I was saved, in 1989, in a large, vibrant, non-denominational Biblical Christian church. Envelopes such as the one portrayed in this post were not part of the “contemporary” church our family attended, even in the late 80’s.

Perhaps today there remain some old country churches who have itinerant pastors and tiny, aging congregations that still use weekly tithing envelopes with check boxes in order to ensure compliance with dusty old Biblical Christian traditions.

How legalistic and offensive!

Sunday School Attendance – Most modern, growing churches don’t even have adult Sunday School. They have weekly affinity groups or some other distant term for fellowship, sprinkled with a little Bible on the side. Of course, those that do still retain this outdated concept do have a reason for checking the box in order to confirm you actually went to adult Sunday School and did not just slip into the Worship Service because you overslept.

Bible Brought – Why bring a Bible with you when there is always one in the pew right in front of you? More to the point, we all are using our phones now so that it is not quite so embarrassing when seen flipping aimlessly through the pages looking for Haggai.

Lesson Studied – Who in the world (other than the teacher) studies ahead for a Sunday School class (if one is available) or reviews the verses to be covered for the last ten minutes of a mid-week fellowship group meeting … much less the topic/verses to be covered in the sermon? We’re just lucky to get the kids in the car and be only fifteen minutes late to arrive.

Giving – Few churches “pass the plate” anymore. It’s all done behind the scenes, dropping envelopes in a slot or, more typically, an automatic deposit that we set up long ago. Besides, many churches found more cash leaving the plate than landing in it and were forced to make a change.

Worship Attendance – Well, it’s pretty stupid to check a box that confirms you are in attendance when, if you were not there, there would be no box to check. And, these days, if one can get to church a couple of times a month, that is truly a “praise the Lord” success!

Daily Bible Reading and Prayer – So here is a positive trend. According to the American Bible Association’s latest polling of Christians, “the number of Bible Users has increased this year [2025] from 38% to 41%, which translates to 10 million more American adults reading the Bible outside of church a minimum of three times a year.” WOW … huge increase in Bible reading … THREE TIMES A YEAR! We are on a roll. That means three out of 52 Sundays every year 41% of “Bible Users” could check this box on their weekly report. Regarding prayer, Barna Research reports that “slightly more than four out of five adults in the U.S. (84%) claim they had prayed in the past week.” Not bad. Perhaps the box is for EITHER Bible reading OR prayer so more can check it off.

Visits, Number – Now we have to not only check the box on “ministry visits” but we even have to provide the number of visits over the last week. This is just too much pressure put on a church member. After all, this is what we pay the pastor for.

Other Contacts, Number – Perhaps this can include phone calls and saying “Hi” to the neighbor when pulling into the garage after coming home late again from a hard day at work.

Conclusion

A church that cops an attitude with this level of expectation is just being legalistic and we know that God is not into legalism. The Bible is full of verses that confirm God loves us through His grace and provided Christ as a sacrifice for our sins so we should not have to feel guilty about all this stuff, right? In Romans, the Bible is clear …

Romans 6:1 - What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

But the next verse … sigh …

Romans 6:2 - By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Well, it may be true that as Biblical Christians we are called to grow in our faith and knowledge of Him and share the Good News with others … however, those pastors who make us feel guilty with stuff like this are hypocrites because they don’t live perfect lives either. Yet …

Hebrews 13:17 - Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 

Well, I don’t like it … still seems overly legalistic to me to attend a church that has ANY performance expectations. That’s between me and God … no checkboxes, no accountability, none of this “iron sharpens iron” stuff for me. It’s legalistic …. Not really.

POSTSCRIPT: from a responder…

Lots of secular groups — like civic clubs, sports teams, and Scouts — track attendance and expect commitment. Nobody questions it. But when churches do the same, people get offended. I think it’s because many still see church as a volunteer organization instead of what it really is — the Body of Christ. Accountability isn’t control; it’s care designed to fashion us into disciples.