Cost to use the church

[fallbride]

I talked with the church yesterday about the cost. I almost fell off my chair! I was wondering what everyone else had to pay to use the church where they had their wedding at.

We are looking at between 500-600 before we pay the officant.

[Complicated Woman]

Wow! At my church, the fee is about $100, I think...just to pay the administrator and custodial staff for the overtime. We don't charge for use of the site, per se, just to cover what extra we need to give the staff.

And my boss stopped accepting payment some time ago for performing weddings, though I think he should take it because he too spends many extra hours counseling and preparing the ceremony.

[Indigo]

My church only asks for a donation and my organist says she does not ask for money (I am still going to give her some).

[Marge129]

To use the church was $30.

We tipped the organist and pastor each... um... either $75 or $100. I don't remember.

[maroki13]

Our chapel is $100 to use the facility. We are bringing in our own officiant (my uncle) and musicians.

[wynelle]

Our church is free (well, $100 for the set-up and clean-up) to members, but charges $700 for non-members. That does not include the officiant, the organist, etc.

There was a thread about this a while ago. Some churchs know for their beauty or location charge as much as $2500 just to use the site.

Some people are scandalized, after all, it is a CHURCH! But someone has to be there to meet the florist to set up the flowers, to help do whatever decorations, to clean-up. There are extra heating/air conditioning bills. More wear and tear on the carpets, the pew cushions. At least once or twice a year someone breaks the printed rules and has lit candles in unauthorized places. We've had Sunday School classes come in and find that the bridal party expanded from it's original dressing room to take over (and not clean up) two or three other rooms.

[Robyn Lynn]

Ours is free.

Our church runs on tithe paying so they do not charge you for anything, and being a full tithe payer you are entitled to use the facilities for free (since, in a sense, you've already paid for it).

[555Ann555]

Ouyr's is just a donation, but I can understand why they might charge you more.

To be honest I think it might have been a help in sorting out our budget to know exactly what our church fees would have been... Just don't want to give too much because money is tight, but you don't want to give too little because it is the most important part of the day, and it is a church after all...

I don't think that sounds unreasonable, that'd be about £500... Maybe a bit steep, but if it is a big venue

Is it going to push your budget too far?

[ladedah]

ours was "suggessted donations" for members of:

$100 custodial
$100 wedding planner lady
$50 sound technitian
$150 officiant

(we brought our own musicians)

for non-members it's $700 (because someone has to be there all the time)

[ljeagle]

The first one we talked about was going to be $500 to $800 but we got Lucky and found one for $100.

[Kim&Bob2004]

We had to pay 50 per hour because someone had to be there the entire time (even while we decorated--so it was a lot--plus a 100 cleaning fee). Our regular church was too small so we had to go with something else, which is why we had to pay.... I paid 150 each for the organist and the piper, 50 for the sound guy (if I had wanted and had time we could have done a Power Point too) and Bob gave our preacher 200 I think.

[SuzyBride]

Ours was free because Josh is a member. But they have since changed that, now I think you have to pay something like $100.

[wynelle]

Just a question- how would your church know if you tithe or not?

Do they ask each member what their pre-tax income is and compare that with the tithe? or just trust that each member will tithe?

I know that our church asks members in late November what they are going to be able to give to the church for the following year. It's how the Session sets the budget. But if someone has financial reverses, or can't actually give the entire amount pledged (which we have no way of knowing is an actual 10% tithe), the Session doesn't go after them.

We have some elderly members and some younger newly marrieds who have admitted they don't tithe, but we would never restrict what they could do.

So, I was just wondering how a church would know if a member truly tithed?

[kenzies_mama]

Ours is $75 for the church, if you want an orgnaist you must use their's and so for the organist and a canter it's $225 making it about $300. Our friends were married in the same church but were non-members and they paid $700 total. Of course this is before tipping the priest.
It's really gonna be worth it for us, because the church will be decorated for Christmas so there will be very little to add, some pew decorations and three floral arrangements.

[Robyn Lynn]

Our tithing is on the honor system, but we do submit a slip with our name saying how much we are tithing each time. At the end of the year they give us a summary for tax deductions. They trust that it is 10%.

[sparklesweetie]

Well, ours isn't a church, but it's a chapel. We're paying
$510, which includes the chapel and gazeebo, and a sound person. The officiant is an extra $90, but we could have had our own if we had one. It's a little steep, but this place is so pretty already that I do not have to do any decorating at all...we just show up.
Sorry it's some sticker shock for you.

[Complicated Woman]

Originally Posted by wynelle

So, I was just wondering how a church would know if a member truly tithed?

