In 1998, at the height of the economic boom, average church members gave 2.5 percent of their income to their congregation, down from 3.1 percent in 1968, the study concludes. More troubling to some church leaders is that members have been shifting their donations to bricks and mortar, costs typically associated with building expansion and maintenance. Some denominations say the rate of giving to benevolences has gone up in recent years - but only modestly. Church finance experts say this generation of church members is increasingly reluctant to give the denomination money for national or international projects. People want to give in areas where they can see their money at work.
Experts say church giving is beginning to resemble secular giving.
Just as a family may pay a monthly bill to attend a health club, so they pay a certain amount for whatever services the church may provide. These days, it is a lot more than spiritual. Churches offer everything from dieting classes to book clubs to special seminars on filling out tax returns. Scholars who study church giving say it is unrealistic to expect members to tithe. Sociologists say there is no evidence that the majority of church members ever tithed.