to their church and pastor.

One member said, “The ongoing communication and simple short videos kept us engaged throughout the week, not just on Sundays. We felt like we had direct access to the pastor and the weekly prayers and updates made us feel like we were personally cared for.” 

Results Highlights

• 20% increase in giving during the 90-day challenge.
  
  
• 20% growth in attendance during the Exiles series, with numbers staying high afterward.
  
  
• 95% completion rate for the giving challenge, with participants giving more in three months than the previous year combined.

Key Takeaways for Other Churches

For churches looking to adopt texting as a communication tool, Melanie offers some valuable tips:

• Start Small
  You don’t need a production crew or complicated videos. Start with simple, relational texts from your pastor or ministry leaders.
  
  
• Be Relational
  People respond to personal messages. Even short videos or heartfelt texts can make a big impact.
  
  
• Leverage Key Moments
  Use texting for significant campaigns or sermon series to build anticipation and keep people engaged throughout.

Cedar Hills’ success with Gloo+ shows that when you combine powerful technology with a clear, personal message, the results can be transformative.

Communication & Engagement Will Never Be the Same

Cedar Hills Church transformed their communication and engagement with Gloo+, and took their ministry to new heights. Between major increases in attendance and giving Gloo+ texting enabled real change.

Most important of all, Ceder Hills continues to use texting to build deeper connections with their congregation. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about the numbers—it’s about bringing people closer to the heart of the church’s mission.