Jesus & The Digital Offering Plate
The Dallas News is reporting that number of area churches are now accepting digital money donations!
Yes, plastic is replacing the offering plate.
To tithe, simply swipe your card at the ‘offering kiosk’……its down the isle and just left of the Virgin Mary statue.
Personally, I feel it is too strange. Here is why…
- What if the card is denied?
- Will the church organist have access to my financial data?
- Can I earn cash back on church donations?
- Double Miles for my weekly offering?
- 1.25 miles for every $1 you spend on Jesus. **
- How guilty will I feel with Jesus staring back at me from the television asking, “What’s in your wallet?”
- Next up for the church….. SMS, PayPal, Loom, Google Checkout?
- Will we soon be seeing this sign in the pews? “To make a donation, please just wave your cell phone over the offering plate?
No, No, No its too much.
Should churches have merchant accounts and accept charge cards when they pass the offering plate?
What do you think? I want to hear your opinion on the digital church donations?
** Church mileage not valid for car rental.
Tags: 1MDC, Bill Me Later, church, donations, e-bullion, e-gold, Moneybookers, Pecunix, religion, titheRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Emerging $ Tech, PayPal
4 opinions for Jesus & The Digital Offering Plate
Andrei Moraru
Jul 1, 2007 at 6:28 am
No wonder, receiving digital payments is much easier and safer. I am quite sure that churches will soon accept all possible methods of payment, like so many other sites/organizations accept donations via PayPal, e-gold, or WebMoney.
HedgeHog
Jul 1, 2007 at 9:40 pm
I really don’t think it’s a good idea for church’s to do this for the simple fact that someone or everyone in the church’s congregation can do a charge-back. This would be bad if a church was trying to raise money to help it’s local community recover from a disaster, or to help remodel or refurbish a church’s decaying building structure, or many other things. What if the church paid for a bunch of things to be done already, and a week or so later, everyone in the church’s congregation decided it was a bad idea, and they all do a charge-back to their card? That would put that church into immediate debt and this could spell disaster and downfall for that organization. In my opinion, come to think of it, the use of plastic to raise money for church organizations is a very bad idea.
-David :D
sadenough
Aug 8, 2007 at 6:42 am
I do recognize the move to a cashless society but that does not mean we have to embrace it. It is the ultimate level of control when you are not able to buy or sell without some type of number assigned to you. I for one would rather remain independent and able to choose where, when, how and with whom I do business.
People do not exercise self control. This is evident in our overconsumption society. It is also evident in the amount of debt and the lack of savings by the average family. To facilitate this kind of behaviour in a church seems to go counter to the teaching of a church. In the more fundamental churches there is a high level of emotion. The pressure to “give sacrificially” or “by faith” is extreme. I believe that those individuals that can least afford to give will overextend themselves because they will think they are not “trusting God” or somehow “failing God” if they do not give. People rarely think for themselves in these types of churches.
I shed a tear over this development. It is another step away from personal involvement. The only people that truely benefit here are the financial institutions. This type of service is not free.
Mark Herpel
Aug 8, 2007 at 6:51 am
Thank you for your comment and I agree with you 100%, I don’t like that addition and the points you make are right on target.
Thanks again.
Mark
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