Musing about the Passing of Offering Plates in church

[momofkhm]

This is why the question comes to mind. What purpose is there for passing the plates except social pressure? Especially in a modern setting, in a church that fully embraces technology. When I go to the movies, I can buy tickets ahead on-line, or I can buy them from a kiosk at the theater. When our church has major event sign-ups, they have manned tables in the lobby where you can get help for signing up if digital registration is intimidating. Couldn't they use any or all of these strategies to collect tithes and offerings? 

 

Thoughts on the practice? Thoughts on doing away with the practice? 

 

Our church doesn't offer the on-line pay because it would cost too much.  I think it's like 3% of the offering.  But when making the operating costs are an issue, that 3% is a lot!  

 

Several people mail checks for their offering.  We do that at times.  Sometimes we put the check in the plate.  I don't think it's social pressure, anymore.  I used to.  I think there are some people who on't think about it until the plates come around.  I think there are enough in the older generation that would never feel comfortable with on-line giving so the plates need to be used.  I don't know about the order of your service, but at mine, the plate time is used to set up the altar for communion.  So what else would the congregation do in that time?

[QueenCat]

Have you ever been in church when the plate was passed and even though you might be several rows from the starting point, when the plate gets to you it's empty?  This might be the case if you have given your donation in the morning service and then attendnthe evening service.  I find it very sad.  My husband will always put money in the plate, even if we have given earlier in the day.  Even a quarter can be used to further the Lord's work and thank Him for providing the church building and those who serve the church by pastoring, providing music, ushering, and administrative needs. 

 

I think if my children had not seen others put tithing envelopes or money in the offering plate, they wouldn't think they needed to give an offering until they had a personal checking account. 

 

I don't see anything sad about an empty plate, it doesn't mean people aren't giving. I just assume others do what I do............. I write one check at the beginning of the month. It's easier for me to do this than to split it up over 4 weeks. Less work for the treasurer too.

[I.Dup.]

Our Catholic Church uses the basket on poles. But then again, the Catholic Church has never been all that concerned with what is socially acceptable. :001_cool:

[dirty ethel rackham]

I went to a church once where the priest would make the sign of the Cross over the congregation *with* the filled collection baskets, which I thought was tacky.

??  What is tacky about blessing the offering and the people who gave it?

 

I think the thing that would make me uncomfortable about the plates-on-poles thing -- if I'm picturing it right -- is that it seems like you'd have to kinda wave the usher on if you aren't putting anything in. (Is that right?)  At least with a plate, you can just pass it along without having to acknowledge someone else. 

 

Our parish has a box down the back hall with envelopes.  Nothing is ever really said about it, people just give when/as they are able. 

 

With the baskets on poles (at least in my experience from childhood - haven't seen them too often recently) ... the usher would quickly push the basket down the row and pull it back, pausing or slowing down when someone made a move to put something in there.  You didn't have to flag them down -- the basket would pass in front of you. The only difference between this and passing the plate was that it went faster. 

 

Several of the younger ushers (they were usually family men) would move the basket particularly fast in a row with lots of children to make it a game for the kids to get their offeratory in there.  Of course, my dad disapproved of such shenanigans, but we thought it was fun.  To tell the truth, the ushers were so focused on getting their job done in a timely fashion in order to finish before Father was done with the Offeratory prayers and preparations that they really didn't noticed who put money in and who didn't. 

[Word Nerd]

I don't see anything sad about an empty plate, it doesn't mean people aren't giving. I just assume others do what I do............. I write one check at the beginning of the month. It's easier for me to do this than to split it up over 4 weeks. Less work for the treasurer too.

 

I agree. I think if people are focused on what's in the plate when it passes by, who put what in it, or what others think about what they did or didn't put in it, they're focused on the wrong thing.

[KarenNC]

??  What is tacky about blessing the offering and the people who gave it?

 

Blessing the offering--nothing. Blessing the people---nothing. Waving the plate of money in the sign of the cross at the congregation was over the top, IMO. I would have preferred he leave the plate on the table and just do the blessing with a hand. It was an Episcopalian church and I've not seen that particular practice (waving around the collection plate as opposed to just blessing the offering) in any other Episcopal church. Perhaps it is usual behavior in another denomination?

[dirty ethel rackham]

Blessing the offering--nothing. Blessing the people---nothing. Waving the plate of money in the sign of the cross at the congregation was over the top, IMO. I would have preferred he leave the plate on the table and just do the blessing with a hand. It was an Episcopalian church and I've not seen that particular practice (waving around the collection plate as opposed to just blessing the offering) in any other Episcopal church. Perhaps it is usual behavior in another denomination?

 

No, I have never seen that either.  Our priest (Catholic) blesses the offering, the people who bring it up, and the congregation before he accepts and hands it to the server to place near the altar until the end of mass.

 

[PeacefulChaos]

I think you're reading too much into the intent. Quite simply, it's a convenient way for people to make offerings—including the elderly and others who may not even have a debit card, much less a computer.

This.

 

We can give online or we can give in person.  I may use the online option - I don't really care either way.  But I certainly don't see any social pressure in giving in person or passing the plate... It just may be more convenient for me, since I work some Sunday mornings, or am in the nursery so I don't make it upstairs to put our envelope in, or I'm on stage and don't get to my seat before they take up the tithes and offerings.  I may do a combination of both online and in person.  

I know many elderly people wouldn't give online.

It would be even more inconvenient for me to have to put our envelope in a drop box.  I hardly ever make it out to the foyer of the church, which is where one would inevitably be located.  Not that it's all about me, but I think for a lot of people, they wouldn't think twice about it, whereas knowing they are taking up offering reminds us to grab the check out of our purse and put it in an envelope.  

[KarenNC]

No, I have never seen that either.  Our priest (Catholic) blesses the offering, the people who bring it up, and the congregation before he accepts and hands it to the server to place near the altar until the end of mass.

 

 

He also handed out chocolate Easter eggs to kids at the communion rail on Easter, so that wasn't his only unusual practice.

[Orthodox6]

Blessing the offering--nothing. Blessing the people---nothing. Waving the plate of money in the sign of the cross at the congregation was over the top, IMO. I would have preferred he leave the plate on the table and just do the blessing with a hand. It was an Episcopalian church and I've not seen that particular practice (waving around the collection plate as opposed to just blessing the offering) in any other Episcopal church. Perhaps it is usual behavior in another denomination?

 

:iagree:   Catholic and Orthodox priests bless the people with the chalice (because it contains the Body and Blood of Christ).  "Blessing" the people with a dish of money is, well, . . . let it go.

 

[Excelsior! Academy]

Our congregation passes the Lord's Supper every Sunday with the collection plates passed immediately following for convenience sake.  It really doesn't take much time.  Dh usually writes a check.  Sometimes I hand the kids $, but I rarely put anything in myself.  I have never felt put upon just because the plate passes me.

 

 

To hijack slightly, I have a funny story.  When my 2nd dd was 7ish, she had some various moneys that she wanted to deposit in her personal savings account.  We told her she had to tithe first, then she could deposit.  I trusted her to follow through and didn't give it much thought beyond that.  When we arrived at church that Sunday I asked if she had brought her $ and she assured me she had.  Turns out she had the appropriate amount of money, but not the right denominations.  She proceeded to make change in the collection plate.  Of course being very young, she paused a little longer than normal to count the correct amount of change out of the collection plate.  I was mortified!  She learned a very important lesson that day, as did I.

[gardenmom5]

our church does not ever have a "pass the plate", though I do remember them from my childhood when we attended a mainstream protestant church (that my parents stopped attending).   any contribution one wishes to make is put in an envelope, and given directly to the bishop or one of his two counselors.   no one else needs to know what (or not) one gives.

[ktgrok]

See, we love it. DH is on staff and I am working as a volunteer 3 out of 4 Sundays; we can't even remember to sign the registry most weeks, remembering to take care of the check before we were halfway home was causing unnecessary stress. (I am a person who often struggles with out of sight out of mind syndrome and when we are at church I have got a lot to keep focused on beyond the piece of paper in my purse.)

 

 

Same here. I often ended up not giving because I forgot to bring a check or cash, or worse, avoided church because I didn't have time to pick up cash, or couldn't find my checkbook. It is SO much nicer to know that I've already set aside my giving for the month. Plus I'm often wrangling kids, and if I'm pacing outside while the plate goes around I would end up chasing someone down to give. 

 

Now, that said, I still think there are good reasons to pass the plate. In our parish we use it to keep track of who/how many were there. So even though I give online I have envelopes with my name/number on them. There is a box to check that says, "I give online", so I check that and put the empty envelope in the plate, as long as I can catch it, lol. I keep the empty envelopes in my diaper bag at all times. 

 

As for why pass it around as opposed to a spot to drop things off on the way in, I think it is faster to pass it around, rther than have a backup of people waiting to put theirs in some kiosk. Plus all that is collected is brought up to the front as part of the communion service. 

 

My kids do know I give, we talk about it as part of our budget, and they see the envelopes, etc. 

[Ripley]

 Why does a church "need" to pass offering plates? 

 

Thoughts on the practice? Thoughts on doing away with the practice? 

 

I need the offering basket.  I have an aversion to technology, when it comes to my money. I avoid digital slot machines, electronic banking, auto payments, and even buying things online.  The few times I've had to buy online, I've given cash to my ex-husband and he placed the order for me.  He'd get annoyed if he had to do that for me weekly!

 

My parish is also very modern and on top of new technology. Our (67 year old) priest actively pushes e-giving and holds twice-yearly drives to get the congregation signed up for the e-giving program.  At our annual State of the Parish meeting he spends a solid 5-10 minutes driving home his belief that it's more convenient for the parish, and how it helps with planning and budgeting. But while I can appreciate that, for me it feels wrong to contribute in the open. What I give should be between me and God, independent of budget and planning committees, our Catholic school, and even the priest.

 

I think the common assumption (at my parish) is that if you're not seen giving, you're an e-giver. It's more common than not here, so ....

 

I don't think I'll ever get onboard with e-giving. If my parish decides to refuse my cash, I'll funnel it to another parish, a specific ministry or outreach, or just make a lump anonymous gift once a year when the parish wants new windows or whatever.

[QueenCat]

To hijack slightly, I have a funny story.  When my 2nd dd was 7ish, she had some various moneys that she wanted to deposit in her personal savings account.  We told her she had to tithe first, then she could deposit.  I trusted her to follow through and didn't give it much thought beyond that.  When we arrived at church that Sunday I asked if she had brought her $ and she assured me she had.  Turns out she had the appropriate amount of money, but not the right denominations.  She proceeded to make change in the collection plate.  Of course being very young, she paused a little longer than normal to count the correct amount of change out of the collection plate.  I was mortified!  She learned a very important lesson that day, as did I.

 

Ds was about that age when he said, rather loudly, "We have to pay to come here?"............ I thought I'd explained the purposes of offerings but obviously not well enough..................

[JadeOrchidSong]

I haven't put money in an offering plate for years, I'm not even sure how long! Each week I put my connection card in. It's used for head count, prayer requests, I can sign up for certain things, etc. But we tithe online through our bank.

We are encouraged to put in our connection cards, on which we can write our prayer requests. Our pastors pray for us about them. We give iur offering online. Most times I don't put anything in the passing offering plate if we don't have prayer requests. I never feel guilty about not putting anything in it because we do not care what others think. I also do not assume a person who doesn't put any check or money in it does not give money or other things in other ways.

[Cinder]

What purpose is there for passing the plates except social pressure?

 

We used to attend a church that had offering boxes at the back of the sanctuary. There was not a portion of the worship service where the plates were passed. They wanted to reduce any pressure for people to feel like they *had* to give or that churches only want your money. They knew that people who wanted to give would give. When MIL visited she was a bit put out by the lack of an offering portion to the service. For her, putting something in the plate is a part of worship just as much as taking communion would be, and putting an envelope in a box felt a bit impersonal and cold.

[Plink]

The ideal "format", IMO, is to have boxes that are locked and and fixed permanently in an area inside the church (inside the entrances to the sanctuary, etc.) where people can drop their offerings in. They can do so with their children to be a good example and don't have to be put on the spot by a passing basket OR make a show of their offering. Plus the service does not have to be interrupted by a lengthy process but can still pray over any offerings given and thank God for that provision. Problems solved to me.

That is exactly how we do it in my church. We decided when we were forming the church that we wanted to be able to share the Lord's Supper every week, but were concerned that the service might get too long. We decided to simply put a box in the back of the church and see what happened. It has served us beautifully.

[sassenach]

We don't even pass an offering plate at our church.  There's a...not sure what to call it....receptacle? to place your offering in on the table next to the communion.  Or, you can do it online.  I like the idea of there being an offering box attached to the wall.  We went to a church with one of those many years ago.  

