For hundreds of thousands of churches, the tradition stood the test of time. The majority of churches passed the offering plate (or some type of receptacle) during a designated time of the worship service typically called “the offertory.”
There is no doubt that the number of churches passing the offering plate has decreased dramatically in recent years. And to be transparent, I am one of the traditionalists who prefers the old-fashioned passing of the offering plate. To me it has been a powerful symbol of our act of giving. It also served as a visual training for the next generation as they saw their parents and grandparents put cash, checks, or offering envelopes in the plate as it passed by.
But my role is to report what I see, not what I prefer. In light of that assignment, here are seven thoughts I have about passing the offering plate.
1. The pandemic hastened the decline of passing the offering plate. Though my evidence is anecdotal, I observed fewer churches passing the offering plate each year up to the pandemic. Of course, part of the pandemic was the quarantine when churches were not gathering for worship. And when the churches resumed gathered worship, many were hesitant to pass a plate that others had touched. Stated simply, the pandemic accelerated and exacerbated a trend already in place.
2. The number of churches passing the offering plate today is small. Matt McCraw of our Church Answers team posted a poll asking a simple “yes” or “no” question about passing the offering plate. The results are 2 to 1 in favor of the “no” response. The current percentage of no votes is 67%. Though the poll is not scientific, I would not be surprised if it’s accurate.
3. The growth of online giving has exacerbated the decline in passing the offering plate. The pandemic affected many church practices. Among the most affected was the method of giving. For the most part, the only way to give to a church was online or mail during the quarantine. Naturally, church leaders began promoting online giving more enthusiastically than ever. Now, more church members give online than don’t. And there’s not much need for an offering plate when there is no physical offering to give.
4. The growth in online giving has increased overall giving. Most churches experience increased giving as people moved from plate giving to digital giving. That makes sense. You don’t forget to bring your check or cash when you give online. You give even if you are absent from worship services. Church leaders are unlikely to encourage plate giving to return since it might actually decrease giving.
5. We still need a time in worship services where we acknowledge our gifts to God. A bit of creativity is required here, and many churches are doing just that. One church uses a video testimony on giving or ministry supported by giving every week. It is called “the offertory time” just as it was when they passed the plate.
6. It is unlikely the hybrid model will continue. Simply stated, there will be fewer churches that both pass the plate and promote online giving. Some churches have boxes in the worship center that are used to return guest cards and gifts. Most of the pastors with whom I have spoken say the gifts in the box are zero or nominal.
7. The opposition to discontinuing the passing of the offering plate is largely generational. Boomers and builders are more likely to fight to do the things the way they’ve always done them. That includes the passing of the offering plate. As these older generations pass from the scene, so will most of the opposition to discontinuing the passing of the offering plate.
I don’t necessarily like the trend, but I must report the data as I see it. The passing of the offering plate is dying. It will soon be dead.
Rest in peace, offering plates. You served our churches well.
Posted on October 30, 2023
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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14 Comments
DISCLAIMER: I have only been in my current church since January, but we are still passing the plate. I am not sure what they did regarding giving during the pandemic. The previous pastor died of a heart attack during it, so they did not hold services for a while. We just introduced online giving a couple of months ago. So far we only have one couple that uses it (the youngest couple in the church). We will see what happens, but I don’t see the plate-passing to cease anytime soon. It’s certainly not something I am going to push as we have our kids put the check in the plate each week while my wife and I are in the choir, so they get to be involved in giving during worship now.
We have a basket on a table in the entryway, and we also use Venmo for online giving. We also have a locking mailbox that people can put gifts in if they forget to bring it on Sunday and don’t like using online giving. I would say 90% of our giving is done in-person, though a few additional households have started using Venmo. We have around 85 regular attenders.
Our church has a “Change for Change” where the young children (age 3-maybe 3rd grade) walk through the pews collecting loose change. They then decide on its use such as to fund our Little Food Pantry (think Little Library people put in their yards for book exchanges), a local mission, or a world organization such as Heifer International. These are prayed over along with the plate collection, which certainly has less in it due to online giving, but we still offer both options. We hadn’t thought of a text option but presume there is an added fee like a credit card. I’m still in favor of continuing to pass the plates since it shows the next generation how we give.
