Khachkar Studios has launched a major new phase of its $100 million nationwide Judeo-Christian revitalization initiative by directing $10 million straight to the “Faithful” of the Armenian Eastern Diocese to strengthen Armenian Christian life across the Diocese. Supported by 5,000 senior management hours invested in its Biblically inspired, good news, world-class benchmarking and management excellence “Framework,” the initiative applies a bottom-up structure that distributes support directly to individuals and parishes rather than relying solely on institutional leadership, with the goal of doubling weekly Armenian church attendance from 3 percent to 6 percent and raising parish Social Return on Investment through transparent, measurable, and community-driven reforms.
Khachkar Studios emphasizes that this direct-to-“Faithful” model is central to its broader mission to empower Judeo-Christian Faithful and advance parish revitalization and cultural continuity across Armenian communities. The organization frames this approach as a corrective to long-standing challenges within U.S. Armenian Christian life, strengthening local parish engagement while operationalizing its Biblically inspired world-class “Framework” to guide how communities participate in sustaining and improving their churches.
Research into 106 Armenian parishes revealed urgent challenges. Only 3 percent of Armenians attend church weekly, far fewer than community leaders have long believed. Many leaders have held a long-standing misconception that 30 percent are “Faithful,” which has obscured the need for transformational change. Khachkar Studios found that the 3 percent figure places Armenian parishes in the bottom decile of peers. Over the past two years, the organization researched and analyzed best practices across world-class benchmarks and reviewed an unparalleled number of public and non-public documents from 2019 to 2025 across the spectrum of U.S. Armenian Christian institutions.
Khachkar Studios aims to achieve 6 percent weekly attendance within five years. The organization also identified that the median Social Return on Investment of U.S. Armenian parishes is 3.7x, which is 39 percent of the 9.4x median among U.S. Orthodox peers. As part of its initiative, Khachkar Studios has set a parish SROI goal of 7.0x within five years. These goals are designed to drive measurable growth in attendance and measurable improvement in social impact.
To qualify for up to $500,000 in support over the next five years, parishes or individuals must adopt the Khachkar Studios “Framework,” which emphasizes transparency, financial discipline, and measurable progress. Those who share these goals may contact Faithful@khachkarstudios.com. Leaders at Khachkar Studios stress that transparent governance, rigorous financial discipline, and clear measurement systems are essential for sustaining parish life in an increasingly secular environment.
As part of the assessment within the “Framework,” Khachkar Studios noted that best-in-class parishes and their “Faithful” have made commendable progress. The four major organizations under the Eastern Diocese umbrella — the Diocese, the Endowment, FAR, and St. Nersess Armenian Seminary — have taken important initial steps in improving financial transparency.
Khachkar Studios has also launched a broad educational initiative to explain how financial health and organizational structure directly affect spiritual life. The organization has released explanatory videos, reports, and analyses to guide parishioners and clarify the benefits of financial discipline within the “Framework.” To support this effort, six assessments of Eastern Diocese public materials have been published, including Briefing Packet 6, a one-page summary memo, a five-minute podcast, a seven-minute video, a one-page financial overview, and a three-page donor analysis. These materials are available at khachkarstudios.com.
Khachkar Studios is conducting a comprehensive “Faithful” education campaign across all nineteen Armenian news outlets and major U.S. media platforms, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Sun Sentinel, Detroit Free Press, The North Jersey Record, and Chicago Tribune. The organization also plans to expand its media outreach to spotlight the initiative’s progress and results as programs develop.
Community response is building. Many parish members see the investment as a long-awaited acknowledgment that revitalization requires direct engagement with the people who show up each week. Others hope the initiative will help younger Armenians reconnect with their spiritual and cultural heritage. Many across the Eastern Diocese view the project as an opportunity to address long-standing challenges, attract younger families, and build a stronger sense of belonging within parish life.
By directing funds straight to the “Faithful,” Khachkar Studios signals its belief that the future of Armenian Christian life depends not only on institutions, but on the lived commitment of those who participate, volunteer, and sustain their churches each week.
