For many Americans, one of those closely guarded secrets is how much money we contribute to religious groups. Fortunately, the scholars persevered and from 1992 through 1995 conducted the most extensive study ever completed of religious giving. The results are fascinating. Of course, that number is very difficult to document, and the authors believe that the total is a very conservative estimate. They argue that religious giving probably represents nearly two-thirds of all philanthropic giving in the United States.
Churches vary widely when it comes to collecting cash.
At the bottom of the list were Catholics, Christian Scientists and Unitarian-Universalists. Generally, they donate 1 percent of their incomes. Since the 1950s, church members have steadily decreased the amount of money they spend on missions outside the local church, dropping from 20 percent to 30 percent of a congregation's annual budget in the '50s to only about 10-15 percent today. There are many reasons for this decline, including the loss of volunteer time to local churches as more women entered the workforce, increasing the need for paid staff. Another factor is the growing competition among churches, which causes each one to spend more money to improve its programs.