I hesitate to write up instructions because things are changing so quickly in the Global Methodist Church. For example, inn the video I go over the remittance form for Connectional Funding if you are paying by check. Before the video even finished compiling, the form was already updated and the video was outdated!
While I do spend quite a bit of time in the video on the form to pay by check, my focus of this post is to encourage you to start paying online. Here are my top 5 reasons to pay Connectional Funding Online:
#5 – Gain experience with Online Giving
While many churches added online giving (especially during the pandemic), many have not. If you pay Connectional Funding online for your conference and the General Church, you gain some experience and comfort with the process. That way, if your church considers adding online giving in the future, you can add your experience to the discussion.
#4 – Online Giving is more secure than sending a Check
Thieves tend to choose the path of least resistance. We’ve all received emails from Nigeria needing our help to transfer gold to the US. These are obviously hoaxes. The only people that will respond to these emails are those that will be easily fooled.
As security around online payments has improved, we’re seeing more and more people just steal right from the mailbox or the porch. If you are paying a bill by check, all the info a thief needs is right on that check. No needing to hack a computer and crack the encryption. They just need to crack open the envelope.
#3 – Prepare for the Handoff
I grew up in the 1990’s. I wrote a lot of checks and visited the ATM regularly back then. Now, I write maybe 10 checks per year. I visit the ATM more often to make deposits than to take out cash. My kids don’t even have checks, and usually use their smart phones to deposit any checks they receive.
If you are a church treasurer, finding a way to pay more things electronically will make it that much easier for finding someone to takeover your job when you are ready to hand it off. Gen Z and Millennials will be much more comfortable paying online than learning how to cut checks.
#2 – It’ll save you Money
Think of the cost to cut the check. Unless the person cutting the check is a volunteer, it costs to pay someone to cut the check, address the envelope, and put it in the mail. A stamp costs 66¢. The envelope and the check cost something as well. It’s pretty easy to spend more than $1 for each check you mail out. For Connectional Funding, double this cost because one check goes to the Conference and another to the General Church.
If you pay online, the cost is usually nothing to the church. No stamps. No checks. No envelopes. The first time usually takes the longest. After that first time, you might only have to update the amount once per year.
#1 – Multiplies Disciples…Not Bureaucrats
For the people receiving the checks, it is costly. It can take up to two minutes to process a check. Someone is paid to process those checks and one person can only process so many checks in a day. Eventually, as the denomination grows, we would need more people to process those checks. That means more of the Connectional Funding you give going towards the work of just receiving and processing checks.
If you give electronically, it might take two seconds to process that gift as they normally need to be quickly reviewed. This is so much more efficient. Administrative staff can then spend more of their time reaching out to churches and answering questions. Also, less of the budget needs to be devoted to administration.
Useful Links
- Remittance Form: https://jctaccounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Connectional_Funding_Form_12-18-23.pdf
- General Church Payment Page: https://globalmethodist.org/connectional-funding/
- Calculating Connectional Funding: https://jctaccounting.com/2023/09/22/connectional-funding-calculator-global-methodist/
- Conference Websites: https://globalmethodist.org/provisional-annual-conferences/
- MidSouth Giving Page: https://midsouthgmc.org/connectionalfunding
- Upper Midwest Giving Page: https://www.uppermidwestgmc.org/give