The lockdown sparked by the coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on Church giving, according to a new survey.
While most Churches including those in Uganda adopted digital payment methods in-order to allow believers make their financial contributions during online prayer services, clergy are reporting giving declines.
The “State of the Plate” survey released 22 April, 2020 found that a third of churches — 34% — reported that giving had dropped between 10% and 20%. About 1 in 5 churches (22%) said the decline was between 30% and 50%. Almost a tenth of churches (9%) reported a drop of 75% or more in giving to their congregations.
Conducted between April 8 and April 20, among 1,091 churches, the survey found that only 8% had increased offerings. Then, just 27% reported steady offerings.
“That’s going to be really important this year because a lot of churches are going to see their budgets affected and their payroll,” said Mr Brian Kluth, a representative from the National Association of Evangelicals that released the report. “So if you’re a barber, cut their hair; if you’re a mechanic, fix their car; if you grow vegetables, share your vegetables.”
While the new research found greater declines in giving, almost half (48%) of churches that responded to a question about online viewing of their worship services said it had grown to double or more of their regular in-person attendance.
With results similar to this survey, A Billy Graham Center/Exponential/Leadership Network survey released Tuesday found that 60% of pastors have seen a decrease in giving.
“Most concerning is the 11 percent of pastors and leaders who replied that giving was down by at least 50 percent,” the report reads. Nevertheless, that research also showed that a majority of church leaders reported optimism about their financial situations.
Barna surveyed pastors in late March and found that almost 8 in 10 (79%) reported financial giving had decreased, with close to half (47%) saying it had dropped “significantly.”
Barna also found that a bit more than half of pastors (54%) said online attendance on March 29 was higher than regular in-person attendance, with a quarter of them describing it as “much higher.”
Additional reporting by RNS
