Why the Giving in Your Church Is Decreasing

You are trying to comprehend why the giving levels in your church are down. You may know several possibilities, but you aren’t certain. As I have worked with several congregations, we have isolated the issue to one or a few causes. See if any of these causative factors may be at work in your church.

  1. Lower attendance. Okay, I may be stating the obvious here, but it is worth noting. I spoke with a pastor whose church’s giving is down 15 percent from a year ago, and the attendance is down 12 percent. There is a high correlation between attendance and giving, even if you have a strong online giving component. It is also worth noting that attendance frequency is down in many churches, if not most churches, as well. The family who attends three times a month is more likely to give more than the same family attending two times a month.
  2. Generational shifts. Builders, those born before 1946, are more likely to give to the church out of institutional loyalty. Boomers and Gen X have the highest family incomes, but their giving is not as consistent. Millennials thus far are not strong givers in our churches. In many churches, the Builders are being replaced with Millennials. In other words, more generous givers are being replaced with less generous givers.
  3. Giving to purposes rather than organizations. From the Builders to the Millennials, there has been a dramatic shift in the motivations for giving. The Builders, as noted above, are more likely to give out of institutional loyalty. Thus, church leaders could exhort this generation to “give to the church,” and they would respond positively. The Millennials, however, give to purposes rather than organizations. Church leaders must demonstrate with specificity how the funds in the church are being used for a greater purpose. And that greater purpose must be real, personal, and compelling.
  4. Little teaching on giving. The pendulum has swung too far. In an overreaction to the constant pleas for money twenty years ago, more church leaders are hesitant to even mention the spiritual discipline of giving. Frankly, many of our church members do not comprehend that giving is both a mandate and a blessing, because they have not been taught about it in their churches.
  5. Not as much discretionary income among churchgoers. Before you object to this point, I know fully our discretionary income should not be the basis for our giving. God should get the first fruits, and not the leftovers. But the stark reality is that many people who do give to churches only give their leftovers, or their discretionary income. Though the economy has improved over the past few years, most of the growth in discretionary income has been in the top 20 percent of household incomes. Yet those who attend our churches are more likely to be a part of the other 80 percent. Simply stated, most of our church members have not seen increases of any size in discretionary income.

There are obvious actions we can take toward this challenge. We can teach and preach unapologetically on biblical stewardship. We can be clearer on the purpose or the “why” behind the giving. And we can offer different mechanisms for giving to make it more like a spiritual habit rather than a negligent afterthought. My church, with under 200 in attendance, offers traditional giving, online giving, and text giving. Many churches still do quite well with envelope giving.

I would love to hear what you think and, perhaps, what your church is doing in this area.

Posted on March 5, 2018


With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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56 Comments

  • If there is no growth spiritual (within) then there is no growth financially. There are members in my church who have been giving the same amount since I joined. Our pastor has provided all kinds of teaching but it just not in their hearts! We can talk Jesus all day long but until he get in our heart and we get in his word then I believe no change is going to take place. Even if the younger generation makes more money that the older, their priorities are not in the same place. So we have to look to our source Jesus and let Him direct our path. Be blessed!

  • A lot can be said about this subject and I agree with most all these observations.
    Giving is a simple act of obedience, a matter of the heart. It’s not an issue of control over where it goes or what age group it comes from. If we’re not giving…we have a heart problem.

  • Here’s something that might sound “off the wall” to most (maybe not all) of you. I have faith for the 9 gifts of the Spirit from 1 C. 12, including a “Word of Wisdom” (future things I don’t know in the natural). God told me I would be blessed to fund a significant work He had planned down the road a bit. After a radical change in careers, following a 200 mile move, and the passage of 27 years, it happened: sold my business and the tithe on the sale paid for a 5,000 sq. ft. headquarters of an international evangelistic ministry! Do you preach the Full Word, or filter? I recommend the complete Spirit Filled Word!

  • Dean O'Bryan says on

    As a Boomer (and retired from different ministries) i believe that across generations, people are weary of hype and buzz words when it comes to vision, values, strategies and results. Especially the younger generations will simply not support rhetoric-driven “ministry” without seeing clear connection between their support and fruit. May God give us leaders given to knowing and abiding in Christ, obeying the Great Commission personally (not giving it lip-service organizationally) and seeing the fruit Jesus promised. Then, I believe, support will flow.

