Could definitely see the possibility of using one myself… There are others in our church though who will always want an “offering plate” to put their money in.

This is cool though.

Paul J. said:

“We just have boxes on the wall and people know where to put it.”

This is disgusting because it will make people who may want a bit of anonymity and who may usually and quickly pass by the boxes to drop in their dues, to now stand and wait for the process to finish and for everyone to view how “giving” a person is.

This ATM (i.e., Automatic Tithe Machine) is nothing more than another worldly idea embraced by the so-called “church.”

Our offering is taken up by plates going down each row at the very end of each service. It could be said that the same individuals who take it up each week knows who gives and who doesn’t.

I would find it interesting to know if others see the following as pluses or minuses:

1) The money is automatically put into the church’s account. No more waiting until all the check amounts are counted, recorded, deposited, and clear the bank.

2) Less need for individuals to be involved in the money counting. Therefore, not handling the money directly.

3) Those who no longer use checks and/or cash might be more inclined to give.

Any takers on answering plus or minus?

Ricky, are you having a bad day?  “disgusting”?  “so called church”?  Relax, go for a walk, take a pill or something.   I don’t know what church you’re used to but I guarantee you that our church does not charge “dues”.  We encourage giving, but we don’t have dues.

I don’t foresee churches replacing other methods for giving with these machines, just adding the machines so people can use them if they prefer to.  I’m sure the box will still be there for you man.  And anyone who wants anonymity should try giving online, no one ever has to know you’re giving at all.

Camey, I would see all three as pluses.  These are also some of the reasons I like online giving.

I remember growing up, when the plate was passed you wanted to put something in so people wouldn’t think you weren’t giving but you can’t make that assumption any more.  I think that’s a good thing.

The negatives would be perception; “Forgot your checkbook, no cash on you, no problem. We now have another way to get your money, er, I mean for you to give.”

And I think the machine should definitely be limited to debit cards, credit card debt is such a problem for so many these days I wouldn’t feel good letting people give to the church by adding to their debt balance.

And, Leonard, I was under the impression these were for electronic fund transfer only and would not dispense cash.  I could be wrong.  I don’t think I’d want something with that much cash inside in the church, too tempting for thieves.

I would not be opposed to this if the church is committed to EQUIPPING its people with a proven, compelling vision for finances under God’s Lordship. The danger is that to place this machine in the lobby it could create an environment where local Pastors relinquish their God given responsibility to disciple their congregation about the act of worship through giving.

Ricky said, “If so, then ask the pastor if you can oversee a certain “ministry” within your organization and see what he says.”

As a Pastor I can definitely say that I have no access to and have never made decisions on who leads ministry areas based on giving.

This thread or post is really not about the viability of using technology to make it easier for members to give. It is not a discussion about motives and mistakes some Pastor’s make concerning people who support their local churches.

Ricky, please don’t make general statements about all of us.

Well, Todd, looks like you have hit the big time.  Time Magazine quoted you this article.

There is another company on the market that is offering a kiosk with giving features, but they have things like calendars, bulletins, registrations, maps, their website, etc.. that churches can put on the kiosks.  I think something like this would be easier for a congregation to accept than a strictly giving kiosk.

Their website is http://www.churchlink.biz .  I compared their rates to Securegive, and they are about the same on the start-up and monthly costs, but their processing rates look a little bit lower.

As a church member I would not have a problem with a church installing a kiosk in my church.  I use my debit and credit cards for all of my purchases.  I have written less than 3 checks in the past three months, and I know I would use something like this.

I have heard about church link and called them to get some information on pricing. One thing I thought was odd is that they haven’t sold any kiosk to any churches yet.  I called SecureGive and they have put around 100 of these out in the market. I wonder how many of these churches are benefiting from this type of service?