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Case Study

St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology

St. Paul Center website pages and analytics charts
Services

Building a Year-Round Membership Engine for a Catholic Ministry

+252%
growth in Shopify membership sales vs. the previous period, now in the millions
1,046
membership purchases across paid channels in January 2026
$19.59
cost per membership vs. a $46 target
$9.66K/mo
Google Ad Grant spend, up from a single campaign
+127%
year-over-year growth in searches for "St. Paul Center"
Intro

The Client

St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology is a Catholic ministry that makes Scripture study accessible to everyday Catholics. Its All-Access Membership ($25/month or $199/year) gives members Bible studies, video courses, and teaching from scholars like Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. John Bergsma. Bend has managed SPC’s paid media since September 2025.

Problem

The Problem

  • Memberships needed a steady, efficient engine. SPC was spending over $13K a month on Google Ads, but no campaigns were dedicated to memberships. The goal was a cost per new member under $46.
  • Free advertising was going unused. SPC’s $10K/month Google Ad Grant ran a single campaign.
  • Tracking couldn’t be trusted. Sales sources were getting lost between the website and Shopify, so it was hard to tell which ads brought in members.
  • Catholic advertisers face extra rules. Google limits targeting by religious affiliation, so the usual audience tactics were off the table.

Google Ad Grant spend by month
From one campaign to near-full Grant spend: Google Ad Grant spend by month. Source: Google Ads.

Solution

How We Solved It

  • Fixed measurement first. We rebuilt conversion tracking (Google Tag Manager, GA4, and server-side Meta tracking at 100% event coverage) and set up one dashboard comparing Meta, Google, and Shopify. That way every decision was based on real numbers.
  • Planned around the Church year. Campaigns follow the liturgical calendar: Advent, Lent, Easter, and year-round membership. We put more budget behind the moments when people are most engaged, like Ash Wednesday.
  • Tested creative all the time. Short scholar-led videos and real-people testimonials beat graphic-led ads. We cut weak ads and moved budget to the winners each month.
  • Put the Ad Grant to work. We moved branded search into the Grant account. We also built campaigns around topics SPC already teaches on its blog, like biblical figures, the Rosary, and purgatory.
  • Supported the whole mission. Small, focused campaigns promoted SPC’s conferences, clergy events, books, the 25th Anniversary Gala (including a promo video with Fr. Mike Schmitz), and the new SPC App.

Membership subscriptions tracked in Shopify and GA4
Membership subscriptions tracked in Shopify and GA4.

Results

The Results

  • Shopify membership sales up 252% vs. the previous period (Sept 2025 – Sept 2026), now millions in membership sales
  • 1,046 membership purchases in January 2026 at $19.59 each, less than half the $46 target
  • Google Ad Grant grew from one campaign to ~$9.66K a month of its $10K cap
  • Searches for “St. Paul Center” up 127% year over year

Sales growth comes from Shopify. Purchase counts and cost per membership come from Meta Ads and Google Ads. Event, Gala, and book campaign results count tickets and books, not memberships.

Shopify sales vs. the previous period
Shopify sales vs. the previous period.

Running a Catholic ministry or faith-based nonprofit?

We know the details that matter to Catholic organizations: Google’s sensitive-interest rules, Ad Grant compliance, and planning around Advent and Lent. If you’re leaving Ad Grant dollars unused or can’t tell which ads bring in members, let’s talk. You can also see everything we do as a Catholic marketing agency for parishes, dioceses and apostolates.

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