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Donations to a church which possesses a nonprofit
organization status are tax exempt, and the church is required to retain
records of donations and to issue annual receipts in order for contributors
to claim these as deductions from their taxes. Most churches retain the
envelopes as physical donation records to comply with IRS laws. Donations
made by check alone, with the donor's name and address, will probably
receive appropriate credit, but it is a help to a church's accounting to use
an envelope. Some churches take note of their members stewardship patterns as indicative of their faithfulness to scripture and the support of the church. However, it is to be noted that giving (especially to the poor) was intended to be a private matter to be kept between the contributor and God (Matt. 6:1-4). Some consider the viewing of a contributor's offerings as a violation of that secrecy.
This article is from the book, What People Ask About the Church, authored and copyrighted © by Dr. Dale A. Robbins, 1990-2015, and is a publication of Victorious Publications, Grass Valley, CA - Nashville, TN. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references were taken from The New King James Bible, © Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982. You may download this article for personal use as long as you retain credit to the author. Obtain permission before reproducing copies for any reason, by filling out our simple use permission form. Many of our writings are also available as free pdf tri-fold pamphlets, which can be downloaded for reproduction from our Online Catalog. For media reproduction rights, or to obtain quantities of this title in other formats, email us. A newer revised version of this book is available from Amazon. If you have appreciated these online materials, help us reach the world with the Gospel by considering a monthly or one-time tax-deductable donation.
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