Offering (giving)

An offering is used to define a donation made to a church.

In many churches it is distinguished from the tithe, in that the tithe is taught as the minimum amount that a Christian (and specifically a member of the church) should give, with any amount above that considered an offering. However, a non-member who decides to donate is said to have made an offering, even if the amount would constitute a tithe.

An offering may either be "undesignated" (which means that the church can use it for any purpose) or "designated" (which means the church can only use it for what the donor intended). Churches frequently have designated offerings, such as for capital campaigns/debt reduction, missions, or other church functions.