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Passing envelopes in the pews is great. It’s how tithing has been done for centuries. But since social distancing regulations, churches around the world had to find new ways to enable their people to give.
The good news is that there are plenty of platforms and approaches that church leaders can integrate into weekly worship. These make it easy for congregations and members to give to the church online. In this post, we take a look at how to pay tithing online.
Ready to bring online giving to your congregation, increase engagement and make your ministry’s goals a reality? It’s time to try easyTithe, the free online giving platform helping more than 15,000 churches grow.
The Importance of Tithing for the Church
Tithing has long been an important way Christians express gratitude and praise. Giving 10% of our income affirms the truths of the gospel and support of God’s work around the world. The early church expressed their obedience to the Great Commission by sharing with each other, as each had a need, so that no one was in want. Believers live without fear of not having enough. Everything that’s come to us has been given, not earned.
All of these vital facets of our Christian faith are rooted in the Old Testament. Unfortunately, the practice of giving is not one that is strongly preached or practiced in many modern churches. In many evangelical churches, only 10% to 25% of the congregation, on average, tithes. Christians give less per capita than they did during the Great Depression.
This is something that needs to change. It is not a generational issue, or an issue of doctrine: it’s a matter of the heart, and the future of the church depends on it. Churches rely on tithing to achieve their ministry goals and support their members, and Christians need to live in obedience by giving. One way to help people live out discipleship is to make it easier to tithe.
For many people, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, tithing online is easier than tithing in person. There is no cash, no checks and no interaction — you don’t even have to be physically present at church on a given day to tithe.
If Christians all gave, there would be far more money to support ministerial efforts and missions. In a digital-first world, churches everywhere must make it easy for people to give online.
Online Tithing Methods
Regular giving is good for believers and good for the church. That’s easy to understand. But how to pay tithing online can at first seem a little more complex. Below, we explore some of the most common ways to pay tithes online (all of which are part of easyTithe’s online giving solution).
Web Forms for Online Tithing
Most churches these days have a website. If your church has one, integrating a simple online giving form is perhaps the easiest way to pay tithing online.
These forms function a lot like any online shopping checkout experience. They need just a little information about the giver and their payment method to enable online tithing any day of the week and any time of day.
Text-to-Donate
Text-to-donate is another online tithing strategy used by tech-savvy churches. The ability to give to your church with a simple text message is as convenient as giving can get.
People don’t carry cash anymore, but they do carry their phones. By enabling them to text a tithe amount to a phone number specific to your church, you’ve given them a 21st century way to pay tithing online.
Online Tithing App
Speaking of phones, what about smartphones? There are apps for tithing (one is Ministry One, available through easyTithe), and it may actually rival text-to-give in terms of convenience for givers.
You’re probably familiar with this process already. Givers simply download the app from one of the major app stores, enter their payment details in the app and give to their hearts’ content, from anywhere at any time.
A Digital Giving Kiosk
A digital giving kiosk could increase donations to your church by as much as 16%. Seriously. While this online tithing method is a little less mobile than the other methods we’ve discussed, it is extremely effective and serves the needs of those congregants who would still prefer to give at the church.
Simply install the kiosk software on your church’s iPad, laptop or desktop computer and let visitors pay their tithes online.
How Do I Pay Tithing Online? With easyTithe
Church members want to give. They are more than willing to learn how to pay tithing online — in fact, at easyTithe, we’ve found that it’s exactly what they want.
Whether it’s through a web form, text-to-donate, an app or a church giving kiosk, you can bring online tithing to your church. And when you do, you can expect more engagement and a better spirit of giving to make its way throughout the congregation.
easyTithe is here to help you make giving more convenient. And in the spirit of giving, we’re offering our platform — including the mobile app and all the extra features — for free. Click here to learn more.
