Archives: Publications

Intentional Miracles

• 33^rd Edition, May 2024
• ISBN: 978-1-7362924-1-9
• By: John L. Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Topics include:

• An analysis of church giving patterns in the U.S. updated through 2021, based on aggregated congregational reports, including: 1968-2021 composite data set; 1921-2021 for 11 denominations; future trends.
• Denominational overseas missions income, 2003-2021.
• An updated review of giving potential of church members in the U.S., including for all church members, and for various church populations, as well as a discussion of the feasibility of increased giving through churches.
• An analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey 2021, cash contributions to charitable causes.
• Chapter 8 considers the fact that church members can make this age of affluence an age of intentional miracles.  Intentional miracles happen when someone decides to take an action, in Jesus’ name, with the strong possibility that the results of that action will have an intensely positive effect on a dire circumstance.  How church people deciding to do more intentional miracles could affect the church, the youth, and society at large are explored.  The potential for church people to reduce, in Jesus’ name, under-age-5 child deaths that are occurring around the world from treatable causes is demonstrated in chapter 8.

The State of Church Giving through 2021 is available by… 

1. Mailing a check and Order Form to:
   empty tomb, inc.
   P.O. Box 2404
   Champaign, IL 61825-2404
   
   
2. Through Wipf and Stock Publishers
   
   
3. Pay online through a PayPal Account (yellow button) or with Debit or Credit card via PayPal (dark-grey button)*.

*Please note that PayPal does not require you to be registered with an account to use their secure transaction site when using the Debit or Credit card option.

Choose PayPal option based on shipping within the USA:

Purchasing outside of Illinois or purchasing in Illinois with Tax Exemption*:
$40.00 + $8.50 shipping = $48.50

*If using Tax Exemption, email tax exemption number to bookorder@emptytomb.org upon purchase.

Purchasing in Illinois (additional 9% IL Sales Tax included):
$40.00 + $8.50 shipping + $3.60 IL 9% Sales Tax = $52.10

Contact empty tomb for the Library Rate, Faculty Review Copies, or Multiple Copies at bookorder@emptytomb.org or call (217) 356-9519.

A Theology for an Age of Affluence

• 32^nd Edition, March 2023
• ISBN: 978-0-9639962-1-3
• By: John L. Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Topics include:

• 1968-2020 for a composite set of denominations:  Giving as a percent of income was at the lowest point in 2020, the first year of the COVID pandemic.  However, the downward trend began decades before.
• 1921-2020 for 11 denominations:  Giving as a percent of income began to decline in 1961 and membership as a percent of population in 1962.
• Future trends: Data for the 1968-2020 period was projected for both church giving and membership.
• Denominational overseas missions income, 2003 through 2020: In 2020, congregations spent an average of 2¢ of each dollar received on global missions through their denominations.  In contrast, for the 1916-1927 period, a group of denominations averaged 8¢ of each dollar on global missions.
• Potential Catholic giving in ten archdioceses: If church member giving increased to an average of 10% from current levels, these archdioceses would have had an additional $115 billion to spend in 2020.
• Analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) 2020: Americans indicated that 58% of their 2020 donations went to “churches, religious organizations.”
• Chapter 8, A Theology for an Age of Affluence: The chapter considers three aspects of a theology for this age in which affluence is so widely spread in the U.S.  The first section includes Figure 21, which charts the Angus Maddison analysis of per capita Gross Domestic Product in inflation-adjusted dollars from the Year 0 through 1998 AD.  Ten points along this timeline indicate developments in the church, some having to do with attitudes toward money.  The second section describes social developments in the U.S. that have accompanied the downward trends in church member giving and membership documented in the earlier chapters in the book.  The third section explores verses and ideas of what a theology for an age of affluence might include.

The State of Church Giving through 2020 is available by… 

1. Mailing a check and Order Form to:
   empty tomb, inc.
   P.O. Box 2024
   Champaign, IL 61825-2024
   
   
2. Through Wipf and Stock
   
   
3. Pay online through a PayPal Account (yellow button) or with Debit or Credit card via PayPal (dark-grey button)*.

*Please note that PayPal does not require you to be registered with an account to use their secure transaction site when using the Debit or Credit card option.

Choose PayPal option based on shipping within the USA:

Purchasing outside of Illinois or purchasing in Illinois with Tax Exemption*:
$40.00 + $8.50 shipping = $48.50

*If using Tax Exemption, email tax exemption number to bookorder@emptytomb.org upon purchase.

