The COVID-19 crisis has forced churches across the country (and around the world) to abandon in-person services and move to online worship. How has this affected congregational giving?
According to Christianity Today’s State of the Plate survey, giving was initially down during the early months of the crisis. As of April, 65% of churches surveyed reported that giving was down, 27% said giving was steady, and only 8% saw an increase in giving.
As of August, however, the situation was starting to improve. Of all churches surveyed, 42% said giving had stabilized and 22% had even seen an increase in giving. Only 36% of churches said that giving was still down.
Other important data from the survey:
- 92% of churches are currently hosting online services
- 87% of churches are now holding in-person services, too
- 58% of churches with in-person services say attendance is less than half of what it was before the crisis; 24% say attendance is 75% of what it was before
In addition, churches identified the giving practices they’re currently using. In order of importance, these are:
- Digital giving
- Benevolence giving
- Financial/generosity sermons
- Pastor appreciation offerings
- Missions/outreach giving
- Capital campaigns
- Financial curriculum
- Weekly offertory Bible verse
- Legacy/estate giving
- Financial/generosity speaker or seminar
As you can see, online/digital giving is the most important form of giving for churches today. If your church needs a new online giving platform, consider GIVE BACK GATEWAY, a versatile solution for online and text giving. Contact us today to learn more.
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