The “Official” Tithe: Nyeh.
After faithfully tithing our money to whatever church we were attending, we’ve stopped.
We were big tithers. Tithing a tenth of our income to our local church was on the same page as commandments like, “Do not commit adultery.” We have always tithed. And we never complained about it, either.
We still practice the fine art of giving away more money than we should because, well, we are rich (even though we’re currently poor by American standards). Let’s face it, by the standards of history and by the current standards of most other countries of the world today, we’re rolling in the hog fat. Plus, we love giving. Like, really love it. In all likelihood, that love has come straight from the grace of God, which is more likely than saying it’s from our noble generous souls, but regardless, giving is sort of an addictive thing and once you get used to it, doesn’t hurt a bit.
But I just can’t handle the idea of giving to a local church right now. That could change, in years to come, particularly because it’s not like we’re really settled into a local church at this moment, and because I’ve not really fully processed the ”why’s” of my deep-seated urge not to give that direction. If I had to be honest, I think my deeply intellectual thought process goes something like this: “Gee, pay the light bill for a big cushioned building, or save the life of a starving baby?” (This is one of those times where having a few annoying WWJD bracelets actually would come in handy).
I’m a huge fan of World Vision, particularly because they spend an incredibly low amount on administration. Right now, most of our “give-it” money goes straight to the poor and the hurting. (An aunt of mine works for WV, and part of her job involves flying to different parts of the world, making sure the donated funds get where they’re supposed to. She has some pretty incredible stories).
If you have the time and have some extra funds, I would highly recommend tooling around on the WV website, especially their Global Justice page. I’m also a fan of giving money to the poor in my own neighborhood, ones that I know face to face, needs that I find out about because I’m in relationship with the person. But I’m taking a break from paying my fair share of a church building’s electric bill. Maybe if we ever get involved with a particular group again, that will change. But so far, I’m really happy about it.
[Edit to Add: Our previous income came 100% through tithes. I am not saying that giving money to a church community is a bad thing. Though I should probably let him speak for himself, I'll wager my husband appreciated being able to concentrate "full-time" on the youth and on music, thanks to a congregation that chose to tithe some of their money so that he could. Personally, I see nothing wrong with providing an income for someone so that they can concentrate fully on serving others. That idea is Biblically supported.
Sometimes I wonder, though, if the way we approach ministry here is actually the best use of our money. I have a lot of questions about the typical evangelical church set-up in my country. Also, our current situation is one of not really having a church home. We attend places. But we haven't really "landed" anywhere, so to speak, and that partly on purpose (we're trying to take a Sabbath year off, and the quickest way to ruin that is to "join" a church that will want you to serve in every program they have, etc). So not tithing to a particular church makes particular sense to me right now, since we don't really have one.
The tithes to a church, though, seem like they should be spent primarily on serving the needy and to those working to serve the needy--at least if we are going to use the Bible as our guide for giving. Sometimes I think that the tithe money most churches recieve is spent on the opposite. If I were to begin tithing to a church community again, it would only be to one that puts the needy and those serving them first].
Filed under: Conservative Christian-ism, Making Me Think, On Him, On Whatever, On the Poor
I’d feel sad if the church I was going to only used the money that was given to it for the electric bill.
Not saying that there is any law that say you must tithe to (and only to) your local church, but I’d hope that the church would use the money responsibly. In the churches I’ve been in, not that this is the only model, money has been used to:
(a) pay the pastor so that his time will be more free for studying the Word, ministering to his congregation and evangelism. Not that this excuses us from any of those, and not that tentmaking isn’t also an option, but it is a way of lightening the burden of the person who is serving.
(b) Ministering to the needy in the church and local community
(c) Outreach–through supporting missionaries and others
(d) Church upkeep: yes. I’ve never gone to a large, fancy church. But there is something to be said about having the church building be welcoming and hospitable (clean and neat) as you would a home, a place you would want to invite people in.
I understand *completely*.
Honestly, we really enjoy the times we focus our giving to other organizations. It’s no longer something to “check off” as having been done - like paying the bills. (*Not* suggesting anyone else does it - just that *we* have been guilty of it!)
