Meet Ron. Ron is a faithful member of his church and loves to help contribute to his church’s mission financially. He counts it a blessing to be able to give to the work of the church each week. Unfortunately for Ron, he was sick last Sunday and wasn’t able to attend service. He did watch the livestream from his couch and made a mental note to throw some extra money in the offering plate the following week. The next week, Ron went to his son’s baseball game on Saturday and bought a couple hot dogs. He forgot to replace the cash in his wallet before Sunday morning service, so he didn’t have anything to put in the plate again this week. Poor Ron, if only his church offered text giving.
Ron represents many of the people who attend church today in our cashless society. It’s not that they don’t want to give. Many churches have just made it difficult for them to give. Text giving offers a great solution for those people. Everywhere Ron went the last couple weeks, he never forgot his cell phone. Ron could have given faithfully, which he wanted to do, by simply texting his church’s text giving number. With text giving, people are able to give when they think about it, give even when they are not in service and give in a way that fits their lifestyle.
Think About It
Sunday mornings are crazy in a lot of households. The last thing many of your people are thinking about is whether or not they have cash for the offering. With text giving, the offering plate is no longer the only way they can give. They can pay their tithes on a Tuesday night when it pops into their head. They can give to missions after they run across a missionary on Facebook. They can give as part of planning their monthly budget, or immediately after depositing their paycheck. Simply, they can give when it is on their mind.
Not In Service
There are a ton of reasons why someone might have to miss service one week, but that doesn’t mean they still don’t want to contribute to the church’s mission. The problem with a traditional offering plate is if you miss it, most people don’t usually think about giving double the next week. Text giving allows those people who have to miss for any reason a chance to give from wherever they are.
If It Fits
Lastly, the modern lifestyle has changed drastically from decades ago. Where writing a check used to be a common occurrence, many today don’t ever carry their checkbook. Credit cards and debit cards are the primary way most people spend money. The modern lifestyle is mobile and many tasks are done through cell phones. It just makes sense that people would want to give in a way that fits within that lifestyle. Giving in the offering is now as simple as reminding your husband to not forget the milk (which he will almost certainly still forget), but at least you know your tithe was received by your church.
Text giving may not be for every church, but it is definitely something you should consider for yours. There is strong potential to increase those recurring donations. You are simply creating an opportunity for those that want to give to give more regularly. It’s a win for them and a win for your church.