What New Testament says Offering Plate? Explain verses from New Testament after Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
One practice from a former church was to collect offerings of thanksgivings on paper in the plate then collecting the plate during the offertory period. It didn’t get a lot of traction but there were signs that as the online giving increased the tangible thanksgiving offering was becoming more popular.
One of the best things we did during the Pandemic was place the plate front and center at the entrance to the sanctuary. Anyone entering the church would have to walk past the plate and there was an amazingly spiritual effect with the practice. Even those who gave online would periodically put something in the plate. It was interesting.
It looks like we will start a blended system as of the 1st of th new year. We will continue with the plates for the next year, but add a box in the entryway. At the end of the year–or before, if the plates go empty–we will go to online or “the big box.”
Some are now giving online, some are “if they’re there” givers.
We, too, for the reasons you mention, have moved away from passing an offering bucket but we do take a moment in our services to invite people to give with the options of text-to-give, online giving using the our app, or check or cash in an envelope to be dropped in a contribution slot as they leave.
When I’m the one, as Associate Pastor, doing the offering moment, our lead pastor has asked me from time to time to do some teaching about generosity. Yesterday I took time to emphasize, especially addressing our online givers, the importance of tying our giving to an act of worship.
Interestingly, we just had a discussion this past week with a representative from a capital fund raising company about the merits of passing the plate and keeping the worship aspect to our giving. He said their experience was that there is a portion of a congregation who only give when an offering plate is put in front of them. While it’s only a small percentage, you do miss out on that amount when you don’t pass the plate, he said.
The scripture that has really changed my approach to receiving offerings is Proverbs 21:26 “Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!”
My experience over the years is that pastors too often play on either people’s fear or their greed to motivate giving. (Malachi 3:6-12?) Perhaps our own fear of not having enough come in or our own greed for more motivates us as leaders, more than we’d like to admit.
We will never pass a plate for offering ever again. We have a specific box at the back of the sanctuary and we promote that every week. We will tell people to put their offering in the box and many people do just that. Most of my church is still writing checks or using cash. As you have written, Covid created this situation for us.
We still use offering plates and see no real reason to stop. We also have online giving. I guess I’m old fashioned as well Thom, but I like folks to realize that giving to the Lord is an important part of worship, and not to be marginalized. We also use our younger teens to help pass the plates. It involves the next generation in serving. We use both the guys and the gals. They often want to help and we don’t want to discourage them from serving.
We, too, for the reasons you mention, have moved away from passing an offering bucket but we do take a moment in our services to invite people to give with the options of text-to-give, online giving using the Church Center app, or check or cash in an envelope to be dropped in a contribution slot as they leave.
When I’m the one, as Associate Pastor, doing the offering moment, our lead pastor has asked me from time to time to do some teaching about generosity. Yesterday I took time to emphasize, especially addressing our online givers, the importance of tying our giving to an act of worship.
Interestingly, we just had a discussion this past week with a representative from Generis (https://generis.com/) about the merits of passing the plate and keeping the worship aspect to our giving. He said their experience was that there is a portion of a congregation who only give when an offering plate is put in front of them. While it’s only a small percentage, you do miss out on that amount when you don’t pass the plate, he said.
The scripture that has really changed my approach to receiving offerings is Proverbs 21:26 “Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!”
My experience over the years is that pastors too often play on either people’s fear or their greed to motivate giving. (Malachi 3:6-12?) Perhaps our own fear of not having enough come in or our own greed for more motivates us as leaders, more than we’d like to admit.
Our church does provide alternate means, including both online and text, but we still have offering plates at the back of the sanctuary even if we don’t pass them through the pews.
I guess I’m “old school”. I take time to make out a check Saturday night as I’m getting ready for church the next morning, and put the check in the plate as I enter the sanctuary. I consider this small act as part of my overall preparation for worship. But I don’t consider it “giving” to God. Rather, I consider it returning to God a portion of what He has given to me!
Thanks, John.
Amen on returning to God a portion of what He has given to me!
Yes!