I love to support specific missionaries among other things. To pray for them, send notes, etc. in addition to the financial support.
Love the new look here!
Good thoughts, Mollie.
This is one of those areas where a person may want to argue with you,but you simply can’t biblically. We are called ot be givers, period. None of this 10%. God didn’t give 10%; he gave it all. Whatever we want to keep in the Kingdom, we must give it away. We are blessed to be a blessing. That’s not just the prayer of Jabez; that is the Abrahamic Covenant, and it is clearly what drove Paul, Peter, the author of Hebrews and the like. The early church didn’t talk 10% - they just shared everything.
interesting thoughts Molly and BTW, LOVE your new layout
There are many today who are exploring these thoughts. Indeed, one of the interesting statistics from George Barna’s research over the past 20 years is that 80% of the giving to the institutional church comes from people over 50 years of age. Younger followers of Jesus are generous but giving in different ways. The Bible certainly does not indicate our money should be given to an instittuion. Nevertheless, we should be generous in giving that honors Father’s desire for justice.
Once again, I’m RIGHT WITH YA there, Molly. Because our church has us fill out a pledge card, we are currently “under obligation” to give our tithe to them. We cut it way back and paid out our pledge to the building fund. We used some extra to sponsor a child through Compassion.
Eventually we hope to be giving more of our money directly to causes–but I don’t know how soon that will happen….
Anyway, loved the post, and we think alike. Again. I know you’re shocked.
After having been a part of a church that struggled to try and find a way to provide enough space for everyone who wanted to come together, I have no qualms at all about paying for building expenses. It’s hard to provide shelter for a church body without some kind of building, let alone store up food and clothing for the poor so that it will be there as they need it. If a person has such a large trust issue that they don’t believe their pastor and elders are making wise decisions on how to best use a congregation’s contributions to further the gospel and help the poor, then that seems like the larger issue- not a matter of percentage.
WV is doing some great work. I understand your reluctance to give to a local church when, in many cases, the money goes into big fancy buildings and the like. There are churches out there that put service first, and I hope you can find one.
My model for tithing is Rick Warren–he practices “reverse tithing,” i.e., giving away 90% of your income and living on 10%. Of course, it does help if you’re making a lot of money, but it’s still something to work towards.
I agree. Our church speaks against tithing. We are asked to give and not 10%, afterall everything is from the Lord. We have a simple church building, but I think it is important to support missionaries. I am a sponsor and volunteer of WV too. They are amazing.
We’re blessed to be like you guys: we love being able to give. Currently, it’s 10% (roughly) of our income to our local church, but that’s what we feel led to do. I can really understand the hesitancy when you aren’t settled. Makes a lot of sense to me.
But when we get extra - like an extra pay cheque one month, or our tax return (because we get money back from our charitable giving - a lovely circle) or an inheritance, etc. we send some to friends who are missionaries, or folks we know serving short term. Things like that.
One organization that has been brought to our attention is Gospel For Asia and we’ve been really blessed by hearing about the work under that ministry. (Not to detract from WV at all - they do fantastic work, too!) Something I’ve been wanting to fold into our regular giving is being able to sponsor a local missionary, just like you would a child - though monthly giving.
By the way, I would love to hear any stories from your aunt, anytime you’re willing to share!
I would recommend a book called, “Pagan Christianity” by Frank Viola and George Barna. After i read that book it helped me see things in the Church the way God intended things to be. It is a very radical minded book, so you have to be objective when reading it, but i liked it.
Interesting. Have you been living in my brain lately? After the last two posts….
I’ve spent the last number of years studying the tithe and I’m fairly convinced that it is not still *required*. Now, don’t shoot me, I’m not saying not to give, but I’m saying that we are told to “give generously” not to give a certain amount.
I have no problem with people giving 10% to whatever they want to give, but when I look at “the tithe”, I see it as a temple tax (that extended to garden produce, crops, animals….and the church doesn’t want that anymore!) that is abolished now that the temple is not there anymore. Of course this also stems from my belief that the church (building) is not the house of God, but that the church (the people) are.