I know that we don't! In most cases, however, it is obvious. When a double income family is putting in a check of $50 every week.......it's kind of a no brainer. Most people who don't tithe don't even give close to what their salary must be.

The only people whose tithes can be verified are church employees...which is kind of funny, in a way, since the tithes come out of church $ and go back into church $.

[Marge129]

My church doesn't "check up" on tithes. At the beginning of each year, members are asked to fill out a form making a pledge of how much money they'll donate throughout the year. Then they're sent pre-dated envelopes to last every Sunday. I don't know what happens if you don't live up to your pledge, though.

Speaking of tithing.... you don't have to tithe all in one place. My Mom gives 10% of her income, but some goes to her church now, some to her old church, and some to my cousins who are missionaries in Chile.

[Kim&Bob2004]

We believe that tithes are between you and God, we don't have a plate at services just a box at the back. Also we tithe to others too, not just our church. Again, it's between you and God, which means we don't even put our name on it..... God knows, no one else needs to know, right?

[Complicated Woman]

I know of a few reasons why it may be good to put your name to your tithe.

Firstly, tithes do get you a tax deduction, so there is a benefit to tithing with your name on it.

And at the church I serve, we do require that leaders in our church be tithers. Again, it is on the honor system, but if someone, say, wants to be on the board and is giving an amount that is obviously nowhere near 10% of what they earn, it will keep them from being eligible.

This is not because of greediness on the part of the church, but because we believe strongly that tithing is a symbol of obedience to God and good stewardship.

[Robyn Lynn]

That's what we believe, too -- it shows obedience. Plus, it pays for everything in the church like buildings and materials. No one is paid. Everyone has a regular job and does their part in the church in addition.

Oh, and visitors are not expected to give anything. No collection plates or boxes even. we want you to come and enjoy our services and not be expected to pay anything. when you become a member (or are investigating) you can choose to start paying tithing.

[Kim&Bob2004]

Originally Posted by Complicated Woman

Firstly, tithes do get you a tax deduction, so there is a benefit to tithing with your name on it.

It's just a personal thing here Bryanne, but I have never tithed for tax reasons and would never think of taking it off on my taxes. What I give to God is freely done and without thought of getting anything in return (as are free will offerings), but again, that's just me. Luckily DH believes the same! I know a lot of people that do take it off on taxes, and that is, again, between them and God, a personal thing.

Interesting about Church leaders, I often wondered if they were out of the tithing loop so to speak, since their time is so valuable....

Also, how much would a person need to tithe or give in offerings before it would amount to anything on their taxes........ just for grins we kept receipts this past year for all our charity donations (shelters, group homes, charity foundations, stuff like that) and it amounted to few thousand dollars and we still were ahead with a standard deduction..... Made me decide it wasn't worth it to even keep track of those! Does anyone know?????? EXAMPLE: Lets say a couple made 60,000 and 10% was 6,000 and they also gave in money another 2k in freewill offering (not counting non-money things they might do), that would still only be about 8k right? Am I messing it up?

[Complicated Woman]

LOL, I guess I am really Wesleyan in the whole "make as much as you can so you can give away as much as you can" mentality. I wouldn't dream of not taking it off of my taxes...because then it's more income to tithe off of and it frees me financially to participate in planned giving that much more. Does that make sense? Again, it is a personal issue. But that is my position...I guess they did a better job than I thought drilling John Wesley into me in my spiritual formation classes!

Pastors in our denomination are required to tithe 10%. Doesn't matter if it's net or gross, but I tithe gross, again for personal/theological reasons. They actually did check my tithing against my earnings for last year before they gave me my district license. (But no other lay leadership position or support staff position in the church is checked that rigidly.)

[Complicated Woman]

Originally Posted by Kim&Bob2004

Also, how much would a person need to tithe or give in offerings before it would amount to anything on their taxes........ just for grins we kept receipts this past year for all our charity donations (shelters, group homes, charity foundations, stuff like that) and it amounted to few thousand dollars and we still were ahead with a standard deduction..... Made me decide it wasn't worth it to even keep track of those! Does anyone know?????? EXAMPLE: Lets say a couple made 60,000 and 10% was 6,000 and they also gave in money another 2k in freewill offering (not counting non-money things they might do), that would still only be about 8k right? Am I messing it up?

I'm not entirely sure about this......I hand my tax stuff to an accountant and say "ummmm..."

[kenzies_mama]

Well I beleive in order to claim some things you have to itemize, but that isn't always the best way to go for some people, because if you itemize with too little then you can actaully get less back. Like I know a couple who was seperated and she itemized which made him have to itemize, she got back like 3000 but he owed like 2000. I'm not an accountant, my mom is so I hear alot about it, but I could still be wrong.