How does market orientation affect church participation? An empirical examination

Over the recent years, the concept of market orientation has become an attractive avenue for research in marketing. However, despite an array of theories, a systematic framework investigating the role of market orientation in non-profit organizations remains limited. Through the integration of concepts from church participation and marketing literature, the study put forth a comprehensive model that describes the role of market orientation in church participation phenomenon. The study found support for the positive association between 'perceived market orientation' and respondents' extent of participation in church-related activities. Most studies in religious participation observed church participation as initiated by religious antecedents such as beliefs, motives, and valued outcomes, whereas a very limited number of empirical studies have been devoted to examine the role of market orientation in religious participation. The present study aims to contribute to the body of literature in non-profit marketing through an examination of the role of market orientation in encouraging participation. Whereas the term 'religious participation' is diverse in nature, the present study focuses on participation in Christian churches as the research context. Consequently, the term 'church participation' and 'religious participation' is used interchangeably in this article.