Let us pay! Church’s contactless collection plate

CHURCHGOERS with no money on them who face embarrassment as the collection plate heads their way could soon have their prayers answered.

For worshippers will soon be able to donate contactlessly via their bank card or mobile phone, under a scheme announced yesterday.

Church of England collection plates and bags are to be replaced by ‘tap and go’ electronic readers that can be passed around the pews. All 16,000 Anglican churches will be able to use the devices, which have been trialled in some parishes since last summer.

Electronic payments will offer ‘faster and easier’ transactions for congregations fedup with delays as worshippers scrabble for cash, said church officials. The system will also allow vicars to charge for events such as fetes, weddings and christenings without handling cash or cheques.

It follows a decade in which donations during services have stagnated, with collections in 2015 raising less than in 2007, despite pleas from church leaders for the faithful to double the amount they donate.

There are hopes that churchgoers using cards or mobiles may prove to be more generous. The system, which will see a small transaction fee for each donation paid to the firms supplying the technology, is already in use in the US and Scandinavia.

The Church of England’s national stewardship and resources officer John Preston said: ‘There is a clear need for our parishes to introduce card and contactless facilities and we are excited to make this available.

‘How we pay for things is changing fast, especially for younger churchgoers who no longer carry cash, and we want all generations to be able to make the most of their place of worship.’