Ministry Chat: Private Team Messaging Without WhatsApp
Give every ministry team a private chat — without handing out phone numbers.
Most churches end up running their worship band, kids’ team, and volunteer rotas through WhatsApp groups. It works, but it comes with tradeoffs: every member can see everyone else’s phone number, chats live outside your church’s systems, and there’s no way to moderate what gets shared.
Ministry Chat solves this. It’s a private, in-app messaging feature built into Church Admin, so your teams can communicate without exposing personal contact details — and without adding another app to the pile.
Why churches switch from WhatsApp
- No phone numbers shared. Members see each other’s names only — never phone numbers or other contact details.
- One app for everything. Chat lives alongside your rotas, calendar, and giving — no separate app to install or manage.
- Admin oversight. Admins can see every chat and delete inappropriate messages; ordinary members only see chats for ministries they belong to.
- Auto-deleting messages. Set messages to expire after a chosen number of days, so nobody’s phone fills up with years of old chat history.
- Image attachments. Share rota changes, sheet music, or photos directly in the thread.
- General + ministry-specific channels. A church-wide chat for everyone, plus a private channel for each ministry team (worship, kids, welcome team, etc.).
Where it works
Ministry Chat is available in three places, so people can use whichever fits their workflow:
- The Our Church app — the easiest option for most members
- A shortcode on your public website — members log in to chat from any browser
- The WordPress admin area — for admins managing multiple chats
What it looks like
Browser view:
App view:
How permissions work
- Admins can see and moderate every chat across the church
- Members can only see and post in the general chat and the specific ministry chats they belong to
- There’s no way for someone to see a chat for a ministry they’re not part of
Frequently Asked Questions
Get Ministry Chat
Ministry Chat comes with every Premium subscription — small church or large.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Small Churches (under 50 people) | $50/year | Rotas, Online Giving, Our Church App, Ministry Chat, and more |
| Bigger Churches | $99/year | Same features, no size limit |