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A Swipe of Faith - ATM for Jesus Cashless ATM Convenience now being used by Churches January 20, 2007 Excuse me brother, will that offering be in cash, debit or credit? Parishioners swiping their debit or credit card in lieu of dropping their donation onto a plate might strike some as an intrusion of commercialism into the realm of the sacred. Yet more than a dozen churches in the United States have lined up to follow the lead of the Stevens Creek Church in Georgia which, for nearly two years, has been using automated kiosks to collect donations from the faithful. Called giving kiosks, the machines are not much different from automated teller machine stations found in shopping malls and airports. Parishioners slide their cards through the slot on the side, punch in the personal identification numbers (PIN) and key in the amount they want to donate. Their donations are instantly routed to the church's coffers and the machine spits out a receipt. "It's just like an ATM for Jesus," says Pastor M. Baker of the Pentecostal church. As jarring as Baker's comments may be, it's not hard to imagine why more than a dozen churches in the U.S. want the machines and at least one Canadian church has made inquiries. The three giving kiosks units accounted for about $274,000 (U.S.) in donations or an estimated 15 per cent of the 1,100-member church this year. Baker says he was driven to build the kiosks out of a need to bring his church in line with its young and increasingly techno-savvy congregation. He said most people today do not travel with cash in their pockets and paid for purchases using credit or debit cards. "What would these people do if they were in church and God prompted them to give?" The first unit was tested and deployed in 2005. There was some resistance at first, Baker admits. "There were those who said `Not in my church you don't.' Others thought I was the devil himself." The congregation, with nearly 70 per cent under the age of 40 and a choir is known to cover Aerosmith's "Dream On," took to the kiosk quickly and two other units were soon added. "When I walked into the church and saw the giving kiosks, I knew this church was for me because they understood how I live my life," says Amy Forrest, an employee of the National Wild Turkey Federation who attends Stevens Creek. To date, the pastor says, 14 churches are waiting for him to install giving kiosks costing $2,289 and $5,724 each in their buildings. There is a $286 set-up fee and an additional $57 monthly hosting and licensing fee. A card processing company also gets 1.9 per cent out of each transaction. Tim Williams, pastor of the Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C., says he recently contacted Baker about the system, but has since decided against it. He says he had reservations about the fees the card processing firm charged. "The kiosks do provide a great deal of convenience, but the fees they are asking would mean money taken away from our church," says Williams. Northview Community Church avoids transaction charges by collecting donations the old-fashioned way, by passing the collection plate. It does, however, use a PIN-based debit and credit card point-of-sale (POS) system to receive payments for other functions and services. The card reader is stationed in the church office. Williams also says the giving kiosks are not really new technology, but rather a "re-application of a familiar device in a new environment." The system was set up to accept donations in cash, cheques, or by debit and credit cards. "The idea struck me as a bit crass. Using a card seems to inject an element of commercialism into the solemnity of an offering," adds a member. Robert Geraci, an assistant professor of religious studies at Manhattan College who investigates how technology and religion interact, sees this and similar systems soon being adopted by more churches. "It will look weird in the beginning, but people will eventually get used to it," he says. He adds that over the past four decades technology has made steady in-roads into the religious space. "There was a time when even the guitar was not considered to be worthy of being used in church. Today church choirs use drums, synthesizers, electric guitars to play rock music." Source: Toronto Star at www.TheStar.com Writer: Nestor Arellano | |||
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