Church Offerings during Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case Study in GKII Tandang

Abstract

This article discusses the factors causing increase in church offerings during the Covid-19 pandemic in Semarang city. The pandemic does not always cause a decrease in a church’s financial revenue, such as that shown in GKII Tandang. Hence, the causal factors need to be found, which necessitated the use of a qualitative method in conducting this research. The data was collected by use of in-depth interviews with 30 informants as respondents. In order to complete the data, the researchers conducted participative and non-participative observations on the social and economic conditions of the congregants. Based on the results, two factors of increased revenues during the pandemic were found. Firstly, the congregants expressed their gratitude through their various offerings. They understood that in times of need, God still took care of them in various ways. Therefore, they increased their offerings. Secondly, the congregants understood that all their worldly revenues came from God anyway. Thus, they were encouraged to give offerings consistently during the pandemic. The congregants could have the concept of giving offerings as returning God’s privilege due to a successful cultivation of values on their part. This cultivation happened through: 1) Bible studies that have encouraged the building of the congregants’ understanding on church offerings and God’s care, 2) Transformative sermons which enlighten the congregants on their responsibilities of giving church offerings and God’s care during the pandemic, which in turn decreased the congregants’ worry and generated.