Purchasing in Illinois (additional 9% IL Sales Tax included):
$40.00 + $8.50 shipping + $3.60 IL 9% Sales Tax = $52.10

Contact empty tomb for the Library Rate, Faculty Review Copies, or Multiple Copies at bookorder@emptytomb.org or call (217) 356-9519.

Serve God with Money At-Scale or Serve Money 

• 31^st Edition, January 2022
• ISBN: 978-0-9639962-0-6
• By: John L. Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Topics include:

Chapters update church member giving and membership data in the U.S. through 2019, the year before the COVID pandemic set in.  Analyses includes:

• 1968-2019 data for a composite set of denominations: Per member giving was down in current dollars from 2018 to 2019.
• 1921-2019 data for 11 denominations: Once again, in the most recent year, per member giving as a percent of income was lower than in 1921 and in 1933, the depth of the Great Depression.
• Future trends: Membership and giving trends indicate continued decline in coming years.
• Denominational overseas ministries support through 2019: A broad set of churches continued to direct, on average, two cents of each dollar received on overseas missions.
• Cost-per-day for various church populations to address global needs: For example, 1.2 million child deaths could be prevented for 28¢ per day from church members in the U.S.
• Potential Catholic giving in ten archdioceses: Ten archdioceses in the U.S. would have had an additional $110 billion a year from parishioners in 2019, if giving had been at the classic 10% level.
• An analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey 2019, and cash contributions to charitable causes: Giving to “church, religious organizations,” compared to gifts to “charities and other organizations” and “educational institutions,” received the most support whether data was analyzed by age bracket, income level, or region of the country.
• Chapter 8 is the special focus chapter. The subtitle, “Serve God with Money At-Scale or Serve Money,” sets the stage for the exploration of a topic that might give insight to the giving and membership trends presented in the first seven chapters.  Citing data from Angus Maddison’s The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective, the chapter explores the new challenge facing church members in the U.S.: their relationship to money in an unprecedented sea of affluence.  Historical church leaders are quoted on the role of money and the church.  However, currently the church in the U.S. has not offered a positive agenda for this affluence.  The consequences of that lack of vision are explored, with implications for the church and society as a whole.  It is suggested that the church in the U.S. is in a unique position to lead its members to help reduce, in Jesus’ name, under-5 child deaths occurring from treatable causes, and thereby offer such a positive agenda.  Lacking such an ambitious goal of serving God by using money at a scale that matches global need, it is posited that, in light of Jesus’ statement recorded in both Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13, the alternative is for the church to serve Money.

The State of Church Giving through 2019 is available…

1. Mailing a check and Order Form to:
   empty tomb, inc.
   P.O. Box 2024
   Champaign, IL 61825-2024
   
   
2. Through Wipf and Stock Publishers
   
   
3. Pay online through a PayPal Account (yellow button) or with Debit or Credit card via PayPal (dark-grey button)*.

Choose PayPal option based on shipping within the USA:

Purchasing outside of Illinois or purchasing in Illinois with Tax Exemption*:
$40.00 + $8.50 shipping = $48.50

*If using Tax Exemption, email tax exemption number to bookorder@emptytomb.org upon purchase.

Purchasing in Illinois (additional 9% IL Sales Tax included):
$40.00 + $8.50 shipping + $3.60 IL 9% Sales Tax = $52.10

Contact empty tomb for the Library Rate, Faculty Review Copies, or Multiple Copies at bookorder@emptytomb.org or call (217) 356-9519.

What If Jesus Comes Back in 2025?

• 30th edition, December 2020
• ISBN: 978-1-7362924-0-2
• By: John L. Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Topics include:

Chapters update church member giving and membership data in the U.S., including:

• 1968-2018 data for a composite set of denominations.
• 1921-2017 data for 11 denominations.
• Future trends.
• Denominational overseas ministries support through 2018.
• Cost-per-day for various church populations to address global needs.
• Potential Catholic giving in ten archdioceses.
• An analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey 2018, and cash contributions to charitable causes.
• Chapter 8 is the special focus chapter, building on the information in the first seven chapters. The chapter presents an exercise using the question: What if Jesus returns in 2025? Acknowledging that no one knows the date of Jesus’ return, the fact that three groups have chosen 2025 as a goal date for their efforts provides a reason to focus on that year. A discussion of missio Dei as a framework for discipleship sets the stage for setting goals for: Bible translations; engaging unengaged unreached people groups; and closing, in Jesus’ name, the Promise Gap by reaching the target reduction goal for the global Under-5 Mortality Rate. A discussion follows of possible consequences that may develop if the church does not prepare, and alternatively, if the church does prepare, as if Jesus is coming back in 2025.

The State of Church Giving through 2018 is available by… 

1. Mailing a check and Order Form to:
   empty tomb, inc.
   P.O. Box 2404
   Champaign, IL 61825-2404
   
   
2. Through Wipf and Stock Publishers
   
   
3. Pay online through a PayPal Account (yellow button) or with Debit or Credit card via PayPal (dark-grey button)*.

*Please note that PayPal does not require you to be registered with an account to use their secure transaction site when using the Debit or Credit card option.

Choose PayPal option based on shipping within the USA:

Purchasing outside of Illinois or purchasing in Illinois with Tax Exemption*:
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping = $28.50

*If using Tax Exemption, email tax exemption number to bookorder@emptytomb.org upon purchase.

Purchasing in Illinois (additional 9% IL Sales Tax included):
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping + $1.80 IL 9% Sales Tax = $30.30

Contact empty tomb for the Library Rate, Faculty Review Copies, or Multiple Copies at bookorder@emptytomb.org or call (217) 356-9519.

What a Can-Do Attitude in the Church+$16 Billion Can Do in Jesus’ Name for the Children Dying in the Promise Gap

• 29^th Edition, October 2019
• ISBN: 978-0-9843665-9-0
• By: John L. Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Topics Include:

Chapters update church member data in the U.S., including:

• 1968-2017 data for a composite set of denominations.
• 1921-2017 data for 11 denominations.
• Future trends.
• Denominational overseas ministries support through 2017.
• Cost-per-day for various church populations to address global needs.
• Potential Catholic giving in ten archdioceses.
• An analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey 2017, and cash contributions to charitable causes.
• Chapter 8 is the special focus chapter. Downward trends in church giving and membership, explored in the earlier chapters, can be reversed. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God has placed eternity in the human heart, but people don’t understand. The chapter explores directions people search for understanding, noting Hollywood seems to understand this need better than the church. The church has not but can provide a positive agenda for affluence: Closing, in Jesus’ name, the Promise Gap – – the difference between: 1) goals set to reduce the global Under-5 Child Mortality Rate (U5MR), and 2) the actual U5MR. Progress tables are included. With an average of 1 million children dying in the Promise Gap each year, the book states, “It’s time for the church to stop letting Hollywood have all the good lines.”

The State of Church Giving through 2017 is available by… 

1. Mailing a check and Order Form to:
   empty tomb, inc.
   P.O. Box 2404
   Champaign, IL 61825-2404
   
   
2. Through Wipf and Stock Publishers
   
   
3. Through Amazon
   
   
4. Pay online through a PayPal Account (yellow button) or with Debit or Credit card via PayPal (dark-grey button)*.

*Please note that PayPal does not require you to be registered with an account to use their secure transaction site when using the Debit or Credit card option.

Choose PayPal option based on shipping within the USA:

Purchasing outside of Illinois or purchasing in Illinois with Tax Exemption*:
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping = $28.50

*If using Tax Exemption, email tax exemption number to bookorder@emptytomb.org upon purchase.

Purchasing in Illinois (additional 9% IL Sales Tax included):
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping + $1.80 IL 9% Sales Tax = $30.30

Contact empty tomb for the Library Rate, Faculty Review Copies, or Multiple Copies at bookorder@emptytomb.org or call (217) 356-9519.

What Do Denominational Leaders Want to Do with $368 Billion More a Year?

• 28^th Edition, September 2018
• ISBN: 978-0-9843665-8-3
• By: John L. Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Topics Include:

The State of Church Giving through 2016 is available by… 

1. Mailing a check and Order Form to:
   empty tomb, inc.
   P.O. Box 2404
   Champaign, IL 61825-2404
   
   
2. Through Wipf and Stock Publishers
   
   
3. Through Amazon
   
   
4. Pay online through a PayPal Account (yellow button) or with Debit or Credit card via PayPal (dark-grey button)*.

*Please note that PayPal does not require you to be registered with an account to use their secure transaction site when using the Debit or Credit card option.

