#United States #Washington, D.C. #Khachkar Studios #Good News #Armenian Churches

Khachkar Studios Unveils $10 Million Support for Armenian Churches

On April 11, 2025, Khachkar Studios made a significant announcement from Washington, D.C. regarding their commitment to support U.S. Armenian churches with an unprecedented investment exceeding $10 million. This initiative is designed to enhance the churches' ability to empower Christian role models through a robust educational and training framework, referred to as Good News.

Selection of Pilot Churches

The funds will be allocated to a select group of pilot churches, chosen from a shortlist of 37 U.S. Armenian congregations. These churches are expected to implement effective strategies for training and retention of church members, achieving over 90% retention rates. The selection will be guided by the performance of these churches across eight key activities identified in the Pilot Briefing Packet, ensuring a focus on best practices and management excellence.

The Parable of the Talents

Khachkar Studios' approach to this investment is inspired by the biblical parable of the talents, which underscores the responsibility of utilizing resources effectively. The organization believes that significant support comes with an equally significant obligation to produce positive outcomes. Hence, they are committed to ensuring that every dollar spent not only meets the expectations of stakeholders but also returns meaningful social value.

To ascertain that their investments generate substantial impact, the studios will continually assess the Social Return on Investment (SROI) of their initiatives, drawing comparisons with both Armenian and non-Armenian benchmarks.

Financial Impact on Churches

Each selected church will receive an estimated annual financial support of $40,000, with larger churches potentially receiving up to $80,000. This financial support is strategically significant; it equates to nearly 100 days of average Sunday plate and candle donations, and represents nearly 16% of the average annual spending for the churches involved. Such funding is projected to motivate and transform the operational capabilities of these religious institutions.

Key Performance Indicators

In emphasizing the improvement of non-holiday service attendance, Khachkar Studios is directing their efforts towards increasing what's termed Non-Holiday Badarak Faithful (NHBF). Current estimates suggest that merely 13,000 individuals, or about 3% of the Armenian population in the U.S., attend these services—a statistic indicating room for growth.

The organization has identified performance gaps in the current church attendance rates and media outreach strategies. They aim to significantly increase the visibility and engagement of these churches using strategic media investments, projected to surpass the combined advertising budgets of all Armenian religious organizations in the U.S. by more than 25 times.

Strategic Workstreams

Khachkar Studios has outlined seven workstreams to systematically implement their goals:
1. Short clips
2. Podcasts
3. Analysis
4. Written content
5. Events
6. News distribution
7. Music production

These workstreams will be crucial in the development of the eight activities that qualify for financial support, including initiatives for spreading the Armenian Christian narrative, providing advanced training for church leaders, and boosting outreach through more home visits.

Commitment and Engagement

Each church is encouraged to devote six hours per week to engage in these activities, supported by mobile apps that streamline their workflow. The Pilot Briefing Packet also includes a comprehensive analysis of all shortlisted candidate churches, ranked by their performance gaps—all aimed at informing and optimizing the selection process.

In summary, this groundbreaking investment by Khachkar Studios marks a transformative venture for U.S. Armenian churches, aimed at revitalizing community involvement and enhancing the spiritual and educational role these institutions play. For more information on this initiative, interested parties are encouraged to visit Khachkar Studios’ Website.

Khachkar Studios is a multichannel platform dedicated to uplifting Christian role models via educational training strategies and is affiliated with the Charles and Agnes Kazarian Foundation.