Christian churches and Jewish synagogues rely on very different financing models, yet both “appear to raise about the same amount per member,” according to a survey conducted by?the Jewish newspaper The Forward (article by Josh Nathan-Kazis). While synagogue members pay annual dues, churches rely primarily on voluntary donations from members.
The Forward interviewed church and synagogue officials at institutions in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, and Tulsa. Consider a comparison between a Conservative Jewish synagogue in Atlanta (Ahavath Achim) and an Episcopalian church in Manhattan (Church of the Heavenly Rest):
The two congregations are broadly comparable: Both serve slightly more than 1,000 middle- and upper-middle class households, have a multimillion-dollar endowment, employ about a dozen people and operate on an annual budget of $2.7 million.
Both draw around half their income from regular fees paid by members. But, like virtually all American churches, Heavenly Rest does not charge dues. Like most synagogues, Ahavath Achim does.
At Ahavath Achim, those fees are assigned by the synagogue, with each family paying up to $2,100 per year. Annual pledges at Heavenly Rest? As much, or as little, as you can give. While only one-third of member families participate in the church’s annual pledge drive, those that do give an average of $2,700 – far more than the cost of dues at Ahavath Achim.
So one big difference between the two models is that giving in churches is much less evenly distributed than in synagogues. That said, a significant number of synagogue members give extra, as the charts below (where the orange represents voluntary giving) demonstrate. In fact, the executive director of a Conservative synagogue in Boston estimates that 95 percent of members give more than required.
Graphs courtesy of the Forward.Given how easy it is to attend church services without donating anything at all, it’s interesting that members of Christian churches give so generously. Do they do it for the “warm glow,” or do churches have a different, less obvious, means of persuading people to donate?
The Forward has also put together some interesting statistics on how churches and synagogues spend their money. Here’s a preview: your parents will probably worry less if you become a rabbi than a priest …
and 
. You can also watch it on 
I’m on your team bellyroll!!!
Huh?
$2,100 x 1,000 = $2.1M
$2,700 x (1,000/3) = $810K
Hardly the same.
One answer for the question in the second-last paragraph:
Some of us give to the Church (and para-church, and secular social justice organizations) because we believe that income is God’s money entrusted to us. If you look at it from that perspective then it’s about keeping what you honestly need and giving the rest, as opposed to giving what you want and keeping the rest.
We give out of love for God and concern for the poor. The sense of satisfaction (or warm glow, as you termed it) is a side-effect, not the motivating factor. It feels nice because it’s a hint of what it’s like to be truly human.
As the “son of a preacherman” and a lifelong Christian, the teaching on “tithing” and “giving” is taught from an early age, at least in many Pentecostal churches.
Some teach that you are “cursed with a curse” if you “rob God” by not tithing (see Malachi 3). This is the economist’s stick.
And some teach that if you do pay your tithes (Malachi 3 again), God will open the windows of heaven, blessing you with abundance. This is the carrot.
Still others teach that tithing was an Old Testament practice (though it started before the Law of Moses) and that, as Christians, we are called to be generous. Sometimes that is more than 10%; sometimes it is less.
As for me, I finally realized that plenty of people who DID NOT tithe were doing better financially that I was. And plenty of people who DID tithe endured some pretty rugged things. So what did I do?
Well, for one thing, I still give 10% of my income to the work of the Lord (though I no longer give all of my tithe to the local church). I realized that it is a JOY, a THRILL, a GLORIOUS BLESSING to partner with God in alleviating the suffering of hungry children, of sick folks, of those in need.
You see, I now give for the sheer joy of it! I realize that I’m not going to win the lottery because I give. Nor am I immune to tragedy. But at least I can say that in some small way, I have perhaps helped to show God’s love on earth.
If one hungry child is spared, if one sick person gets help, tell me what possible better reward one could hope or ask for? THAT is surely a blessing poured out from heaven.
I don’t give to make heaven; I don’t give to avoid hell. I give because it is GOOD to give.
That being said, I’ve been unemployed (at least full-time) for over 18 months…and yet, as King David wrote, “I was young, and now I’m old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
I’m not rich. But I’m wealthy beyond all reason. I am happy. I have a loving family. And I get the great opportunity to reach out an help others just by giving a dime out of every dollar I make. (By the way, thank you for promoting “Smile Train”–a most worthy charity).
I think I am learning what it means when the Bible says, “God loves a cheerful giver!”
Most importantly, however, you are never more like God than when you give from the heart. The most famous Bible verse in the world–John 3:16–speaks of a God who gives abundantly, generously, sacrificially. And aren’t we told to be like our Father in heaven?
I wonder if “Bellyroll” knows anything about the role of social systems in improving health. Research to find a cure in the future isn’t the only way to improve health — even if you think that a true, permanent cure is possible for whatever disease runs in your family. (Almost no one donates to disease research unless their own family has experienced the disease.) You’ve got to also help people right now, with the problems they have right now.
I’ve seen a woman at our large church who is clearly mentally ill (probably schizophrenia or bipolar). She attends every service, sits quietly, and leaves. She is middle-aged, fat, never has her hair combed, and wears clothes that are so worn that I assume they came from the thrift store. I’ve seen her at church — where people smile at her, a few shake her hand, and a couple greet her by name — and walking down the public sidewalk, where people pretend she is invisible.
Now I ask you: Which of these is the good neighbor to this woman? The one who smiled at her and shook her hand, or the one who stepped past her on his way to send some money to a researcher?
It would have been better to compare the budgets of a church and a synagogue in the same place, i.e. Manhattan.
Aren’t there jews in Manhattan anymore?
maybe the study will be more useful if the per capita income of those donating is also taken into account. When the donation is voluntary the amount that is considered donation worthy is also relative as compared to where a set standard amount of payment has been set as in case of synagogues.
$2700 really isn’t “far more” than $2100, and I don’t see how anyone can compare a congregation in Atlanta to one in NYC. I can just imagine the HUGE difference in avg. per capita income and salaries. Comparing a NYC church with an Atlanta synagogue is just apples and oranges… you have to look at what types of services to the community both offer, life cycle events, etc.
There is also a glaring omission in this article; While synagogues do charge dues, they almost never turn people away for an inability to pay. The dues charged is in no way a reflection of attendance. Just like in a church, everyone is encouraged to come and pray, even if they can’t pay.
This article wasn’t properly researched, I am sorry to say.