Leadership Journal

Bryce Collman started a business to help churches save money on electronic payment processing. Rather than use the bundled rates many larger processors charge to process payments by credit and debit cards, he offered interchange rates, which can save customers significantly.

Then he learned how many churches oppose credit card use.

"We heard repeatedly that they'd really like to take advantage of online giving, including the recurring component [which allows automatic tithing, even when people don't make it to church], but they're opposed to having their congregants use a credit card [since so many people are trapped by credit card debt]."

Other online giving systems accept debit cards, and some churches use PayPal as a way to offer a debit-based option. "But they didn't have any way to control that situation," he says, so if someone chooses to use or misuse credit, the church can't prevent it.

Collman's response is Ardent Giving Solutions, which prevents the use of a credit card for online giving.

Processing a debit card transaction is cheaper than one for a basic credit card, so there's even more potential savings for churches. For example, a $100 contribution made with a basic credit card, using an average bundled rate for processing, costs about $2.95. The same contribution made with a debit card and processed with an interchange rate costs about $2.27.

Want online giving without being associated with credit cards? This is a creative option.