Our Story

We believe in dreams.

Breakthrough Media has been serving churches, missions, and ministry organizations for over 25 years, to build bridges of communication and relationship, to effectively engage the heart and minds of people, and connect the unchurched with the Church.

We strive to create "Breakthrough Communications", that effectively break through communication and relational barriers, preconceived ideas, and the mental screens that have become a necessary human adaptation to our message-saturated culture.

We accomplish this through a combination of two disciplines: First, a deep appreciation for the individual: their felt-needs and interests, their unique problems and present situations, and most importantly, their dreams and aspirations. Second, through the creation of sensitive and artistic communication, marketing tools, and ministry strategies based on connecting with those hopes and dreams.

The communication programs we have created are licensed exclusively to local churches. This is done for two reasons: First, since we want churches to be able to build a unique image around specific themes, we offer the programs on an exclusive license-protected basis (one and three years with low-cost renewals). Second, since research-based, professionally prepared media campaigns are often cost-prohibitive to local churches and schools, we control cost by offering them to many local protected markets. This results in huge savings over what it normally would cost to prepare equally professional marketing campaigns.

Some History

C. Michael Johnson’s career path was hinted at early when he took on the role of the marketing director for a high school rock band. In a more professional capacity, his first job out of high school was a junior-designer position at Hallmark Cards.

From there his journey took some interesting turns: marrying a ‘Missionary Kid’ and starting a family, experiencing firsthand the Jesus Movement of the 70's (coffeehouse ministry, halfway house, concert and street evangelism, and publishing a 'Jesus paper'), and working his way through the ad agency jungle as an art director and copywriter. During those years he studied art and media at Southwest Missouri State and began an intense, lifelong study of Christian communications and social marketing.


Pioneering Church Marketing

In the mid seventies Michael opened an agency to focus on marketing for ministry accounts such as, Christian Booksellers Association, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation, CBN, and several Christian colleges and universities such as Regent and Liberty.

With a heart for grassroots ministry, evangelism, and the local church, Michael eventually zeroed in on the local church, to help them connect more deeply into their communities. This ministry was known as The Petragram Group and later changed to Breakthrough Media. At a time when local church marketing was almost unheard of, Michael and a small creative team pioneered some ground-breaking campaigns such as, A Place for You and First Love Lasts Forever.

Breakthrough is an extended "family" team. Those who serve are close friends with the same passions and vision. All members have ministry training and experience as well as being marketing and communications professionals.

Our Vision

What we see.