  • Steven Riter says on

    In many respects giving is not training but ownership. The world treats money as ownership and power, more money relates to more power. If we believe the money is ours, earned by hard work and long hours, It becomes a possession that is controlled by our will not God’s direction to our lives. As God formed Adam from the earth and he was naked, all that man has acquired comes from God. We must understand where every good and perfect gift comes from, not what I have done.

  • You can preach all you want to on stewardship. The younger generations have little if any money left over after the mandatory payments (student loans, food, rent, etc.). Also, it takes a lot of money to keep inefficient organizations running. Older generations did not mind giving to support the organization. Younger generations with little money to spare want their donations to go right into projects and get results, not organizational overhead. The best organization is lean, mean, and nimble with little overhead. This is why Dr. Rainer has written about simplifying church bylaws from a bygone era. When was the last time any of your churches had a congregational meeting to explain to people the ongoing projects and then canned a project because it wasn’t working? When was the last time the leadership had an open Q&A session? Look, older people were personal friends of those in leadership and could ask a question if they needed to and get an answer. Younger generations rarely know who is in the leadership, did not choose them, don’t get face time with them, and would probably not support them if they came up on a confidence motion.

  • Coleman Walsh says on

    All of the reasons listed are valid, but the one that I believe is most significant is the lack of teaching and preaching on biblical principles of giving and generosity. Changing the this trend must start in the pulpit or, for all intents and purposes, it won’t start at all. Unfortunately, I appears many pastors are unwilling to preach and teach true biblical giving and generosity consistently because they fear, rightly or wrongly, that they may offend some folks and there will be push-back. More likely than not, the ones who may be offended are the ones who are not giving as God taught, anyway.

  • My husband and I are looking at our giving. Churches have nonprofit status and the assumption is that they’re doing good things in the community. Our church is increasingly spending on comfort of members vs. outreach to community. So we’re considering directing some of our own funds outward even if our church doesn’t. Good conversations at our house right now between my husband and I and our kids about what it means to tithe.

    • Barb’s comment is common among a new generation of givers… churches need to be very transparent about where funds are going today (in a general, categorical way). Leaders may feel the “risk” is that people will disagree and will reduce giving. However, a relationship of trust will go a long Way and will challenge both givers and leaders!

    • theartist says on

      So very sad but very true Barb. As a result, I continue to tithe at my church out of obedience to God… but my offerings? I send to Samaritans’s Purse, The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (to name a few) -and I also use my offering to buy Bible Tracts to give out on the street to passerby as I walk to and from work daily. Our Church is mainly inward (Church to Church) and sadly not Church to community.

      • Do you know how much of your donation to these organizations go towards salaries, marketing, buildings, and other things besides helping the less fortunate? When I give to the local church I know where every dollar is going in ministry.

      • theartist says on

        Hi Archie-Thanks for responding. I do give to these ministries because I am well versed in their mission. Yes, there are adminisrative costs. I understand that. But these three ministires actually have some of the lowest overall administrative costs. For instance, Samaritans Purse (Through Operation Christmas Child) provides shoebox gifts to impoverished children worldwide annually. My grandchildren and I packed 12 boxes each year as a partner of this effort. There are logistics/administrative factors
        to figure in here (cargo planes to deliver boxes, administrative costs, etc). But these ministries rely very heavily on volunteers-whose work, I am sure- will not be complete without them.

    • Barb (and theartist),

      I get what you are saying and unfortunately you are right. As a pastor, here is my challenge to you (I heard this from someone else a long time ago): if your church is not using its funds as wise stewards, you have two choices.

      1) Step in and be a part of the solution to help see the funds directed more wisely. Maybe some leaders are trying, but others only want to “feed the squeaky wheels.” Too many times we forget that those who are new or still investigating will leave quietly, but the lifers won’t. We can be more concerned with who we keep, than who we reach. We need more in leadership who are willing to look outside the church.

      2) Find a new church. Why would you continue to give if the stewardship is out of balance? Why are they good enough to teach you spiritually if they aren’t living it out? — I don’t say this lightly. This is only after figuring out what the root causes are and trying hard to be a part of the solution. I don’t believe people should use giving/spending priorities to control the church leadership. I could probably write a dissertation on this, but I will stop now and hope it is not misunderstood.

