Church giving statistics & trends to know in 2025

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Giving generously can be a rewarding experience for churchgoers. Not only are their tithes and offerings an act of worship, but each donor makes a powerful impact in their local church and community as they partner with the church’s mission. 

A crucial part of every church’s financial planning is knowing how many people tithe and being able to anticipate upcoming tithes and offerings. This means pastors and church finance staff need accurate church giving statistics to learn what percentage of Christians tithe, what the size of the average donation is, and other giving trends. 

Staying up to date with giving trends and current charitable giving statistics is critical to learning current donor habits and discovering new ways to encourage generosity. 

1. Approximately 50% of churchgoers use digital giving‍

Generous and consistent financial giving fuels the life and mission of your church. And because online giving continues to grow in popularity, it’s crucial your church provides updated giving options to maintain accurate church giving statistics. 

What this means for your church: 

• Approximately 50% of all church donations are made with a card, which means donors gave more to churches through online giving solutions than with cash or checks.
• Churches need online giving solutions in order to encourage generosity, increase donations, and reach their budgeting goals. Online giving is no longer a “nice-to-have” option—it’s a necessity.
• Updating your church giving options doesn’t have to be complicated. Through church giving innovations like Subsplash Tap, you can incorporate easy tap-to-give technology, offering your members the fastest way to give with a tap from their phones.

2. 94% of Scripture-engaged people are church donorsS

The Bible states that generosity is a key aspect of faith and that “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Not surprisingly, recent studies show there’s a direct connection between those who read Scripture consistently and those who give to their church. 

That means those who don’t regularly engage with the Bible are less likely to give. As you read the remainder of the statistics below, it’s important to keep this context in mind. 

What this means for your church: 

• 64% of those engaged with Scripture focus most of their giving on their church 
• Helping church members engage with the Bible increases their desire to give back—time, energy, and money—to the local church. 

3. 75–90% of church members do not tithe. 

What percentage of Christians tithe? Here’s what the statistics show us:

1. Only 10–25% of church visitors tithe.
2. The vast majority (75–90%) of churchgoers do not tithe at all
3. Only about 5% of churchgoers regularly tithe every month
4. 60% are willing to give to their church digitally

What this means for your church: 

• The small percentage of how many people tithe is between 10–25%. The vast majority of members in an average congregation do not tithe on a regular basis.
• Give your existing and potential donors as many tithing options as possible. The best online giving solutions, like Subsplash Giving, enable people to tithe through your church’s website, mobile app, ACH transfers, and recurring gifts. 

While these numbers can feel somewhat discouraging, it’s important to explore how to turn these numbers around. Asking questions like “Are we transparent with our finances?” and “Have we given our tithers enough giving options?” helps your church come up with practical solutions to build trust and see an increase in giving. 

4. 77% of regular tithers give between 11–20% of their income. 

Of those who do regularly tithe to church, the majority give more than 10% of their income, and upwards of 20%. 

What this means for your church:

• Of the percentage of people who tithe, most give beyond 10%. 
• Tithers are serious about giving, so it’s important to take care of them and keep them engaged with your church. The best online giving solutions allow your donors to track their contributions. They also simplify bookkeeping for your team, so it’s easy to provide your donors with giving statements and end-of-year charitable tax statements. 

It’s important to acknowledge your top donors personally, and go above and beyond to show them your appreciation. Social gatherings, church fundraiser meetings, and church thank you letters are ways you can show your appreciation for their generosity. 

5. The average churchgoer gives $17 a week‍

While many tithers give above and beyond 10% of their income, the average church attendee gives less than $20 a week. That means smaller dollar donations are making a significant impact on charitable giving, and they’re made possible by online giving platforms that make giving effortless.

What this means for your church: 

• It’s critical for churches to set up online giving solutions so that they can easily collect these donations.  Also referred to as “micro” or “impulse-based” donations, these less costly donations have become very common among younger donors. For example, it’s common to see peer-to-peer giving campaigns on social media that ask for donations starting at just a few dollars. 

It’s important to recognize how factors like the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, an uncertain economy, an emphasis on materialism, and a high cost of living impact your tithers. Ask questions and seek understanding. Ultimately, it’s great to thank your churchgoers for any donation, no matter the amount. 

6. Adding an online giving option increases overall church donations by 32%

“Pass the bucket” is a common phrase at churches. However, besides passing a giving plate or basket down the aisles, there are innovative and effective giving options your church can offer now.

Just by adding an online giving option, you can increase your overall church donations by 32%! Online giving options include credit card giving, recurring giving, text-to-give, church mobile app giving, and innovative technology like Subsplash Tap, a tap-to-give church solution. 

What this means for your church:

• Perhaps more than any other church giving statistic, this demonstrates that churches without online giving miss out on many opportunities to receive more donations. 

When selecting a giving provider, be sure to choose one that offers a giving guarantee, which ensures that your overall giving will increase!

7. About 50% of donors choose to cover online transaction fees‍

Donor-Covered Fees provides your donors with the opportunity to cover processing fees when submitting a gift through your church’s website, custom mobile app, or text giving. When they choose this option on your mobile app or website, your church keeps 100% of their donations. This means your effective rate is 0%!

