The state of church giving is declining says a study published by empty tomb, inc. entitled, “The State of Church Giving through 2014.” John and Sylvia Ronsvalle have been producing the definitive study on the state of giving to churches and have recently released their twenty-sixth edition. They track giving data from 1968 up to 2014 in their recent release. Their findings are not encouraging. Here is what they have found…
- 3.02% was the amount Americans gave of their disposable incomes to the church in 1968. That percentage in 2014 was 2.16%.
- 2.38% was given to congregational finances in 1968 but in 2014 that percentage had fallen to 1.82%.
- 0.64% was given to benevolences in 1968 but in 2014 that percentage had fallen to 0.34%
- If the same proportion of income was donated in 2014 as was donated in 1968 churches would have had $7.6 billion more dollars to spend!
- At the same time that giving was declining Americans per capita incomes were rising. So we have more money but give less away!
Clearly we have a crisis that will dramatically impact our ability to do missions and ministry in the coming years. When I shared the above data with a pastor he asked me, “What can be done about this?” My reply was that he could do nothing but pray for a reversal of these national trends. However, WITH his prayers he could work to make sure his church did not experience these kinds of declines. The same is true for you. Here is what you CAN do NOW to make sure that your giving does not decline.
- Be aware! Too few are paying attention to the giving trends in their church until it is too late. Do you know what your trends are?
- Pray! I believe that everyone on your staff needs to know exactly how much you need every week to make budget and that prayers should be offered up asking for God’s blessings upon the offering plate. Let’s pray first but then…
- Plan! Churches have all kinds of plans but rarely do they have a giving plan. If you don’t have a plan you are planning on failing. You need a giving plan in place if you are to reverse the trend of giving declines. If you don’t have a plan consider mine! Here is what you get with Giving365…
- 24/7 access to me, answering all your questions and giving you personalized input. No other giving plan provides this personalized approach!
- My weekly newsletter called, “The Stewardship Coach.” This includes the thoughtful articles on giving, weekly offering talks written, sample giving letters, Social Media tips and even sample giving sermons.
- Access to my semi-weekly live teaching. Most Monday’s I host a webinar for all my members teaching on a key giving topic and giving them the ability to ask questions live!
- Seasonal giving campaigns with detailed step by step plans. I have plans for, summer, End of year, Easter and more!
- Access to our sample filled webpages that provide letters, email blasts and many other pluses!
Try my plan for 14 days for only $1! 14 Days for $1
The bad news is giving continues to decline. The good news is there is help that can help you avoid that decline! Let me help you NOW!
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach