Why does the Church track our contributions?

[Harsalter]

I was wondering. Our priest told us that when we give to the church and mention what we give that our only reward is the pride in telling someone. But then why does the Church assign ID numbers to us at our parishes and track our offerings? Someone must be interested.

When I was a Mormon, we mailed our contributions directly to Salt Lake City, Utah. I often thought that they kept up with our tithings so when and if we went to the Temple for a Sacrament, they would blow off the dust of our offering records and do a financial audit on us, and if we haven’t contributed what they thought we should, we would be denied entrance to the Temple. But then, I had a lot of reasons to be suspicious of that cult and I am glad I am out.

But still, why do our parishes track our individual offerings?

 

[buzzcut]

I live in Canada and if you put your contribution in a numbered envelope, you get a tax receipt at the end of the year. But you don’t have to use an envelope if you don’t want to. You could make your contributions anonymous if you wanted to.

 

[water]

I could tell you a few reasons:

• by knowing that you are paying, they could tell that you are still going to the church there. There are many people living their parish without saying a word. If they know you are still going to the same church, they can send out newsletters and other things.

• This can also help to keep track of parishioners for the parish.
• also, there are some people wanting to know how the church spends their money. Keeping the records is a must.
• management reasons.*

 

[1ke]

The church must account for all monies received to ensure that the funds are not being misused, embezzled, etc.

Therefore they must keep records. If you pay by check then they record it as part of the accounting process. If you pay in cash, the cash receipts are totalled separately and accounted for in a general fund.

Additionally, envelope users typically want a tax receipt at year’s end therefore the records must be accurate and by individual contributor.

However, it is not a requirement to use an envelope and one can always give cash in the collection plate.

 

[Harsalter]

Yea, I now feel foolish for asking.

Of course, people want their tax deductions.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Yea, I now feel foolish for asking.

Of course, people want their tax deductions.

Nothing wrong in wanting your tax deduction and for deductions over $250, you need to have a receipt from the organization.

Jim

 

[Beyrak]

Nothing wrong in wanting your tax deduction and for deductions over $250, you need to have a receipt from the organization.
Jim

Nothing wrong at all, but that tax deduction will be your only reward.

Matthew 6:1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”

 

[lizaanne]

My parish has switched to an optional online tithing system: faithdirect.net/

I absolutely love it!! No more envelopes, no more forgetting to grab one on the way out the door, and at the end of the year I get a statement for my taxes.

This has also increased the amount the church receives from parishioners significantly because they aren’t just getting pocket change when someone doesn’t have the right amount to put in the basket. It is a set amount every week, taken monthly out of the person’s credit card or bank. I love the convenience of it.

And I can even do extra tithing on holy days, and for other special occasions such as flowers for Easter, or as a memorial.

~Liza

 

[m134e5]

I was wondering. Our priest told us that when we give to the church and mention what we give that our only reward is the pride in telling someone. But then why does the Church assign ID numbers to us at our parishes and track our offerings? Someone must be interested.

If my parish insisted on doing that, they just might not get any more money from me- I would support my parish in other ways. It is NOBODY’s business. The only exception I can see is the case of families with children in parochial schools with tithe-based tuition fees.

 

[Cade_One]

…But then why does the Church assign ID numbers to us at our parishes and track our offerings? Someone must be interested…

Believe it or not most protestant churches keep track too. I used to subscribe to a Christian Computing magazine and basically it was a bunch of reviews of different church organizational software. I was also a bit surprised by all that some of these programs keep track of. Not only do they store contact info, but service attendance, tithing, marital status, number of kids, and other information.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Nothing wrong at all, but that tax deduction will be your only reward.

Matthew 6:1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”

Judgemental and total misinterpretation of the text, here.

Jesus is talking about people who do charitable deeds for all to see, and boast about it.

Taking a tax deduction is hardly boasting. Most people don’t post their tax returns so people can see their charitable deductions.

Jim

 

[duskyjewel]

Thank you, Jim. I was hoping someone would say that. All a tax deduction does is to remove that money from your taxable income. Remember rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s?

The state has no right to a cut of the money I give to the Church. The money I use in commerce, the business of the world, yes. The money I use in supporting charitable works and the distribution of the Sacraments in my community, no.

 

[Beyrak]

Hope you are right also Jim. But the way I read it and have been lectured to from our parish priest is you can choose your reward. And if you choose an earthly reward such as a tax deduction, that will probably be all the reward God allows for it.

When you make contributions for a tax deduction, the left hand certainly knows what the right hand is doing, and so does your church, your local, state and federal govt.

 

[duskyjewel]

Jeez,

I don’t contribute to the Church to get the tax deduction. I do it to support my parish and diocese, and to support the work of the Catholic church in the world. I donate to the Archdiocese of the Military to help them provide spiritual comfort to our troops. I donate to Catholic Social Services to help the poor and unfortunate in my community.

The United States, through its respect for freedom of religion, decided to allow us to remove that money from our taxable income. The government is supporting and encouraging our right to support our churches with the only resources we have to give.