[QuirkyKapers]

When I was in college,  a church I visited had people go up front to give their offerings.  They would announce to the entire congregation how much that person contributed.  It was an interesting experience :)

[Orthodox6]

I forgot to say in earlier posts that this thread marks the first time that I ever have heard of online donations to a church.  I guess my fundamental discomfort with the idea is that -- for me -- it deadens the act of charitable and sacrificial giving into a mouse click.  Isolates one from the community.  Something akin to those online "click to alleviate world hunger" websites. . . .  I'm just thinking at the keyboard, not drubbing anyone. 

[Prairie~Phlox]

Our church does not pass a plate. Members may put their tithe in a locked box on the wall. We'be done this for years because giving should not na a show every week.

[LucyStoner]

Make no mistake. The tradition of passing the plate got started and continues because it is unquestionably the most fruitful method of fundraising. And it works largely do to the perceived social pressure of being seen. Replicating church fundraising is the gold standard for non-profits.

[Parrothead]

Well thinking about my grandmother, she doesn't do electronic/automatic anything. She doesn't have a computer, cell phone, credit card, etc.

Old people come to mind. Also tradition. Some small churches probably don't have the funding for electronic payments. It costs a business to have a credit card terminal.

 

As for social pressure I'll tell a story that happened a few weeks ago. The temps are changing here. Our first mass in the now cooler church triggered my allergy. I was desperate to go home and get some allergy meds. But father's homily was a "funds are low, you people give more" speech. So I made dh wait until after the offertory before we left. I didn't want anyone thinking we were leaving because of tht he money speech.

[PeacefulChaos]

Our church does not pass a plate. Members may put their tithe in a locked box on the wall. We'be done this for years because giving should not na a show every week.

 

Ummm... just because people do it that way doesn't mean they think it IS a show every week.  Honestly, I don't know of anyone that pays a BIT of attention to whether anyone else puts anything in or not.  :001_huh:  Ain't nobody got time for that.

[QueenCat]

When I was in college,  a church I vistited had people go up front to give their offerings.  They would announce to the entire congregation how much that person contributed.  It was an interesting experience :)

 

Wow!

[marbel]

Our church does not pass a plate. Members may put their tithe in a locked box on the wall. We'be done this for years because giving should not na a show every week.

 

I don't really care how different churches do things, but I just don't get how it's a show every week.  A show of what?  

[TravelingChris]

I have never been at a church with online giving.  Since my husband is about to become one of the trustees of our church, I am going to talk to him about this.  I would so much prefer to do my giving online, and automatically.  Why?  Because I am always doing things like forgetting the check book, forgetting the envelope, misplacing the envelope so I don't know exactly where it is when the collection plate goes by, and also, this would help me make sure we give what we pledged to give on a consistent basis.  I mean, I do catch up at times but I forget how much I am supposed to give, I forget if I already did that month;s offering, etc, etc.  I think my family would prefer it too since I know my confused mess over the offering bugs them.    In terms of the youth, I know my kids hardly ever have cash on them.  They use debit cards and the older ones do electronic bill paying, as I do to. 

 

Updated: My dh came home a little while ago before I finished writing this and he thinks that the option to give online is really good.  As he brought up before I even did, the young people tend not to carry checks and hardly even use them if they have them at all.

 

 

 

[KrissiK]

I think it has to do with tradition. I prefer the plate, rather than on-line or credit card. I like the idea of physically giving our offering to The Lord. That's why I don't even let one of the kids put the check in for me. It's our offering, not theirs. We each put in our own. That's just a thing with me. And I certainly wouldn't put it on the credit card. We get points on our cc and it would just seem to weird to be benefitting like that for giving to God. Anyhow, that's just how I feel about it.

[LucyStoner]

I can see how this would be true for fundraising. "Oh my goodness, you don't care about those poor ____?!" But for every church I've ever been in, I've never been around anyone who felt pressured by or disliked the offering plate. People generally know that the Lord looks at the heart and your financials are between you and Him, just as the Lord sustains the church however He sees fit. Why would there be any pressure?

It's personal pressure and perceptions. The research shows the visibility is part of why church fundraising is so effective. Churches who have experimented with dropping it have reported lost revenue. It's a facinating research topic.

[Prairie~Phlox]

Sorry, it doesn't matter how we give, as long as our hearts are in the right place Our pastor didn't want people feel pressured to give for the wrong reason, that's why we don't pass the plate.

