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Texting to Give at Church

There was a time when giving at church was as easy as passing the offering plate down the aisle. But these days are different. Welcome to texting to give at church!

Of course, when a new technology appears, there is always someone trying to exploit it. When I thought about that, it led to this cartoon.

Cartoon of an annoyed man with a smartphone. He says, "While we do offer text-to-give, we cannot accept 'IOU" as your account number."

Granted, texting to give doesn’t allow for IOU’s. Because if that did exist, we know someone would exploit it. Rather, a donor’s cell phone carrier typically bills them.

Here is a good article on how text-to-give works for nonprofits and churches. The concept goes back to 2010 when the Red Cross raised funds for the earthquake in Haiti. At that time, the campaign raised $487.6 million for the cause.

Some of us would assume that church culture is not ready for text-to-give. But we would be wrong. According to the article I cited above, 96% of Americans own a cell phone today.

In churches, seven out of ten parishioners text. Those stats have changed dramatically since text-to-give was first introduced eleven years ago!

So do not fear! When it comes to texting to give at church, we have entered a new era. And you need not worry about the wise guy that formerly added an IOU to the offering plate!

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

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church cartoons technology cartoons

How to have a bad virtual church board meeting

Cartoon of a man at a laptop. he says, "Welcome to the virtual church board meeting... Ed, in your frame, we can only see your big nose."

It’s too easy to have a bad virtual meeting. We’ve all had to learn how to frame ourselves in a camera. Some have learned to adjust. Others have had some major faux pas.

A few weeks ago, a Texas lawyer had such a problem. He couldn’t figure out how to turn off a cat filter during a legal hearing. Many parents chuckled about that one. Yet many also secretly thought, “When I share a computer with my kid, I hope she doesn’t do that to me.” Perhaps the kids are getting back at us for times we’ve used technology to spy on them.

You may know how to have a bad virtual church board meeting. But what are some ways to have a good meeting?

  • Make good use of the mute button when you aren’t speaking
  • Remember you have the mute button on and turn it off before you speak!
  • Consider the lighting. If you can’t see yourself very well in the screen because the lighting is too bright, you may want to do something about it.
  • Give the speaker feedback with positive gestures such as a smile and a nod when they make a point
  • Pay attention and stay focused on the meeting
  • Turn off notifications before you share a screen

Two more tips; pay attention to how close or far away you are from the camera… and keep your nose clean!

Cartoon of a man at a laptop. he says, "Welcome to the virtual church board meeting... Ed, in your frame, we can only see your big nose."

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

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Christmas church cartoons holiday

Where can pastors find sermon inspiration this year?

Cartoon of a pastor staring at an Elf on the Shelf. He says, "Don't just sit there. I need a sermon illustration!"

This has been a challenging season for everyone. No matter how you slice it, inspiration has been hard to come by. It has been especially so for pastors. Where can pastors find sermon inspiration during COVID-19? There are so many questions they have to deal with.

  • How do you inspire and minister to others when you are forced to pivot to all video services?
  • Who can you call on when you and half your congregation needs tech support in order to view a church service?
  • What happens when you are dealing with the virus in your own family?
  • How can you administer pastoral care when you can’t visit a parishioner in the hospital?
  • What do you do when the two biggest holidays in the church calendar are threatened by this virus? (Looks like Easter and Christmas services will be virtual at my church)
  • Do you address the whole vaccine controversy?

I thought about all these things when I had the idea for this cartoon. It’s must be a challenging time to come up with some sermon inspiration that would bring on a chuckle, yet address some hard issues we’ve all faced this year.

We had such high hopes at the beginning of this year. I was thinking about risk and reward earlier this year. Who knew the risks for 2020 would be so much more prominent than whatever reward we envisioned?

Here’s to next year! May there be some relief for everyone, including the men and women that have had to deal with their own stuff while ministering to others! In the meantime, I do hope all the pastors find some sermon inspiration during COVID-19. Maybe the elf on the shelf could offer some mirth. After all, he shows up in the most curious places.

