3 Mistakes Churches Make With Merch (and How to Avoid Them)
For many churches, merchandise is an afterthought—something to throw together for a conference or youth camp. But when done right, church merch can become one of the most effective tools for outreach, community-building, and even funding ministry.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of churches make the same mistakes when it comes to merch. The good news? Each mistake is simple to fix once you know what to avoid.
Here are the three biggest mistakes churches make with merch—and how your church can get it right.
Mistake #1: Settling for Cheap Blanks
The most common approach is working with a local print shop. They’ll order blank t-shirts from a distributor, screen print your logo, and call it custom. The problem? Those blanks are usually low-quality, mass-produced garments that shrink, fade, or fall apart after a few washes.
When quality is poor, people buy the shirt once, wear it once, and toss it in a drawer—or worse, donate it to a thrift store. That means your church’s message doesn’t travel very far.
The Solution: Go fully custom instead of catalog-based. At Church Wear, we manufacture from the fabric up—fit, fabric weight, stitching, and trims all designed to your spec. The result is retail-ready apparel your congregation is proud to wear long after the event is over.
Mistake #2: Pricing Merch Too High
We’ve all seen it: a church charging $40 or $45 for a basic t-shirt. Why? Because local print shop markups force them to raise prices just to break even. Unfortunately, that means fewer sales, more unsold inventory, and disappointed members who can’t afford to support their church through merch.
The Solution: Cut out the middlemen. By working factory-direct, churches typically save $8–$12 per piece (30–50%) with Church Wear. That means you can sell a t-shirt for $20 instead of $45—affordable for your congregation and still profitable for your ministry. Everyone wins.
Mistake #3: Not Planning Ahead
Many churches order merch last-minute for an event or launch. The result? Rushed production, higher costs, limited design options, and unnecessary stress. Worse, sometimes the merch doesn’t even arrive on time.
The Solution: Treat merch like a ministry strategy, not an afterthought. We recommend creating a simple seasonal or quarterly ordering cadence. Planning ahead not only reduces stress but also ensures you always have fresh, high-quality merch available for your people.
Why Fixing These Mistakes Matters
When your church avoids these common pitfalls, merch stops being a financial burden and becomes a tool for ministry. Imagine this:
Students wearing your youth ministry hoodies to school.
Parents repping your conference tees at work.
Volunteers proudly sporting your hats around town.
Each garment becomes a walking billboard for the gospel—sparking conversations and extending your church’s reach far beyond Sunday morning.
Final Thoughts
Church merch doesn’t have to be complicated, overpriced, or low-quality. By avoiding these three mistakes—settling for cheap blanks, pricing too high, and failing to plan—you can turn merch into a sustainable, affordable, and impactful ministry tool.
At Church Wear, we help churches and nonprofits printing 1,000+ pieces cut costs, upgrade quality, and create merch that people actually want to wear. If you’re ready to rethink your merch strategy, let’s build something your congregation will love—from the fabric up.
