In many cases, it's not even Memorex. Barna's researchers called 3,764 Protestant churches during weekday business hours. And almost half of those churches had no answering machine either. Of the calls placed, only one-third were answered by a real person on the first attempt. For one-tenth of the churches, it took four calls or more to make human contact.
People are busy.
They are unlikely to make three or four calls before establishing human contact. People are already suspicious of the church's practical value. We may be training them to turn elsewhere during times of need. People expect accessibility, especially in our wired culture. The ability to communicate both personally and on-demand is crucial to fostering trust and continuity in a relationship.