With the advancement of technology, it’s rare to pay for things using cash. We use our cards, phones and the internet to pay for what we need. Now, more churches are turning to digital donations to collect their tithes and offerings.
St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Denver, Colorado is one church already going digital.
Judy Cox, a churchgoer and volunteer at St. Andrew, doesn’t wait until Sunday to give her donations to the church.
“It's like all the rest of my bills; I pay them electronically,” explains Cox. “Then that's one huge chore I don't have to think of each month.”
Andy Dunning, an executive pastor at St. Andrew, says more than 40 percent of the congregation is giving their offerings regularly online.
“Cash is the least of any of the ways that we receive donations,” says Dunning. “Some people still write checks, but it's surprising how few even do that.”
St. Andrew also gives churchgoers the option to swipe and give at a kiosk in the lobby. There’s even the option to text to give during service.
“We want to make giving as easy and convenient as possible,” Dunning says.
It's a trend that's spreading across the nation, as well as across the world.
The Church of England says 16,000 religious sites now have access to portable card readers. In the U.S., hundreds of churches have installed kiosks similar to the one at St. Andrew.
“I'm really pleased that we are finding ways for the congregation to connect to the work that we're doing into the work that God is doing in the community,” says Dunning.
