Ever pass the plate in church and there’s nothing in there? Smartphones are the new tithing tech—building church budgets—even as they shape our souls!

Adam & Chris cash in on the question: what happens when the cash goes out?

Digital giving has been slowly growing for years and in our city of Chicago, cashless is the new normal for many folks. Venmo—the money app we use most often—reports 40 million users with $21 billion passing through the app at the beginning of 2019 (Q1). Paypal, it’s parent company, does much much more!

So how does this affect giving to the church?

Questions

• How are different churches adjusting to the digital shift? Ignoring it? Trying new things? We’ve got some stories.

• Who does giving online help and hurt?

• Does giving via our phone change our spiritual growth?

• Is giving supposed to be public or private?

• Has the church always “passed the plate?” How old is that practice? (not as old as you think!)

And of course, Vice or Virtue.

“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.”

Mark 12:14-17

Links

• PushPay: How to Choose the Right Tithing Software (no endorsement. We haven’t researched these guys or any of the others we mention in the episode).

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