The headlines are everywhere; we are about to witness the most significant transfer of wealth in history. What exactly does that mean? This means that the time has come for the Baby Boomer generation, those born between 1946 and 1964, to begin to transfer almost $84 trillion in assets to the younger generations, primarily Gen X (1965-1980) and Millennials (1981-1996). While this massive wealth transfer happens, churches also see a shift in attendance demographics. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey of 36,908 U.S. adults, after decades of church attendance decline, Americans who identify as Christians show signs of leveling off and may even show a slight bump.
Who’s Coming to Church?
Since church attendance is making a comeback, or at least leveling off, churches need to know who’s coming. Data shows that Boomers are not the generation returning to church. A primary reason for their decline is what Pew Research calls “generational replacement,” which means this generation is passing away. That means another generation is picking up the attendance slack, and data points to Gen Z – specifically men.
What Does That Mean?
Let’s start with the obvious: the church’s mission has not and should not change. Most churches build their mission statement around the Great Commission given by Jesus to his followers in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Churches must remain mission-minded but evaluate their methods, especially when engaging future generations and their generosity.
Who’s In Decline?
The data is clear: the Baby Boomer generation is about to engage in the greatest wealth transfer in history. Largely due to generational replacement, the Baby Boomer generation makes up less and less of the church’s attendance.
Who’s Coming Up?
The next group of church-goers, Millennials, Gen Z, and Generation Alpha, are all digital natives. Churches must employ digital giving options at their church.
What Should Churches Do?
According to Enterprise Apps Today, 49% of all church donations come from credit cards or other electronic means. This percentage will continue to increase as Baby Boomers fade from church attendance dominance. Data from Nonprofits Source shows that churches with digital giving options often see an increase of 32% in their overall donations. Recurring giving is a big part of this success, as it allows donors to schedule their gifts at regular intervals and allows giving to continue even if they are not on the church campus. As more and more churches turn to live streaming their services, electronic giving options are a must for attendees who wish to worship God through their tithes and offerings while watching online.
The methods of how churches operate will continue to change at a pace that may make many churches uncomfortable – especially when it comes to dealing with money. However, the mission is far too important not to take the time to evaluate the digital giving options that allow people to worship God with their tithes and offerings through safe, secure, digital giving options.
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