The time of tithes and offering is one of those service moments that gets almost zero attention from the media team — until it looks bad. A plain white slide with “Tithes & Offering” in Times New Roman. A random stock photo of coins on a Bible. A motion loop that stutters every time it restarts.
It’s a short moment in the service — usually 3 to 5 minutes — but it’s the moment when people are most likely to look up at the screen and actually read what’s there. They’re pulling out their phones to give online. They’re looking for the QR code or the giving link. The background behind that information matters more than most churches realize.
Here’s how to get it right — including the technical details nobody else talks about.
What Actually Goes on a Tithes and Offering Slide
Before picking a background, decide what information your congregation needs during offering. Most local church setups fall into one of these approaches:
Approach
What’s on screen
Best background type
Simple title
“Tithes & Offering” text only. The pastor gives verbal instructions.
A looping title slide — motion or still with the text baked in. The simplest option. One slide, runs for the whole offering moment.
Giving info
Title + QR code for online giving, text-to-give number, offering coordinates (mailing address, website).
Still background with a clean layout zone — the top left or lower third stays open for your text and QR code. Motion works too, but keep it subtle so the QR code stays scannable.
Scripture + giving
A giving-related Bible verse alongside offering coordinates. 2 Corinthians 9:7 is the classic. Rotates 2–3 slides.
Darker, text-friendly still background from your main collection — same approach as sermon slides. High contrast for readability.
Video moment
A short mini movie or generosity testimony clip plays during collection. Background not visible.
You still need a tithes and offering background for before and after the video — a simple title slide that bookends the clip.
Most churches land on the “giving info” approach — a warm background with their giving details layered on top. That’s what we’ll focus on for the rest of this guide.
This is less about preference and more about your tech setup.
Use a still background if: your church runs PowerPoint or Google Slides, you’re projecting with older hardware, or your offering moment is short (under 2 minutes). Stills are zero risk — no playback issues, no stuttering, no compatibility headaches. They work everywhere. For a small church with a single setting — one projector, one laptop — stills are the move.
Use a motion background if: your church runs ProPresenter, MediaShout, or EasyWorship, you have a smooth playback-capable computer, and the offering moment runs 3+ minutes. A gentle motion loop — drifting light, slow particles, soft color shifts — gives the screen life during what’s otherwise a static moment. It keeps the room from feeling “paused.”
The hybrid approach: Use a still background for the slide with your giving information (so the QR code and text are rock-solid readable), and a motion loop for the transition slides before and after. Your welcome slide and announcement slides might already use this approach — the offering moment should match.
The File Format Decision Tree
This is where most churches hit possible issues they didn’t expect. You download a beautiful offering loop, and it won’t play. Or it plays with artifacts. Or it crashes your software. Here’s a quick guide to avoid that:
Your setup
Best format
Resolution
Watch out for
ProPresenter (Mac)
MP4 (H.264) or MOV. Apple devices handle both natively. QuickTime files play without issues on Mac.
1080p for most setups. 4K if your screens support it.
WMV files won’t play on Mac without conversion. Avoid them.
ProPresenter (Windows)
MP4 (H.264). Broadest compatibility across a wide range of media software.
1080p standard.
QuickTime files may need an extra codec on Windows. Stick to MP4.
PowerPoint
MP4 embedded as video background. Works in PowerPoint 2016+.
720p or 1080p. Larger file size can cause lag in PowerPoint.
Older Windows PCs may struggle with embedded motion. Test first. Legacy systems might need a smaller file size version.
EasyWorship
MP4 (H.264). Drop into the media library and assign to a slide.
1080p.
Some older versions handle MOV poorly. MP4 is the safe bet for broad compatibility.
MediaShout
WMV or MP4. MediaShout is Windows-only and handles both.
720p or 1080p.
Some MediaShout versions prefer WMV for smooth playback. Check your version.
Lobby / digital signage
MP4. Most digital display players accept MP4 natively.
Match your screen resolution.