[PeacefulChaos]

I think it has to do with tradition. I prefer the plate, rather than on-line or credit card. I like the idea of physically giving our offering to The Lord. That's why I don't even let one of the kids put the check in for me. It's our offering, not theirs. We each put in our own. That's just a thing with me. And I certainly wouldn't put it on the credit card. We get points on our cc and it would just seem to weird to be benefitting like that for giving to God. Anyhow, that's just how I feel about it.

 

:lol: I hadn't even thought of that - yeah, that would be weird!  :D  Racking up CC points from all that church giving... ;)  

Sorry, it doesn't matter how we give, as long as our hearts are in the right place Our pastor didn't want people feel pressured to give for the wrong reason, that's why we don't pass the plate.

I agree with everything as far as the reasoning here.  We still pass the plate, but I don't see anything wrong with it or see any social pressure involved.  That's why I don't have a problem with the online giving and such.  :)

[milovany]

I would try some vocabulary games that you do together like the index cards that someone else suggested.

 

Reported. 

[NASDAQ]

What's wrong with a little social pressure?

 

Our synagogue cuts to the chase and charges for seats. Christians usually find this horrifying.

[KarenNC]

What's wrong with a little social pressure?

 

Our synagogue cuts to the chase and charges for seats. Christians usually find this horrifying.

 

I wasn't horrified, but I have to admit to being taken aback when I first encountered $75 per person for tickets to High Holy Days for non-members. :huh: This was at the very large Reform synagogue where we were considering conversion almost 20 years ago. As people actively pursuing conversion (and choir members ;) ), we didn't have to pay the fee that year, and my husband has not been asked to pay (at that synagogue) since he is still in the choir there (though we never actually converted). Given the limited seating at the time and the demand for those particular services from people who may not have supported the operation of the synagogue at all during the year, it made sense. There are certain costs that are not negotiable---mortgage, power, etc--and don't vary with how moved people may be to give in a particular week. The demand for seats was so great at HHD that they had to move to a different facility for those services, which was a large extra expense. People were always welcome to attend regular services at no charge, but I doubt you could hold an office without membership, and they did encourage giving to various specific funds and programs beyond the base membership fees (which were on a sliding scale). The smaller nondenominational synagogue where he sang briefly did expect him to pay for HHD tickets.

 

I wonder how the funding of the congregation works in the Islamic community?

[KarenNC]

:lol: I hadn't even thought of that - yeah, that would be weird!   :D  Racking up CC points from all that church giving... ;)

 

If it was a big concern, one could always figure up the points from this and turn them into something that could be donated and used for church fundraising, like a gift certificate that could be included in a church silent auction or some such. Then it could be looked at as a way to maximize your giving ability.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Passing the offering plate has never bothered me; I personally like taking my Batman check to church and physically putting it in the plate, remembering to thank God for his provision and faithfulness.  But I couldn't put my finger on what bothered me about online giving until now.  I believe that once you write the check, or make the bill-pay request out, that is now the Lord's resource/money/whatever you want to call it.  If a church has the ability to take cards on the website, the banks then take a portion of the Lord's money.  That just really doesn't sit well with me.  I'm find with doing an online bill-pay check, but cards? Nope.  And if my church started accepting cards, I'd seriously question them.

 

But, those of use who use cards take that into account when we decide how much to give so as not to short change the church.  I am paying for the convenience of setting up regular giving so that I don't mess up and forget (which I invariably do.) Before the online giving was available, I gave a check once a month, but I would forget a few times a year.  The church gets more from us since it is regular.  Also, I am paying for the security that credit cards bring if there were ever a breech in online security.  If they do a bank draft, then getting my money back is a chore.  If someone goes after my credit card, the credit card company has to deal with the fraud. At our church, passing the basket is part of the liturgy so there is that constant reminder to be thankful and to give back.  We also participate in any special collections where possible. 

 

[Dory]

I find it strange that people actually feel pressured to give when the collection plate is passed to them. I have never experienced that. No one here gives on a weekly basis. Most of us only get paid once a month or sometimes further apart than that. When we do pay it's in an envelope. It's between God, us, and the church. Sometimes we don't give as much to the church because part of our tithe goes someone else to support someone else. That shouldn't be anyone elses business and really, I know lots of other people here do that too. Or some months we might give more than usual because we have been very blessed financially. Again, that's no ones' business but ours and Gods. The church seems to be doing well despite the plate not looking full every week so I'm not too worried about it. I don't want the bank to get a portion of what I am tithing, and I don't want to benefit from putting on my credit card. For those reasons I would never do it electronically unless I couldn't possibly do it in person.

