Question for Christians Who Tithe.....

[TXMary2]

I'd like to know if you tithe to a church only or if you think tithing can be to anyone or any group who needs assistance. Some people have issues with giving to a church so I was wondering if giving to an individual, a family or a charity would still "count" as tithing. I tend to think it would count because giving to a poor family in need would still be giving to the Kingdom wouldn't it?

[abreakfromlife]

that's how I view it. We're supposed to give to God, not a building. But I know the building needs money. I was hashing this out with my pastor and he was like 'a person won't come up to you and say hey I need some help' but they'll go to a church and say it. So I get that argument. So I think our tithe ends up being about 50/50 giving to church/charity. I know this is a fairly contentious topic, lol. But I look at the NT guidelines, and they are to give to God generously, cheerfully, and sacrificially, sot that's my goal.

[Stacie Leigh]

We view "bringing the tithe into the storehouse" to mean that, in order to be under authority and receive all the blessings associated, we tithe the full 10% to our local church. That said we've made the decision to support some other efforts outside of that as we're able, but the 10% required goes to church we are members of and supports the pastor that is accountable for our spiritual care (in a leadership sense... We realize that we are accountable ourselves to God for our lives, attitudes and conduct).

[kchara]

That's how I see it, too. I prefer to give my tithe to missions work, personally. I've seen too much mismanagement of funds within church structure, especially in regards to tithe money, and it makes me very wary to give to a specific church body anymore.

[GWOB]

I think of tithing as a three-part thing: money, time, and talent. We give money to the church. I also teach Sunday School, serve on a board, and help out with VBS. Dh is on a board as well. We maybe give more time than money, but I think God is ok with that. Oh, we also donate to various charities. God knows my intentions are good.

[Susan in KY]

We give ours to missions that we are acquainted with intimately and that we KNOW are underfunded. We began doing so before we started attending our present church. The tithe from anything I make goes to our local church.

[Stacie Leigh]

That's how I see it, too. I prefer to give my tithe to missions work, personally. I've seen too much mismanagement of funds within church structure, especially in regards to tithe money, and it makes me very wary to give to a specific church body anymore.

 

We're really blessed because our church keeps OPEN BOOKS! If you are a member, once a year, you get a complete accounting of how much money came in (and from where) and how it was spent and it is amazing the things that are accomplished and the people that are touched and because of that level of accountability, the leadership is incredibly careful to shop around before having work done and to ask for volunteers when possible.

 

Because of the church's standing in the community, when some houses were on the verge of being condemned, the city called the church and asked if we would be interested in taking them and rehabbing them so we were given two houses and two families in need have a home with the help of time and money from members of the body... awesome!

[Ellie]

I think a tithe should go to one's church. Anything above the tithe is an offering, which can be given to any other ministry. JMHO.

[justamouse]

I would tithe to my church, and if I felt uncomfortable doing that, it would be a huge warning signal. (Caveat: we have a food pantry and support many local ministries and outreaches so they are giving my $ where I would be giving it. I also bring all of our old clothes for the thrift store.)

 

(Our parish has a weekly accounting of how much was received that is posted in the bulletin. It was quite refreshing to have such transparency.)

[lea1]

I think a tithe should go to one's church. Anything above the tithe is an offering, which can be given to any other ministry. JMHO.

 

:iagree:

[petepie2]

We give to our local church and also give separately to missionaries through our church. If we decide to give to other charities, ministries or special causes, we don't deduct from what we give to our local church. Also, we try to practice "grace giving" rather than "tithing". The goal is not a certain percentage, but rather giving generously, cheerfully, and sacrificially.

 

Our church also has an open book policy. All members have access to records*, even down to check numbers. If I didn't feel I could give to my local church due to fears of mismanagement or fear of the church supporting something I don't agree with, then it would be time for me to find another church.

 

*Clarification: What individuals give is, of course, not reported to members of the church, but rather we are told the total amount of money given and how that money is spent.

Edited June 30, 2011 by petepie2

[Plucky]

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.†– 2 Corinthians 9:7 (New King James Version)

 

We tithe what we feel is right to our church and give to other groups or people (my favorite) as we are called.

