Tithing with a credit card is still debt - bad idea

Dear Dave,

What is your opinion of churches encouraging members to do e-giving with credit cards and debit cards?

Melissa

Dear Melissa,

I'm against debt, so I'm not particularly fond of churches asking people to use a debt vehicle to pay their tithes. I realize that few businesses and organizations distinguish between debit cards and credit cards when accepting payment. However, this practice bothers me a lot when it comes to churches. The Bible mentions debt several times in Scripture, and every time it does, it's always in a negative light. It's not a salvation issue or anything like that, but the Bible basically says debt is a foolish thing.

Now, I think e-giving in itself is fine. But if I were the pastor or on the leadership board, and we had an e-giving process, I would strongly encourage people to use debit cards and not credit cards. There's nothing wrong with a draft or an ACH kind of thing. A lot of people do that and like the ability to give online.

But I don't want a giving situation to your church to turn into debt for you. And it does just that when it's a credit card!

-Dave

Dave Ramsey is America's trusted voice on money and business. He has authored five New York Times best-selling books: Financial Peace, More Than Enough, The Total Money Makeover,EntreLeadership and Smart Money Smart Kids. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 6 million listeners each week on more than 500 radio stations. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com.