5 Reasons Churches Should Offer Electronic Giving
1) Electronic giving is usually setup to happen automatically on a schedule. This helps the givers get emotionally detached from giving. Matthew 6:4 says “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing”.
2) Good stewardship of our environment and natural resources is accomplished by not using paper envelopes and checks. Electronic giving really does make a difference. It is estimated that there are over 300,000 churches in the United States. If each church has 75 people that receive 52 envelopes per year and these 75 people write 24 checks per year that equals over one billion envelopes per year and 540 million checks per year.
3) Electronic giving helps us to make giving a priority in our lives. There are many times where it would be easy to cut back on our giving to God and online giving helps people to keep their giving on track. From the church’s standpoint electronic giving more than pays for itself by increasing giving to the church.
4) Churches need and rely on steady / consistent givers. Electronic giving encourages good stewardship and steady consistent giving. Many givers setup their gift on their payroll date and give the first fruits of their labor.
5) Administration of handling the offering electronically is easier for churches and frees up more time for ministry.
I see people use electronic giving a number of ways but I’d like to post a quote from Bruce. “Thanks for the great service you provide. I used to think that I needed to place my gift in the basket every week for it to feel like I was doing something good. But then when a guy finds himself unable to attend, he falls behind very quickly, and then has to try to figure out how to catch up. But with eGive, my gift is there even when I can’t be. And I am up to date on my giving, always.”
Some of the churches that use our service receive over 60% of their giving electronically. Cultures change… Livestock and produce used to be the way people gave. Checks, online giving and the donation of stocks and other property are relatively recent developments.
I believe that honoring God with the first fruits of your labor and giving with joy from your heart is the main thing. Any way you can do that is how it should be done. The best time to do something the Lord leads you to do is right away. With the Internet available 24 x 7 giving in that manner is possible. I believe that God is honored by a digital tithe and offering as long as it is offered joyfully from the heart with love.
God’s Grace, Peace and Blessings To you!
Brad
Comments
Thanks for this article Brad. At New Hope we are going to make a concerted effort to accentuate our electronic giving option.
Church should offer electronic giving. Good stewardship of our environment and natural resources is accomplished by not using paper envelopes and checks. Electronic giving really does make a difference. It is estimated that there are over 300,000 churches in the United States. If each church has 75 people that receive 52 envelopes per year and these 75 people write 24 checks per year that equals over one billion envelopes per year and 540 million checks per year.
Brad, you quoting Matthew 6 3-4 is taken completely out of context. The context is when giving to the needy, do not make a show if it. One could consider this benevolence.
Ref: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:1-4&version=NIV
Furthermore, we should be “emotionally attached” when we give tithes and offerings. Consider the church in Macedonia – they were passionate in their giving.
Ref: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%208:1-7&version=MSG
Modern tithing is not only unbiblical, but suggesting that giving to the church equals giving to god. This is funny (not!), as Jesus himself defined giving to God as taking care for the ones in need (read: feed the hungry, visit the imprisioned etc). Further, the giving of money was not only not allowed, if in OT someone who gave tithe wanted to give money, he had to pay twice as much and then buy animals or fruits etc from that money when in Jerusalem, as giving of money was no option. The teaching about tithes in churches today are rather a display of disbelief, as the institutionalized church has not faith enough to believe in provision by god alone if it does not put an Old Testament yoke on our shoulder, that leads us into legalism, just to provide cash flow.
I am CEO of Adoro drums. We build drums for churches, and I should be glad about tithe and such as our drums are being payed by them. But we promote to really look into the bible and learn about OT tithe. This might cure some… Please do not lead people into legalism just to ensure that your bills get payed.
And I agree with Sam, that scripture was totally out of context.