My, somewhat cynical, thought is that 10% still gets preached because it is a good, clear benchmark that is easy to figure out and that churches (the building and organization) know they need the income. As a deacon’s wife, *I* know they need the income, too, but I still wish “give generously” but without any fixed number was preached rather than 10%. Or at least I wish that more preachers would do a rundown on what the tithe was to the Israelites and why they choose to translate it to giving to the church now.
I think feeding the hungry and clothing the naked… are godly goals and I think ones that we should think about more often.
Interesting thoughts.
My husband and I agreed upon 10% being the basic amount to give, and we work from there and up.
We like to have a bank or fund that we use for blessing other people as we feel led, and we like to tithe the usual 10% to our local church, but only once we are committed.
I do think it’s important to be committed to a church. I think God wants us to cluster up in “families” so we know each other and can love each other better.
I know a family that has jumped from church to church for decades. I believe part of it was because he (a staunch patriarch!) tends to clash with church leadership and has a bit of a problem submitting….
I don’t believe in tithing as some prosperity “gospel” preachers, but there is a lot to be found in the Bible regarding finances and God.
Having said all of this, I think it’s very important that we all pray about where we are putting our money. (God’s money!).
I know that when my wife and I began directing our giving away from an institutional church we really felt alive. Our first giving went to an organization called love146 which battles sex trafficking in Asia. We knew where the money was going and it felt right.
Still, the greatest lesson we learned through this season of our lives is that our contribution to the Body of Christ is more than just financial. We are always in search of ways to give of our time and talents to effect positive change in our community and our world.
Now there has been some comment about trust in pastors and elders to direct funds. This has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with taking responsibility for stewarding the resources God has put in our care. I am now more intimately involved in where my resources go. My wife and I sit down every month and discuss the needs God has placed on our hearts. We prayerfully decide where our resources will go. We give joyfully rather than mechanically out of some sense of obligation.
I am sure that pastors and elders genuinely desire to steward things correctly, but I don’t believe that is their responsibility.
Traveller, you are always in and around many of the blogs I enjoy reading, and you ALWAYS have good and encouraging things to say. I wish you had a blog or some other way for me to contact you!
Where did the 10% come from - and why? Is it a development of bilical corban? Must go and do some reading to find out.
I have quite a lot of issues here with giving to the Anglican church, to which I belong: it’s the biggest landowner in England apparently, right after Cambridge and Oxford universities combined, and the Crown. Very wealthy . . .
A lot of its money seems to go on shoring up Enlgand’s architectural heritage, rather than to outreach. Certainly in my tiny church (average congregation on a Sunday about 12) we seem to spend more time thinking about the lead on the roof and the bell tower than about missions . . .
Hmmm . . .
you’ve given me some things to think about here. While I work with a church(and they support my family), I often tell them that if ALL of their giving each week is going in the collection plate, something is wrong!
giving collectively is good and right, but it is not the only giving we are called to do. It is important for all of us to give all we can in the service of God and others!
You must be in my brain too. Our community had two churches build mega-sanctuaries so our church wants one too. Someone even donated $100,000 toward the effort. Every time someone from the building committee gives a report, I tell my husband while driving home that we need to find a new church.
This is not a space issue. We have enough space. This is about building an education wing and gym and converting our current space into a more formal sanctuary. We already have a coffee bar. Isn’t that enough? I guess I should be content. We do not (yet) have a Giving Kiosk.
But, my children are still living in an orphanage in Haiti. Last week an angry mob assembled outside the walls of their compound throwing rocks and beating against the metal gate with machetes. The older boys busied themselves planning an escape route should the people be able to get in. The angry mob wanted food. I think we have lost our moral focus.
Woah. Jesus must have read this blog post!
http://branthansen.typepad.com/letters_from_kamp_krusty/2008/04/new-kamp-krusty.html
We quit tithing when we realized our pastor was making over $100,000K a year, living in a brand new house over 3000 sq. feet, driving 2 brand new cars, getting a $15,000 a year housing allowance on top of his salary, sending his kids to the $8K a year private school.
