The National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management is a Catholic organization founded in 2005 out of concerns over financial mismanagement uncovered during the sexual abuse crisis. The NLRCM says its mission “is to promote excellence and best practices in the management, finances and human resources development of the Catholic Church in the U.S. by greater incorporation of […]

FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities Inc.) is a Washington, D.C.-based consortium of private charitable foundations and individual donors who try to foster stewardship and religious philanthropy. The organization has become increasingly interested in stewardship issues in recent years. Loretta Dees is the communications director.

The International Catholic Stewardship Council is a leading organization promoting increased stewardship in the Catholic Church. Research has shown that on average, Catholics tend to put less than Protestants — perhaps half as much — in the weekly collection plate. The ICSC, based in Dearborn Heights, Mich., is stepping up efforts to encourage giving. The group has […]

Giving USA of Chicago, Ill., is the leading foundation dedicated to promoting overall philanthropy and ethical standards for charitable organizations. In its most recent annual survey, using data from 2006, Giving USA reported that Americans gave more than $295 billion to the nation’s 1.4 million charitable and religious organizations, with the largest single share—almost one-third—going to the religious […]

Generous Giving Inc. is an evangelical ministry and foundation based in Chattanooga, Tenn., that seeks to encourage stewardship and financially sound practices among Christians. The group’s Web site includes a page of “Statistics & Trends” that provides data and context for this issue. Contact through the website.

The Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches is published by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB)and contains detailed financial data from most denominations. The data is self-reported.

Resources for American Christianity is a website funded by the Lilly Endowment that “seeks to assist leaders and participants in Christian communities, scholars and other interested publics in better understanding the impact, trends and trajectories of Christianity in American society.” Under the “Economics” category, the site has a series of excellent studies, papers and experts. They […]

Read an Aug. 21, 2012, article from Time magazine about the correlation between religion and the amount of money people give to charity.

Read a May 22, 2010, article from the Dallas Morning News about the impact of decreasing church donations on church spending.