The National Study of Congregations' Economic Practices

Abstract

Congregations continue to receive the largest percentage of charitable giving in the U.S. – 29 percent of all charitable dollars ($124.52 billion in 2018). Most research on charitable giving, particularly faith-based giving, has focused on individuals (the givers) rather than institutions (the recipients of the giving). In September 2019, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving will release the most comprehensive national study of congregational finances in over a generation. The NSCEP report provides an in-depth look at how congregations receive, manage, and spend their financial resources. Delving underneath the numbers, we begin to show how congregations regard financial resources: how theological, cultural, and practical orientations toward money relate to finance, giving cultures, and economic practices.