Not that I think pastors should be poor or anything. But our church was a very LOW middle class church. 500 members who make less than $30K a year tithing faithfully so the pastor can live this way?
Nah, I’m like you. I’d rather give my $ to World Vision, Heifer International, and other favorite charities.
Oh I and I forgot to add…
I love how modern day Christians throw out most of the “laws” in the old testament. We say that Christ has come to free us from the law, etc etc.
And then we still cling to the tenth of your income thing like it is writtten as if Jesus spoke it from the Cross.
I’m like you. I love to give. But why do we adhere so strictly to the 10% thing? Formulas, anyone? People tend to want a formula for everything. So pastors go with the OT formula and some, more than others, drill it into our heads so that we can always calculate the 10% without fail anytime a check of any size arrives in our lives.
I always used to hate it when people would stand up at church and say things like:
“I didn’t have any money to pay my bills. The electricity had been turned off and we had no money for groceries. I lost my job. But I knew I had to keep tithing and giving. So I went to the bank and withdrew all I had and in faith gave it to God. And what do you know? The next day the insurance company sent me a $200 check for overpayment! ”
While God does work in this way I will admit, playing roulette with your finances to prove your faith to God will NOT always work out. Sometimes we need to remember that God gave us a brain to use for ourselves.
I doubt God wants our electric to be turned off and our kids to eat ketchup sandwiches to pay the church light bill.
Sorry I’m so cynical.
The NormalMiddle..you aren’t cynical, you’re honest. When I hear testamonies like that I think ‘You shall not put your God to the test’. When people tithe their little hearts out, isn’t that trying to blackmail God to bless you ( all while repeating that verse in Malachi??) Good stuff here Molly! Love the new look!!
The NormalMiddle..you aren’t cynical, you’re honest. When I hear testamonies like that I think ‘You shall not put your God to the test’. When people tithe their little hearts out, isn’t that trying to blackmail God to bless you ( all while repeating that verse in Malachi??) Good stuff here Molly! Love the new look!!
These comment, and your blog Molly, are all really interesting and relevant to me because I/we are moving into a tithing mentality. For Y-E-A-R-S we lived by giving what we can to church and other ministries. Since I’m the caretaker of the check book I designated how much, to whom, and when. It ended up never being 10%. Sometimes 5% but mostly between 2-3%. But I came to see that it was really a matter of trust to me. Over the months of laying my heart, anxieties, frustrations, angst before God I have found I don’t trust him and one way it manifested itself was in not tithing. I never wrote a check cheerfully but rather reluctantly, thinking, “I’ve got to do this, fulfill my Christian duty.” But never with joy.
Now this is my experience and it’s fresh, don’t sweat it if you don’t agree…
I’ve been turned on to Malachi 3:10 and how God rebuke Israel for not bringing in a tenth to the storehouse. They didn’t trust God to supply all their needs. They only trusted in themselves. That’s where I’ve found myself - I only give so much because I’ve got to trust my accounting skills to care financially for the rest of our needs. In Malachi God said to test him by giving a full 10%. So I am testing him. We give most to the church (which doesn’t pay the pastor 100K, I know!, The church does have to spend most of it on the building but we support ministries outside ourselves too) and we support missionaries.
So I realize your post is more about your support only going to the local church. But, and I just felt compelled to share my recent enlightenments in this area.
Wish it worked for everyone. We were so excited to give our 10% a few years ago to the church we were going to and did so for months. Then my husband lost his job and we had no income. The tithe checks subsequently stopped and when we faced having our power turned off the church refused to help us because we were not tithing…uhh…what is 10% of 0? I guess getting stuck in the nursery every Sunday because no one else would do it didn’t count. We ended up having to go temporarily on public assistance because the church refused to help us. Later we discovered our pastor was making 6 figures a year and back when we were tithing and struggling to keep food on the table his wife was off shopping at the mall.
