For those of you that belong to a church, temple, synagogue... regardless to if you attend services consistantly or just occasionally - do you have to pay membership dues or is it on donation basis only?

Would you mind sharing how much you pay or donate per year? Also does it include school for your child/children? If that amount doesn't how much extra is the school plus supplies?

Up until now I refused to "belong" to a specific place because I was opposed to the amount being asked of me (single or married). Now we are faced with the fact our kids really need the exposure and interaction plus the school to ready them for confirmation. I'm blown away still at the cost for what is offered in return. Especially knowing it is basically triple to what I would pay if I lived in the midwest. I guess I'm wondering what the average is and if maybe I'm just out of touch with reality. I know they have to pay staff, building fees, teachers, etc ...

TIA

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Hmmm.....I thought ALL churches were donation only. Are there some that make you pay a minimum? Where have I been?

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I'm not sure if I understand your question. Are you wanting to know what churches in my area charge to be a member? If that's the question, the answer is nothing, as far as I've ever heard. At least for Protestant churches.

When dh was Mormon (before we were married) they had to report their income to their bishop and were strongly expected to pay 10% of that a year in tithing. That is the only religious organization I know of that keeps track of income and tithing.

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We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.
C. S. Lewis

I go to a Catholic church and we do not pay dues. I have never heard of any church charging membership fees. People give whatever they choose to give.

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Formerly Kimberly75!

I am Jewish and Synagogues have you pay dues. When I lived in NE it was supposed to be a % of your income, but they worked with you. Hebrew school was included in dues.

Here in CA when I first got here they wanted to charge for High Holy Days services. Without a ticket you were not admitted for services. I was floored! I did understand that most Jews don't practice on a regular basis and they come out of the woodwork for these two days a year, but to turn someone away on these most significant days but a sour taste in my mouth.

Now that my DS (6) should be in Hebrew school starting to learn toward his Bar Mitzvah, we don't have a choice but to join a Temple. Where we live in CA is not a huge Jewish population. The closest congregation has a building but the dues are $1300/family + building preservation fees $200/family + School supplies $100 + registration fees $50 + school fees $435 (it is one day a week) = $2,085. This is the cost for just one child to be in school. As my other son gets older I will also have to pay fees for him. Then when they get into 3rd grade they start to go two days a week and it increases the cost.

In talking to the membership director she said the treasure would be able to set up a payment plan for us. That is not my biggest concern. My concern is that every family is expected to pay the same amount regardless to income. She then said he would work with me to lower the amount, but I would have to volunteer for a certain number of hours. Great, but my schedule is pretty full as it is.

So, I started to look into other Temples around our area. One shares space in a church - not crazy about the idea since I grew up in a freestanding synagogue. But they are nice. Problem that I forsee here is it is so reform - They only hold services two Friday nights a month and none on Saturday morning. Very atypical. They want $1150/family plus a child in k-2 is $325 plus $75 book and craft fee. The kids meet every other Sunday until they are in 3rd grade and then they meet twice a week and the cost goes up. They will work out a payment plan, but they will not reduce any fees.

The last congregation I am checking into claims they are multigenerational, but all the pictures I see on the website are of an older generation with grandchildren or greatgrandchildren (not in the pics). They have not called back, so I don't have particulars on fees. They do state family dues are $900 on the website, but day nothing regarding school.

This is so different than when I grew up or what my niece and nephew have in NE. There is one synagogue both my DH and I like out here, but it is an hour away. It is not feasible for us to belong there, especially when the boys start going to Hebrew school during the week on opposite days. I haven't even looked into their fees for that reason.

I guess I don't understand how so many religions can have churches, yet not charge a standard fee. If they have a small congregation, how do they afford the bills? What is the typical amount to donate every time you attend church?

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Same here...I haven't heard of charging before.

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I have always just given donations monetarily...i.e....my tithes. I give twice monthly according to what I make. Other than that there are no "fees" to be a member....thank goodness!!

So if your son wasn't going to Hebrew school and you just wanted to attend services then you are still required to pay $1300.00? I can understand the cost of tuition. We pay $6000.00 a year for our two sons to go to Catholic school and they divide it into ten monthly payments. That is separate from what we give the church. We are not required to give a set amount.

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Formerly Kimberly75!

Up until reading your post I had no idea there were churches/synagogues that charged fees to attend! We go to a Baptist church, we are not required to pay anything, but dh & I have agreed to tithe 10% of our income, dh gets paid every 2 weeks, so we give a check normally twice a month. But everyone gives different amounts. However, they do run a preschool at our church, which there is a charge for, but to be honest I am not sure what the total cost per child is to attend. We are looking into it since our son will be eligible to attend next fall.

i am mormon, and we are expected to tithe 10%, but it is all on the honor system, you have an end of the year meeting with the bishop, he says this is how much you've given, is it an honest tithe? we say yes or no and thats it- nobody is keeping track of individuals income and kicking you out if it doesn't match up to your tithing. Also, if you don't pay nobody is going to stop you from attending church on sundays or from letting your children attend classeswith other kids their age. I never knew that churches would do that... if you don't have enough income, you can't join in the worship?