Pastor Marty Baker, from the Stevens Creek Community Church in Augusta, GA, has developed an ATM for church giving. That&39;s right, the Automatic Teller Machine has been morphed into an Automatic Tithing Machine.

"Giving Kiosks," as their creator prefers to call them, are already in place in six churches in Georgia, Ohio, Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina, and will be in place soon in others.

How does it work?
You step up to the "Giving Kiosk" in the church lobby, which has a touch-screen and a virtual keyboard. Swipe your card and then using a simple menu, you can decide if you want:

• To receive a tax receipt
• To keep your donation anonymous
• To donate to: tithe, general offering, building fund or missions
• To set up a reoccurring donation (e.g., every Sunday, the first of the month)
• To receive a printed receipt, perhaps to put in the collection plate

Questions? I know I’ve got a few!
Of course, there are many questions that can be asked about these kiosks. Are they simply a convenience in these cashless times, when so many people prefer to pay with plastic? Or are they another temptation -- another way for people to get deeper in debt? (The kiosks can be programmed to accept only debit cards, but not all of them are.)

Are the "Giving Kiosks" too commercial and too worldly for religious institutions? (You can take a look at them here.) Or is the new technology simply an option many folks will appreciate?

Is it more important to keep up the traditions, such as passing the plate? Is it better to let ... or even encourage ... congregants take advantage of new opportunities this change presents? For example, donors who play their cards right can get bonus miles or cash back on their offerings.

Is this a good way to keep a religious institution on the cutting edge, in touch with today&39;s culture? Or do these ATMs cross the line between faith and finance? Since people can already have church donations automatically withdrawn from their bank accounts, is there enough of a benefit to this new form of "e-tithing" to have everyone see the kiosks on their way to worship? Is it important … enough … to have a kiosk right there in church, for those who are moved to donate right then?

Is it "ok" for the pastor to be making money off church donations?
In addition to putting kiosks in his own church, Pastor Baker has gone into the business of supplying kiosks for churches. His SecureGive sets them up with a merchant account, a secure server, a host (lol!), and a card payment processing system.

The initial outlay for a kiosk is between $2,000 and $5,000, and then there are other fees as well. According to Richard Fausset, author of the excellent LA Times article, "At Church, an &39;ATM for Jesus,&39;" there&39;s a monthly fee of up to $49.95 for licensing and support. "And a card-processing company gets 1.9% of each transaction; a small cut of that fee goes to SecureGive."

It&39;s Not a Test
Think about how you&39;ve answered these questions. Now consider this: Would you feel differently if you knew the kiosk would up donations to your house of worship?

Please let us know what you think about ATMs in church.