How are traditional Christian churches financed?


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So, I realize this is kind of a loaded question and different churches are going to have widely varying answers, but . . .

 

Where do y'all get your money, and where do you put it?  Do you keep income-returning investments?  Are you able to build "rainy day" funds, or do you typically find you have to struggle just to close out the books in the black each year?

 

The reason I'm asking is, I've been lurking on some discussions lately where the prospect of conservative churches' losing their nonprofit status has come into play.  Without discussing the legalities of whether this might actually happen or not, my question for members of other churches is more along the lines of:  If it did happen, could your congregation cope with the financial hit?

 

Thanks--

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JAG, the church I attend is on the small side (roughly 160 in attendance each Sunday).  There is a rainy day fund, and we do not often have to make desperate appeals for money.  However, monies go to our two paid ministers, and our secretary, to upkeep of the facility, to missionaries we support, to maintaining our food and clothing banks, etc.  How losing tax exempt status would effect us, or other church is an open question.  The direct hit (property taxes probably) would not be so great.  However, sadly, I'm wondering how many would reduce their giving once they realize they could not claim the gifts on their taxes.  It should not matter, and maybe it would not.  However, most religious organizations have those who are immature, or weak, in their faith.  So, again, it's an open question.  On the up side, government could no longer intimidate us about political involvement, so the end result might be liberating.

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JAG, the church I attend is on the small side (roughly 160 in attendance each Sunday).  There is a rainy day fund, and we do not often have to make desperate appeals for money.  However, monies go to our two paid ministers, and our secretary, to upkeep of the facility, to missionaries we support, to maintaining our food and clothing banks, etc.  How losing tax exempt status would effect us, or other church is an open question.  The direct hit (property taxes probably) would not be so great.  However, sadly, I'm wondering how many would reduce their giving once they realize they could not claim the gifts on their taxes.  It should not matter, and maybe it would not.  However, most religious organizations have those who are immature, or weak, in their faith.  So, again, it's an open question.  On the up side, government could no longer intimidate us about political involvement, so the end result might be liberating.

Are you aware of any other churches where they do "Kindly" ask for donations during the service ??

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Donations to churches are not tax deductible in Australia. Only to registered charities which work on charitable work not religious activities.

Min 10% of money in a the church I currently attend goes to foreign missions.

Separate donation is given for special Christmas present, which generally goes to large project overseas.

Also do separate offering once a month for local support of people.

We did have a tax exempt for building  works that were used for education purposes (eg sunday schools) but this has been recently removed.

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Are you aware of any other churches where they do "Kindly" ask for donations during the service ??

 

It's common to have special offerings on occasion.  Recently, there was a natural disaster, and a special offering was taken to help support emergency relief efforts there (we already had 'boots on the ground').  Also, as with most traditional churches, we take up a regular offering every week.  Sermons on tithing come about once every 18 months or so. 

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My parish has about 400 families. Weekly offerings go towards parish needs. Utilities, ministries, paying our pastors, church upkeep, etc. The diocese does a fund drive every year that supports things that are financed by the diocese, such as schools, seminarians and ministries.

There are requests for special offerings, such as visiting charitable ministries that serve around the world in various ways, to support disaster relief, churches in Jerusalem, the ministries of the Vatican, etc.

Churches not having tax exempt status I would think affect property more than anything. Even in our small backwater diocese, there is a fair amount of church property, not ony for churches, but schools, food kitchens, relief services, administrative buildings, etc. Some very large dioceses in the US would be hit very hard if they had to pay property tax.

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