A perovskite catalyst is prepared using a ceramic sol-sol methodology comprising preparing slurry in water of an alkaline earth metal salt, a powdered metal salt and a powdered transition metal oxide, adding a polymeric binder to form a paste, drying and comminuting the paste into a powder and heating the powder with a temperature profile to calcination temperatures. In one embodiment the slurry is formed of titanium oxide with barium carbonate and tin chloride in deionized water, and more specifically by a mixture according to Ba (1-0.05x)+TiO2+SnCl2(0.05x) where x is in moles. The perovskite catalyst is preferably used in a process for oxidative coupling of methane. Catalyst performance is enhanced through the addition of halides to the feed gas in the reaction.