The offering in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

is a gift of money to the Church. In general, the offering is differentiated from the tithe as being funds given by members for general purposes over and above what would constitute a tithe. In some Christian services, there is a part reserved for the collection of donations that is referred to as the offertory. Historically, the offertory takes place either in the middle of the service (or at the end) and is collected by passing a collection plate (which may be fancy, or simple). Other churches collect donations by placing a collection box reserved for that purpose (usually near the exit doors). More recently, donations are collected by electronic means, either as one-time or recurring items. The offering goes towards upkeep of the church building, various ministries such as that of evangelism, as well as to the poor, among other areas.

History

Old Testament

In the Bible, the offering is an act of gratitude to

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

. At the time of Moses, God gave certain prescriptions to the people of Israel. In particular, they were to bring God some of their wealth by way of gratitude for the land that God had given for inheritance. The offerings were largely agricultural products:

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

, oil, animals and the amount was one-tenth of their income, the tithe.

New Testament

In the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

, especially in the Epistle to the Galatians in chapter 6, Paul of Tarsus reminds the believers' commitment to their

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

and the poor. In this same book, the offering is compared to a seed.Rodney Reeves, ''Spirituality According to Paul: Imitating the Apostle of Christ'', InterVarsity Press, USA, 2011, p. 158-159. These concepts are echoed in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians chapter 9. The motivation of the donor is no longer an obligation, but must be a free choice of generosity. Paul of Tarsus has made several collections in order to help people in need. Moreover, the offering is presented as a support for the mission and a sign of compassion for the poor.

Methods

Offering in kind

Offering in cash

Offertory box

Offering plate

Automatic offertory machine in Lund Cathedral with credit card reader

Historically, it was collected in an offering plate/dish, a basket, or a alms box. New methods have been used in the 21st century, such as a payment terminal or a connected shopping cart. In evangelical Christian churches, the usage of internet payment and mobile payment is increasing.

Tithing

Tithing can be considered as a form of offering.

Using

The offering is put at the service of the Church, for example for the support of the ministers of God, Pastors and missionaries, building maintenance costs, programs, helping the underprivileged ( Christian humanitarian aid). For the affiliated churches, the offering also supports the services of their denomination (such as missionary organizations, hospitals, schools and theological institutes). According to a 2014 survey of 1,605 churches in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

by '' Christianity Today'', the top five expenditures are staff salaries ( ministers) to 47%, the ministries and the support ( Christian humanitarian aid) to 9%, the place of worship (mortgage or rent of the building to 7%, utilities to 7%, maintenance to 5%), the support for international missions at 5% and support for local missions at 4%. A 2016 study conducted by the Leadership Network and the Vanderbloemen Search Group among 1,252 churches in the

, in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

and in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, gave similar figures. In 1948, the evangelist

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...

and his evangelistic team established the Modesto Manifesto, a code of

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

life and work to protect against accusations of financial, sexual and power abuse. This code includes rules for collecting offerings in churches, working only with churches supportive of cooperative evangelism, using official crowd estimates at outdoor events, and a commitment to never be alone with a woman other than his wife, unless another person is present.Yonat Shimron
Billy Graham made sure his integrity was never in question
religionnews.com, USA, February 23, 2018

References

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