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

Cartoon of a pastor staring at an Elf on the Shelf. He says, "Don't just sit there. I need a sermon illustration!"
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CHOG News church cartoons Newsletters

How can you virtually deliver a sermon?

Cartoon of a man holding a tablet computer. He says, "I'll just hold the screen while our guest pastor delivers the sermon!"
Copyright © 2020 Kevin Spear for Church of God Ministries

Churches have enough challenges these days. One of the many obstacles has been how to virtually deliver a sermon to congregants who are staying home. COVID-19 has made life and ministry quite interesting!

Pastors and churches have found some incredible, creative ways to get their sermons out. Some have made use of Facebook Live while others have used YouTube. Others have polished up their web sites and made them more user-friendly. One great thing about these challenges is it has brought about innovation. We have all learned to use technology in ways we never would have dreamed of this time last year.

One of my goals for the coming year is to help pastors and Christian leaders use the Internet and social media more effectively. This continues to be the way many people get their information. Google has become the oracle many turn to. After all, when we have a question, how many of us type that question into Google to see what the results bring?

When it comes to public speaking and sermons, pastors are great communicators. However, it’s a totally different communication method to distill a sermon into a tweet, Facebook post, or blog. But since search engines depend on text, it is a vital part of today’s effective communication.

I feel for the church as it faces more challenges in the coming weeks. COVID-19 cases continue to climb as we get ready for Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. November 2020 is beginning to feel a lot like March 2020. What will Christmas look like this year? Are all of the events canceled? Should they be?

We can still give thanks even when the event doesn’t look like it normally does. We can still celebrate and commemorate Christmas even though the annual choir extravaganza has been canceled. The holidays are about more than events.

I drew this cartoon for the November 2020 CHOGNews.

Cartoon of a man holding a tablet computer. He says, "I'll just hold the screen while our guest pastor delivers the sermon!"
Copyright © 2020 Kevin Spear for Church of God Ministries
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church cartoons

Contactless Tithing

Cartoon of two men. One is about to catch a paper airplane. He says, "Look! There's another contactless tithe!"
Published in the October 2020 CHOGNews.

Welcome to the wonderful world of contactless tithing! There are things we used to take for granted that has now been complicated by the coronavirus. It has also generated some new phrases like…

  • social distancing
  • flatten the curve
  • contactless giving (also known in churches as contactless tithing)

We are all looking for various ways to avoid spreading the coronavirus. One advantage of the Internet is we can do various tasks without the need to be in contact with anyone. It even makes it possible to tithe without darkening the door of the church building.

Hi-tech Giving

Hi-tech giving in the church has been around for at least five years. I drew a cartoon about five years ago about the awkwardness of giving online when the ushers pass around the offering plate. How can you say, “I already gave,” without being obnoxious? Well, why not have a t-shirt proclaiming your actions?

Of course, with any new technology, some find a way to misuse or abuse it like this cartoon shows:

Electronic Giving is NOT E-Waste!

Strange New World

Just like other businesses and organizations, churches are learning to adapt to new ways of operating. I have to admit, it is very strange to visit a church now and not have an offering plate being sent down each pew.

But I suppose it is just as weird to see the enforced distancing at churches as well as sporting and community events. It’s also an adjustment to see people worshipping with masks on. It’s become that much easier to sing along without knowing the words. Humming while participating has never been so much more attainable!

On the plus side, electronic giving has now come into the mainstream. It has been around for several years, but now it is a lifeline to churches that have congregants watching from home. A paper airplane may have a limited range for contactless tithing, but texting to give, by app, or through a web site are now great ways to keep participating while we wait for this season to pass.

This cartoon was published in the October 2020 CHOGNewsletter.

Cartoon of two men. One is about to catch a paper airplane. He says, "Look! There's another contactless tithe!"
Published in the October 2020 CHOGNews.