How are Churches of Scientology supported financially?
Churches of Scientology are supported by donations from their parishioners. Generally the Church requests specific donations for participation in auditing and training religious services, although many parishioners make additional donations to support the Church’s charitable programs, or to help acquire or renovate Church premises.
The fundraising system of requesting specific donations for auditing and training was adopted as the most practical and workable for Scientology, as those participating in these services place the greatest demand on the Church’s resources -- often in the form of one-to-one auditing services. The donation amounts are based on what it takes to support and provide for the day-to-day activities of the Church. All donations for Scientology services are used to provide services to parishioners, make Scientology known to the world and to fund the Church’s charitable and social reform programs.
Scientology parishioners find the fixed donation system to be fair and logical. They agree that they should support the Church in proportion to their participation in these services.
Scientology’s requested donation system has analogs in other religions. To give comparisons, some religions, such as the Mormon, Pentecostal and certain other Christian denominations require their members to tithe 10 percent of their income. Jewish temples are supported through fixed monthly dues, building fund assessments and the sale of High Holy Day tickets. Other similar fundraising practices exist in the Zen Buddhist and Hindu faiths, where specific amounts are required for religious services such as meditation retreats and pujas (blessings).
The IRS recognizes that donations for Scientology services are not distinguishable from the fundraising practices of other religions and allows Scientology parishioners to deduct them on their personal income tax returns.
These contributions make up almost the entirety of the financial support the Church receives. Scientology is a young religion and does not have a large accumulated endowment to draw upon.
While the Church receives donations for auditing and training, it offers religious ceremonies, Chaplain services, congregational gatherings, seminars, lectures, workshops and other Scientology services for which no donation is requested or received. Scientology churches and their members also have a strong tradition of charity and provide auditing assistance to help others through times of distress, illness or injury without thought of compensation.
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