NASHVILLE — As consumers in the United States shift increasingly to online banking and bill payment, their electronic financial habits are spilling over into the church.
A new study released April 6 by LifeWay Research found that 14 percent of all American Protestant churches offer online giving.
The survey of 1,003 Protestant congregations was sponsored by LifeWay’s Digital Church partner ServiceU. It found that large churches are most likely to offer online giving and that for the most part, electronic tithes and offerings are a recent development.
“Fewer and fewer Americans cash their paychecks or carry a checkbook,” said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research. “Some churches are finding that the payment preferences of enough of their congregation have changed to warrant putting an offering plate online in addition to passing them in their worship services.”
A majority (55 percent) of churches with average worship attendance of 500 or more offer online giving, along with 26 percent of congregations with attendance of 200 to 499.
The survey also found that churches in large cities are more likely to offer online giving than congregations in any other setting. A full 28 percent of churches in large cities have online giving. According to data from the Federal Reserve, the trend toward electronic transactions in churches mirrors a trend in American culture at large.
Tim Whitehorn, president and CEO of ServiceU and sponsor of the study, said online giving can help church members be more consistent in their giving through automatic withdrawals from their bank accounts or credit cards.
“Despite whatever our best intentions are of trying to remember to write a check — whether it’s every Sunday, once a month or twice a month, how many gifts a year does the average giver forget to give?” he said. “Consistent giving. That’s what we believe online giving provides.
“Things change. Technologies change, but I think the spirit of giving is what’s important.”
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