Parishioners of Stevens Creek Church in Augusta, Ga., can now make donations this holiday season with their phones via a mobile app provided by SecureGive.

"In addition to traditional ways of receiving charitable donations, churches are now using mobile apps to make giving to their ministry accessible wherever they have their phone. In today's economy, fewer and fewer people are carrying cash or checkbooks," Dr. Marty Baker, the church's founding pastor, said in a press release. "Today, churches are forced to consider alternative ways of collecting money."

Contributors can set up a one-time or recurring donation and designate their gift up to eight different categories using their bank cards or bank routing number. This app is available through the iPhone, iPad and Android mobile devices. Churches are also using QR codes to allow people on any smartphone device to give through their mobile device.

SecureGive has continued its mission to develop revolutionary ways for churches and non-profit organizations to increase funding. This for-profit company (www.securegive.com) started in 2005, when Pastor Marty Baker also became the first pastor to launch a giving kiosk in his church. Through the years, SecureGive has evolved to make kiosk giving, online giving, and now mobile giving easy for organizations everywhere. In only the first week of the app launch, more than 75 churches across the country partnered with SecureGive to make mobile app giving available to their congregations.

"The economy affects all of us," Baker said. "Churches and non-profits have to consider new ways of collecting funds this holiday season. It's time to embrace a new way to give."