Web Page giving?

[DaveW]

Websites are a great tool that allow people another way to find a church, and if it is a well put together website, those people can find all the basic information they need.

I also understand that in today's society many people find carrying cash and putting actual dollars into an offering bag or box an inconvenient thing.

So some people prefer to transfer their offering to the Church account directly.

But I wonder what people think about having a "Donate" button on the public part of a church website?

For me personally, it makes me uncomfortable, as it is my conviction that offerings should be for members and given entirely voluntarily to the local church where they are members.

People are free to give to other churches as they visit, because God loves a cheerful giver, and if they so feel led, then they have that liberty.

But the button on the website that is open to the public doesn't sit well with me.

I know of some churches that have a members area of the website and that is where they put that button - no problem with that in theory.

For the record, we have no official electronic means of giving, although if someone really wanted to, I can give them the account details, and would only do so for a member. I don't like the idea of this because it is traceable, and I don't want to know what people are doing as far giving is concerned, but if someone really wanted to do it this way, I can ignore that part of the bank statements I guess.

 

And finally, this is not a doctrinal issue, and I don't see any reason for this to get nasty in any way - this is entirely a preference issue.

(And this is not actually about giving, but about the METHOD OF GIVING - I don't want this to end up being a discussion about whether or not people should give.....)

 

So, Public giving button, or not?

 

[OLD fashioned preacher]

We don't have a 'donate' button on our web site. I have pitched this question around myself and am still not settled (therefore won't, at least at this time).

There is a member of another church nearby (but could easily become a situation here) who has not paid ANYTHING by cash nor check in the last 5 years. This is becoming more prevalent. Even burger joints can take plastic now.

[John81]

Our church tries to be very careful in this area too. We believe members should give to the church but we don't want to give an appearance of trying to "get money" from non-members (though they are free to give too!).

We don't have a website where someone could give to the church, but we have established a means for giving via credit card or automatic withdrawal from a bank account. In order to do that, we can give the church secretary our information and it will be set up.

We still pass the plate around during a service, and many still give that way, but there are also a number of people who have opted to give through the other option now.

Whenever our church holds a special service or a holiday service we don't pass the plates so as to avoid the appearance of seeming to be after money through the special service or holiday, or of trying to make guests feel obligated to give or feel guilty for not giving.