Online Giving, More Than Just Convenient
September 13, 2010 by cloften
Filed under Bible, Church and Leadership
I talked about money for the first time at the Grove yesterday. My apt. deck did not get t-p’d and all 4 of my tires are still in tact, so I believe I have survived. We have an elders meeting tonight, so I will keep you posted.
During the sermon, we (re-)introduced online giving to the Grove Church and our website. You can check it out here–Online Giving. At first glance, the use of online-giving just seems to be a trendy gimmick to make giving more convenient, a savvy business plan, if you will. The more I thought about it this week, the more I became convinced that it is a lot more than just convenient.
Many people struggle with the discipline of giving. People want to give regularly, but they often forget. Even if we remember to give, we can’t remember the checkbook. (Checkbook? What’s a checkbook? It’s that bound set of pieces of paper sitting on your record player next to the lava lamp) People want to tithe based on income rather than when they are attending, but how do you give when you’re not there? I believe that most people want to honor God with their finances but feel trapped or undisciplined. This is where online giving can make a huge difference. Sign up, set up a recurring gift tied to when you get income and boom it’s done. You can’t forget, so the discipline problem is gone. Your giving is tied to what you make, so you can give to God first, rather than scraping together what’s left over.
Choose to give. Choose to give regularly. Choose to give to God from the first of what you have. Choose to give based on what and when you make money. Choose to honor God with your money, and you will receive tremendous blessings from God and you will be partnering with the other people in your church to reach people who desperately need God.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10
We choose to give this way and have ever since I designed the method for FBC|LR 5 years ago. It helps make sure we don’t ever find ourselves behind and it comes out the first thing each paycheck.
Those that say it would be too convenient don’t realize that you are still reminded of it every time it happens – that is if you are giving sacrificially. Those are real dollars and it has an impact on our lives, but we are committed to do it each and every time and this tool helps us keep that committment.
The process of deciding what to give was just as in-depth as those “analog” donations we used to make with our checkbook, which is what God wants anyway – our heart to give to Him and realize the impact He has on our lives via His gracious blessings.
This way, we get to joyfully decide what to give and remove the logistics of implementation and move on to other expressions of faith. So, go ahead and click that DONATE button – your task list will love you for it.
We are using this now at LifeChurch.TV, and I love the convenience. For the first time in my life, I am giving the full tithe. Awesome experience.
The only problem I have with the implementation is the use of credit cards. I understand they are a convenience and that those who use it could pay them off each month. It just seems counter to Biblical stewardship, in my opinion, to use an instrument that has been the downfall of so many in recent years.