The techniques of taking up the offering in church

[AnthonyE1778]

There are two techniques that I know of when taking the offering in church.

1) Passing around offering plate sometime in the service
2) Having a box at the back of the church for which one can voluntarily drop money off anytime.

Which is your preference? I am just curious. I personally like those churches who have no offering at all and work on a God Will Provide basis, but my current church uses the "Box in the back". What is your opinion?

 

[Diane_Windsor]

I don't care

 

[jad123]

In my church we have a box at the back that we can put our offerings in. Out Pastor is very conscious about not "preaching" about the need for money or the need for offerings. It is placed in the back for us to give to God and is private for us.

 

[s_gunter]

I'm mostly with Diane, "I don't care." What bugs me is when there is more than one occasion during a service in which an offering is collected. At the church my in-laws attend, the preacher announces during the greeting (the opening of the service) to place tithes and offerings in the baskets in the back of the church. At the end of the greeting, those baskets are gathered and placed on the altar. Then, after the first hymn, there is the "March to the treasure chest," where the children of the congregation gather money and place it in the baskets. Then the kids are taken out of the sanctuary for "Children's church," where money is collected from them again. Then, in the middle of the service, they formally 'pass the plates.'

This is way too much, in my opinion, especially for a congregation of about 50 or less people.

 

[AnthonyE1778]

I'm mostly with Diane, "I don't care." What bugs me is when there is more than one occasion during a service in which an offering is collected. At the church my in-laws attend, the preacher announces during the greeting (the opening of the service) to place tithes and offerings in the baskets in the back of the church. At the end of the greeting, those baskets are gathered and placed on the altar. Then, after the first hymn, there is the "March to the treasure chest," where the children of the congregation gather money and place it in the baskets. Then the kids are taken out of the sanctuary for "Children's church," where money is collected from them again. Then, in the middle of the service, they formally 'pass the plates.'

This is way too much, in my opinion, especially for a congregation of about 50 or less people.

Wow. That is a bit much...

 

[Naomi4Christ]

We have a box near the door of the church where people can drop in their offerings. In practice, though, most people give money straight from their bank accounts. It is brought up to the front of the church near the end of the service and we give thanks for it via the Offertory Prayer.

On occasional services, when there are lots of visitors, such as Remembrance Sunday, we pass around plates. This money always goes to a specific mission rather than the general church accounts.

 

[Espada]

We have a bag that is passed around, makes sure everyone gets the chance but unlike the plate it allows an element of anonymity. Most people now are giving direct through their bank accounts.

 

[GrinningDwarf]

I prefer the box in the back. We currently pass a bag around.

The oddest thing I ever saw while taking a collection was a guy that dropped a twenty in the bag and took out change!!

 

[RenHoek]

We pass baskets (church of 9000 every weekend). I prefer the box in the back as I tend to get annoyed at pressure to give. That is between each person and God.

What I do like about how my church does it is that the pastor gets up and makes it clear to guests that we do not expect them to give. The service is our gift to them. I think this goes a long way to show people that the church is not about extracting their money, as this can be a popular misconception of those who do not attend regularly or who have had a bad experience in this manner before.

 

[Dewi Sant]

I prefer the box in the back. We currently pass a bag around.

The oddest thing I ever saw while taking a collection was a guy that dropped a twenty in the bag and took out change!!

Most churches I have been to use the collection plate/basket option.
Though I like the sort of bag idea, it means that others don't watch you when you give what little you can afford.


However I believe in tithing, though this is difficult with me being jobless. But I get a small income from the goverment for going to college which is £30 a week so I can give £3 a week as my tithe.

I once decided to empty my wallet because it was weighing me down. There must have been at least £5 in there. (felt like leaving a note saying "spend it wisely" )

 

[dalej42]

I also prefer the box in the back. However, we've experimented with a method where everyone present can drop a card in the offering plate thus allowing them the opportunity to slip in a few dollars and not have to fill out an offering envelope. I think this works well with visitors.

 

[AnthonyE1778]

I also prefer the box in the back. However, we've experimented with a method where everyone present can drop a card in the offering plate thus allowing them the opportunity to slip in a few dollars and not have to fill out an offering envelope. I think this works well with visitors.

That actually sounds like a good idea

 

[Ave Maria]

I don't care how they do it but in my church they have a basket on a long handle and they walk by each aisle and hold the basket out into the aisle so people can put the money or envelopes in if they desire.

 

[Splayd]

I was at a service once where the minister took up a special offering. He invited anyone that was in need to take from the collection as it went around and anyone that could spare some to add to it. The surplus went to welfare work.

 

[A Brother In Christ]

2) Having a box at the back of the church for which one can voluntarily drop money off anytime.

?

2 cor 9:7,8:13-14

 

[javaluver]

I don't care. My church passes around a plate but I try not to think about what others will think if I don't give that week. I tithe and give offerings to God, not to the church, because I feel that God gave me the money and it is my personal act of worship. I owe all I have to the Lord and the least I can do is give a small part back!

 

[lmnop9876]

i have been to churches that do both. the bag is ok, we never give envelopes or anything, only cash. some people will put in an envelope for a special cause sometimes. the problem with the plate at the bag of the church idea was that everyone on the back row of pews had to have a sticky-beak at how much you were sticking in.

 

[march56]

Where I attend it is the first church I ever attended that doesn't pass a collection or post a box. I think it works out very nicely because it used to make me feel very uncomfortable when the offering was taken the fact that we are supposed to give in annonymity and yet everyone is there watching! So if I attend a church with these mechanisms in place I will ignore them anyway and make my contribution annonymous by mail.
-M.C.

 

[picnic]

My church doesn't do collection at church meetings as it wants to be very open to the unchurched. Members of the church are encouraged to give through standing orders.
I think given the ease that people can set up standing orders these days and also the fact that charities (and churches are generally set up as charities) in the UK can claim back the tax makes this method a lot more convenient.

 

[Oblio]

Basket in the Narthex (foyer/vestibule for you Westerners )

Personally, I abhor passing plates, or even worse having everyone file out of their seats and process up to bags/boxes up in front.