The State of Church Giving through 2021

Book excerpt: Church people in the U.S. can make this age of affluence an age of intentional miracles. The State of Church Giving through 2021: Intentional Miracles (May 2024) is the 33rd edition in empty tomb, inc.’s The State of Church Giving series. Chapter 8 casts a vision of the potential for church members to impact, in Jesus’ name, one of the worst tragedies of our time: the number of children under the age of 5 dying from treatable causes, particularly in 40 countries. Other chapters in the new book update numbers for church member giving and membership through 2021 including: a series for 1968-2021; a larger group for 2020-2021; a group of 11 denominations for 1921-2021; projections in giving and membership based on past patterns; and the basis for the confidence that there is potential among church members in the U.S. to increase their impact on this hurting world. Another chapter looks at giving patterns among all Americans through an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey data for 2021. Chapter 8 focuses on key points: What is an intentional miracle? How does pursuing intentional miracles prepare for the future? What makes this present time so special regarding intentional miracles? What would an intentional miracle look like? Are intentional miracles even possible?