Money Matters: Personal Giving in American Churches [Paperback]

Dean R. Hoge (Author), Charles Zech (Author), Patrick Mcnamara (Author), Michael J. Donahue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1996

Money Matters presents the findings of the largest and most incisive study of factors influencing church giving in America. The authors conducted an exhaustive study of church giving in five representative denominations: Assemblies of God, Southern Baptist, Roman Catholic, ELCA, and Presbyterian. With detailed information from 625 churches, this book offers surprising conclusions about member contributions.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Many assumptions have been made about the level of and motivations for giving in American churches. Few studies, however, have been done to test these assumptions. The authors?church analyst Hoge, economic statistician Zech and researchers McNamara and Donahue?have produced an insightful review of the results of their study of personal giving patterns in American churches. They surveyed evangelical and mainline Protestants and Catholics on their giving habits, asking a variety of questions and correlating the answers in countless ways to challenge some conventional wisdom. For example, neither anger toward denominational policy nor membership in a large or a small churchmaterially affects giving. Trust in local leadership appears to be a dominant reason that people give well. Of particular interest is the authors' study of Catholic giving patterns, the first of its kind. Pastors and lay leaders, and certainly church executives, will find much to ponder as they seek to inspire the faithful to give more generously.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Dean R. Hoge is Professor of Sociology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He is the coauthor of Vanishing Boundaries: The Religion of Mainline Protestant Baby Boomers.

Charles Zech is Professor of Economics at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. His books include Plain Talk About Churches and Money and The Parish Management Handbook.

Patrick McNamara was Professor of Sociology at the University of New Mexico from 1970-1998. He authored a number of books, including Called to Be Stewards: Bringing New Life to Catholic Parishes and More Than Money: Portraits of Transformative Stewardship.

Michael J. Donahue is an independent researcher and technical writer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; 1st edition (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664256872
• ISBN-13: 978-0664256876
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,274,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Administration, Thin for Normal Use, September 25, 2002

By 

Randy Given (Manchester, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Money Matters: Personal Giving in American Churches (Paperback)

This book would get 5 stars for administrators (ministers, finance, church leaders), but only 4 stars for the average user. There is very good data taken across different denominations. Some of the analysis is very interesting -- I just wish there was more of it. Still, this should be in every church library for all to read.