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Donations Down at Many U.S. Churches, Some Face Foreclosure

By Lynnette Khalfani-Cox on Mar 31st 2010 1:10PM
Filed under: Personal Finance, News, The Economy, Lynnette Khalfani-Cox

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If the last time the offering plate passed by you in church and you just tapped it -- or simply handed it to the person next to you -- apparently you're not alone.

A new study from Christianity Today International says donations were down at nearly 40% of Christian churches in America in 2009.

"For the first time in consecutive years there is a notable decline for a significant number of churches," Matt Branaugh, one of the report authors, told AFP.

The survey, called the "State of the Plate," looked at 1,000 churches, including Evangelical, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran as well as some Catholic congregations.

The report says that the churches with the biggest declines in tithes and offerings were "megachurches" with 2,000 to 5,000 members on an average Sunday, along with many churches out West, including places of worship in California, Washington and Oregon.


The results of this survey undoubtedly reflect that the economy is taking a toll on many individuals and families across the country -- and that includes Christians and non-Christians alike.

But the survey also notes that 45% of churches actually increased their budgets set aside to help people in need. So even though donations were down at roughly four out of 10 churches, the flip side of that is that church giving was either at the same level or increased at six out of 10 churches.

My Inside Look at the Church

The state of the financial affairs of churches and church membership is of serious importance to me. Not just because I'm a Christian; but also because as an individual, and as a Money Coach, I recognize that the church provides so much emotional, spiritual, social and yes, financial support to countless people during both troubled times and good times too.

I personally witnessed a lot of generosity -- in matters economic and non-economic -- from church leaders and their members across the U.S. in 2009, when my husband and I launched The Zero Debt Tour.

The Zero Debt Tour is a nationwide financial literacy initiative in which I go across the country giving free financial workshops, and also providing to attendees free copies of my New York Times best-selling book, Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom.

Since this financial literacy effort is directed at non-profits, and represents one of my ways of giving back, my husband and I initially focused our efforts on churches as the venues for my financial seminars, an increasingly common trend. The results were overwhelming, in more ways than one.

Not only did we meet many thousands of people -- at churches in L.A., Houston, Atlanta, Newark, NJ and more -- but we also found that church families are often not unlike our own individual families: some are healthy and thriving, while others are just hanging on, simply trying to hold it together.

In the process of preparing for the tour and doing print and television interviews about it, I learned that because of the economic downturn, many churches are actually experiencing a surge in attendance. People were joining churches or coming back to their faith and their roots as a way to cope with all the economic, personal and societal pressures they're facing. At some of those churches experiencing a fresh wave of attendance, there was actually an uptick in giving. At others, giving was down.

Unfortunately, I also discovered that not a few churches across the country were struggling badly, with their very buildings on the brink of foreclosure. Thankfully, this was not the case for any of the churches I visited on the tour.

But the fact that there are churches facing foreclosure really rattled me -- mainly because I would hate to see the loss of these places of worship and institutions that for so many represent a cornerstone of their lives and communities.

What has your overall church experience been like lately? Also, have you been giving more, less or the same to your church? And do you have a sense of whether tithes and offerings are generally up or down in your place of worship?


Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, an award-winning financial news journalist and former Wall Street Journal reporter for CNBC, has also been featured in top newspapers including the Washington Post, USA Today, and the New York Times, as well as magazines ranging from Essence and Redbook to Black Enterprise and Smart Money. Check out her New York Times bestseller, 'Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom.'

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