This is a slightly edited version of an email that I sent to some members of my church (Cambridge Community Fellowship Church) board.
I was having lunch with someone from church the other day and they commented that they had switched to electronically giving tithes to the church. We had a brief discussion about the value of putting money into the offering plate on a weekly basis.
The upshot is that we’ve noticed that a lot of people who (hopefully) give regularly the church actually just pass the plate along when it comes by on Sunday because they find other ways to give to the church. I’m wondering if we should abolish the plate altogether and replace it with something else (perhaps a box in the back of the sanctuary or something… although I would probably start giving electronically, I think it’s important to leave a way for those who find technology intimidating to give in a more traditional way).
Couple reasons:
- I think the “dollar in the plate” doesn’t really honor God and doesn’t really benefit the giver either… It feels like an admission ticket or something like that and seems (to me, but what do I know?) to be counter productive (e.g., I’ve given what I need to give so now I can sit back and be a spectator).
- I’d guess that when people are struggling with the issue of whether or not to give 10% to the church, it’s counter productive to see “fine, upstanding church members” not putting anything at all into the plate.
I’m certainly not recommending that we abolish a time where we talk about financial offerings to God (via the church). I think it’s pretty important in this materialistic age to talk regularly about how to use finances for God’s glory (which would incidentally mean that most folks that I know should be giving a bunch more on top of what they give the church to other organizations… but I digress).
Rather, I’m suggesting that we roll it even more into our “family time” so people don’t feel awkward about not being able to (or wanting to) give, but are encouraged to support the church because it’s “family.” One suggestion might be to talk about different ways that our finances are being used to bless our neighborhood and the world so people might be encouraged to give more. Or maybe it’ll be enough to regularly mention that we’ve transitioned off the offering plate because everyone is always welcome in God’s house and shouldn’t feel like they need to pay to be present (I definitely know some people who feel like it’s rude to put nothing in the plate), but that members have both the right and obligation to contribute financially (and in other ways) back to the church.
The ultimate aim, of course, is to help more people give more money more joyfully and to glorify God in that process.
Interesting. Personally, I like tithing during the service, so that it’s more of a physical act of worship than a back-office transaction. “Passing the plate” offers me and others the chance to worship this way corporately and, I think, at least presents the opportunity for people who might more easily tend to bypass the box at the back of the sanctuary.
I’m not sure about electronic giving – at least, if it’s autopay. I guess it makes sense for people who forget or who might spend the money by accident. But I don’t want it to be automatic – I feel like I’m “doing” the giving more if I complete the transaction myself (whether writing a check or giving online). For whatever reason, I like the concreteness of it.
One caveat … It is possible that people only get paid once a month and tithe when the paycheck comes in, so there are a few weeks a month they’re not putting something in the plate. But I guess your annual budget would tell you whether or not this is the case. =)
January 23rd, 2006 | Permalink
hrm – a megachurch i visited out in california abolished the offering plate out of time saving. all around the church they put collection bins so that those who wanted to still give on a weekly basis were done. maybe if we ditch the plates, we can do that. maybe the dollar offerings will go down, but who knows what other people will do with their budgets as a result…
however, i’ve also seen places that made the physical act of offering as profound as any other part of the worship service. instructive…but being one of those who pass regularly because of my monthly offering check – i can see how it can be an issue.
in short…i have nothing to offer to this conversations, except painful puns
January 23rd, 2006 | Permalink
I totally agree that it’s good for me (and for most people) to make each act of giving a willful one. I actually don’t auto-pay on any of my giving… For my non-church offerings I have a reminder to tell me to log into my bank’s website and initiate the money transfer.
However, the point of the idea (and it’s just an idea) was to help the maximum number of people give more generously and joyfully. If taking away the pressure of an offering plate and using that time/space to encourage people to think more about the purpose of the offering instead of finding the minimal amount they can put into the plate to feel okay about themselves, then who am I to impose my personal preferences on how I want to do my offering? (Incidentally, in my case, my favorite style of offering is when they have a big bucket in the front of the sanctuary and everyone dances over there to rockin’ music… but that’s probably not going to fly at my current church, unfortunately.)
I’m interested in people’s thoughts but ultimately I suppose we won’t know the effectiveness of my (or any other) idea unless we put it into action… I don’t know if we’re ready for that.
January 23rd, 2006 | Permalink