Protect The Tithe

Turning Tables in the Digital Temple

Restoring Stewardship in Church Giving

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Jon Edmiston - Founder Rock RMS
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A Word to Pastors and Church Leaders

In the early years of digital giving, churches were working with limited options. Most of us adopted tools that met immediate needs, helped us adapt to a changing culture, and provided a vital path for generosity in a digital age. Those tools served their purpose well.But the landscape has changed.In recent years, secular for-profit companies, including private equity firms, have entered the giving space aggressively, drawn by the billions flowing through the Church each year. What was once a niche category is now a targeted financial vertical, viewed through the lens of acquisition, monetization, and ROI.

Billions flowing through the Church have turned giving platforms into a target for monetization.

While many giving platforms still speak the language of ministry, their economics now tell a different story, one worth examining closely.Because:

1
God honors integrity, especially in His Church.“I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.”
1 Chronicles 29:17

2
We are accountable for how we steward the resources people entrust to us.“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
1 Corinthians 4:2

3
We must protect God’s people, and their tithes, from secular organizations that prioritize profit over mission.“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”
Acts 20:28

This moment calls for renewed discernment. The digital giving landscape isn’t what it once was, and churches can no longer assume that every vendor shares their values or mission. In the sections that follow, we’ll unpack why this shift matters and offer three practical ways you can evaluate whether your giving provider is truly serving your church’s best interests.

What Made Jesus Angry?

In all four Gospels, there’s only one moment where Jesus’ anger becomes public, physical, and unmistakable: when He walked into the temple and saw the outer courts, meant to be a house of prayer for all nations, turned into a marketplace of profit.

“My house will be called a house of prayer,” He said, “but you have made it a den of thieves.”
— Matthew 21:13

He flipped tables, drove out merchants, and disrupted a system that had become normalized but was deeply broken.This wasn’t just about commerce in the wrong place. It was about sacred space being hijacked for financial gain:

Jesus wasn’t anti-money. He was anti-exploitation, especially when faithfulness became revenue and worship was taxed.

From Temple Money to Digital Money: The Exchange Problem

In Jesus’ day, worshipers could not use their ordinary, secular coins in the temple. Roman currency had to be exchanged for Tyrian shekels, the only currency accepted for offerings. That exchange wasn’t neutral; it carried hidden costs. The money changers took advantage of their position, setting unfair rates that skimmed value off every act of worship.In many ways, digital giving creates a similar dynamic today. The faithful bring their modern currency, whether in bank accounts or on cards, and to give, it must be exchanged through digital platforms. Just like in the temple, the exchange itself has become a point of profit. A portion of every gift is diverted, not because the giver chose it, but because the system requires it.

Just like in the temple, the exchange has become a place where others profit from worship.

The problem isn’t the need for processing; that will always be necessary. It’s when secular corporations exploit the Church’s generosity for profit, echoing the pattern Jesus confronted in the temple courts.

The Modern Parallel: Worship at a Markup

Fast forward two thousand years. The temple courts have been replaced with mobile apps and online giving platforms. But the economic structure looks hauntingly familiar.While most giving vendors keep their financials private, one major company in the space briefly operated as a public company, giving us a rare opportunity to peek behind the curtain.Here’s what we learned from just one year of public reporting:

These profits didn’t come from software licenses or subscriptions. They came from taking a slice of every tithe. Every offering. Every act of worship.

And while this is only one company, its numbers reflect broader industry norms: Recurring, margin-rich revenue flowing through for-profit platforms built on the generosity of the Church.Let that settle in: Worshipers gave to fund the mission. And a not insignificant portion of that fueled private wealth.

When Sacred Giving Becomes Captive Giving

Many vendors go further: they refuse to release saved payment methods (vaulted cards) when a church wants to switch platforms.That means:

This is not a technical constraint. It’s a business strategy. Recurring donations are high-margin and predictable.Refusing to return that data becomes a moat; a deliberate barrier to keep churches locked in and investors paid.Whoever controls the vault, controls the cash flow. And when a system controls the worship of God’s people, we have a problem.

Jesus flipped tables over this kind of gatekeeping.

“Would You Like to Cover the Fees?”

Many churches use a well-meaning checkbox:
“Would you like to cover the processing fee?”But the real issue isn’t who pays the fee. It’s:
Why is that fee so high in the first place?Let’s be clear:
We are not criticizing the base transaction fees charged by Visa, Mastercard, or ACH processors. Those are sunk costs, and nonprofits often receive discounted rates due to lower fraud risk.What we are confronting is the vendor-added markup layered on top — the part that turns digital giving into a margin-rich product, making these companies worth hundreds of millions and the envy of private equity.When churches pass those fees to the donor without first doing the hard work to reduce or rethink them, we’re asking worshipers to pay for our lack of scrutiny.It’s not malicious.
But it is misaligned.We challenge our people to give sacrificially.
We must challenge ourselves to steward sacrificially, too.

