TL;DR: In East Africa, more people have M-Pesa accounts than bank accounts. Churches that accept mobile money for tithes and offerings are seeing 30-50% increases in giving. Yet most church management software only supports credit cards through Stripe. Here’s how mobile money is reshaping church finances across Africa, and what churches need to set up digital giving that actually works for their congregation.
The Offering Basket Has a Problem
Sunday morning. The offering basket goes around. Some members give cash. Some planned to give but forgot to stop at the ATM. Some are visiting and didn’t bring their wallet. Some give via bank transfer later in the week (and the finance team has to manually reconcile it).
This is how church giving has worked for decades. And for decades, churches have accepted that a significant portion of potential giving simply doesn’t happen because the moment passes and life gets in the way.
In the US, this problem was solved by digital giving platforms. Tithe.ly, Pushpay, and Planning Center let members give with a credit card or bank account, either during service or anytime from their phone. Simple, instant, trackable.
But in East Africa, credit cards aren’t the answer. Only a small fraction of the population has one. Bank transfers work but are slow and hard to track. The real financial infrastructure of the region is mobile money, and M-Pesa sits at the center of it.
What Is M-Pesa (And Why It Matters)
For readers outside East Africa, a quick primer.
M-Pesa is a mobile money service launched by Safaricom in Kenya in 2007. It lets anyone with a basic phone (not even a smartphone) send money, pay bills, and receive payments using their phone number as an account.
The numbers are staggering:
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Active users (Kenya) | 30+ million |
| Active users (all markets) | 51+ million |
| Countries | Kenya, Tanzania, DRC, Mozambique, Ghana, Egypt, and others |
| Monthly transactions | Over $20 billion |
| Penetration (Kenya) | ~96% of households |
To put that in context: Kenya has about 55 million people. Over 30 million of them actively use M-Pesa. More Kenyans have M-Pesa accounts than have bank accounts, email addresses, or social media profiles.
M-Pesa isn’t a fintech novelty. It’s the financial system. People pay rent with it. Buy groceries with it. Pay school fees with it. Send money to family with it. And increasingly, give their tithes and offerings with it.
Beyond M-Pesa: The Mobile Money Landscape
M-Pesa is the most well-known, but mobile money is an Africa-wide phenomenon:
| Country | Primary Mobile Money | Users |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | M-Pesa (Safaricom) | 30M+ |
| Tanzania | M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money | 25M+ |
| Ghana | MTN MoMo, Vodafone Cash, AirtelTigo Money | 20M+ |
| Uganda | MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money | 15M+ |
| Nigeria | OPay, PalmPay, Paga (+ bank USSD like *737#) | Growing rapidly |
| South Africa | FNB eWallet, Vodapay, M-Pesa (newer) | Moderate adoption |
| DRC | M-Pesa, Airtel Money, Orange Money | 10M+ |
In total, sub-Saharan Africa has over 600 million registered mobile money accounts. That’s more than the total population of the European Union.
For churches, this means one thing: if your giving platform doesn’t support mobile money, you’re asking your congregation to use a payment method they don’t have.
How Churches Are Using Mobile Money Today
The adoption is already happening, mostly through informal setups. Here’s what churches are doing right now:
The “Paybill Number” Model (Kenya)
In Kenya, M-Pesa has a feature called Paybill. Organizations register a Paybill number, and anyone can send money to it by dialing a USSD code on their phone:
1. Dial *334# (Safaricom menu)
2. Select "Lipa na M-Pesa"
3. Select "Paybill"
4. Enter business number: 123456
5. Enter account: TITHE (or OFFERING, or BUILDING FUND)
6. Enter amount
7. Confirm with M-Pesa PINThe church receives the money instantly. The “account” field lets members specify what the giving is for (tithe, offering, missions, building fund).
Pros: Works on any phone, even basic feature phones. No app needed. Instant. Familiar to everyone.
Cons: No integration with church management software. Finance team has to manually download M-Pesa statements and reconcile them with member records. The “account” field is free text, so you get “TITHE”, “tithe”, “Tithes”, “tith”, and “Sunday offering” all meaning different things.
The “Till Number” Model
Similar to Paybill, but simpler. Churches register a Till number (Lipa na M-Pesa Buy Goods). Members just enter the Till number and amount. No account field.
Pros: Even simpler than Paybill. One-step process.
Cons: No way to categorize giving (tithe vs. offering vs. project). Every transaction looks the same.
The “Send to Phone Number” Model
The most informal approach. The church treasurer’s personal M-Pesa number is shared, and members send money directly.
Pros: Zero setup. Works immediately.
Cons: Church funds mixed with personal funds. No audit trail. No receipts. Creates accountability concerns. If the treasurer changes, everyone needs a new number.
The Payment Gateway Model
More sophisticated churches are using payment gateways like Paystack, Flutterwave, or IntaSend that accept M-Pesa alongside card payments. Members click a link or scan a QR code, choose M-Pesa as the payment method, and complete the transaction.
Pros: Professional. Integrated. Automatic receipts. Works with church management software.
Cons: Transaction fees (typically 1.5-3%). Requires a smartphone for the QR/link flow. Setup is more complex.
The Impact on Church Giving
Churches that have implemented structured mobile money giving report significant changes:
Giving Frequency Increases
When giving is as easy as sending a text, people give more often. Instead of once on Sunday (if they remember), members give whenever they feel moved to. Mid-week, during a testimony, after a prayer meeting.
Churches report a shift from weekly lump-sum giving to multiple smaller contributions throughout the week, with the total often being higher than the previous weekly amount.
Younger Members Start Giving
In many African churches, youth participation in giving is low. Not because young people are stingy, but because the offering basket is a cash-only experience, and young people don’t carry cash.
Mobile money giving brings 18-35 year olds into the giving culture. They’re already using M-Pesa for everything else. Adding church giving to that flow is natural.
Giving Continues During Absence
If a member is traveling, sick, or working on a Sunday, they still give. Mobile money removes the requirement of physical presence. Some churches report that 15-25% of their weekly giving now comes from members who aren’t physically in the building that day.
Special Projects Get Funded Faster
Building fund? Mission trip? Community outreach? When the pastor announces a special project and shares the Paybill number, contributions start flowing in during the service. The immediacy of mobile money turns fundraising announcements into real-time giving events.
The Reconciliation Problem
Here’s where it gets messy. Mobile money makes giving easy, but it makes accounting hard.
The typical workflow for a church finance team using M-Pesa:
- Download the M-Pesa statement (CSV or PDF) at end of week
- Open a spreadsheet
- Manually match each transaction to a church member
- Categorize each transaction (tithe, offering, building fund, etc.)
- Try to decipher the “account” field (“Tith”, “SUNDAY”, “my tithe for January”, “12345”)
- Handle anonymous transactions (members who didn’t include their name)
- Generate giving statements for tax purposes (where applicable)
- Reconcile with any cash or bank transfer giving
For a church receiving 50-100 M-Pesa transactions per week, this process takes 3-5 hours. For larger churches with 200+ transactions, it can take an entire day.
And it’s error-prone. Typos in the account field, duplicate entries, unmatched transactions. One finance team leader described it as “doing a jigsaw puzzle where half the pieces are unlabeled.”
What Good Looks Like
The solution is integration. When mobile money payments flow directly into church management software:
- Transactions are automatically matched to member profiles (by phone number)
- Giving categories are structured (dropdown, not free text)
- Receipts are sent automatically via WhatsApp or SMS
- Reports are generated instantly (giving by member, by fund, by period)
- Tax statements are one click instead of a week of spreadsheet work
This is where the technology gap is widest. Most US church management platforms don’t even know what M-Pesa is, let alone integrate with it.
Setting Up Mobile Money Giving for Your Church
If you’re a church leader in East Africa (or anywhere with mobile money), here’s a practical setup guide:
Option 1: Basic (Paybill/Till Number)
Best for: Churches under 100 members, limited tech capacity
- Register an M-Pesa Paybill or Till number through Safaricom (or your local provider)
- Choose a Paybill if you want members to specify giving categories
- Print the Paybill/Till number on your church bulletin, WhatsApp group, and display screens
- Assign someone to download and reconcile statements weekly
- Create a simple spreadsheet template for tracking
Cost: Registration fee (varies by country), no per-transaction fees for Paybill
Setup time: 1-2 weeks (registration and approval)
Option 2: Intermediate (Payment Gateway)
Best for: Churches of 100-500 members, want better tracking
- Sign up with a payment gateway that supports M-Pesa (IntaSend, Paystack, Flutterwave)
- Create a giving page with category options (tithe, offering, missions, etc.)
