Tithing… without the church

We've all read about the rather lamentable state of tithing in America; it's a subject that's come up once or twice before here at TC. I recently had a conversation with a friend that made me rethink my own tithing habits. My friend is a deacon at a well-attended local church that, I'd heard, is cutting back some of its programs due to financial difficulties. Our chat went something like this:
Me: "How's your church doing financially these days?"
My friend: "It's been pretty tight lately. Giving has gone way down over the last year or two."
"So not many people are tithing anymore these days? What percentage of your congregation would you estimate tithes regularly?" I expected to hear a shockingly low number—like 5%—and I also anticipated the feeling of guilt that would come from remembering that I myself have a less-than-perfect track record when it comes to tithing at my own church.
"Actually, almost everyone gives something. It's just that they're giving a lot less than in the past."
"So what, they're spending more money on iPods and World of Warcraft instead?"
"Not as much as you'd think. A lot of people are just doing their tithing on their own, outside the church. The internet makes it so easy to give directly to the specific ministries you want to support, that it just makes sense to donate directly to them rather than going through the 'middleman' of the church."

I was initially surprised to hear this (and I don't know how widespread this shift in tithing habits is, although Barna suggests that this isn't a fluke), but on reflection it makes perfect sense. When I think "tithe," I usually think "money I give to church"—but that's not so true anymore. The internet expands the pool of organizations to which I can donate money far, far beyond the number of organizations supported by my local church—and donating online is even easier than remembering to write a check for the offering before the Sunday morning service.
All well and good; perhaps it makes sense for the church to reduce its role as "donations middleman" as direct giving over the internet rises. But conversations like the one I had with my friend make me wonder if people are forgetting that their church needs some of that tithe money to get by, too.
What's your experience with this? Has the internet changed your giving habits? Has your church felt the pinch of reduced giving, and is any of it related to this trend? Should our concept of tithing change to accommodate the economic independence offered by the internet?

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Comments (36)

When I saw a pastor stand up before the congregation and state I'm giving $10,000.00 this year, I almost fell over. There are some in that congregation that don't make that kind of money in the first place. There are certain things that go on in the church and in most churches that need the attention of all who go there. To start with what about Angel food ministries and childrens camps for the summer. Mission groups within the youth and for some of our retired who want to serve. Money is needed for all of this as well as the up keep of the church. We need to give to our church, but as God wants us to do, give not only of our money, but our gifts and talents as well. I have seen over the years that the talk of money in the church discourages some to even come to church. In God's Grace John
I give a bit to my church but not much (actually nothing this year). I fall into the category of people that have a significant number of friends and family that are self supporting missionaries. I am fine giving to my church, but it is a very well off church, and my last church was even better off. So I have gotten into the habit of tithing or more but directly to friends and family. I have had a couple people try to argue that what I am doing is not tithing. (Frankly I don't care what you call it). But most of the scriptural support that they want to use for giving only to the local church doesn't really make sense. Most of the OT scriptural support is to the temple or to the theocratic government for the support of poverty reduction. Neither of those really corresponds with the local church. The NT support is even less convincing. NT scripture talks about giving to other churches, directly to missionaries, to those in need and to family. If the money was given directly to the local church it was usually for convenience of getting the money to someone else. While I am not at all opposed to giving to the local church, local churches do a lot of important christian work, the breakdown of denominational structures means that much of the work of international missions is being done by small groups and individuals that are forced to spend significant amounts of their time raising funds instead of doing the work they are called to.
Arshield, there's a lot of advantages to your system of giving that church tithing can't match--mainly, the wonderful personal connection to the ministries and people you're supporting. I always appreciate it when my church brings in representatives from the ministries it supports to talk about what they're doing, but that just isn't the same as using your resources to support friends and loved ones in the ministry. Don't listen to anyone who tries to tell you that isn't biblical!
This is no surprise to me. My wife and I give part of our tithe to the church, but we also give it to organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, and our local Salvation Army. We feel it is our duty to support our local parish, but I feel uncomfortable knowing that most of our church donation goes to building upkeep and staff wages.
Why does it make you uncomfortable that your tithe goes to the building and the staff? You wouldn't have a church without someone paying those bills. I am not picking on you! But I think many people under-appreciate the fact that their own church IS a ministry, and all ministries require overhead costs.
I'm in the midst of writing an article dealing, tangentially, with this topic. Here are some resources I've found that you might be interested in:

http://www.worldmag.com/articl...
http://emptytomb.org/
http://missionissues.wordpress...
http://www.veitchsmith.com/200...

I give to my church and to missionaries. My wife and I regularly try to increase our giving (which is what the article I'm writing is about; I'll try and remember to link to it from here when it's done). Though she grew up as pastor's kid, we're both convinced that churches don't allocate their funds properly. In essence, they don't give enough to missions. Sure, salaries and buildings have to be paid for, and programs to a degree, but isn't the church's — no, isn't GOD'S purpose to seek and save the lost through Christ? Yes, that can be done through the local church, and SHOULD be done through the local church, but the local church ends up too often spending too locally.

The first link above talks about how, based on figures from the last fifteen years, the average church only spends TWO PENNIES on overseas missions. That . . .

is pathetic. God didn't say "Spend most of your money on Jerusalem and Samaria, and give whatever's left to the Ends of the Earth." Granted, God also doesn't say HOW we should allocate funds specifically.

However, doesn't it make sense to be significantly (i.e., more, WAY more than two pennies on the dollar) supporting cross-cultural mission efforts when we consider that that money goes towards establishing, oftentimes, the Gospel where it's not heard at all? Where there is no church? People are always saying "But there are needs here." Yes there are. But people in America have the opportunity to find a Bible preaching church and learn the Word. They can watch TV shows about it, listen to radio that talks about Jesus. Millions in the Middle East and East Asia can't do that.