 

[marbel]

If it was a big concern, one could always figure up the points from this and turn them into something that could be donated and used for church fundraising, like a gift certificate that could be included in a church silent auction or some such. Then it could be looked at as a way to maximize your giving ability.

 

That makes sense to me.  Similar to taking a tax deduction on charitable giving, then using that money for other charitable purposes. 

 

It would "feel" weird to me to do it that way, but I'm old and sometimes changes are hard.  :001_rolleyes:  

[SorrelZG]

Our church is not high tech. We have a locked drop box. No collection plates, etc.

[Guest]

I find it strange that people actually feel pressured to give when the collection plate is passed to them. I have never experienced that. No one here gives on a weekly basis. Most of us only get paid once a month or sometimes further apart than that. When we do pay it's in an envelope. It's between God, us, and the church. Sometimes we don't give as much to the church because part of our tithe goes someone else to support someone else. That shouldn't be anyone elses business and really, I know lots of other people here do that too. Or some months we might give more than usual because we have been very blessed financially. Again, that's no ones' business but ours and Gods. The church seems to be doing well despite the plate not looking full every week so I'm not too worried about it. I don't want the bank to get a portion of what I am tithing, and I don't want to benefit from putting on my credit card. For those reasons I would never do it electronically unless I couldn't possibly do it in person.

 

Just FYI, I don't feel pressured to give, and I don't give due to feeling pressure. What I'm saying is, I believe what Lucy Stoner pointed out: that it is a method of spurring giving action. Certainly moreso than an inconspicuous box at the back of the church. 

 

Take another marketing model: home parties. Why are home parties successful? (I mostly hate them on principle.) They are successful because you are in a comfortable environment (the home of a friend), doing friendly-feeling things (eating crab wontons and drinking wine).  A good "demonstrator" will help you imagine the usefulness or desirability of the articles pitched. She will show you how much better this pie pan is than the pie pan you already have, help you imagine how good your home will smell if you burn these pricey candles, or how cool you'll look with this hip jewelry featured in Vogue. After all of that, you feel like a cheapskate dog if you don't at least buy the salt-and-pepper shakers, which you admit, are cute and better than the pair you already own. Now the demonstrator also knows your phone number and address and what sort of products you can be persuaded to purchase, so she's going to contact you to have a party of your own and expand her market.

 

Even if you don't feel aware of pressure, and even if your friend who invited you has promised that she just wants you to stop by and you need not buy a thing (although she's also deluded, because if that was true, she could have just had a party, not a home demonstration), still - the fact that you came means you gave in to pressure and the fact that you purchase confirms it. Hardly anybody goes to a home party demonstration already in need of new salt-and-pepper shakers or a necklace in the season's hottest blues. They buy them due to the success of this method of sales.

 

 

ETA: typo; "expand", not "expend"

[Lisbeth]

our church does not ever have a "pass the plate", though I do remember them from my childhood when we attended a mainstream protestant church (that my parents stopped attending). any contribution one wishes to make is put in an envelope, and given directly to the bishop or one of his two counselors. no one else needs to know what (or not) one gives.

LDS here too.

[HelenNotOfTroy]

Do visitors in your church not put money in the offering plate? They would certainly not be aware of the options members can choose for tithing and passing the plate/basket is something that they would recognize.

[Guest]

Do visitors in your church not put money in the offering plate? They would certainly not be aware of the options members can choose for tithing and passing the plate/basket is something that they would recognize.

 

They might, but this is not a deal-breaker. The church has a little speech they give before offering is collected: they want visitors to feel no obligation to give, but please fill out the attendance card. There's nothing to prevent the church from having the attendance card collection at the back as well, and to still give this speech to the visitors, noting where the card collection basket is. 

[Orthodox6]

They might, but this is not a deal-breaker. The church has a little speech they give before offering is collected: they want visitors to feel no obligation to give, but please fill out the attendance card. There's nothing to prevent the church from having the attendance card collection at the back as well, and to still give this speech to the visitors, noting where the card collection basket is. 

 

No accounting for reflex reactions, right?!  I would feel my personal space invaded far more by an exhortation to fill out a visitor card than I would by having a collection basket travel down my pew.  Some people like to visit a church anonymously, or semi-anonymously, for a while in order to decide how the place "feels".  Filling out "that card" always seems like a cross between semi-commitment and inviting spam or junk mail.