In the early part of the 1900s, church giving was done in cash, which was a voucher for precious metal. Precious metal was the exchange for grain and animals. Checks became dominant in the ’50s, but are now losing ground to electronic transactions, which are considered by many givers to be more secure and convenient.

It is inevitable that churches and parachurch organizations will embrace the newer payment vehicles – just as they did with checks last century. “Firstfruits” have taken many forms over the years, but the spirit of Kingdom-giving has not changed. One might compare it to how worship is always worship, though the form may change from generation to generation. The centerpiece of stewardship, however, will remain the same. It will stem from God’s plan for our freedom from the love of money, as well as our desire to invest in our heavenly bank accounts. The modern money pathways are not to be feared; we obey Him within the systems we live in.

Nationwide, the core of electronic pathways is either the Automatic Clearing House, which handles electronic bank-to-bank transactions, and Merchant Accounts, which handles credit- and debit-card transactions. These are called gateways. Many banks have some access to these two portals to electronic giving, but you may be served better by third-party processors who have a calling to serve the Church. Banks are in the business of average daily balances, which is the basis of their ability to lend – their primary source of income. They provide services to gain your deposits so they can lend more. A third-party processor exists only to process your funds; you should select a provider who offers the specific tools you need.

Most ministries cannot afford to build and secure these systems, so partnering can be essential. One method is to partner with an enhanced gateway that is mission-driven and focused on Kingdom growth – not pulled into secular processing and income. Such service can provide you with the strategies and specialized maturity to accelerate your success in the arena of giving. Many processors serve the nonprofit world, and because they are there primarily for business, you may want to stick with your partners in the Spirit.

The days of running software on your PC are drawing to a close. Renting systems on the Web – for quality, security and support – are the future. Credit card companies have new standards that virtually eliminate your ability to store credit card information (a breach in your office has severe penalties if cards are fraudulently used).

Though nobody wants to promote debt for the benefit of giving, the truth is that 40 percent of consumers pay off their credit card bills each month. Additionally, the debit card is a direct withdrawal from a checking account but still costs a percentage. You should always communicate your preference for checking and savings transactions, which are the cheapest, but be prepared to take cards as a backup.

Churches’ needs are different from those of parachurch ministries. But, like these ministries, a church needs to have secured recurring and online giving. Payments recurring weekly or monthly are highly valuable to your mission. While you may offer it as a convenience, you should also present it to mature givers as a method to strengthen the ministry. Givers want to fulfill God’s call to build His Kingdom. And, as your ministry moves into cyberspace (80 percent of the Church Body is online) with e-mail newsletters and a Web site complete with audio sermons, you should make sure you also have a giving pathway online.

Whichever gateway partner you choose, the company should be able to customize your needs with an in-house development team. You may need accounts for your members, missionary funding, school tuition systems, e-commerce for teaching and training materials, event registrations, newsletter systems, Web site help, and other custom features. You should be able to partner at an affordable level that meets your present needs and gives you the option of more resources for you to grow into.

Here is another consideration: Many enhanced gateways attempt to bolt you down to their management software with built-in funds processing. You are held captive to the pricing and the quality of the various components. But it is inevitable that a component will become out of date or fail. A better solution is to partner with a system that allows you to “plug and play” software and gateways within a hosted Web-service environment.

These are exciting times. The new tools are having a wonderful effect on the Kingdom’s financial strength and growth. I pray that each of you reading this will be blessed by the new systems as you move ahead, and that those of you hesitating will be released to move in power, love and a sound mind.