Online Tithing Winning Converts
Tithing is the tradition of giving a tenth of the money earned to church, symbolic of the gratitude that the donor gives for everything the Lord God has given to him. But according to some church leaders, the money is not always given consistently and is not always reliable.
To help mitigate this problem for church accountants, digital tithing has emerged as a way to facilitate the contributions that comes in each week.
“In this day and age, young people don’t write checks,” said Dan Smith, national marketing director for Logos Management Software. “Young people make computer payments for car payments and everything else online, and they should be able to tithe the same way.”
LifeWay Christian Resources partnered with Logos Management Software about three years ago to offer church management and accounting software. Last winter, Logos premiered its LogosGiving service that allows churches to offer its members the ability to tithe over the internet.
The LogosGiving software allows church members to schedule their tithe giving online, and their contributions are automatically debited from the checking account or charged to their credit cards. The software is also flexible enough for a church to create a fund raising campaign that allows one-time-donation requests from church members.
Jennie Taylor, a production associate in direct marketing for LifeWay’s retail division, said she could see a large benefit for churches that use this service. “It’s convenient, and I would think it would increase the tithing. [Churches] will be able to see a continual flow of money.”
Gold Coast Community is one church that has been using the online giving program. Within 4 months of introducing the program, five percent of all contributions were made through the online service.
Richard Wilkes, the church operations manager, said that the percentage of contributions made online will rise as more become familiar with the program, and that tithing at times of traditionally low attendance, like in the summer, will become more regular.
“Some people really like it,” Wilkes said of online giving. “They say it helps them be faithful.”
For more information about online giving services, visit LifeWayStores.com/logos.