Choose PayPal option based on shipping within the USA:

Purchasing outside of Illinois or purchasing in Illinois with Tax Exemption*:
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping = $28.50

*If using Tax Exemption, email tax exemption number to bookorder@emptytomb.org upon purchase.

Purchasing in Illinois (additional 9% IL Sales Tax included):
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping + $1.80 IL 9% Sales Tax = $30.30

Contact empty tomb for the Library Rate, Faculty Review Copies, or Multiple Copies at bookorder@emptytomb.org or call (217) 356-9519.

Understanding the Times

• 27^th Edition, September 2017
• ISBN: 978-0-9843665-7-6
• By: John L. Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Topics Include:

• Church Member Giving, 1968-2015.
• Church Member Giving for 34 Denominations, 2014 to 2015.
• Church Member Giving in Denominations Defined by Organizational Affiliation, 1968, 1985, and 2015.
• Church Member Giving and Membership in 11 Denominations, 1921-2015.
• Church Member Giving and Membership Trends Based on 1968-2015 Data.
• The Potential of the Church.
• Why and How Much Do Americans Give?
• Includes an analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 Consumer Expenditure Survey data for cash contributions by age, income levels, and region.
• Understanding the Times.
• Chapter 8 provides a micro-summary of church history as background for a discussion of the challenges facing the church in the U.S. today. The challenge of affluence in present times has produced difficulties in the church and society as a whole. Church leaders will either be victims, bystanders, or will mobilize for a larger purpose. Tables provide data on 40 countries that were not on target as of 2015 to reduce the under-age-5 mortality rate in those countries to meet goals set by global leaders. The church in the U.S., it is suggested, can mobilize its giving and distribution abilities to meet this need and, as a result of loving a hurting world in Jesus’ name, engage the challenge of these times.

The State of Church Giving through 2015 is available by… 

1. Mailing a check and Order Form to:
   empty tomb, inc.
   P.O. Box 2404
   Champaign, IL 61825-2404
   
   
2. Through Wipf and Stock Publishers
   
   
3. Through Amazon
   
   
4. Pay online through a PayPal Account (yellow button) or with Debit or Credit card via PayPal (dark-grey button)*.

*Please note that PayPal does not require you to be registered with an account to use their secure transaction site when using the Debit or Credit card option.

Choose PayPal option based on shipping within the USA:

Purchasing outside of Illinois or purchasing in Illinois with Tax Exemption*:
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping = $28.50

*If using Tax Exemption, email tax exemption number to bookorder@emptytomb.org upon purchase.

Purchasing in Illinois (additional 9% IL Sales Tax included):
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping + $1.80 IL 9% Sales Tax = $30.30

Contact empty tomb for the Library Rate, Faculty Review Copies, or Multiple Copies at bookorder@emptytomb.org or call (217) 356-9519.

Speaking Truth to Power

• 26^th Edition, September 2016
• ISBN: 978-0-9843665-6-9
• By: John L. Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Topics Include:

Chapters updating church member giving and membership data in the U.S., including:

• 1968-2014 data for a composite set of denominations.
• 1921-2014 data for 11 denominations.
• Future trends.
• Denominational overseas ministries support through 2014.
• Cost-per-day for various church populations to address global needs.
• Other potential giving such as potential Catholic giving in nine archdioceses.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey 2014 data for charitable cash contributions, analyzed by age, region, and income levels.
• Chapter 8 explores the implications of the affluence that has flooded the U.S., especially since World War II. Its impact on society has been felt and not understood. The results, it is suggested, are evident in the church member giving and membership trends discussed in the first six chapters of the book. The proposed solution might be summarized as: repent and mobilize.

The State of Church Giving through 2014 is available by… 

1. Mailing a check and Order Form to:
   empty tomb, inc.
   P.O. Box 2404
   Champaign, IL 61825-2404
   
   
2. Through Wipf and Stock Publishers
   
   
3. Through Amazon
   
   
4. Pay online through a PayPal Account (yellow button) or with Debit or Credit card via PayPal (dark-grey button)*.

*Please note that PayPal does not require you to be registered with an account to use their secure transaction site when using the Debit or Credit card option.

Choose PayPal option based on shipping within the USA:

Purchasing outside of Illinois or purchasing in Illinois with Tax Exemption*:
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping = $28.50

*If using Tax Exemption, email tax exemption number to bookorder@emptytomb.org upon purchase.

