$100 Million Strategy Aims to Rebuild Armenian Church from Ground Up
The warning signs have been visible for years—empty pews, disengaged generations, a
drop in weekly services, and a digital silence that contrasts starkly with a hyper-connected
world. The Armenian Church in the United States has weathered generations of adversity,
but in recent decades, the enemy has not been persecution—it’s been irrelevance.
Khachkar Studios is now putting forth the boldest solution ever attempted in the diaspora:
a $100 million initiative to fix the Armenian Christian ecosystem by building from the
ground up.
This initiative is not grounded in vague hopes or idealism. At its foundation is a detailed
systems model called the “U.S. Armenian Christian Ecosystem 12 Body Parts.”
Developed using 69 years of historical data, the framework identifies twelve key areas
required for a thriving church. These include philanthropic support, religious content across
the spectrum of media, regular Sunday attendance, school students, bible studies,
management, and leadership training.
The findings were sobering. Across Armenian churches in the U.S., 11 out of the 12 Body
Parts are significantly underperforming, often ranking among the lowest deciles
compared to peer denominations. Many parishes lack a single full-time outreach
coordinator, have no structured approach to Bible teaching, and operate without any digital
evangelism tools. Khachkar’s diagnosis is clear: this isn’t just decline—it’s systemic failure.
To counteract this, Khachkar will launch a five-year pilot program supporting up to 37
Armenian churches or ministries. Each participant will receive $300,000 to $400,000 in
funding. But money alone won’t be the solution. Each church must select reform strategies
from an eight-activity “Pilot Menu,” addressing their weakest systems. These activities
include creating digital outreach programs, launching Bible engagement campaigns,
producing social media content, and training lay leaders to lead ministry groups effectively.
Critically, this is not a one-and-done grant. Every church will be partnered with 5,000 hours
of senior management pro bono support with world-class benchmarking and management
excellence. These will provide diagnostics, help with planning and implementation, and
track key performance indicators throughout the five-year span.
Khachkar Studios has set bold targets: double weekly attendance among the “Faithful”,
growing from 12,894 to 27,847, increase daily Bible readers from just 1,000 to 41,423,
and achieve a 6.1x Social Return on Investment (SROI).
Equally important is communication. Khachkar’s “Good News” initiative will create modern,
digital Christian content at a volume 25 times greater than the combined output of all other
Armenian Christian organizations in the U.S. This will include seven “Good News”
workstreams: 1. Short-clips, 2. Podcasts, 3. Analyses, 4. Written Content, 5. Events, 6.
News, and 7. Music; and will be critical to re-engaging lost high value-add role model and
delivering faith into the digital space.
This is not a rescue operation. It is a reconstruction—measured, managed, and mission-
driven. With $100 million on the table, the Armenian Church now faces a historic choice:
continue decline, or rise again on a foundation rebuilt with precision.
