Churchgoers say they tithe, but not always to church
“Half of Protestant churchgoers say their tithes can go to a Christian ministry rather than a church, compared to what is often taught by pastors and Bible study aids. A third say tithes can go to help an individual in need and nearly one in five say tithes can even go a secular charity” BPNews
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Ha! I had two tabs opened and commented on the wrong article! :P Scratch that…
While this claims to be a scientific poll, I doubt this is actually reflected in giving.
If we want to impress the Old Testament law of tithing, let’s at least be Biblical!
The legal tithe was more like 23%:
- An annual tithe for the support of the Levites, the tabernacle/temple workers (Lev 27:30-33; Num 18:21-24). This was the only visible means of support for them, since they inherited no land when Canaan was conquered under Joshua. The Levites, in turn, passed along a tithe of this tithe to the priests, the highest echelon of worship leaders (Num 18:26).
- An annual feast tithe, which apparently went for the support of the house of God and its services (Deut 14:22-27).
- A “social ministry” tithe, received every third year, for helping the poor and needy (Deut 14:28; 26:12).
Yeah, I am not sure how scientific this was, as the data that they show says that about 74% are regular givers. I am not sure that is reflected in giving.
I have a friend who makes a *very* large income and attends a *very* small church. This person is a generous giver, and wanted advice about the tithe when joining, for one thing because the amount would overwhelm that size church, and also because this person will not be staying in that area permanently, and didn’t want to put the church in hardship after leaving, if that church got used to the income. I recommended that just part of the tithe be given to the church, and that the rest be given to other missions organizations, churches, etc., in line with this person’s beliefs about what types of ministries to support. Sometimes there are very good reasons not to put one’s tithe all in one place.
Dave Barnhart
[dcbii]That’s very practical and well-thought out. Interestingly, I have observed that people with that level of income do tend to be quite wise in how they handle their money. That’s probably why God entrusted them with that particular stewardship and not me. ;)I have a friend who makes a *very* large income and attends a *very* small church. This person is a generous giver, and wanted advice about the tithe when joining, for one thing because the amount would overwhelm that size church, and also because this person will not be staying in that area permanently, and didn’t want to put the church in hardship after leaving, if that church got used to the income. I recommended that just part of the tithe be given to the church, and that the rest be given to other missions organizations, churches, etc., in line with this person’s beliefs about what types of ministries to support. Sometimes there are very good reasons not to put one’s tithe all in one place.
- We support two Navigators missionaries
- my church does not support nor have any apparent interest in campus ministries
- as fine as my church is, and as fine as Navigators is: my church would never consider the Navigators as a ministry
- the University of Minnesota is a huge mission field
Discussion