A new firm called Show Faith by Works has launched a geofencing campaign targeting Christian churches and colleges across the American Southwest with pro-"Israel" advertisements, a covert operation exposed in a striking investigation by Nick Cleveland-Stout, a Research Associate in the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute, and published by Responsible Statecraft.

The operation appears to be conducted without the awareness or consent of many pastors and congregations, some of whom have expressed alarm over the use of such invasive digital targeting by "Israel".

According to the company’s filing under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the project aims to “geofence the actual boundaries of every Major (sic) church in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Coloardo (sic) and all Christian Colleges during worship times,” allowing the firm to “track attendees and continue to target [them] with ads” on behalf of "Israel".

The geofencing component forms part of a broader $3.2 million contract, which also involves recruiting celebrity endorsers and compensating pastors to create pro-Israel content.

No knowledge of campaign

Responsible Statecraft contacted hundreds of churches listed as potential targets in the campaign; none reported prior knowledge of it. “We were not aware of that, no—you are the first to bring that to our attention,” said the press office of Bethel Church in Redding, California.

Project manager Chad Schnitger told RS via email that the advertisements may include “invitations for Christians to visit one of our upcoming Mobile Museum exhibits, or to go to our website to learn more about the program, or to visit Israel with your church.” The firm’s pitch deck reportedly described the ads as “pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian.”

The Mobile Museum referenced by Schnitger is a traveling exhibit housed in a trailer that visits churches and Christian colleges. It displays footage of Israeli occupation forces describing the “difficulty of fighting bad guys in hostile territory with civilians.” Schnitger said the first exhibit will begin touring within a month.

Privacy nightmare

Geofencing, the technology underpinning the campaign, allows marketers to identify and target mobile devices within a defined geographic area. When users enter or leave a specific boundary, they can receive targeted advertisements, texts, or in-app notifications, a tactic long used by commercial brands to reach nearby customers.

Megan Iorio, Senior Counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, described geofencing as a “privacy nightmare". In an interview for RS, she explained that data brokers collect location data from apps and sell it to marketing firms or use it to deliver hyper-targeted ads. “For example,” she said, “a user might see an H&M ad simply by walking within a certain distance of one of its stores.”

While Schnitger defended the campaign as a “one-way ad push” and said media coverage had been “sensationalized", Iorio emphasized that the practice remains “incredibly invasive". She added, “The fact it has become so common and that foreign governments are now using it for targeted, precise influence campaigns shows how much we need regulation to stamp down on the practice. It is so invasive and has national security implications.”

'Warfare language'

Community members listed as potential targets share those concerns. Micah, a mechanical engineer from Colorado Springs, said he has been warning local pastors and news outlets after discovering that seven area churches appeared in the firm’s geofencing documents. “What jumps out immediately is how the entire document talks about Christians as targets to be manipulated. This isn’t respectful outreach, it’s warfare language,” he wrote in a memo obtained by RS.

Micah also raised concerns about the firm’s plan to pay pastors for producing content. The firm’s proposal includes stipends for “individual guest pastors, bilingual pastors, or pastors who match target demographics to record messages based on content creation targets.” According to Micah, this “creates financial conflicts of interest where religious leaders become financially dependent on foreign government messaging, compromising their independence and integrity.”

His brother Asa, who attends Scottsdale Bible Church in Arizona, one of the listed churches, agreed, saying the initiative reflects "Israel’s" waning influence among young Americans. “This entire project is an attempt to regain the attention and hearts/support of Gen Z through the use of religious manipulation,” he said. Both brothers requested anonymity for security reasons.

Schnitger, however, expressed confidence that the campaign would help sway public opinion. “For those who dislike Israel, maybe some of these exhibits and materials will change your mind,” he said, adding that the firm’s messaging highlights how “[P]alestinian and Iranian goals are not land-focused, but genocidal.”

'Project 545'

Not all responses were positive. Timothy Feldman, a software engineer from Plano, Texas, said he was “disgusted” to learn his church was listed among "Israel’s" potential targets. “I am disgusted that a genocidal apartheid state is attempting to whitewash its atrocities by propagandizing the good people of Christ United Methodist Church,” Feldman told RS in an email.

Although churches in Texas were included in the pitch deck, Schnitger clarified that the firm “is not doing anything in Texas at this time.” A church worker in Prescott, Arizona, whose church was also listed, told RS that community reaction is uncertain. “The demographics in Prescott tend to be pro-Israel, so it’s hard to know how the church leadership will react to this. All we can do is make people aware of it,” he said, requesting anonymity.

Oversight of the campaign reportedly falls to Eran Shayovich, Chief of Staff at "Israel’s" Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shayovich is leading "Project 545", described as a campaign to “amplify Israel’s strategic communication and public diplomacy efforts.” He also serves as a contact for Brad Parscale, former campaign manager for Donald Trump, who is said to be coordinating efforts to train ChatGPT and integrate pro-"Israel" messaging into conservative media.

Some US states have begun restricting geofencing and the trade of location data. Oregon passed a law in June banning the sale of precise geolocation information, following Maryland’s earlier legislation. At the federal level, former FTC Chair Lina Khan prohibited several major data brokers from collecting or selling location data from sensitive sites, such as churches and military bases, without explicit consent. However, thousands of smaller firms still operate freely, leaving places of worship vulnerable to digital tracking and manipulation.