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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Do churches rely heavily on in-person collections at regular worship services?

By Christopher Hutton
YES

Many churches rely on regular in-person donations for much if not most of their income, adding financial pressure to the frustrations of being unable to meet normally during the pandemic.

A national survey of church finances finds churches depend on individual donations for 81% of their income, with only 4% from endowments. Smaller churches tend to rely on traditional in-person "pass-the-plate" donations, and even for larger churches the offering ritual remains very important. The study says 39% of churches lack enough reserves to cover three months of expenses.

Lifeway Research reports that by late July 74% of Protestant pastors were holding services again, compared with a low of 4% in April. About a third of pastors reported that collections were down from last year. Thousands of places of worship had received loans from the government's coronavirus relief program as of July.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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