SecureGive takes tithing to the touchscreen

Amy Forrest works in the communications department of a non-profit organization in Ward, S.C. A member of Stevens Creek Church in Augusta, Ga., she was one of the first to use the church's SecureGive kiosk program, a touchscreen system that allows electronic contributions.

"My impression of the kiosk when I walked into Stevens Creek for the first time was, ‘This place gets how I live,'" said the 31-year-old. "I never carry cash, therefore I rarely gave an offering. Then I felt like a heel for not giving an offering and that was no good."

This past weekend, Princeton Pike Church of God in Hamilton, Ohio also installed a SecureGive kiosk. Administrative staffer Carol Allmyer said it's an example of a church moving forward with the times.

"I pay my car payment online," she said. "When I shop, any store takes a debit card. Why shouldn't the church take a debit card?"

Inspiration strikes

The SecureGive kiosk is the brainchild of Dr. Marty Baker, lead pastor at Stevens Creek Church. He said the idea came to him when his church was beginning a capital campaign in 2004, which caused him to examine the finances of both his church and his family.

"I live my life with a debit card in my hand," he said. "I wondered if there were other people in my congregation just like me."

Parishioner Eric Bradley handled most of the software development for the system. Baker said he received encouragement in the early days of development from self-service firms Apunix, D2 Sales and Nanonation.

Once the application was coded, secure and ready to run, Baker took it beyond Stevens Creek. Under the SecureGive brand, he leases the software to other churches for a $250 set-up fee, a $50 monthly fee and a small percentage of card transaction fees. Typically, SecureGive asks for a one-year lease. The company resells enclosures from various manufacturers — KIOSK Information Systems, Olea and DigiCom — which the churches buy outright.

The kiosks are currently in seven churches in Georgia, Louisiana, Florida and Ohio, with several more on the way. Baker said he projects his machines will be in 14 churches and one non-profit organization by the end of the year.

The system is not without its controversy. Christian blogger Brad Richert recently visited Stevens Creek, and asked:

Baker said he understands the spirit of that concern, but contends that self-service and service to the Lord are not mutually exclusive.

"(Jesus) overturned the tables because they were approaching it with the wrong attitude — they approached it as a way to take from people rather than as a way to give to people," he said. "If you have the wrong heart, it doesn't matter if you use a kiosk or pass the basket — it's not going to produce the fruit that needs to be produced."

Saying "no" to credit cards

One of the churches using the SecureGive kiosk is Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio. Chief financial officer Nate Gibson said his church placed the kiosks out of a need to generate more revenue.

A SecureGive kiosk greets entrants at Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio.

Gibson said his board was not enthusiastic about the kiosk at first, because it accepted credit cards in addition to debit cards.

"We have made it a point year after year in our stewardship campaign to warn against the use of credit cards and couldn't justify somebody using a credit card to pay their tithe," he said. Gibson talked with Baker about the issue, and he made it possible to restrict the kiosks to accept debit cards only.

The kiosk application allows parishioners to set up recurring gifts, making it less likely that they will forget to give; it also allows church officers to set up different accounts — say, a capital campaign, mission trips or a general fund — and let the donor specify where the gift should go.

"So many people don't practice the Biblical principle of tithing because they don't have the cash on them and forgot their checkbook at home," Gibson said. "Many think to themselves, ‘I'll just make it up next week,' but something comes up and they spend the money on something else. This allows those people who want to make this sacrifice to do so even when they forget their conventional means of money."

Stevens Creek used the kiosk to raise funds for a capital campaign in 2005.

A necessary change?

As time marches on, the face of any given group of people changes; new faces enter the scene, beloved ones make their exits. For churches, whose core messages are rooted in tradition, this is an ongoing challenge.

"Around 70 percent of our 1,100 regular attendees are under the age of 40," said Dr. Baker. "Our congregation works hard to remove the barriers so that the message of Christ can be communicated to this generation. We do this in the way we dress, the music style, the content and delivery of our messages — and now in how we collect our donations."

Forrest said she views the giving kiosk as "bridging the gap between church and culture," allowing the church to reach people where they are and where their habits lie. Gibson echoed the sentiment.

"I'm 25 years old and this is the preferred payment method of my generation," he said. "Heck, we'll even buy our morning coffee for 99 cents on a debit card."