Praying For Profits

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The Christian pitch won over Nancy Pitz, 56, a manager at Northrop Grumman. She liked the equipment at This Is It! Christian Fitness for Ladies in Pasadena, Md., and going there fit her schedule. But what really grabbed her were the King James Bibles and the wall that read, "And herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men." A bulletin board in the lobby posts a prayer list with such intentions as "safe and healthy weight loss"; the sound system plays hymns mixed to an aerobic beat. The gym is "about the individual and his or her relationship with God," says Pitz, working out on the adjustable hydraulic machine. "It's very exciting."

This Is It! is the year-old brainchild of Irene Trammell, 39, an $80,000-a-year software saleswoman who walked into a loud, flashy gym one day and heard a voice telling her to start her own. She has marketed heavily to Christians with listings in the Shepherd's Guide and ads on a local Christian radio station. Gym membership has grown to 221, with each person paying $29 to $49 a month. While most members are Christian, Trammell insists her doors are open to those of other faiths--or no faith. She does, however, reserve the right to proselytize among members. "If I feel so moved, I will absolutely share the Gospel with them and encourage them to convert," says Trammell. She says she waits for the right moment and asks, "If something were to happen and the Lord took your life, are you 100% sure you would go to heaven?" She proudly recalls converting one woman in the sauna, two on the machines and another in her office during a weight-loss consultation.

Religious hard sells like Trammell's can "absolutely risk alienating" non-Christians, says Irene Dickey, a Christian branding expert. When Mark Gadow of Preston, Md., registered his Christian Faith Driving School at the Department of Motor Vehicles, a worker there urged him to change the name. Gadow, a burly former policeman, persisted, painting giant fish on the sides of his Hyundai Tiburons. But when he dropped off applications at a public school, he later found them tossed in the trash. And one student angrily denounced God in class.

With 4 out of 5 Americans calling themselves Christians and 40% of the population born-again, however, the possibility of alienating customers is "a risk business owners feel they can afford to take," says Dickey. It often pays off. Despite early setbacks, Gadow's driving school has expanded to three locations; he was even able to persuade the angry student to return to church. But some Christian entrepreneurs want it both ways. In 2002, Maryland real estate broker Philip DeLizio, 47, joined the Christian Real Estate Network. Launched by Orange, Calif., broker Bart Smith to connect Christian home buyers with Christian agents they could trust, the network now has 400 agents, 50 loan officers and 100 inquiries a month. DeLizio opened his Maryland Christian Real Estate--right next door to his Re/Max office. "If someone comes in on the Re/Max side, we don't say, 'Let's bow our heads in prayer first.'"