Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Charging the offering?

This week the church I work for got an EFTPOS machine. Hopefully, this may mean that the staff will now be able to pay for events and resources by a church Credit Card (a day I have longed for in previous placements!).

Additionally, this will open up the option for people to give electronically in person. Awesome. I've had multiple conversations about raising the profile of regular, electronic giving to those in the congregation.

Society is progressively becoming cashless. To only give the plate on a Sunday as a giving option is silly.

But one thing about electronic giving has always troubled me... The option to give via credit card.

Now credit cards are not evil. They are just another tool in life that can be useful or, if abused, harmful. It is no secret that many people struggle using this tool effectively. In fact, Australia has one of the largest credit card debt per person on the planet.

Sure, there are plenty of people who knock their monthly credit card back down to zero, but what about those who won't?

The option for someone to go into debt to give to God bothers me.

If you are giving by money that you don't have (which is what credit REALLY is!) are you offering what is not yours?
Is this giving God the first fruits of your labour?

Of course, you could put a mighty disclaimer on your churches website or on the offering envelopes, but should the option for debt cards be the only one that is offered?

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