What this means for your church:

• Donor-Covered Fees gives your donors the option to cover any transaction fees that are incurred when a donation is made by credit card, debit card, or ACH. 
• Approximately 50% of nonprofit donors chose to cover these fees. 

While these individual transaction fees are generally very small, the combined impact dramatically increases the resources available to churches for ministry!

8. Nearly 50% of all donors give online with a card

Giving online with a card is preferred by nearly half of all donors. As tap-to-pay technology becomes more prevalent, churches offering digital giving opportunities see greater giving, especially as many younger generations no longer carry cash. And, as many churches are increasingly live streaming their services, creating online giving opportunities is expected. 

What this means for your church: 

• Using a card to give online to a church is no longer a novelty—it’s an expectation.
• Accordingly, it’s vital to ensure your giving solution has the highest level of data security to keep your donors’ information safe.

9. 27% of all charitable donations go to religious groups like churches

While it’s encouraging that so many nonprofit donations go to religious organizations like churches, it’s also not the full picture. That percentage is down from 57% in 1980 and 70% in 1954 to just 27% today.

What this means for your church:

• Churches are no longer the largest type of organization people are donating to. 
• However, it’s also true that people of every age and demographic want to give to churches. 

Churches and religious groups also receive more volunteer work. Of the 60 million people who volunteer each year, 24% choose to volunteer for their churches and other religious groups.

10. 57% of donors are enrolled in monthly giving programs

Netflix. Spotify. Amazon Prime. Recurring online payment subscriptions are becoming the norm in our day-to-day lives.

Overall, people are utilizing recurring payment subscriptions, and nonprofit donors are no different. Thus far this year, 57% of nonprofit donors are enrolled in a recurring giving program of some kind, compared to 2024 at 46%, having huge giving potential! 

What this means for your church:

• Today’s donors appreciate being able to give by setting up ongoing automatic withdrawals from their bank accounts.

Churches need to promote the usage of recurring giving—a feature included with the best online giving solutions—to their congregations. This allows your donors to give by setting up repeating donations with their card or bank account just once, so they no longer have to remember to bring cash or a check to church every week.

11. 67% of donors say that establishing trust is essential before donating

Establishing trust with your tithers is one of your greatest priorities. While 67% of donors say establishing trust is crucial before giving to a cause, only 22% of donors say they actually have a high trust in the charities they give to. 

Your church can take practical financial steps to increase the trust of your tithers and give them even more reasons to give. Practices like financial transparency, creating accurate year-end reports, and monthly budget meetings help build trust with your tithers and let them know your church is a trustworthy place for their donations. 

What this means for your church:

• 34% of donors are discouraged from making a charitable donation if they’re unsure where their money is going. 
• Churches can build trust by being transparent and welcoming accountability. 
• Use storytelling to share where and how your donors’ hard-earned money is being used. 
• Consider hosting an annual budget meeting to discuss the impact made by their tithes.

12. More Millennial & Gen Z donors are giving than ever before

Statistics show that when Millennials and Gen Z do tithe to church, they primarily choose to give online. 

Creating opportunities for online Christian tithing is a great way to engage the younger generations and provide them with easier ways to donate. And, if a resurgence or revival does happen among these generations, churches need to be technologically ready to receive them. 

What this means for your church:

• Of those who’ve made a donation at church, 71% of Millennials and 89% of Gen Z report they’ve made a donation through online giving, trending upwards. 
• Studies show younger generations are more likely to prefer online giving. 
• Looking forward, this is significant because Millennials will soon receive the largest wealth transfer in the history of the world from their “Boomer” parents. Addressing their giving preferences for online giving will soon become even more important. 

13. 40% of donors in 2024 tithed using their phones, up from 34% in 2022

More and more, people are using smartphones to donate to their church. In a 2024 poll, 40% of donors reported using their phone to tithe, up from 34% in 2022—creating a significant increase in just two years. 

This will only continue to grow as more are turning to easy online giving for its reliability, convenience, and automated giving options. 

What this means for your church:

• 30% of Boomers, 38% of Gen X, 47% of Millennials, and 68% of Gen Z give via mobile devices.
• Without adapting their strategy, churches unintentionally create major barriers to Christian tithing and church giving for modern donors. 

The bottom line on church giving

What can you learn from these charitable giving statistics? Overall, people are willing to give to churches—and they’re using new methods to make donations, especially online. The above church giving statistics make it clear that churches need to adopt modern giving options, embrace transparency, and use storytelling in order to stay connected with their donors. 

As you review these church giving statistics, it’s important to remember the true source of provision. God is at the heart of generosity, compelling church members to give of their time, energy, resources, and finances for the Gospel. What a great reassurance! 

At Subsplash, our goal is to help Fuel Your Mission^TM by providing you with the best online giving platform with no monthly fees. You’ll have a dedicated team of experts to help you learn and adopt the best giving tools, such as in-app and website giving, text-to-give, payments for merchandise and events, recurring giving, and so much more! 

To learn more about Subsplash Giving, check it out! If you have any questions or need more information, [.blog-contact-cta]let’s chat[.blog-contact-cta]!