Technology has infiltrated every area of life, including church life. Many churches already have provided the ability for members to give their offerings online. Now it seems that electronic giving will be available inside the church as well, making it more convenient than ever for church attendees to fill the theoretical offering plate.
Business Insider reports:
Devout computer programmers have figured out a way to make tithing less obtrusive — while almost certainly securing greater yields for churches.
Based in North Carolina, Giving Kiosk produces touch-screen software that lets parishioners use credit and debit cards to chip into the figurative collection plate.
According to the GivingKIOSK website, “the Church tithing process must keep up with the next generation of tithing.” With less people carrying cash and checkbooks, GivingKIOSK was designed to “keep up with the changing landscape of the younger generation.” The website explains further:
Too many Church organizations do not have the convenience of paying by credit card or debit and [are] losing the ability to capture Tithes and Offerings that the church may not have otherwise received. Source
GivingKIOSK is already in place in churches and religious organizations across America:
We have church facilities from 75 members to 8000 members throughout the United States. We work with non-profits like The Salvation Army, Susan G. Komen race for the cure, and many other large faith based organizations. Source
One wonders if it won’t be long before there is a GivingKIOSK on the back of each chair or pew, enabling churchgoers to give their offering throughout the entire church service, and thus eliminating entirely the need to pass the offering plate.