The cost of attending church per year?

Question

Have anyone calculated that?
I'm just curious.

Answer 1

We give $600-$700 a month to our church. However, I don't see it as a cost to attend. I see it as an honor to give to others and to my God.

In exchange I get to help others and get a good feeling and hopefully by my believing in God and accepting Him in my life, I also get eternal life.

Some people give to their church, others give to United Way and such organizations, while others give nothing and don't ever get to experience the joy of giving and helping.

Answer 2

It doesn't cost you anything. The 10 % tithes and offerings are given to God. You cannot out give God. To attend the right Biblical teaching church is worth more than anyone could ever give. Who is going to be there for you when your in need? Money goes into funds for widows, the poor, building up keep, pantry, homeless etc.
People of Katrina recieved help from many churches. It takes money to run things and purchase things for those in need.

Answer 3

It does not cost any amount of money to attend church! It might cost you eternity if you *don't* attend a Bible-believing church and accept God's *free* gift of salvation!

Answer 4

Are you asking me the cost to me, or to the church? It's free for me, but of course I take use up a portion of the bills, food, etc. That's only a part of what the offering I give goes to.

Answer 5

It is very difficult. The Churches are the only organizations who never have to provide financial records for an audit.

Some Churches seem to think they have a right to everything everybody in their parish earns:
http://www.john-truscott.co.uk/resources/training/tn29.pdf

Financial institutions likely have a good idea but they do not disclose their statistics to the public:
http://www.churchloans.com/documents/application.pdf

Here, is this more like what you are looking for:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/stewardship/articles/le-7l3-7l3057.html
Total annual income
Church-expert Lyle Schaller provides a simple benchmark for annual contributions. He writes in The Interventionist: "A useful beginning point is to multiply the average worship attendance times $1,000." If my church has 125 attenders on an average Sunday, and annual giving is $125,000, we're in the ballpark.

Another way to look at the same figures is to multiply $20 per head in worship for any given week. If my church averages two hundred in attendance, it should be receiving about $4,000 a week. Of course such figures need to be adjusted for churches in particularly wealthy or poverty-stricken areas, for especially small or large churches, for new church plants—well, for just about any church, because there is no typical church.


The Typical Churchgoer Pays about $10 A Week For Personnel Costs

"The 'price' of church is rising faster than the cost of a movie ticket," notes Schaller. "It used to be the per capita 'cost' of church was close to the cost of going to a movie. Now it's closer to the expense of going to a professional sporting event—about $20." Of course, no church charges attenders their proportion of the weekly church expenses ("Marge, I've only got two twenties on me. We can't afford to bring Billy to church this week!"). But Schaller's analysis does show the comparative costs of "doing church."

Another way to look at annual giving is to compare this year's receipts per attender to 1968's figures. Between 1968 and now, according to Schaller, the Consumer Price Index went up roughly 400 percent, and personal income rose even more. So if my church received an average of $200 per attender per year in 1968, and now it receives an average of $900, we're ahead!

A third way to look at annual receipts is comparing them with total household income. What percentage of members' income is being given to the church?

A little sleuthing at the local planning agency will probably produce a figure for average household income. Multiply that by the number of households in the congregation (and adjust a little for the comparative wealth of a given church), and this approximates church members' total earnings.

Then, divide the church's total giving by its total earnings. If the result is 10 percent, the church is a biblical lot! More likely it's under 5 percent or perhaps around 3 percent. If we can find the figures, we can compare the percentage of income given in previous years to establish a trend.

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I hope the thumbs down did not come from a Christian because this is from a Christian source.

Answer 6

The cost? ..no cost.

ohhh... you are talking about tithing.

Look ALL belongs to God. He allows you to keep 90%.
I would say a partner that allows you to keep 90% is a generous partner.

You give God His 10% in any way you want. Feed the Children, Homeless of the World, Support the Blind, etc.

He will Bless you for your giving.

Remember it ALL belongs to Him, He lets you keep 90%.

The giving is for YOUR blessing, He doesn't need your money.

A Spiritual Law is that giving Blesses YOU, YOU...
as you GIVE so shall you receive...
it is a Spiritual Law.

Answer 7

Umm.
When I went with my family, we each put in a dollar- so $5.
5x52 [Sundaays a year] = $260.
Plus those random Holy Days of Obligation.
Probably $300?

Answer 8

"Has"...and who cares?A church-Biblically speaking-is not a building.It is a body of Believers.Thank the Masons for the gaudy buildings.And Romanism for all the religious trappings.

Answer 9

I walk to it, so its 10% of what I make (tithe) but in the fall mass is on campus and not collection is taken... so its like 50 bucks if that.

Answer 10

Going to church is priceless. The savings is my soul.