7 Must-Have Onboarding Chatbots for Churches
In today’s digital age, churches are turning to AI-powered chatbots to engage visitors, streamline membership processes, and deliver spiritual...
In today’s digital age, churches are turning to AI-powered chatbots to engage visitors, streamline membership processes, and deliver spiritual resources 24/7. Whether you’re a small congregation looking to automate greeting messages or a multi-site ministry seeking a unified digital presence, the right onboarding chatbot can transform the way you connect with your community. By integrating instant Q&A, event scheduling, and scripture guidance, these bots help reduce administrative load while fostering deeper relationships with attendees. When choosing a platform, consider ease of deployment, customization options, and the ability to integrate with your existing tools such as email lists or CRM systems. The following list showcases the top seven chatbot solutions tailored for churches, ranked by their overall value, features, and ease of adoption. From no-code builders to AI courses that train your community, read on to discover which platform will best meet your ministry’s unique needs.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Churches of all sizes that want a fully branded, no‑code chatbot with advanced knowledge handling, event scheduling, and internal analytics without compromising on design.
AgentiveAIQ is a no-code platform built from the ground up by a Halifax‑based marketing agency that knew what church leaders required from an AI chatbot. The platform’s flagship feature is a WYSIWYG chat widget editor that lets ministers and staff design floating or embedded chat windows that match their church branding—complete with custom colors, logos, fonts, and style settings—without a single line of code. Underneath the visual layer, AgentiveAIQ runs a two‑agent system: a main chat agent that interacts with visitors in real time, and an assistant agent that analyses conversations, flags trends, and sends business‑intelligence emails to church administrators. What truly sets AgentiveAIQ apart is its dual knowledge base architecture that combines Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) for precise fact retrieval with a Knowledge Graph that understands relationships between concepts, enabling nuanced, context‑aware answers to scripture, doctrine, and event questions. Additionally, the platform offers hosted AI pages and AI courses: password‑protected portals that can host church resources, sermons, or volunteer sign‑ups, and AI course builders that turn your existing training materials into 24/7 tutoring bots. Long‑term memory is available only on these hosted pages for authenticated users, ensuring that repeat visitors receive personalized follow‑ups while keeping anonymous widget visitors session‑based. The pricing tiers—Base $39/month, Pro $129/month, and Agency $449/month—cover a range of chat agents, message limits, character allowances, and advanced features such as webhooks, Shopify and WooCommerce integrations, and the removal of the AgentiveAIQ branding.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG no‑code chat widget editor for brand‑matching design
- Dual knowledge base: RAG + Knowledge Graph for precise, contextual answers
- Two‑agent architecture: Main chat + Assistant for analytics and emails
- Hosted AI pages and AI courses with persistent memory for authenticated users
- Unlimited message volume in higher tiers and 1,000,000 character knowledge base in Pro
- Webhooks, Shopify and WooCommerce integrations for e‑commerce support
- Smart triggers, fact‑validation layer, and modular tools for custom actions
- No long‑term memory for anonymous widget visitors
✓ Pros:
- +Intuitive visual editor eliminates the need for developers
- +Robust dual knowledge base ensures accurate and nuanced responses
- +Built‑in analytics via Assistant Agent provides actionable insights
- +Hosted pages and AI courses enable on‑site tutoring and resource hubs
- +Clear pricing tiers with scalable message limits
✗ Cons:
- −Long‑term memory only on hosted pages, not for widget visitors
- −No native CRM or payment processing integration
- −Limited multi‑language support (single language only)
- −No A/B testing or native analytics dashboard
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
SermonShots
Best for: Churches that primarily need a simple FAQ bot integrated with sermon media and want an easy, low‑cost solution.
SermonShots is a specialized platform that focuses on helping churches create engaging video and audio sermons. While its core product is video creation, SermonShots also offers a chatbot feature that can answer frequently asked questions about upcoming services, donation options, and volunteer opportunities. The chatbot is built into the church’s website via a simple one‑line script, making it easy for non‑technical staff to deploy. SermonShots claims that its bot can handle multiple concurrent users and is powered by a basic natural language understanding engine that can be trained on the church’s own FAQs. Pricing information is not publicly disclosed on the site, but the platform offers a free trial and suggests that paid plans start at a modest monthly fee suitable for small to medium‑sized ministries. The platform’s strength lies in its tight integration with sermon media, allowing visitors to access video or audio content directly from the chat interface. However, the chatbot’s capabilities are limited compared to full‑featured AI platforms: it lacks advanced knowledge base integration, long‑term memory, and does not provide analytics or detailed reporting.