To the ends of the earth, and more than two cents.
First of all, I do not believe in tithing in the New Testament Church. As an devout believer and a pastor myself I believe the whole system of tithing in the church is liken unto systematic extortion. Scripturally it is fundamentally opposed to the concept of grace through faith and constricts the right to give freely and cheerfully. I am all for proportional giving as a believer, just not as a matter of tithing but simply as New Testament giving. Churches for the most part (as the larger the organization is concerned) seem to be in a virtual race for worldly-ship. Besides, older folks shouldn't have to tithe anyway. Retirees have already given proportionally in terms of the increases that secured their on their SS checks in the first place. That's like double taxation. Oppression and concession have absolutely no place in the local church. Greater missions deserve greater portions. Not to over-head as some would suggest.
I'm assuming from your comment that you believe that the Old Testament is no longer applicable in a believer's life??? In that case, can you say that we no longer have to live by the ten commandments? Or that the promises in the OT are not ours to claim?

I have to disagree with you. Yes, we are saved by grace and we are not "under" the law anymore. However, Jesus did say that he was not here to do away with the law but to fulfill the law. I firmly believe that we, as adopted sons of God, and grafted into the Jewish olive tree, are to live by every commandment and can claim every promise in the the OT. No, I do not believe we have to follow the laws of sacrifice in the OT, because Jesus was the final sacrifice, but neither can we ignore the word of God as a whole. Besides all that, if the OT does not apply to us, the prophecies of the OT would have already been fulfilled and we would be in error by referring back to those prophecies.

I hope I am making some sense here!!! Anyway, my main point is, that you can not pick and choose parts of the OT to believe in and live by. If you pick and choose which commandments you want to live by, then why would you think you can claim all the promises?

I am not trying to say that all of this applies to you personally, I am just trying to make a point. I am not a minister, but my late brother was an Assembly of God pastor for many years and I gave my life to the Lord at an early age (and as the Apostle Paul said -- I am the chiefest of sinners -- I can honestly tell you that I have many faults and am a work in progress, but I love Yeshua (Jesus) with all my heart.
I agree wholeheartedly. Thank you Terri. Yes, you make complete sense.
I can fully understand people giving this way. As long as they are giving to God I personally don't have a problem with it..

Andy - did you get the book review I sent you several days ago? Are you still doing those with the recent switch?
It's not about what we think personally. It is a matter of Biblical principle. It's about discipline and sacrifice of the resources that already belong to Him, of which He blessed us with. How do we ever know what God can do monetarily if we don't get out on a limb in faith sometimes and commit to tithing in the Biblical sense, not what we make up to be acceptable?

Seriously guys.....think about this.
I think giving to our church is exactly what the tithe is for. We need to support the church that is feeding us and those around us. Without that, all the programs that we all love so much go away, the church goes away, and then where does that leave us? People talk about scandal in the church - where does my money go - etc. etc etc., but that isn't up to me. I give my tithe to my church and know that God is ultimately in control.

What I give to other organizations outside my church is what I consider my offering - everything above and beyond my tithe.
Agree completely, as I tithe and give in the same manner. Two different catagories....
Certainly for our church, we believe very much in the giving of tithes and offerings, based on passages in the OT (ie Malachi 3:8-12) and also the example of the NT. We also believe that the tithe is something that should be going to your local church, and not outside. Your giving outside can be part of your offerings, but should not take away from your tithe.
In answer to the main question, our church also has a minority of people tithing, and because of job losses, etc., overall giving is down. We need to seek God's provision for our ministry needs.

The issue of church as "middleman" concerns me. The Bible does not speak to parachurch ministries being the vehicle to accomplish God's work in this age. The Bible does speak much about the work of the church (and I subscribe to the concept of local churches, not mega-denominations).

I recognize that there are some abuses in some churches. But if a church is acting biblically, the "personal connection" of participating in outreach and ministry should be just as powerful in a local church as it is with those outside the church.

(Just to clarify, as God provides, my wife and I do give to missionaries and ministries where we have friends outside the church. But the local church is our first priority.)
I think it's important for the tithe, the first 10% to go to the church, to be used as the church is lead by God. Maybe I wouldn't feel the same if I couldn't see the amazing fruits of what those tithes and our time serving does within our city. But out church is absolutely AMAZING at using our tithes and time to touch peoples' lives here and throughout the world.

Our church is very good about teaching that the first 10% is to be given/used by the God and the church, and any other giving beyond that is the offering/giving to be given as we are led. My husband and I have never felt like our church begged for money or just wanted our money or were reaching in our pockets. They've just taught, and led by example, the principles God laid out. Our church is passionate about giving to those in need and that passion gets passed to you and you really want to see God's money used to bless those in need. That's what keeps our giving at the church and not the internet... we can SEE LIVE how that money is touching peoples lives. Yeah giving on the internet helps, but you never see the real effects of how it helps.

Maybe showing the people of the church what their money did this month, this quarter, this year will help them see that the church is a good place for their giving. As well, challenging the congregation to see what happens when they give 10% to the church as the Bible teaches. Our church is made up of a lot of "new to Christ" people, so understanding those principles is new to them. Our pastor challenges those who have never tithed or have really gotten away from it by saying the church will re-imburse everything they tithe for a three month period if they give 10% every month and they feel worse off at the end of that three month period then before .

Oh, and we also have the option to tithe online to our church which helps with those not wanting to write checks. There's even the option for auto-withdrawals, like you'ld pay your mortgage with, though I personally thinks that takes away from it being a monthly/weekly deliberate decision that I make to give to God.

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