Almost every church has some form of an offering or a way for people to give donations. Most churches pass offering plates to congregants while music plays or a soloist sings. A church in New Jersey is trying a new approach to the offering: a reverse offering where congregants receive money from the church instead of giving.
CNN reports on a Morristown, New Jersey nondenominational church that collects $30,000 in weekly offerings from three church locations. About 2,000 people its services and plans to give about that same amount – $30,000 . Attendees receive envelopes containing $10, $20 and $50 bills.
The idea of this reverse offering came from the church’s pastor Tim Lucas of the Liquid Church:
People are cynical about religion and expect to come to church and be shaken down, but really, it’s all God’s money. Every bill in the U.S. economy says ‘In God we trust,’ and we’re going to put that to the test. We’re not a rich church. We don’t own a building. We don’t hold a mortgage, but we’re trying to teach our people to be rich in good deeds.
This ‘spiritual stimulus’ package is geared to encourage people to use the money to help others. New Jersey experienced crippling flooding recently because of Hurricane Irene. Also, the church encourages people to invest their funds and then donate the proceeds to the church to rebuild a homeless shelter.
What would you do with a reverse collection? How would you spend the money?
