The coronavirus (COVID-19) is now spreading rapidly within the United States with 69,000+ cases as of March 26th. If you make the tough decision or are required by the local authorities to close the church temporarily, be cognizant of the fear, uncertainty, and doubt this can have on your congregants.
Understanding that fear and isolation are enemies of the church’s mission, it’s in times like these that technology shines brightest. As you navigate the crisis, it’s more important than ever to communicate with every member of your congregation. Reach out to them regularly with updates and encouragement via email, social media and your website.
Streaming services and online communities can help churches minister even if the doors are closed. If your church doesn’t already offer live streaming, find a way to communicate, even if you must deliver your sermon via Facebook Live.
The Importance of Online Giving for Churches, During and Beyond a Crisis
Even the World Health Organization recommends using digital payments when possible. But it’s not just during for a major crisis like covid-19 that churches should implement online giving. Digital options for giving through your website or through text giving make giving possible and convenient during normal attendance ebbs and flows.
Church Online giving can help keep giving rates level and make it easier for churches to maintain their budgets in the face of attendance shifts due to:
National weekly attendance rates of 23% (even those who love your church may attend only once or twice a month).
An aging population and an increasing percentage of elderly who find it difficult to attend regularly
The possibility of future infectious outbreaks
Whether they attend regularly or not, online givers tend to give larger gifts than they do in person. Even more surprising, if your church online giving software allows them to schedule recurring gifts, they will, on average, give 42% more in one year than those who give one-time gifts.
And with online giving, your offering doesn’t have to be limited to those who have sat in your pews. With the growth of streaming services and social media, there’s no limit to the worldwide influence you can have and the generosity that can generate from far and wide.
But especially in this time of national and international crisis, as markets shift and nearly every type of organization faces financial instability, church online giving (especially scheduled recurring gifts) helps churches weather at least one aspect of the storm.
Hello, I am Hridoy Ahmed