In a recent issue of Time, the magazine spotlighted the appearance of ATM machines in church lobbies. It largely attributes the phenomenon to a new Internal Revenue Service regulation requiring documentation for any charitable contributions of less than $250.

Time thinks electronic donations and tithing are likely to increase because such transfers leave a paper trail.

As the magazine goes on to point out, churches have been accepting credit cards for years. It cited a recent Dallas Morning News poll, which found that 55 percent of 200 churches in its region accept credit and/or debit cards.

Having written several stories about electronic giving in recent years, none of this is new to me. And, an online check shows that churches and Christian colleges of all stripes are participating in electronic payment plans.

There are programs for Catholic parishes, charismatic churches, evangelical and many others, as well as mission organizations and church-planting movements. Plus, colleges from Lutheran to Baptist and Christian educators organizations take automated payments.

And, for churches not sure where to start, such companies as Smart Payments Solutions, Click & Pledge, and EFT Corporation are ready to offer advice.

Time’s story included a mention that electronic giving sparked controversy on one pastoral-oriented web site. One minister asked how leaders would feel if they learned someone giving on credit later declared bankruptcy.

To address that concern, Time said some churches now only accept debit cards.

What I find interesting about the discussions of automated giving is their focus on how such methods can increase giving by 10 to 15 percent—according to Smart Payment—and save people the "hassle" of writing a check.

I never considered writing a check that big a headache, particularly since my fluctuating income means we avoid automated withdrawals from our account like the plague.

Yet, I see a generational influence at work here, having discussed automated giving with an editor 15 years my junior a couple years ago. He favored it, saying it saved him the bother of remembering to write his tithe check. Younger adults accustomed to charging everything and rarely carrying cash won’t blink an eye over automated giving.

Still, the factor that often goes unnoticed is the eschatological implications of our society’s move toward a cashless society.

If others are like me, they would like to hear a sermon or two about how this development squares with Revelation’s prophecy regarding no one being able to buy or sell without the "mark." As we have seen from the 1980s failed predictions about the end of the world, this isn’t a simple, open-and-shut case.

Aside from the end-times speculation that can distract our attention from spreading the gospel, a more immediate issue remains: churches must decide whether to join society’s march towards electronic fund transfers and ATM technology.

After watching youngsters whip out credit and debit cards at grocery, convenience and discount stores, it would appear that millions consider such convenience routine.

This sets up an interesting struggle for churches wanting to reach out to younger adults and families. If they aren’t willing to accept donations in the form younger people are accustomed to giving them, will the congregation insist they adapt? Or will the church adapt to these newcomers?

It is an interesting question, one that will confront thousands of churches and consultants in the near future.