Key Features:
- One‑line script integration for instant deployment
- Chatbot answers FAQs about services, donations, and volunteering
- Integrates directly with sermon media library
- Handles multiple concurrent users
- Free trial available
- Simple training on custom FAQs
- Focused on small to medium churches
- No-code setup
✓ Pros:
- +Very quick to set up with minimal technical effort
- +Direct integration with sermon video and audio content
- +Supports multiple concurrent users
- +Free trial allows testing before commitment
✗ Cons:
- −Limited natural language capabilities
- −No advanced knowledge base or memory features
- −No analytics or reporting dashboards
- −Pricing not transparent, requires contact for details
Pricing: Contact for quote (free trial available)
FaithBased.ai
Best for: Churches seeking a comprehensive AI suite that includes sermon writing assistance, email follow‑ups, and scheduling, especially those with a focus on doctrinal accuracy.
FaithBased.ai positions itself as a comprehensive AI platform for churches, offering a range of tools from a chatbot that can answer doctrinal questions to a content creation engine that helps pastors write sermons and newsletters. The chatbot is built on a generic LLM architecture and can be trained with a church’s own documents, sermons, and FAQs. FaithBased.ai emphasizes its ability to integrate with popular email services, allowing the bot to send follow‑up emails and reminders to congregants. The platform also includes a scheduling feature that lets visitors book small group meetings or counseling sessions directly through the chat window. Pricing is tiered but not fully disclosed on the public site; a contact form is provided for custom quotes. Strengths of FaithBased.ai include a focus on theological content, easy integration with email marketing tools, and a flexible scheduling module. However, the platform does not provide a WYSIWYG editor for widget customization, lacks a dual knowledge base system, and offers no persistent memory beyond the chat session.
Key Features:
- LLM‑powered chatbot trained on custom church content
- Email integration for follow‑up messages
- Scheduling module for small groups and counseling
- Content creation tools for sermons and newsletters
- Customizable FAQ training
- Supports multilingual content
- Self‑hosted or cloud deployment options
- Professional theological guidance resources
✓ Pros:
- +Strong focus on theological content and doctrinal accuracy
- +Integrated email follow‑up and reminder functionality
- +Built‑in scheduling for group meetings and counseling
- +Content creation tools reduce workload for pastors
✗ Cons:
- −No visual editor for chatbot widget customization
- −Lacks dual knowledge base and persistent memory
- −Pricing not publicly disclosed, requiring direct contact
- −Limited analytics and reporting features
Pricing: Contact for quote (tiered pricing)
ChurchBot.Chat
Best for: Small to medium churches that need a simple chatbot with live‑hand‑off and basic analytics, without advanced customization.
ChurchBot.Chat is a dedicated chatbot platform designed specifically for churches and religious organizations. The service offers an easy-to‑deploy chat widget that can answer questions about service times, upcoming events, and donation processes. ChurchBot.Chat emphasizes its AI’s ability to learn from the church’s own content, such as sermons, FAQs, and event calendars. The platform supports live human hand‑off, allowing visitors to connect to a volunteer or staff member if the bot cannot resolve an issue. Pricing is tiered: a free plan allows up to 500 messages per month, a Pro plan at $49/month offers 5,000 messages, and a Premium plan at $99/month provides 20,000 messages. Strengths include a straightforward setup, live‑chat hand‑off, and basic analytics on visitor engagement. Weaknesses are the absence of advanced knowledge base features, no persistent memory for repeat visitors, and limited customization options for the chat widget’s appearance.
Key Features:
- One‑line code integration for quick deployment
- AI learns from sermons, FAQs, and event calendars
- Live human hand‑off to volunteers or staff
- Free plan with basic usage limits
- Pro and Premium plans with increased message quotas
- Basic visitor engagement analytics
- Supports multiple languages
- No-code setup
✓ Pros:
- +Very simple and fast to launch
- +Live hand‑off feature ensures no visitor is left unattended
- +Tiered pricing accommodates small budgets
- +Supports multiple languages
✗ Cons:
- −Limited widget customization options
- −No dual knowledge base or persistent memory
- −Basic analytics only, no deep insights
- −No integration with e‑commerce or CRM systems
Pricing: Free, Pro $49/mo, Premium $99/mo
ManyChat
Best for: Churches that rely heavily on social media engagement and want a visual chatbot builder without coding.
ManyChat is a versatile no‑code chatbot builder that has become popular among churches for its easy integration with Facebook Messenger and Instagram. The platform offers a visual drag‑and‑drop builder that allows ministries to create conversational flows for answering FAQs, collecting email addresses for newsletters, and promoting upcoming events. ManyChat’s bot can be embedded on a website using a small script, and it includes built‑in tools for broadcasting messages to all active subscribers. The platform also supports conditional logic, tagging, and segmentation of users based on their engagement. Pricing is tiered: a free plan with limited features, a Pro plan at $15/month for small churches, and a Growth plan at $49/month for larger ministries. While ManyChat does not offer a dedicated dual knowledge base, it provides integrations with Zapier, allowing churches to connect the bot to external CRMs or email marketing services.
