Church marketing: how to reach US congregations

If you run a church and want to grow attendance, the short section near the end is for you.

How many churches can you sell to?

Between 356,642 and about 373,000 congregations of all faiths, depending on the source. The 2020 U.S. Religion Census, run by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB), counted 356,642 congregations reported by 372 religious bodies (USRC 2020). The Hartford Institute for Religion Research estimates roughly 373,000 congregations, about 335,000 of them Protestant and other Christian churches and 23,000 Catholic and Orthodox (Hartford Institute).

Map data gives a higher figure. Overture Maps places (release of 2026-09-23) has ~442,000 church locations listed on public maps in the 50 states and DC. That count is an upper bound: it includes closed churches that kept their listing, churches listed twice and separate buildings of one congregation. The full comparison is on how many churches are in the US.

What do map listings say about denomination?

Map listings say little about denomination. 69% of church listings carry only a generic tag, so map categories can't replace a denomination field.

Map category tags of church listings (other faiths left out), as their sources gave them. Overture Maps places, release of 2026-09-23. Contains data from Overture Maps Foundation, licensed under CDLA Permissive 2.0.

If your product fits one tradition, such as a Catholic parish system or a curriculum for one denomination, start from that body's own directory or the church's website, not the map tag. Baptist is the largest named tag on the map, and many Baptist churches still carry the generic one.

Where are churches most common?

Churches are most common per resident in the South. The table shows the states and DC with the most church locations on the map per 100,000 residents.

Map listings per 100,000 residents (US Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025), Overture Maps places. Mississippi has 328.4 church locations per 100,000 people and Alabama 278.8, against 75.9 in California. State pages compare each state's map count with its census count, for example Mississippi and Alabama.

For a field sales team or a regional campaign, look at the rate per resident as well as the total.

Who decides at a church?

At a small church, the senior pastor usually decides, often with a lay board or a few volunteers. A larger church has staff: an executive pastor or church administrator for operations, software and facilities, a worship or media director for audio-visual gear, and a finance committee for anything that needs a budget line.

What that means when you write to a church:

• The office inbox is often read by one person, a part-time administrator or the pastor. Short, plain emails work better than designed newsletters.
• Spending often needs a vote. Building work, a new management system or insurance can go to a board or the congregation. Give the contact something they can bring to the meeting.
• Denominations can matter. Some churches buy certain services, such as insurance, through their denomination or diocese. Find out whether a church buys alone before you pitch it.
• Size sets the budget. With a median of 70 regular participants, most churches are small organizations with small budgets. Price and set up your product for that, or target the larger churches deliberately.

Why is church data harder to find than other nonprofit data?

Churches don't file the annual returns that other charities file. The IRS says churches that meet the section 501(c)(3) requirements are automatically considered tax exempt, aren't required to apply for recognition, and aren't required to file an annual return (IRS). So the Form 990 data that sizes other nonprofits by revenue mostly doesn't exist for churches, and IRS lists miss many of them.

That leaves three public sources: denominational directories, map listings and church websites. 77% of the church listings on the map carry a website, and a church's own site is usually where it publishes its office email.

What a good church list contains

Emails to churches are commercial email under CAN-SPAM when you are selling something. Each message needs accurate headers, an honest subject line, your postal address and a working opt-out (FTC); our guide is buying an email list legal? covers the rules.

Our church email list has one row per church location, with the email the church publishes on its website and the page where we found it. You can order it nationwide or by state.

If you are marketing your own church

The same facts help a church that wants to reach its neighbours. Check that your map listing has the right name, address, service times and website, because people searching for a church nearby often see the listing before they see your website. Put your office email and service times on your own website, and keep them current.

What this guide can't tell you

• How many churches are open today. Map listings keep some closed churches, and the census is from 2020.
• A church's budget or attendance. Churches don't file annual returns, and no public source measures attendance church by church.
• Denominational shares from map data. Use the census for those.

This is general information, not legal advice.