The Takeaway
Pastor Kia Moore used a church billboard campaign to grow The Church at the Well in Memphis. Eight strategically placed boards carried a Memphis-specific phrase, “For God So Loved Memphis Mane,” that went viral through local news. Sunday attendance rose to 150-plus weekly, well above the 30 to 40 typical of new Memphis churches, and Pastor Kia was offered a weekly talk-show slot on local TV as a result.
Why The Church at the Well Turned to Billboard Advertising
The Church at the Well is a Memphis, Tennessee church founded by Pastor Kia Moore. Its mission is to help people access community and resources, and to make the church a place for anyone who feels overlooked. Because the church was still new, Pastor Kia wanted a way to reach people who might not otherwise consider stepping through the door.
A well-placed board could speak to the whole city at once, on a budget a small church could actually manage. The team wanted a church billboard design that felt like Memphis talking to Memphis, not a generic message that could have run anywhere.
How The Church at the Well Built Its Billboard Campaign
Pastor Kia set up eight campaigns across strategic Memphis locations, all pointing to a single line that carried a local phrase most residents recognized.
- Boards selected: Eight digital placements across strategic Memphis locations, chosen to reach neighborhoods where the church wanted to be visible.
- Creative approach: The line “For God So Loved Memphis Mane” and “#wemakewells | John 3:16” underneath. “Mane” is a Memphis-specific term, which made the message unmistakably local.
- Local-phrase strategy: As Pastor Kia put it, “we wanted to go after people who use ‘mane’ every day, who have been in Memphis all of their lives, who read the Bible but might not see themselves in scripture.”
- Ongoing management: Managed through Blip. When the campaign started performing, Pastor Kia logged in and extended the end date herself.
The Creative
The whole design turned on one Memphis word. For other congregations building similar artwork, Blip’s billboard design guidelines cover what reads at highway speed. A strong church billboard design usually leans on one specific, local phrase rather than a general slogan.
What The Church at the Well’s Campaign Delivered
Local news picked up the story. Fox 13 said, “the whole city is talking about the eye-catching billboards that promote the new Church at the Well.” Interviews and social buzz followed. Sunday attendance rose above 150 people weekly, at a stage when most new Memphis churches see 30 to 40. People took selfies by the boards, and Pastor Kia extended the campaign herself when it became clear the response was compounding.
The largest second-order outcome was a weekly talk-show offer on a local TV station. Now The Church at the Well has an hour every week to reach over 10,000 people, plus the associated funding that will support its education, health, safety, and clean-water initiatives. That is what a well-placed board can trigger when the creative is specific enough to feel like it came from the community it serves.
Advertising on Blip helps me to be as effective in sharing my message as other organizations with far more resources. I am elated about the results of my campaign. The visibility that I have been able to get with spending less than a month’s worth of groceries has helped open so many doors and has encouraged so many people to come back to church or come to church for the first time.
Pastor Kia Moore, Lead Pastor and Founder, The Church at the Well
Why This Campaign Worked
- A Memphis word, not a generic slogan: “Mane” made the message unmistakably local.
- Strategic placement: Eight boards across neighborhoods where the church wanted to be seen, not one big board on a single highway.
- A campaign the founder could extend: Pastor Kia logged in and extended the end date herself once the response started building.
- News picked it up: Fox 13 and other outlets amplified the message beyond what the paid boards alone could reach.
What Churches and Community Leaders Can Take From This Campaign
Congregations and community groups can put these ideas to work:
- Speak in the city’s own voice: A church billboard reads as authentic when it uses a phrase locals use every day, not a generic scripture line.
- Focus church billboard design on one line: Save the theology for the sermon; the board’s job is to be recognized in two seconds.
- Extend when the response builds: Blip lets a founder extend the campaign the moment the audience starts talking about it.
- Expect second-order outcomes: News coverage, TV slots, and donor conversations often follow a specific, well-timed board flight.
Run a Church Campaign Like The Church at the Well
Speak in your city’s own voice, place your boards across the neighborhoods you want to serve, and extend the campaign when the response builds.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Church at the Well’s Billboard Campaign
How many boards did The Church at the Well use?
Eight digital placements across strategic Memphis locations.
What did the church billboard say?
“For God So Loved Memphis Mane” with “#wemakewells | John 3:16” underneath. “Mane” is a Memphis-specific term that made the message unmistakably local.
Did the campaign lift attendance?
Yes. Sunday attendance rose above 150 people weekly, well above the 30 to 40 typical of new Memphis churches at a similar stage.
What else did the campaign produce?
Local news coverage from outlets like Fox 13, viral social conversation, and a weekly talk-show slot on a local TV station reaching more than 10,000 people.
What is a good church billboard design approach?
Lean on one specific, local phrase or reference rather than a generic slogan. A design that sounds like the community it serves will always outperform one that could run anywhere.