How to sell to churches: pastors, administrators, committees and the church calendar

To sell to churches, list every church in your area by denomination and size, find the person who handles your category, and lead with stewardship: what your product saves, protects or makes possible for the ministry. At a small church that person is usually the pastor; at a larger one it's the church administrator or executive pastor, with a board or committee approving bigger spends. Time it around the church calendar, and reach them before the budget is set for next year.

Who decides at a church?#

At a small church, the pastor decides with a board or finance committee approving; at a larger church, staff run their own areas and the board approves big spends. Church size matters more than denomination for who you'll talk to.

Most churches are small. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research reports a median of about 70 regular worship participants per congregation. At that size there's often one paid pastor, part-time office help and volunteers, so the pastor reads your email.

What do churches buy?#

Churches buy software, audio and video, insurance, facility services and outreach materials. The angle that works is stewardship: they're spending donated money and want to know it's well used.

If you sell cleaning or facility services, see also how to get commercial cleaning contracts.

How do I build a list of churches?#

Search Google Maps for "church" plus every denomination common in your area, merge the results and remove duplicates. A plain "church" search misses many listings that use a denomination category.

1. Pick the area. A county, a city, ZIP codes, or a shape you draw around the region you serve.
2. Search by denomination. "Baptist church", "Catholic church", "Methodist church", "Lutheran church", "Presbyterian church", "Episcopal church", "Pentecostal church", "Assemblies of God church", "Church of Christ", "nondenominational church", "evangelical church". Add other congregations if your product fits them: "synagogue", "mosque", "Hindu temple".
3. Check categories. Google Maps categories include Church, Baptist church, Catholic church, Methodist church, United Methodist church, Lutheran church, Presbyterian church and Episcopal church, among many others.
4. Search in pieces. One Google Maps search shows about 120 results, and a county can have hundreds of churches. See why Google Maps stops at 120 results.
5. Remove non-congregations. Church offices, Christian bookstores, church-run schools and thrift stores show up too. Keep them only if they fit.
6. Sort by size. Use reviews as a size proxy (below).

The church lead list page has the full list of denomination terms and columns.

How do I tell a large church from a small one?#

Google Maps doesn't list attendance, so use proxies: review count, website, hours and social profiles. Churches usually don't file a Form 990 either. The IRS says churches that meet section 501(c)(3) requirements are automatically considered tax exempt and aren't required to file an annual return, so there's often no public financial record to check.

What should I pitch a church?#

Lead with stewardship and ministry, not features. A pastor wants to know your product helps people, protects the church, or frees volunteers to do something else.

• Software and giving: hours of volunteer and staff time saved each week, and easier giving for members who don't carry cash.
• Audio and video: clearer sound in the room and a reliable livestream for members at home. Offer a free sound check or system assessment on a weekday.
• Insurance: what's covered and what isn't, in plain words. Boards care about liability and child-safety coverage.
• Facilities: safety, reliability and lower bills. Large old buildings often have expensive HVAC and roof problems.
• Websites and marketing: visitors finding the church and knowing what to expect on their first Sunday.

Be honest about price. Churches compare quotes, and many have a member who works in your trade and will check your numbers.

When is the best time to reach a church?#

Tuesday through Thursday, mid-morning. Sunday is the busiest day, the day before is preparation, and many pastors take a weekday off, often Monday. Seasonally, avoid the weeks before Easter and Christmas.

These windows are common practice, not measured results. Use the hours column for office hours.

Budget timing matters. Many churches set next year's budget in the fall, and a board or finance committee approves it. If your product needs a budget line, reach them in late summer so it can be included.

The church office is the gatekeeper. Often it's a part-time secretary or a volunteer. Be kind, brief and clear about what you sell, and ask who handles it.

What should the email say? A short script#

Under 100 words, warm and specific, with a small ask. These templates use Leadraft export columns as merge fields: {{business}}, {{city}}, {{category}}.

Email 1: audio, video or livestream#

Subject: Sunday sound at {{business}}

Hello,

I help churches around {{city}} with sound, video and
livestreaming. Most of what we do is making the system you
already have work better, not selling a new one.

