Church Research on Giving & Generosity

In the 6th installment of the ground breaking research on church giving we asked pastors, leaders, and laypeople from churches of all sizes and types to report on their giving patterns and practices. In this church giving report we reveal financial, giving, and spiritual practices of nearly 1,600 survey participants from mainline, evangelical, non-denominational, and other Christian groups.

Some of the key findings from the 2016 State of the Plate Report are listed below. 

Be sure to snag the full report and check out the infographic.

• 59% of churches surveyed reported flat-lined or decreased giving over the period 2015 to 2016. (A previous survey from 2013 revealed 53% of churches had an increase in giving that year.)
• Only 41% of churches surveyed saw giving increase by 5% or more.
• 79% of churches surveyed offer website giving (up from 29% in 2010), 46% offer mobile app giving and/or text to give giving (up from 4% in 2010), and 32% have a kiosk/iPad in the lobby for in-person digital giving.
• Generous church giving is not limited to the older generations. 63% of those in their 20s-30s give 10% or more to their church.
• Only 41% of those surveyed said they give weekly, while 46% give once or twice a month.
• The top five reasons for missing church services are: out of town (74%), sickness (42%), serving during the worship service (16%), social commitments (13%), and had to work (14%).

Not interested in the download? Check out the 10 Surprising Church Giving Facts that You Need to Know or have a look through these facinating charitable giving statistics.