A Better Way Forward: Reclaiming Stewardship

Churches once tolerated these costs because digital giving was new, and better options didn’t exist.That’s no longer true.There are more ethical, transparent, and mission-aligned tools available now.It’s time to reset the standard.

What the Church Should Insist On

If we are serious about stewardship, we can’t settle for vague promises or industry norms. There are a few non-negotiables every church should require from their giving platform. These standards protect the integrity of generosity and keep the focus where it belongs—on mission, not margin.

1. Fee Transparency

2. Fair Pricing for ACH

3. Guaranteed Vault Portability

The Tables Still Stand. Will We Flip Them?

Jesus didn’t flip tables in anger alone — He did it in righteous love.
He saw a system that put profit between people and God — and He cleared the way.We don’t need rage in the church lobby or chaos at the giving kiosk.
But we do need clarity.
We need courage.
We need action.We must protect our people from unfair fees that rob their tithes of power. And we must hold ourselves accountable to steward their giving as faithfully as we ask them to give it.

We must protect our people from unfair fees that rob their tithes of power.

The altar belongs to God — not to investors.
Let’s make sure our systems reflect that.

The Real Cost: What These Percentages Mean in Kingdom Terms

It’s easy to hear that vendors skim “about 1%” and think, That doesn’t sound like much. But once you translate that percentage into real ministry dollars, the picture changes quickly.Take a church with an $8 million annual budget—a common size today. If roughly 65% of giving comes through digital channels, that 1% margin means about $52,000 every year quietly lost to vendor markup. Not for ministry. Not for better tools. Just for sitting between the giver and the church.

One church’s numbers: $8 million budget → $52,000 lost each year to avoidable vendor fees.

Imagine what $52,000 could do instead:A missionary funded to stay on the field with less financial strain.Hundreds of school backpacks filled for under-resourced kids.Dozens of additional camp scholarships for students.Expanded support for a partner pregnancy resource center.These aren’t abstract numbers. They’re ministry opportunities—real lives impacted—that get diminished year after year when we overlook these fees.This is why the issue matters. This is why stewardship calls us to act.When the Church regains that 1%, we’re not cutting costs, we’re releasing ministry.

Where Does Your Giving Platform Stand?

If you’ve made it this far, you may be asking the most practical question of all: “Where does our current giving platform fall on this spectrum?” It is a wise question and an important one.The truth is, it would actually be easier to list the platforms that fully meet the standards of transparency, integrity, and mission alignment we have outlined. That list is far shorter than most people realize.The following providers stand out because they align with the values of stewardship, clarity, and Church-first economics:

My Well

A true nonprofit whose mission is to provide the best giving technology for the Church without profiting from it. Their incentives are aligned with ministry, not margin.My Well Website

Planning Center Giving

One of the few major platforms that has intentionally chosen not to turn giving into a profit center. In a marketplace full of markups, that restraint is rare and noble.PCO Website

Nucleus Giving

A platform built with a clear conviction to keep rates low and never take a cut for themselves. Their posture reflects a genuine desire to serve churches rather than capitalize on them.Nucleus Giving Website

These are not the only giving solutions available, but they are the only ones that fully meet the standards of a trusted giving platform. They demonstrate transparency, fair pricing, vault portability, and a mission-first posture, and they do all of this without sacrificing user experience, technical capability, features, reliability, or security. Until more providers commit to these principles, this list will remain short.If you know of another platform that genuinely aligns with these values, I would welcome the chance to review it. Please reach out and share it with me so it can be considered for inclusion.

Honest Questions, Thoughtful Answers

We know this article has probably raised several thoughts and questions in your mind. That’s a good sign—it means you’re wrestling with the very issues we need to face together. We’ve tried to think ahead on your behalf and provide responses to some of the most common “What about…” questions. Our hope is that these will equip you, encourage you, and remind you that we’re not alone in this mission.

1. What about the perception that this is just about switching to a specific provider?

That is a fair question, and it is wise to be discerning in this way. I am raising these concerns because I have a deep passion to protect God’s Church and the integrity of its worship. I do not receive any financial benefit from any giving platform, nor do I hold any ownership stake in one.Rock RMS, the platform I helped create, is developed and supported by Spark Development Network, a nonprofit organization. Spark does not profit from processing fees, does not own a giving platform, and does not receive any revenue tied to digital giving. My work is focused on serving the Church through ministry-aligned technology, not on promoting any particular vendor.For that reason, this is not about pushing churches toward one platform over another. It is about calling all of us to higher standards of stewardship, transparency, and integrity in how we handle God’s money and care for His people.

