I don’t know how your church budget is right now, but I always find data on giving nation wide to be fascinating.

Free Money Finance has an interesting article up with info on what Christians as well as others give.  Here are some of their findings.  They include….

  • Of every dollar given to a U.S. Protestant church, the average amount that goes to overseas missions is two cents.
  • Over 50 percent of the members of any given Christian congregation
    donate little or nothing toward their church’s upkeep and ministries…
  • There are many people in the pews on Sunday morning who have no desire
    to see their churches grow; if they do give money, it is often for such
    reasons as keeping the church facilities beautiful and suitable for
    such activities as weddings and funerals.
  • Consistent tithers are a small group – about 3 percent of American
    adults last year, according to a recent study. And the proportion of
    tithers appears to be dropping, the survey indicates.
  • A different way of considering "tithing" is by measuring whether the
    individual donated at least one-tenth of their income to non-profit
    organizations, including but not limited to churches and other houses
    of worship. If the data are evaluated from that vantage point, the
    percentage of adults who tithe is 6%.

This article is worth a look as it is very well documented and written.  Check it out.

Link: http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2007/06/what_christians.html#comments

Found via SharperIron