Some cheap signage players choke on 4K. Test with your actual hardware. DVD players are essentially gone — skip that format entirely.
The short version
If you only remember one thing: MP4 (H.264), 1080p works on almost everything — Mac users, Windows, ProPresenter, PowerPoint, EasyWorship, and digital signage. It’s the universal format. If a provider offers multiple formats, MP4 is your default. Only reach for MOV (QuickTime files) if you’re exclusively on Apple devices and want slightly better quality, or WMV if you’re on an older MediaShout setup.
Godsverse motion backgrounds are delivered as seamless 5-second MP4 loops at 1080p — the format that gives you excellent quality with smooth playback across presentation software, signage, and livestream. No format headaches.
Here’s how to actually get your tithes and offering background into your slides, depending on your presentation software.
ProPresenter: Import your background into the media bin. Create a new slide in your service playlist, assign the background to the slide layer, and add your offering text (title, giving URL, QR code) on the text layer above it. If using a motion loop, set it to loop continuously. ProPresenter handles looping title slide setups natively — the motion plays behind your static text without any extra work. Mac users can also use ProPresenter themes that include offering slides with pre-built layouts.
PowerPoint: Insert → Video → Video on My PC. Resize the video to fill the slide. Right-click → Send to Back. Set Playback to “Loop until Stopped” and “Start Automatically.” Layer your text on top. For stills: right-click slide → Format Background → Picture fill. PowerPoint’s biggest quirk is that video backgrounds increase your file size significantly. If you’re running on older Windows PCs with limited RAM, use a still instead.
EasyWorship: Add your motion background to the media library. In your schedule, create a new presentation and assign the background. Add your offering text. EasyWorship has a couple of additional features — you can set a schedule maker to auto-advance between offering and the next service element.
Google Slides: No native motion support — stills only. Insert your background via Slide → Change Background → Choose Image. Layer your text on top. Google Slides works well for a small church that doesn’t need motion backgrounds and wants a free, cloud-based option.
Your Offering Background Beyond Sunday Morning
Your tithes and offering background doesn’t have to live only on Sunday screens. The same visual works across multiple channels — here’s how to stretch it:
Digital signage in the lobby. If your church runs a digital display in the foyer or hallway, your offering background with giving information can run there all week — not just during the service. Anyone walking through sees how to give. This is especially useful during generosity campaigns or building fund drives.
Social media post. Export your offering background as a JPG. Add a generosity-themed scripture or a simple “Ways to Give” graphic in Canva. Post it to Instagram or Facebook. You now have engaging posts about giving that match your Sunday screens. Don’t overthink this — a consistent visual across your social media post and your screens builds recognition.
Email campaigns. Your year-end giving email, your generosity series kickoff, your building fund update — all of these need a header image. Your offering background works. Drop it into your email template, add marketing text about the campaign, and you’ve got a polished email that matches what people see on Sunday.
Church newsletter. Same idea. The visual from your screens becomes the header or section divider in your weekly or monthly newsletter. Consistent look, zero extra design work.
Livestream overlay. If your church streams services, your offering background can serve as a “time of tithes” screen during the transition. Overlay your giving URL and QR code. Viewers at home need this information even more than people in the room — they can’t see a physical offering plate.
One collection from Godsverse covers your offering moment plus every other part of the service — welcome, worship, sermon, announcements, offering, closing. Same visual family across every screen and channel.
For the full comparison of every worship background provider — including pricing, licensing, and what you get — see our complete worship backgrounds guide. If you’re exploring motion backgrounds for the first time, that guide breaks down what to look for. And if you’re the new slides person, our church slide backgrounds starter guide walks you through the whole setup from scratch.
George Hendricks is the founder and managing editor of Godsverse.org. He has written and published over 200 skit reviews, church resource guides, and Bible study articles. With a background in data-driven content strategy and digital publishing, George built Godsverse into one of the most comprehensive collections of church skit reviews and printable scripts online. When he's not writing, he's researching what churches actually need and figuring out how to deliver it.
