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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Important, Valuable Resource for Christian Leaders, September 30, 2008
This review is from: Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don't Give Away More Money (Hardcover)
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As a seminary student with plans enter the priesthood, I found Passing the Plate valuable and helpful. The authors approach the inquiry of "Why American Christians don't give away more money" with genuine concern and interest in those who profess a faith but don't support it financially as their faith suggests they should. The tone throughout the book is measured not to criticize or accuse Christians of fault but moreso to help Christians live up to their faith and to fund the causes in which they believe. I appreciated their motives, processes, honesty and suggestions.
The authors present themselves as sociologists rather than theologians or Christian leaders. Their endeavor is to research and study Christian giving that they might determine the thoughts, attitudes, emotions and resources behind Christian giving or lack of it.
They study and analyze a plethora of data on giving and givers. They perform their own surveys and interviews of Christian leaders and parishoners to get to the core of the issue. The data results of their studies are eye opening to say the least, and most of their statistics are clear and tell a revealing story of who gives, how much they give and why they give or don't give.
The authors offer and test hypotheses of why American Christians don't give more money--at least closer to the 10% tithe prescribed by most Christian organizations. They discuss their findings in relation to these hypotheses.
After discussing their findings, they present suggestions for Christian leaders to implement in their congregations to increase giving in conformity with their faith. These are coherent, practical applications that are not manipulative or conniving but what I think are really helpful suggestions that readers can consider.
I think this book is one that pastors and Christian leaders will find valuable and instructional. I think it will also ease discomfort and anxiety that leaders may have when it comes to discussing money and teaching about finances within their churches.
Craig Stephans, author of Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful and Enlightening, December 22, 2008
This review is from: Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don't Give Away More Money (Hardcover)
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Emerson and Smith provide an excellent sociological overview of religious and charitable giving habits of American Christians, with particular insight as to why we don't give more. If you can remember that that's what this book is, it is both informative and helpful. But don't expect it to be more than it is.
Most Christian denominations in the U.S. give lip service to tithing as a celebration of God's good gifts. And not just in an effort to break even, either: tithing pays for the gospel outreach of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. So why do many congregations struggle just to keep the lights on and the mortgage paid?
Emerson and Smith, helped in one chapter by Patricia Snell, mix original research with over two decades of collated data to figure this out. The conclusions they reach, though tentative, are not simple magic bullets. They reach into the heart of American Christian culture and challenge us on ideas we take for granted.
Early chapters rely heavily on dense statistics, and are laced with laypersons' guides to actuarial concepts. These chapters are heavy on charts and graphs, and copiously end-noted. They can be kind of tough sledding. Later chapters build on these stats in an accessible, plain-English way. The second half of the book is much more user-friendly than the first half.
Some parts of the book, particularly Chapter Four and the Conclusion, offer pointers intended to help churches stimulate giving. These portions are somewhat heavy-handed and prescriptive, without recourse to scripture. The authors also admit these pointers aren't based on experience or experiment. Thankfully, the book comes bound with a postcard to let readers receive updates as the authors' research advances.
Reading this book may instill a healthy sense of "holy guilt" (why aren't I giving to my full extent?), but it is definitely not a book of theology. They scarcely quote scripture, and only mention God when it contributes to their reasoning. This is a sociological study, and if readers treat it that way, it will be both useful and enlightening.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Essential reading for pastors and administrators; food for thought for those in the pews, October 6, 2008
This review is from: Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don't Give Away More Money (Hardcover)
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For most pastors, the most frustrating part of the job is trying to raise money. The overwhelming majority of priests and ministers will tell you that they are uncomfortable talking about finances with their congregations and are puzzled by the apparent lack of genorosity of a large percentage of their parishioners. The old adage that "20% of parishioners contribute 80% of the funds" still appears to be true today. Why is the average Christian so reluctant to give more of their hard earned money to the churches they attend? Authors Christian Smith and Michael O. Emerson attempt to get to the bottom of this conundrum in their important new book "Passing The Plate: Why American Christians Don't Give Away More Money". It seems that the issues in play here are more complex than the authors had ever imagined.
For those who serve as pastors, administrators or members of parish finance committees, the issues that are presented and disected in "Passing The Plate" certainly come as no surprise. While most of us can agree that raising money should not be the primary focus of any congregation it is indeed an important and necessary aspect of parish life. The statistics offered by Smith and Emerson are stunning. Did you know that 22.1% of Christians give absolutely nothing to charity in any given year? Would it trouble you to learn that most church going Christians donate only 2-3% of income to the church they attend and to other charities each year? Equally disturbing is that a mere 9.4% of Christians give 10% or more of income. Throughout the pages of "Passing The Plate" the authors strive to explain the sociological reasons for these trends.
Not surprisingly, what the authors discovered is that many churches do a very poor job in making the case for increased giving. Pastors are reluctant to talk about these matters and many parishioners simply do not want to hear it. A rather large percentage of parishioners will argue that they simply cannot afford to increase their contributions. Smith and Emerson offer convincing data that suggests otherwise. Other Christian Americans will not give more generously because they distrust that the money will be wasted by administrators. Finally, I think it is readily apparent that most Christians in this nation are rarely if ever confronted with the moral and theological teachings of their faith that demand generous giving. As a result of these and other factors discussed in the book a large percentage of churches in our country struggle to merely survive. It has always amazed me how many individuals seem quite content to drop a dollar or some change into the basket or plate each Sunday. And it seems to me that the problem has gotten even worse over the past several years.
While Christian Smith and Michael O. Emerson spend considerable time enumerating these problems, they also offer numerous concrete suggestions for addressing many of them. Perhaps the most prominent of these ideas is to gradually shift the congregation from a "Pay The Bills" mentality to a more vibrant "Live-The-Vision" approach. Such a transition takes considerable time and is not without risk but the authors sure do make a compelling case for this philosophy. The opening chapter of "Passing The Plate: Why American Christians Don't Give Away More Money" is entitled "Giving To Change The World". In it the authors discuss what could happen if every committed American Christian opted to give 10% of their after-tax income to charity. Suddenly an additional $46 billion (that's billion with a "b") dollars per year would be available to fund a whole host of needs from global missions to feeding the hungry to repairing crumbling church buildings. There would be money available for youth ministers and and new schools and you could quadruple the budget for Habitat for Humanity.
The possibilities are virtually endless. I found "Passing The Plate" to be at once a very scholarly work and an extremely enjoyable read. Even though the book is packed with charts and data the authors managed to hold my interest from cover-to cover. Whether you are someone who encounters these issues as part of your job or vocation or a person who is merely interested in exploring this topic than I am more than happy to recommend this fine book to you.
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