More churches saying "amen" to credit cards

/

At the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Dallas, more and more parishioners have signed up to give tithes and offerings automatically through their Visa or American Express cards.

"They want to get the points, and that's fine," said Bobby Brown, the church's business manager.

But is it really Christian to collect frequent-flier points on the way to heaven? Are churches that take plastic contributing to the nation's credit-card-debt crisis? Does tithing by automatic assessment rob from the thoughtfulness and spirituality of giving?

Church leaders are grappling with such issues, trying to find their way in a brave new world of stewardship.

"It's a constant hot topic," said Phill Martin, deputy CEO of the National Association of Church Business Administration. "They're asking questions about the process and the theology."

Clearly, the offering plate and envelope are in trouble as payment by cash and check declines.

The Federal Reserve reports that the number of checks paid in the United States dropped from 50 billion in 1995 to 37 billion in 2003.

Meanwhile, Visa USA saw its volume at religious organizations climb 21 percent last year, said Bill Dobbins, vice president of merchant relations.

Such companies as ParishPay and Vanco Services have emerged to help churches collect by bank draft, credit card and debit card.

Americans owe about $880 billion on their credit cards, according to The Nilson Report, which studies credit systems. The publication puts credit-card debt per household at $7,698 in 2006.

While there's little, if any, evidence that credit-card giving to churches is a significant contributor, many churchgoers carry large balances with crushing interest payments.

Many churches are keenly aware of this, and it's common for them to offer personal-finance courses. Yet many of those same churches have begun to take credit-card offerings.

Though Dave Ramsey, a nationally known Christian financial adviser, thinks it's inevitable that more and more churches will accept credit cards, he's not happy about it.

"I deal with people every day that have had their lives completely trashed with these stupid pieces of plastic," he said. "Churches ought to be about solving [problem] areas, not contributing to them."

Others raise different concerns.

"I believe that giving is a part of worship," said Terry Austin, director of stewardship for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. "If you take an offering away from the worship context, then to me you've lost the meaning of giving. You've made it fundraising for the church."

He added: "When I have [an offering] automatically withdrawn from my bank or credit or whatever, I can do it without any thought of worship. To me, that's a serious problem."

That also troubled Carl Knirk, who's in charge of giving for the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, which has about 100 congregations in Western Washington.

About a quarter of the Episcopal churches here allow giving through credit, debit or automatic withdrawal, he said. Most contract with Vanco Services to allow parishioners to set up such donations online.

But when people give that way, rather than by placing something on the offering plate each week, "it makes it look like no one's giving," Knirk said. It's not setting a visible example of the importance of giving.

So next month, the diocese will present an idea it hopes its parishes will participate in: having tokens that people can pick up at the front door that symbolize they've given in some way. People put the tokens on the plate as it goes by, and the tokens are collected and put back at the front door for use the next week.

It's a symbolic gesture that shows "you're giving back out of gratefulness and joy for all that God has given," Knirk said.

Other pastors aren't troubled by these newer giving methods.

At Cedar Park Assembly of God Church in Bothell, people can give by credit card, automatic withdrawals or online through their Web site. The church receives anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 a month through online giving.

"We don't think they're the tools of the devil," said Pastor Joe Fuiten. "They're just tools of modern commerce is all."

That said, 95 percent of the church's contributions still come by check, according to Fuiten.

Probably a lot of pastors are where Barry Cameron of Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, finds himself these days.

Cameron is the author of "The ABCs of Financial Success" and is keenly aware from his research and counseling that even many middle-class families struggle with credit-card debt. He also believes that giving in a worship service is more meaningful than automatic assessment and sets a good example for children.

But his church includes many young people who don't carry cash. So Crossroads Christian will accommodate them.

"We are moving to online giving," he said. "That's the mode of giving that most of the younger generation use."

Seattle Times staff reporter Janet I. Tu contributed to this report.