Not only do I think your priest is wrong, I think he is being incredibly disrespectful of people’s motives. If I were only doing it for the deduction, I could give my money to radical freaks like Earth First and Planned Parenthood, and get the same deduction.

 

[Beyrak]

Jeez,

I don’t contribute to the Church to get the tax deduction. I do it to support my parish and diocese, and to support the work of the Catholic church in the world. I donate to the Archdiocese of the Military to help them provide spiritual comfort to our troops. I donate to Catholic Social Services to help the poor and unfortunate in my community.

The United States, through its respect for freedom of religion, decided to allow us to remove that money from our taxable income. The government is supporting and encouraging our right to support our churches with the only resources we have to give.

Not only do I think your priest is wrong, I think he is being incredibly disrespectful of people’s motives. If I were only doing it for the deduction, I could give my money to radical freaks like Earth First and Planned Parenthood, and get the same deduction.

My priest was being disrespectful to no one. He was instructing on what Matthew 6 says.

Wow, sounds like your reward for your donations was your last post. Congrats!

 

[jpjd]

I’ve never understood the touchiness some people feel about the parish office knowing what they give. Who cares if they know? It’s not like anyone can memorize that Joe Smith gives $2/week and Sally Jones gives $100/week.

I count the collection as scheduled and have been doing it for years, and I still couldn’t tell you how much any particular person gives. I am concentrating on my counting tasks and not on reading names and amounts and remembering who gave what. Even if I did take time to pay attention, so what? People give what they feel they can give. From my own personal experience, I know that amount can depend on personal factors such as a devotion to tithing, if there’s a child in college, a temporary financial setback, how much they give to other charities, etc.

Personally, I wish people were as concerned about the giving of time toward parish activities as they are about amount of money. Our parish is always in need of volunteers. Volunteering is a form of giving too. Remember, we are to give of our time and talent as well as our treasure.

 

[duskyjewel]

Wow, sounds like your reward for your donations was your last post. Congrats!

OMG…I was giving examples!! Man, you are judgemental! And I actually believe in being judgemental when it is called for. You are just being spitefully judgemental. I was describing my motivation. And opposing it to you and your priest’s supposition of what it is.

UNCLE. You are better than me.

 

[YADA]

In addition to the good points already listed like accountability, preventing theft etc:

Another reason for your parish to track contributions are for planning purposes and also for parish activities.

Parishes that have schools have an obligation to educate parishioners first [and most require that school families be active participants in the parish, as in regularly attend mass each Sunday and contribute time, talent and treasure, *according to their means and gifts, and an amount in $$ is not the standard!]

Religious education requires catechists and resources. How does you parish plan for these things if they have no method of identiying the monetary resources [recieved as well as expected - a reason for annual pledges] and the numbers of people and their respective ages?

How do the expenses of the parish get paid? Even parishes with no mortgages still have maintenance costs, capiital expenditures, building plans and utility expenses.

Parishes, [even small ones] require some paid staff to operate. The larger the parish the larger the paid staff required.

Parishes also give to other charitable causes and suport the efforts and programs of the diocese.

Catholics as a whole are not known for good parish support… Many catholics give the same amount that their parents gave twenty years ago “Dad threw a couple of bucks in the plate …so do I”]

At our parish only 35% use the envelopes or a check [about 500 out of the more than 2000 households]. Seven hundred [700] either did not contribute at all or did so using only cash.

Of those using envelopes or checks:

about 120 gave less than one dollar < $1.00]
about 400 gave between one and five [btw $1.00 and $5.00]
about 200 gave between six and ten [btw $6.00 and $10.00]
about 250 gave between eleven and twenty [btw $11.00 and $20.00]

about 130 gave between twenty-one and thirty [btw $21.00 and $30.00]

about 60 gave between thirty-one and forty [btw $31.00 and $40.00]

and about 110 gave more than forty - one > $41.00]

one percent [1%] of an annual $20,000 $9.62 per hour] salary equates to $3.84 per week

about 25% of our parishioners are giving at about 1% of a $9.62 per hour job in one of the most affluent cities in my state…

Tithing? Being good stewards? Being thankful for the abundance of God’s gifts to us?

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Hope you are right also Jim. But the way I read it and have been lectured to from our parish priest is you can choose your reward. And if you choose an earthly reward such as a tax deduction, that will probably be all the reward God allows for it.

When you make contributions for a tax deduction, the left hand certainly knows what the right hand is doing, and so does your church, your local, state and federal govt.

Agree, if making the contribution is for the purpose of the tax deduction, then yes, it could be your reward. But I never said that’s why I make charitable donations. Somehow you read that into to what I said.

That aside, keeping the government from taking money which is mine to begin with, is not a reward.

Besides, I believe that we’re not far away from the government removing this deduction. They’ve already change the rules on cash donations.

Jim

 

[jmcrae]

Declaring my tax deductions is what makes it possible for me to help out in other ways, as well - besides, the less money the government has to fund abortions, the better I like it, and the more money I have in cash on hand to give to young mothers in trouble.