November 9, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
Protestant churches continue to face trouble persuading members to increase the share of their incomes they donate to churches and their charitable activities.
An analysis of more than 100,000 Protestant congregations shows that church members gave an average of 0.38 percent of their income in 2004 to support religious missions, education, and social services.
That is the same as the share they gave in 2003.
But it was also the lowest percentage donated for such purposes since 1968, when the giving data were first collected. In that year, Protestants donated 0.66 percent, on average, of their income to church-run charities.
The report also examines how much members donate to pay for church operations. That fell to an all-time low as a share of income in 2004, at 2.2 percent. In 1968, Protestants gave 2.5 percent of their income to help churches meet their financial needs.
The new report, published by Empty Tomb, a religious, research, and social-services organization in Champaign, Ill., analyzes giving data from churches that together have 29 million members. The churches provide such data annually to the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.
While giving as a percentage of income remained at its lowest level, the dollar amount that church members donated reached its peak in 2004, at an average of $102, after adjusting for inflation.
Donations as a percentage of income have dropped to record lows because church members’ incomes have been rising much faster than the amount congregants give to charity.
Copies of the report, “The State of Church Giving Through 2004,” may be purchased for $28 each, plus shipping charges, online or by contacting Empty Tomb, 301 North Fourth Street, P.O. Box 2404, Champaign, Ill. 61825-2404; (217) 356-9519.
