US Churches Go High Tech to Raise Cash

While many U.S. churches still raise funds through time-honored methods like bake sales and bingo nights, increasingly, they are going high-tech.

One 12,000-member church in Kansas used a public offering to raise money for new facilities and to try to turn a profit developing surrounding real estate.

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, set up a for-profit company to raise $16 million for real estate investment.

Though the offering was directed at members of the church, it was open to any investor. The development so far features a mix of restaurants and shops, with more planned.

The First United Methodist Church of Grapevine's accepts donations via its Web site, where members can choose either one-time or recurring payments -- the same methods that many people now use to pay their regular bills and manage their money.

At Northland, a megachurch in Longwood, Florida, about 10 percent of church offerings now come from online donations and the church no longer "passes the plate" during services.

"We have boxes located throughout our sanctuary where people can give," said Tim Tracey, Northland's Executive Director of Operations.

And, like many others, the First Baptist Church in the town of Euless in Texas accepts Visa or Mastercard.

LINE OF CREDIT

There is little in the way of hard data for online giving to churches, though research points to a substantial growth of Internet donations in general -- partly in response to huge disasters like Hurricane Katrina, which smashed into New Orleans in August 2005.

According to a November 2005 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, about 26 million Americans had made an online donation by September of 2005 versus 11 million in October of 2001.

The rise of the "megachurch" phenomenon in the United States -- some with memberships numbering 20,000 or more -- has led some to pursue corporate strategies.

"We got a line of credit in 2004 when we built a new auditorium and to start construction of some of the new regional sites," said Brian McAuliffe, CFO of the Illinois-based Willow Creek Community Church, which draws 21,000 weekend worshipers. "This was to ensure liquidity throughout the construction."