Purchasing in Illinois (additional 9% IL Sales Tax included):
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping + $1.80 IL 9% Sales Tax = $30.30

Contact empty tomb for the Library Rate, Faculty Review Copies, or Multiple Copies at bookorder@emptytomb.org or call (217) 356-9519.

Crisis Or Potential?

• 25^th Edition, October 2015
• ISBN: 978-0-9843665-5-2
• By: John L. Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Topics Include:

• An analysis of church giving patterns in the U.S. updated through 2013, based on aggregated congregational reports.
• An original survey of denominational overseas missions income, 2003-2013.
• An updated review of giving potential of church members in the U.S., including all church members, and for various church populations.
• An analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey 2013, cash contributions to charitable causes.
• Although chapter 8 reviews the church member giving and membership data as well as various surveys that suggest a crisis facing the church in the U.S., the emphasis is on the potential for the church in the U.S. to impact global word and deed need in Jesus’ name. Such action, it is suggested, may help reverse the trends that point towards crisis.
• Historical and modern theological perspectives on money.
• The church tradition of fearless servanthood.
• Money as a spiritual power.
• The role of church institutions.
• The potential to increase church member giving to address unengaged unreached people groups, and reduce the global under-5 mortality rate at a scale to help, in Jesus’ name, solve, rather than cope with, needs.A final feature is a selection of 95 titles, drawn from many drafted over the years, accompanied by a blank column for the reader’s notes and reflections.

The State of Church Giving through 2013 is available by… 

1. Mailing a check and Order Form to:
   empty tomb, inc.
   P.O. Box 2404
   Champaign, IL 61825-2404
   
   
2. Through Amazon
   
   
3. Pay online through a PayPal Account (yellow button) or with Debit or Credit card via PayPal (dark-grey button)*.

*Please note that PayPal does not require you to be registered with an account to use their secure transaction site when using the Debit or Credit card option.

Choose PayPal option based on shipping within the USA:

Purchasing outside of Illinois or purchasing in Illinois with Tax Exemption*:
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping = $28.50

*If using Tax Exemption, email tax exemption number to bookorder@emptytomb.org upon purchase.

Purchasing in Illinois (additional 9% IL Sales Tax included):
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping + $1.80 IL 9% Sales Tax = $30.30

Contact empty tomb for the Library Rate, Faculty Review Copies, or Multiple Copies at bookorder@emptytomb.org or call (217) 356-9519.

What are Christian Seminaries and Intellectuals Thinking – Or are they?

• 24^th Edition, October 2014
• ISBN: 978-0-9843665-4-5
• By: John L. Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle

Topics Include:

• An analysis of church giving patterns in the U.S. updated through 2012, based on aggregated congregational reports.
• An original survey of denominational overseas missions income, 2003-2012.
• An updated review of giving potential of church members in the U.S., including all church members, and for various church populations.
• An analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey 2012, cash contributions to charitable causes.
• A discussion of the need for a categorical shift in the way the church in the U.S. understands money. Five realities missed by Christian seminaries and intellectuals are explored: 1) The potential of the church; 2) Pastors are preaching to congregations filled with not the poor but the rich; 3) Money is a spiritual power; 4) Bigness and the illusion of powerlessness; 5) Seminaries and intellectuals must lead.

Church Giving through 2012 is available by… 

1. Mailing a check and Order Form to:
   empty tomb, inc.
   P.O. Box 2404
   Champaign, IL 61825-2404
   
   
2. Through Amazon
   
   
3. Pay online through a PayPal Account (yellow button) or with Debit or Credit card via PayPal (dark-grey button)*.

*Please note that PayPal does not require you to be registered with an account to use their secure transaction site when using the Debit or Credit card option.

Choose PayPal option based on shipping within the USA:

Purchasing outside of Illinois or purchasing in Illinois with Tax Exemption*:
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping = $28.50

*If using Tax Exemption, email tax exemption number to bookorder@emptytomb.org upon purchase.

Purchasing in Illinois (additional 9% IL Sales Tax included):
$20.00 + $8.50 shipping + $1.80 IL 9% Sales Tax = $30.30

Contact empty tomb for the Library Rate, Faculty Review Copies, or Multiple Copies at bookorder@emptytomb.org or call (217) 356-9519.