Dreams and reality church versus target groups

Abstract

Dream and reality – might this issue be applied to the Church itself? Concerning its commitment to the target customers often strictly delimited as the group of believers according to the past national traditions, we try to point out the new market trend in consumer behaviour in the area of faith. According to various studies and researches performed, the atheists seem to be basically the strongest and worldwide potential target group for the Church. Though, living in its ‘dream’, the Church seeks those who believe or are in search of themselves and the most significant target group of atheists is being ignored. However, the reality shows that the trend is quite different – the Church meets different conditions (although the need for it stays firm, both environment and culture are dynamically changing), so the Church must offer something new, something innovative to both attract and satisfy its target group. Therefore it is necessary to understand the customer’s needs, their behavioural customs, and their opinion in relation to the Church. We present the research results in this area from both qualitative and quantitative view putting emphasis on the potential benefits if considering the new view on the market. © 2019, Ecozone, OAIMDD. All rights reserved.