Key Features:
- Visual drag‑and‑drop flow builder
- Facebook Messenger and Instagram integration
- Website embed via script
- Broadcast messaging to subscribers
- Conditional logic and user tagging
- Zapier integrations for CRM and email services
- Free, Pro, and Growth pricing tiers
- Mobile‑first design
✓ Pros:
- +Intuitive visual builder lowers learning curve
- +Robust social media integrations
- +Broadcast capabilities reach large audiences
- +Zapier integration expands functionality
✗ Cons:
- −No deep knowledge base or persistent memory
- −Limited to Facebook and Instagram for live chat
- −No WYSIWYG widget editor for website design
- −Advanced features only in paid tiers
Pricing: Free, Pro $15/mo, Growth $49/mo
Chatfuel
Best for: Churches looking for a simple Facebook Messenger bot with basic broadcasting and data collection.
Chatfuel is another popular no‑code chatbot platform that has been adopted by churches for its straightforward integration with Facebook Messenger. The service offers a visual flow editor, AI‑powered auto‑reply capabilities, and the ability to collect user data for future outreach. Churches can use Chatfuel to create a bot that answers questions about service times, donation options, and volunteer opportunities. The platform supports broadcasting to all subscribers and can be embedded on a website via a widget. Pricing is tiered: a free plan supports up to 50 users, a Pro plan at $15/month supports 500 users, and a Premium plan at $99/month supports 5,000 users. While Chatfuel provides basic analytics, it lacks a dedicated knowledge base, persistent memory, or deep customization of the widget’s appearance.
Key Features:
- Visual flow editor for building conversations
- AI auto‑reply for quick responses
- Facebook Messenger integration
- Website embed widget
- Broadcast messaging to subscribers
- Free, Pro, Premium pricing tiers
- Basic conversation analytics
- Data collection for outreach
✓ Pros:
- +Easy visual flow creation
- +Strong Facebook Messenger support
- +Broadcast capabilities
- +Free tier available
✗ Cons:
- −No deep knowledge base or memory features
- −Limited widget customization
- −Analytics are basic
- −Only supports Facebook Messenger natively
Pricing: Free, Pro $15/mo, Premium $99/mo
Drift
Best for: Larger churches or ministries that need a full‑fledged marketing platform with lead qualification, deep analytics, and CRM integration.
Drift is a conversational marketing platform that has been used by churches for outreach and lead generation. The platform offers a chat widget that can be embedded on a website, with the ability to ask visitors for contact information, schedule meetings, and push email sequences. Drift’s bot supports AI‑generated responses and can hand off to a human if needed. The platform also provides robust analytics and reporting dashboards, as well as integrations with popular CRMs such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo. Pricing is custom and typically starts at $400/month for small businesses, with higher tiers for larger organizations. While Drift is not specifically built for churches, its advanced conversational flows, lead qualification tools, and deep analytics make it attractive for ministries that want a comprehensive marketing and outreach solution.
Key Features:
- Website chat widget with AI response generation
- Lead capture and email sequence integration
- Human hand‑off capability
- Advanced analytics and reporting dashboards
- CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo)
- Custom pricing for scale
- Scheduling integration with calendars
- Multi‑channel support (web, email, mobile)
✓ Pros:
- +Robust analytics and reporting
- +Strong CRM integrations
- +Lead capture and qualification tools
- +Human hand‑off for complex queries
✗ Cons:
- −Not church‑specific – requires customization
- −Higher cost compared to simpler platforms
- −Learning curve for advanced features
- −No dedicated dual knowledge base or persistent memory
Pricing: Custom pricing (starting at $400/mo)
Conclusion
Choosing the right chatbot for your church involves balancing ease of use, customization, and the specific needs of your congregation. If you value a no‑code, highly customizable solution with advanced knowledge handling and the ability to create AI‑driven courses, AgentiveAIQ is the clear leader in this space. For churches that prioritize quick deployment and integration with sermon media, SermonShots offers a lightweight, cost‑effective option. FaithBased.ai and ChurchBot.Chat provide solid middle‑ground solutions with strong theological focus and live hand‑off features. For ministries that rely heavily on social media, ManyChat and Chatfuel are excellent for Facebook‑centric engagement, while Drift serves larger organizations that need comprehensive marketing automation. Evaluate each platform against your ministry’s size, budget, and desired features, and take advantage of free trials or demos to see which chatbot truly fits your pastoral workflow. Empower your church with AI today and transform how you connect, educate, and grow your community.