- Generate a QR code that links to the giving page
- Share the link via WhatsApp and display the QR during services
- Transactions arrive in a dashboard with basic reporting
Cost: 1.5-3% per transaction + small fixed fee
Setup time: 1-3 days
Option 3: Integrated (Church Management Platform)
Best for: Churches over 200 members, want automated giving management
- Use a church management platform that integrates M-Pesa natively
- Members are matched to transactions automatically by phone number
- Giving categories, receipts, and reports are handled by the platform
- Finance team reviews a dashboard instead of reconciling spreadsheets
- Year-end giving statements generated automatically
Cost: Platform subscription + payment processing fees
Setup time: Same day (if using a platform that supports it out of the box)
Mobile Money Giving Best Practices
Based on what’s working for churches across East Africa:
1. Make the Number Visible Everywhere
Print your Paybill/Till number on:
- The church bulletin (every week)
- A permanent sign in the foyer
- The church website
- The WhatsApp group description
- Projection screens during offering time
The easier it is to find, the more people will use it.
2. Announce It Simply
During offering time: “You can give via M-Pesa to Paybill 123456. Use your name as the account reference.” That’s it. Don’t make a 10-minute tutorial out of it.
3. Send Confirmations
When someone gives via M-Pesa, acknowledge it within 24 hours. A simple WhatsApp message: “Thank you for your gift of KSh 5,000 to the building fund. God bless you.” This builds trust and encourages repeat giving.
4. Keep Cash as an Option
Mobile money should supplement cash giving, not replace it. Some members (especially older congregants) prefer the offering basket. Some visitors won’t have your Paybill number. Always keep both options available.
5. Separate Church and Personal Accounts
Never, ever use a personal M-Pesa number for church funds. Always use a registered Paybill or Till number. This protects the church legally, creates an audit trail, and prevents any appearance of financial impropriety.
6. Report Back to the Congregation
Share regular giving updates (totals, not individual amounts). “This month, your generosity funded X, Y, and Z.” Transparency builds trust and encourages continued generosity.
The Bigger Picture: Financial Inclusion and the Church
Mobile money isn’t just a convenience for churches. It’s part of a larger financial inclusion story.
Across Africa, mobile money has brought hundreds of millions of people into the formal financial system for the first time. People who were “unbanked” now have a way to save, send, receive, and track money.
For churches, this means:
- Members who couldn’t give digitally before now can. The grandmother in the village who only had cash can now send her offering via feature phone.
- Giving becomes traceable. Instead of an anonymous cash basket, churches can see patterns, thank givers personally, and generate accurate financial reports.
- Cross-border giving works. Diaspora members in the UK, US, or Middle East can send tithes to their home church via international M-Pesa or remittance-to-mobile services.
The churches that embrace this shift, building their financial infrastructure around how their members actually transact, will be healthier, more transparent, and better funded than those that wait.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to receive church offerings via M-Pesa?
Yes. M-Pesa Paybill and Till number transactions are tracked by Safaricom, and funds go directly into the registered organization’s account. It’s actually more auditable than cash. Just make sure to use an official church-registered number, not a personal account.
What about transaction fees?
M-Pesa Paybill receiving is free for the organization in most cases (the sender pays a small fee). Payment gateways charge 1.5-3%. Compare that to credit card processing in the US (2.9% + 30¢) and the economics are actually better for mobile money.
Can we accept M-Pesa and still issue giving statements?
Yes, but it requires matching transactions to members. With a Paybill setup, you’ll need to do this manually (or semi-manually with spreadsheet tools). With an integrated church management platform, it happens automatically.
What about Nigeria? They don’t have M-Pesa.
Nigeria’s mobile money landscape is different but growing fast. OPay, PalmPay, and Paga are the leading mobile wallets. Bank USSD codes (like *737# for GTBank) are also widely used. Paystack and Flutterwave support all of these. The same principles apply: meet your members where they already transact.
How do we handle members who give anonymously via mobile money?
You’ll see the phone number on the M-Pesa statement even if the member doesn’t include their name. You can match by phone number if they’re in your member database. For truly anonymous giving, just categorize it as “anonymous” in your records and include it in the general total.
Can diaspora members give via M-Pesa from abroad?
Yes. M-Pesa Global (partnerships with Western Union, WorldRemit, and others) allows international transfers directly to an M-Pesa Paybill. Diaspora members can also use services like Chipper Cash, Remitly, or direct bank-to-M-Pesa transfers from their country of residence.
Want M-Pesa and mobile money built into your church giving platform? Gathrik integrates with local payment methods across Africa, so your members can give the way they already pay for everything else.