Could I come by on a weekday for a free 30-minute sound check
and send you a short written summary?

[Name] · [Company] · [Postal address]
Not interested? Reply "no" and I won't write again.

Email 1: software, insurance or services#

Subject: [category] for {{business}}

Hello Pastor,

We work with {{category}} congregations in {{city}} on
[specific job]. For a church like yours it usually means
[one concrete, honest benefit].

If it would help before your next budget, I can send a
one-page summary and a quote. Would that be useful?

[Name] · [Company] · [Postal address] · Reply "no" to opt out.

How many times should I follow up?#

Three follow-ups over about four weeks, gentle and useful. Churches dislike pressure.

What rules apply to outreach to churches?#

Churches are nonprofits, but your email to them is still a commercial message, so CAN-SPAM applies: accurate sender information and subject lines, a physical postal address and a working opt-out honored within 10 business days. Calls to church offices are mostly outside the National Do Not Call Registry, but the TCPA's consent rules cover autodialed or prerecorded calls and texts to cell phones, and small churches often list the pastor's cell. Google's Maps Platform terms restrict scraping and building lists from Maps content, a contract issue separate from these laws. See cold email laws and get legal advice for your situation.

Worked example: churches in North Carolina#

The Census Bureau counted 8,995 religious organizations with paid employees in North Carolina in 2023 (NAICS 813110). Many small congregations have no paid staff and aren't in that count, so a Google Maps list will usually be larger.

Assumptions, for illustration only: a statewide search across denominations returns about 14,000 church listings after deduplication, about 60% have a website, and you take out one checked email for 4,000 of them in the first month.

An AV company serving one metro needs far less: the Starter plan at $19 a month covers 25,000 businesses and 1,000 checked emails. Accept-all and invalid grades don't use checked-email credits, and churches outside your area are never charged. See pricing.

If you'd rather not build church lists by hand, Leadraft finds every church of the denominations you choose inside the area you pick, with reviews, social links and checked emails. Try it on the free plan, or see the columns on the church lead list page.

FAQ#

How do I sell to churches?#

List every church in your area by denomination and size, find the person who handles your category (the pastor at a small church, the church administrator or executive pastor at a larger one), and lead with stewardship: what it saves, what it protects, or how it helps the ministry. Expect a committee or board to approve larger spends, and time your outreach around the church calendar and budget season.

Who makes purchasing decisions at a church?#

At a small church, the pastor usually decides, often with a board or finance committee approving. Larger churches have an executive pastor or church administrator who runs operations and vendors, a facilities manager, and a worship or technical director for audio and video. Some denominations handle certain purchases, such as insurance or property, at a regional level.

How many churches are there in the US?#

The Hartford Institute for Religion Research estimates roughly 373,000 religious congregations in the US, and the 2020 US Religion Census counted 356,642. The Census Bureau counted 186,801 religious organizations with paid employees in 2023 (NAICS 813110). The median congregation has about 70 regular worship participants.

When is the best time to contact a pastor?#

Tuesday to Thursday, mid-morning. Avoid Sundays, the day before and after major services, and the weeks around Easter and Christmas. Many pastors take a weekday off, often Monday. For anything that needs budget, reach them before the church sets next year's budget, which many churches do in the fall.

Do churches file tax returns I can use to qualify them?#

Usually not. The IRS says churches that meet section 501(c)(3) requirements are automatically considered tax exempt and are not required to file an annual return, so there's often no Form 990 to look up. That's one reason a list built from Google Maps, with size signals like reviews and website, is useful for churches.

Sources#

1. Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Fast Facts about American Religion (about 373,000 congregations; median of 70 regular participants).
2. Internal Revenue Service, Churches, integrated auxiliaries and conventions or associations of churches.
3. U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 813110, religious organizations, by state).
4. Federal Trade Commission, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business.
5. Federal Communications Commission, Stop unwanted robocalls and texts.
6. Google, Google Maps Platform Terms of Service.