      • theartist says on

        Thank you so much Rob, and NO, you are not misunderstood. As an administrator of the church for the past 25 years, -I have attempted to do this many times. I will be quietly ending my tenure here after 25 years. Our Church attorney resigned because wisdom offered was not heeded. We worked together attempting to implement sound budgetary practices which was rebuffed by leadership. I did not include all of this in my previous post . What is taught should be lived out. There is a distinct difference when Leadership drives with a whip rather than lead with a staff. Church authoritative rule is dangerous-when all decisions are made and implemented by ONE Leader, surrounded by yes men who dare not challenge. I did, and the repercussions remain.

  • Money follows ministry. So firstly we must be reaching more people. That has increased our income. Then you are right that excellent teaching is needed in ways that connect. We teach both cause (purpose or specific giving) and commitment (tithing in obedience giving). We teach it thoroughly – the what, why, where and how including God’s promises related to giving. Finally, I think in today’s world, any church that does not offer digital options is… well… what can I say… it would be like putting inkwells and quills in the chair backs or pews instead of pens.

  • In my opinion, #2 and #3 are largely at work within the church. The question is how does the church respond and adapt to a changing landscape? My church, Hope City, in Houston, drives on a model which has recently launched its third campus within 3 years of launching its first. No brick and mortar. They rent out schools. Millennials are likely to give of their time as opposed to money. They are part of the Dream Team who sets up and tares down each Sunday. Hope City efficiently uses its resources of time and money given and stays flexible. Unlimited capacity for growth without tithes having to pour into church structure. Instead, money pours into missions.

  • Our giving has certainly decreased in the last few years and I definitely agree with you on the reasons. We have the traditional giving time in our church as well along with online giving and text giving. I have been contemplating on putting giving boxes around the church and not doing the traditional taking up of the offering.. Do you have any statistics on this type of giving?
    Pastor David Morrow

    • David, i have seen both work simultaneously, where the traditional taking up of the offering is done, but there are also boxes for folks to give as they leave, or if they stop by the church during the week, having missed the service, they can place their money/envelope in a box. Perhaps doing them together will let you know if anyone at all is interested in breaking tradition and dropping it “anonymously” in a box.

    • Where there is a traditional offering, using offering bags (as opposed to plates), the bags pass through everyone’s hands, reminding everyone of the need to give, and makes it much easier for everyone to contribute in an unobtrusive and unostentatious way. I think people feel far less self-conscious dropping an unknown quantity of money into a bag while everyone else’s minds are focused on singing a hymn, rather than having to conspicuously approach an offering box where anyone within sight of it can see exactly how much money you are trying to fit through the narrow slot. It is harder for people to make their contributions anonymously where there are only offering boxes. Also, children always love to be able to put something into the offering bag as it is being passed round so it gets them into the habit of giving for a young age, and they see it as a natural part of going to church. There is also generally a prayer of thanksgiving following the taking up of the offering in the traditional way, whereas where churches only have offering boxes there is often no prayer of thanks for the offering at all.

  • In America we are “evangelized” daily regarding material progress. And if Sunday is our primary exposure to escape from being “owned” by it (becoming selfless, generous in tithes and offerings as commanded by God) then good luck with becoming a cheerful giver. The key in my life has been walking in thankfulness to God, and “listening” to His voice when it comes to what we (God and I) do in all areas. He provides more guidance on the topic of money than almost any other. If I can’t figure out His plan in that area, little chance to grow in others. My testimony in the money area is one of solid progress and success. Thanks, God!

    • Da vid Tro uble fie ld, DM in says on

      The research:

      1. Per ACP repirts of congregations declining in attendance: annual general fund receipts often increase for some years (maybe: shrunk down to the true giving core that digs deeper?–LifeWay has the stats);

      2. Only two generations ago in SBC congregations: the Boomer/Buster/Millenial equivalents of the day averaged giving 50 cents per person per week if attending Sunday worship only–but they averaged giving $32 per person per week if attending both Sunday School and Sunday worship (the differenece: $31.50 per person per week; LifeWay also has this research).

      People support even financially what they are engaged with/in. Want/Need greater revenue as a congregation? The research: do not preach on tithing, but do model the way for growing a congregation via its Sunday School (or equivalent name in 2018; what is important is not what is called but instead what is done with it). LifeWay has the research on this, too. :-))

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