The bad news about church funding is that the overall increase in American wages over the past several decades is ironically slowing down the generosity of churchgoers. The rich are getting richer and the poor are, well, giving more. Here’s what the Barna Research Group said in 2002:

"In general, the more money a person makes the less likely he/she is to tithe. While 8 percent of those making $20,000 or less gave at least 10 percent of their income to churches, that proportion dropped to 5 percent among those in the $20,000-$29,999 and $30,000-$39,999 categories; to 4 percent among those in the $40,000-$59,999 range, down to 2 percent for those in the $60,000-$74,999 niche; and to 1 percent for those making $75,000-$99,999."

The good news is that churches aren’t taking the paltry giving as any sign to give up. Instead, many congregations are getting creative, encouraging parishioners to offer up those offerings in new ways.

Technology passes some new offering plate options to churches with electronic giving. This type of giving isn’t endorsed by all church leaders. Randy Tompkins, stewardship and cooperative program director for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, told Church Central in 2004 that his concern about electronic giving is a congregation’s awareness about tithing.

"I think electronic giving is convenient," Tompkins said, "but it doesn’t do anything for an awareness of giving."

My question would be, don't churchgoers know now that they’re not giving? As far as electronic awareness, I know exactly what my mortgage is, even though it is electronically debited from my checking account. The anti-e-giving argument centered on awareness seems to be exactly the sort of cultural irrelevance the latest Barna research on technology uses warns church leaders about.

Of course for people in the e-business (even if it is non-profit) online giving is THE way to go.

eTapestry is now offering churches and faith-based organizations a free, customized online giving Web page.

The organizations will only be responsible for a one-time $10 fee to integrate the page with eTapestry's database and credit card processor.

"We believe so strongly that fund-raisers need to focus on online giving that we are providing these custom pages for free," eTapestry CEO Jay Love said in a press release.

If you have theological/discipleship issues with e-giving, you probably won’t like that or this next idea, unless you think of it in terms of the Christian community of the 1st century when the believers "held all things in common."

Transtar offers churchgoers a way to give without feeling it at all, by using a debit card that automatically credits a church, school or other organization with a percentage of the purchase. The system was developed to offer non-profits a "painless" way to secure funding from people who apparently will give, if it isn’t any bother.

Electronic fundraising will hit also eBay this month. Maybe you read Todd Rhoades’ account of the atheist auctioning his soul online, or theChurchCentral blog about the Methodist church building that sold on ebay. You really can find anything on eBay. This month Lutheran Services in America (LSA) will host "Trading Graces," its first annual online auction, from noon Feb. 26 to noon March 8. The eBay auction will benefit Lutheran social ministry organizations across the United States and Caribbean. It’s certainly a way to broaden the donor pool. Maybe the atheist will be a high bidder.

Finally, in the outlandish ideas category is First Church of God in Oregon which launched a toilet paper sales campaign to fund a short-term mission team from the congregation. While that fundraiser has gained serious media attention since the story came out in the East Oregonian newspaper in December 2005, the church has been left holding the tissue, waiting for the stuff to actually sell as well as its story did.

"We’re global now," the Rev. Rick Oliver said about the attention the national and international media has given the church. Too bad their core message hasn’t gone into all the world, yet. Maybe they should auction the TP on eBay.

How is your church going creative to make up for the lack of giving? Respond here: http://rebeccabarnes1.blogspot.com/