All it takes for a TLD these days is a vaugely-legitimate use and about a million dollars[1]. This isn't hard for a large company or state actor to fund; Why would a
mid-large religion not be able to?
And a time machine. Applications were due in 2012. A new round is starting soon, but it's not clear if it's going to be continuous, or if it will be a single application period again.
[1] https://newgtldprogram.icann.org/en/resources/faqs#6