2. What about using the best technology—doesn’t excellence in ministry justify some cost?

While that may have been true in the beginning, it doesn’t hold the same weight today. There are now better, more ethical options available; many of which use cutting-edge technology and offer excellent individual experiences. In fact, some of these mission-aligned tools often outperform the more expensive platforms in both innovation and usability. Wise stewardship invites us to explore these alternatives.

3. What about the effort it takes to switch platforms? Isn’t it too disruptive?

There’s no denying that switching platforms takes real work. It asks something of your team, your systems, and your people. But faithful stewardship often requires us to step into hard things for the sake of what’s right. This moment is also a meaningful opportunity to talk with your church about generosity—why it matters, how the landscape has changed, and how we can respond with wisdom.As you lead this transition, cast a clear and hopeful vision. Explain that this isn’t just about technology; it’s about ensuring that the Church’s generosity is not quietly diminished by a system that wasn’t built for ministry. Making this move is a declaration that we refuse to let the secular marketplace siphon value from the gifts entrusted to us.Invite your congregation to join the mission. People rally to a cause when they see its purpose, and this shift has the potential to deepen engagement, strengthen unity, and even grow giving. Most importantly, it reflects the kind of faith-filled action that honors God and protects the resources He has placed in your care.

4. What about the claim that high margins drive innovation—aren’t these profits necessary to build better tools?

That might be true if those profits were consistently reinvested into innovation—but even then, there’s a law of diminishing returns. In reality, the largest secular vendors in this space show very little meaningful innovation. Most improvements are incremental at best, and new features typically only appear when churches begin to demand them. The core business model remains focused on maximizing margin, not serving ministry impact.

6. What about PCI compliance? Isn’t vault portability a security risk?

Vault transfers are fully PCI compliant—which simply means they meet the highest security standards for handling card information. These transfers happen regularly between payment processors and are a normal, secure part of the industry, especially when companies are acquired or merchants switch providers. Security isn’t the issue here; the real issue is willingness.

5. What about the claim that saved payment methods legally belong to the vendor?

Remember what Jesus said when handed a coin: “Whose image is this?... Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:20–21). So let’s ask the same: Whose name is on the payment form? Whose name shows up on the individual’s credit card statement? It’s not the vendor’s. These are acts of worship directed to the Church, not assets to be held by a company.

7. What about donor privacy, don’t the vendor’s terms of service restrict vault portability to protect individual data?

When an individual gives, they’re entering into a relationship with their church—not the vendor. No one says they tithe to “Acme Giving”—they give to their church. The vendor is simply a third-party processor. I’ve reviewed several terms of service from major giving platforms and haven’t found any that explicitly prohibit returning saved payment data to the church. In fact, some vendors have admitted they’d consider updating their terms to be more restrictive, which moves in the wrong direction. And let’s not forget—terms of service are not sacred documents. They can be amended. Stewardship demands we advocate for what’s right, not just what’s written.

8. What about coming across as anti-business or overly critical of technology companies?

This isn’t about being anti-business, it’s about being pro-stewardship. We’re not criticizing profit; we’re calling for fairness, transparency, and alignment with the mission of the Church. This is especially important when the service touches an act of worship, like giving. It's fundamentally different from selecting a vendor for carpet cleaning or building maintenance. Giving is sacred, and the systems that support it should honor that.

9. What about the free development or custom report writing some vendors offer—doesn’t that add value worth paying for?

These services often mask the exorbitant costs buried in processing fees. It’s more transparent and financially responsible to pay directly for development or reports at an hourly rate than to fund them through a perpetual percentage of the tithe.It would be like someone offering to donate free offering boxes to your church, but in return, they take 1% of every donation placed in them—forever. Eventually, the “free” box becomes far more expensive than simply buying one upfront.

Jon Edmiston

Founder Rock RMSJon Edmiston is the founder and Executive Director of Spark Development Network, a non-profit organization created to ensure churches have access to world-class technology. Under his leadership, Spark launched Rock RMS as an open-source project—intentionally licensed this way to protect the church’s investment and make innovation accessible to all.Jon is also a founding partner at Triumph Tech and serves as the lead technical architect and vision-caster behind Rock. As one of Rock’s original developers, he remains deeply engaged in shaping the platform and supporting the community that powers it.Prior to Spark, Jon spent 13 years at Christ’s Church of the Valley, serving on the leadership team for digital ministry and communications. He also previously worked as an E-Commerce Program Manager at Honeywell Inc. Jon approaches life with curiosity, purpose, and a commitment to excellence in everything he does.