Giving Online

Living Faithfully and Generously in a Changing World

 

Not long ago, the world turned their calendars ahead to the nebulous arrival of the infamous "2012:" the long-awaited year that doomsday experts and conspiracy theorists want to decry as “The End!”

Those Mayans never could have realized how much anxiety their little calendar would impose on our society. While most of us don’t think the world is ending in the immediate future, at times it doesn’t feel far off. We are living in a time of unparalleled, rapid change.

The world today – and church– seem at times not to resemble what we remember even two decades ago. Change can bring hope; but before the light of hope breaks through, we have to make our way through the fog of fear.

Personal finances and faithful giving are two areas that deserve to be addressed in light of our changing world. One can only imagine what a church board meeting might have looked like when the idea was suggested for the first time that the church begin accepting personal checks instead of cash.

“Nonsense!” some would have replied. “Never!”

Of course we laugh at that, but here we find ourselves today in a rapidly evolving climate that needs the same kind of forward thinking and leadership required of our predecessors.

We recognize fully that in today’s world many of us pay our bills online and use debt cards at the grocery store. Many of today’s young adults do not even own personal checks, and why should they? They offer almost no value to them. Almost none of us use cash as a primary currency anymore.

We say all this, of course, to make the point that we find ourselves as a church in a position where for many people who want to give, we make it unnecessarily burdensome by only offering the same two options that were available in 1850: cash or check.

Electronic Giving Options at The New Beginning

Today there are many options available for churches to allow people to give (through the church website or other online websites) that use credit cards and debit cards. And many churches have adopted these options.

We have found that these electronic giving options come with fixed transaction fees (anywhere from 2 – 6%) deducted from the amount. As a church leadership team, we found it troublesome to think of our offering dollars having fees skimmed off the top. You give to God, not to banking institutions, and we want to honor that.  

Further, analogous to the dangers of using alcohol during communion, we recognize that debt and over-extended credit lines represent ever-present temptations to many of our families already struggling in these areas. We do not want giving to the church to fuel the fires of unchecked credit card spending.

All of that to say, we have spent time exploring options that allow us to live well in our electronic world without resorting to transaction fees. Here are two options we feel comfortable endorsing and recommending to make your giving efficient and trustworthy:

Electronic / On-line Bill Pay

Many people remain unaware of a free service your bank already provides for you, called “Electronic Bill Pay.” Simply by logging onto your bank’s website, you can establish a one-time or recurring check to be sent to TNB. No transaction fees, and your bank pays the postage!

We have had parishioners use this function and it works wonderfully. They do not have to worry about managing a weekly offering, and the bank automatically sends TNB a regular check (you determine the interval) that serves as your tithe and/or other designated giving (in some cases you are given the option to note how you want your giving subdivided: building fund, faith promise, etc.).

Set-up Instructions:

Each bank is set-up slightly different. If you have additional questions, we recommend you contact your bank directly.

  1. Log-in to your online banking. For example, www.chase.com.
  2. Select “Bill Pay” or “Pay Bills”
  3. Select “Add Payee.”
  4. If your bill paying page asks you for your payee's account number, select "none".
  5. Enter the applicable information for our church:

The New Beginning Church of the Nazarene
5640 Portage Street NW, North Canton, OH 44720

  1. Select “Recurring Payment.” Enter the appropriate dollar amount and frequency.
  2. Select “Finish” or “Complete.”

PayPal

 PayPal.com is well-known for those of us who participate in online commerce. Did you know you can use your PayPal account as a free portal for tithes and offerings too?

Giving to TNB has no transaction fee when funds are deducted from your bank account or your current PayPal balance.

  1. Log into your PayPal account
  2. Click on the “Send Money” tab
  3. When prompted with “My Payment is For…” click the first option, “Friends and Family.”
  4. Type in TNB’s PayPal email address in the “To” box: treasurer@tnbnazarene.org

That’s it! Remember, there is no transaction fee only when funds are deducted from your bank account or PayPal balance.

Faithfulness Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow...

Of course it should be noted that good old fashioned cash and checks in the offering plate will still be accepted for many more years to come.

Our hope is that all of these options come as “good news” and helpful steps into our brave new world. One day soon when your grandchildren ask you what a “check” used to be, you can tell them that you were serving in the church in the days when checks were still used!

Personal checks won’t be around forever, and one day, who knows, something else may replace the internet entirely! But for now, we are living faithfully in our day and our time, as uncertain as the future may be. But be reminded of this as we start the new year together: God is certain and God is faithful.

Thank you for your courage to love and give.

 - The TNB Church Board