Ever since then we do not tithe to a church. We may donate money to church but always to a benevolent fund and never to general funds. We decided the better stewardship was to actually give where it was needed…a family out of work, a young single mom struggling, our beautiful Compassion International child in Peru, etc. We also now refuse to ever join a church (become a member) as we will not yoke ourselves financially with a building.
Right or wrong there it is…once bitten twice shy I suppose.
SO many great comments. I want to respond, but am short on time so far this week. Hopefully in a day or two. THanks, all, for contributing your thoughts to the pile. Good stuff, all around.
There’s always a balance to be had. We were part of an inner city church which at first didn’t want a building because we wanted to spend money directly on services to the poor, but then that mentality swung to owning a building because we needed that ‘permanency’ and a home base to work out of. We couldn’t serve efficiently without a good building.
We now attend the Vineyard in Boise and it has been awesome to see a large church building set up so well to serve people directly. The efficiency of serving people is awesome when a building is set up for it. The church owns it’s own kitchen and food distribution center, a medical clinic, an awesome nursery, and many rooms for meeting in, AND it is accessible to anyone.
Plus, you look at the Old Testament and see that God spared no expense in making his Tabernacle and Temple an awesome place to be in.
I stick roughly to the 10% tithe, but it is not just to my local church. 7% goes to the church and the rest goes elsewhere as we see the need.
i’m far too selfish, i hate giving my money to anyone - guess that’s half the point for me…
[...] Molly talks about The Official Tithe [...]
Hmm… this is a little bit of a sore spot with me, I think. The church I used to be a leader at would sometimes spend more time talking about giving - leading up to the offering - than they spent on the message. The pressure to give was so huge… I was up to giving 50% of my income as a starting point. It was insane. It can develop into a pride issue - who gives a greater percentage (a twisted for of who gave the most :-)).
There was one incident that stands out as one that started the discontent alarms ringing (if quietly, at first). One evening service, the pastor was talking about a well known guest speaker we had coming in in a few months. He said that he would like to be able to give the man a nice honorarium - that he and his wife were going to contribute $1000 and did anyone else want to chip in. At that point, much to his surprise (seriously), the Holy spirit took over and people began pledging and before it was done, they had pledged over $21,000.
The next Sunday morning, he got up in front of the congregation and said that he had only planned to give this man $10,000 and that he was going to put the rest of the pledged money toward the expenses of the special service to bring him in. That bothers me, even now.
Having been a leader in this church, I know that the tithes went to pay the senior pastor’s salary, his wife, the administrator’s, salary, a few other staff salaries (including their daughter, who was the children’s pastor) and the rest went to upkeep and maintenance on the building they took out a $2,000,000 loan to build. Oh, yes, they tithed on the tithe to another ministry and gave a small amount to the local Catholic Outreach. This on the backs of a congregation that peaked at 300.
Yeah, I’m not too into giving to a church anymore.
I have appreciated reading through these blogs to understand different perspectives but in terms of guidance may scripture lead me. As Isrealites, we moan, we groan and we lose our way. I pray the Holy Spirit guide us all and we know that path can differ for each of us. God calls us to do different things at different times. Right now, my pastor’s wife suffers from 4th stage cancer, he has three very small children and we have an elderly congregation of retired folks who have dedicated their lives to the Lord. Abuse is always possible with people but the Lord is who I put my trust in always. He has given me a mind and asks that I be generous in nature but a good steward.
I would hate to see our church building gone because it stands as a witness in our very secular community. It is also a building where we provide ministries to children, youth, families and elderly. It isn’t extravagant but it is important. We as parishioners in this faith community, don’t do things perfectly but we are striving each and every day to do God’s work faithfully. I am a lay person but was called to serve this year and next on our church council.
If we all step away from “structured” sites, where do we meet as a community of faithful people? It could be in our homes but that does limit the size of our “congregation” as a body. Is there any purpose to a traditional church congregation? Or a mainline church? I say there is, in that, in great numbers we can do great things. Is this the only model? I don’t think so but there is a place for different approaches and I do believe we need accountability to God and each other. Does largeness mean there will always be abuse? I hope not but we must structure in transparency and accountability in those settings.
We are a church of approximately 200 active church attendees.