The $100 Million Opportunity Armenian Churches Cannot Afford to Waste

For decades, the Armenian Church in America has relied on tradition to carry it forward. But tradition, without renewal, becomes fragile.  And across parishes nationwide, fragility has taken root.  Attendance has withered. Many generations are largely absent.  And church leadership, often overburdened, struggles to innovate.  Khachkar Studios believes the time for small fixes is over.  With the introduction of a $100 million strategic plan, it is offering churches not just aid—but a lifeline.

The initiative is powered by the “U.S. Armenian Christian Ecosystem 12 Body Parts,” a comprehensive systems model created from 69 years of historical data.  This model evaluates twelve interconnected Body Parts of a thriving church community, including philanthropic support, religious content across the spectrum of media, regular Sunday attendance, school students, bible studies, management, and leadership training.

The results of the assessment were staggering.  11 of the 12 Body Parts are underperforming, with many Armenian churches ranking at the lowest level nationally across core metrics.  In some cases, parishes report no Bible study offerings, no high value-add role model focused programs, and minimal digital presence.  The conclusion: decline is not accidental—it’s systemic.

To address this, Khachkar Studios is partnering with up to 37 churches and ministries across the country.  Each will receive $300,000 to $400,000 in multiyear funding to execute a reform strategy built from an eight-activity menu.  Churches can select efforts that best suit their weaknesses, such as digital discipleship, storytelling initiatives, high value-add role model focused content studios, or new spiritual formation modules.

Importantly, churches won’t go it alone.  Khachkar Studios is providing 5,000 hours of pro bono senior-level management support, to help guide implementation, assist with project planning, impact evaluation, and real-time corrections to ensure each church moves forward with clarity.

The plan also includes three precise benchmarked goals: double the number of “Faithful” weekly churchgoers, from 12,894 to 27,847, expand daily Bible readership from 1,000 to 41,423, and achieve a 6.1x SROI (social return on investment).  These goals, while ambitious, are treated not as ideal outcomes, but as minimum targets tied directly to funding and progress tracking.

Another pillar of the initiative is the “Good News” media campaign.  Khachkar will invest heavily in digital Christian content, including seven “Good News” workstreams:  1. Short-clips, 2. Podcasts, 3. Analyses, 4. Written Content, 5. Events, 6. News, and 7. Music, at 25 times the output of all other Armenian Christian institutions combined.  These media will help the Church meet people where they are—on screens, in feeds, and online.

If churches embrace the plan with courage and resolve, they may find themselves not simply saved from decline, but propelled into a new era of growth.  But the opportunity, like the moment, will not last forever.