I was given three opportunities to put something in the offering plate in worship this morning. Well, almost. The usher in the center aisle made two feints, uncertain whether he should send the offering plate down the aisle to us and the other couple sitting in our row. Seeing nothing in our hands, he moved on to the next row, just as the usher in the side aisle sent a plate down our row. All pointless, it turned out, as none of us had anything to put in it.
You already know what is happening. In our case, we make an offering once a month, so the other three or four Sundays we have nothing to put in the plate. And we are among the few who still write out a check for our offering. Increasingly, people are contributing by direct deposit, a change that is less trouble for contributors and a boon to the cash flow of congregations.
So what is a church to do?
A few weeks ago a friend of mine remarked that the next issue the church needs to grapple with is what to do with offering plates in worship. Like the fax machine—once essential to the life of an organization—its usefulness is passing. In the case of fax machines, we keep putting “Fax: ____________” on forms even though email and PDFs have made fax machines all but obsolete.
(In fact, one form that my business office makes me send to presenters has an asterisk next to the fax number blank, indicating that it is a required field!) So, it seems, we mindlessly keep passing the offering plate, even though fewer and fewer people use it. And we keep processing offering plates to the front of the church, and then we pray over increasingly empty plates, “we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us.”
On the one hand, though, passing the plate is a useful reminder of the importance of giving. In fact, something in me longs for the processions of dancing members in Tanzania, making their way to the offering boxes, two or three times for a variety of offerings. If only our offerings were an occasion for such exuberance! So, if we yield to the demise of the offering plate’s usefulness—opting instead to put an offering plate in a spot where those who want to place something in it, can—how soon would it be before we forget about the importance (not to mention the joy) of giving?
I’m curious. What is your congregation doing with the offering plate these days? Have any of your practices changed in recent years? If so, have those changes had any impact on your congregation’s life and ministry?
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Instead of an attendance book, we have yellow inserts in the bulletin that we ask everyone, members and guests alike, to complete and place in the offering plate. When I first came here it was explained to me that this was done at least partially so everyone had something to put into the plate when it went around.
I’m sort of like you and give twice a month, but I’ve never felt too awkward because I always have something to place in the plate.
Thanks, Brian, for the suggestion.
I’m curious, what’s on the yellow insert? Is it always the same, or does it change from week to week? Is the information something that could be called “an offering” (“we give of our time, our selves, and our possessions”) and therefore could be presented at the altar for prayer? Something along the lines of ministry in daily life, perhaps? (“Where have you seen God at work in your life this past week?”)
This could be an exciting addition, or we could just keep asking for phone numbers and email addresses over and over again. :-/