this poor widow has cast in more than they all;
for all these have of their abundance cast in unto
the offerings of God; but she of her penury hath cast
in all the living that she had.
Luke 21:2-3.
he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians, 9:6-7
The best comparative statistics we have show Presbyterians in the mid-range of generosity to religious organizations (not just churches). In 1997 213 thousand Presbyterians aged 20 or over contributed $70 million, an average of $329 per person, per year. This level of support was stronger than the Canadian average, $279 per donor and in line with the other mainline faiths, United Church ($345), and Anglican ($309), though the other mainline faith, Lutheran, was higher ($408). Giving was over twice as high among conservative Christian denominations, Baptist ($773), Pentecostal ($724) and smaller Christian faith communities ($702). Catholics and non-Christians contributed much less than Presbyterians per year.
Religious commitment is the best predictor of how much is given to religious organizations. Weekly churchgoing Presbyterians contribute $744 per year, noticeably more than weekly attending Anglicans ($601) or United Church donors ($678). Weekly Lutherans contribute more still ($759), though less than their conservative Christian counterparts: Baptist ($993), Pentecostal ($1,017) and other Christian ($876). Still, among the total of weekly attendees in Canada, Presbyterians give much more than the average ($487), which is pulled down by the much lower giving of Catholics.
Monthly churchgoers give much less than the weekly group. Presbyterians donate $158, less than the Anglicans ($190) United Church ($236), and Lutherans ($439). A positive implication of this result is that if some Presbyterians were encouraged to attend more frequently, then they might increase their giving by more than similarly affected Anglicans, United Church givers, or Lutherans. To increase commitment in today’s Canada is not an easy task, though programs like Alpha, more frequent and different service offerings, and study of how the conservative churches seem to be bucking the trend of declining enrolment, are some of the church policy options available.
Simply changing policies or emphasis is not enough; as one Baptist told me, hearts must be changed. He continued:
The objective of any program must be to build up the flock and glorify God. The flock must be good news before it shares the good news. The focus is always on God and recognition that we are saved by his grace and not by anything we have done or will do. Thus the saved, recognizing the precious gift they have been given, have the desire to give back to God from that which they have been richly blessed. Only when people have this change in heart will donations increase.
Increased commitment might result in more church volunteers, and it is now known that church volunteers contribute much more money to religious organizations than non-volunteers. In Canada 16% of donors volunteer in religious organizations, and they donate 43% of all donations to religious organizations. Some 22% of Presbyterians volunteer and they contribute 45% of all giving, over twice their share. The difference between volunteers and other donors is biggest among Anglicans: 23% volunteer and they donate 51% of the Anglican total. The religious volunteer rate is highest among Baptists (40%) and lowest among French Catholics (3%).
Membership in church groups is also strongly associated with increased giving. Groups such as choir, prayer and praise, and youth groups tend to increase commitment to religious organizations. In Canada 28% of religious donors are members of religious groups, and they contribute 60% of all giving. Among Presbyterian donors, 36% belong to groups and they contribute 65% of all religious giving. The highest group membership rate is enjoyed by Pentecostals, 56%, and they contribute 88% of all Pentecostal giving. French Catholics have the lowest rate, 8%.
One final measure of religious commitment is a subjective one, the perception of being "very religious" rather than somewhat or not at all religious. Among Canadian donors, 23% consider themselves to be very religious and they contribute 46% of all donations to religious organizations. Some 18% of Presbyterian donors are very religious, and they contribute 41% of all donations. The conservative faith church donors tend to be much more religious than others, 51% on the whole, and these religious donors contribute 66% of the total.
Frank Jones,
St Martins Anglican Church, Ottawa, Adjunct Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa, and Director of Research, Christian Commitment Research Institute (CCRI).
This article is based in part on a study completed for CCRI, and available on its web site
http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~fjones/
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Source: National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, 1997 |