[amyrjoy]

I think tithe should be anywhere God leads you. But, Hubby is for it to go to church. My parents don't tithe to their church and there's good reason for it to be honest. It's an odd situation, and the church is super small, land on a state park. They are, so to speak, in charge of setting up seekers, sermons, as it's a volunteer led ministry. Lots of farm folk, laid back. I love it there but we attend elsewhere. Anyways, they give to several other ministries as their tithe.

[Meriwether]

10% of gross to church

extra can go elsewhere

[DawnM]

I see giving to the church as the global church.....whatever is furthering the kingdom of Heaven is the church IMHO and so my giving goes to missionaries, an inner city ministry here in town, the local church, etc.....it is all "the church."

 

I have some other, rather strong opinions about this, but I am quite sure noone wants to hear them. ;)

 

Dawn

[HiddenJewel]

That's how I see it, too. I prefer to give my tithe to missions work, personally. I've seen too much mismanagement of funds within church structure, especially in regards to tithe money, and it makes me very wary to give to a specific church body anymore.

 

The sad part is that missions work can also have mismanagement since it is managed by people just like churches.

[tkdkidsmom]

10% of gross to church

extra can go elsewhere

 

 

:iagree:

[Colleen in NS]

I see giving to the church as the global church.....whatever is furthering the kingdom of Heaven is the church IMHO and so my giving goes to missionaries, an inner city ministry here in town, the local church, etc.....it is all "the church."

 

I have some other, rather strong opinions about this, but I am quite sure noone wants to hear them. ;)

 

Dawn

 

I do. :bigear: Or via pm, if you like. :D

[Julie in CA]

10% to our local church. They then send some of that on to the denomination, which distributes to missionaries and other important institutions such as seminaries, etc.

 

There is a full accounting of where the money goes, every year.

 

We also give beyond the 10% to other charities & causes, and those we choose on our own.

[amyrjoy]

Someone told me they thought paying to send your own child to a Christian school could count as tithing. I don't know ... This is really a tough subject.

[TXMary2]

I see giving to the church as the global church.....whatever is furthering the kingdom of Heaven is the church IMHO and so my giving goes to missionaries, an inner city ministry here in town, the local church, etc.....it is all "the church."

 

I have some other, rather strong opinions about this, but I am quite sure noone wants to hear them. ;)

 

Dawn

 

As the OP, I am interested. Right now I am not a member of a church. I left a church that I could no longer in good conscience give any money to. The church went in to debt about $500,000 to renovate a building to the tune of $1 million total. It sits empty 6 days a week because for one reason or another they can't seem to approve too many uses for the building. I don't trust them to be good stewards of a tithe.

 

I know of several families in our area that could benefit from a grocery card or plain old cash. I am reading a book right now that caused me to think about some things and I guess I am just wondering why the Kingdom would specifically have to be a church.

[LittleIzumi]

10% to our local church. They then send some of that on to the denomination, which distributes to missionaries and other important institutions such as seminaries, etc.

 

There is a full accounting of where the money goes, every year.

 

We also give beyond the 10% to other charities & causes, and those we choose on our own.

 

:iagree:

[Julie in CA]

Someone told me they thought paying to send your own child to a Christian school could count as tithing. I don't know ... This is really a tough subject.

:001_huh: I've never heard that. There's someone who believes anything though...:001_huh:

 

I think of tithing as supporting the church, not my own family.

[creekland]

When we could tithe (before our personal economy got really hit), our belief was that it would go to anyplace we received spiritual building up from. This included our church, our local Christian radio station that we listened to, and a couple of other "teaching" organizations.

 

Giving to charity (poverty, health, general education or similar whether personal or to a group) was always extra and considered an offering.

 

We never considered time/talents. That's always an offering to us.

 

Now that we need to be giving less than 10%, we consider it all an offering - and look forward to getting back to "normal" at some point!

 

(We did try keeping our tithe at 10% and figuring God would provide what we needed otherwise as many people like to say happens. It didn't happen. We ended up believing that God wants us to pay our bills first rather than give Him a bad name by defaulting on commitments. Once we put that as our priority, money has always been there (so far - even "miraculously" at times.))

[ciyates]

10% to our church, after that we distribute to those we think need it. Our church is very fiscally responsible. We don't have bulletins, or a paid staff. It is a small church only about 100-120 people so we can get away with it. That being said we have 2 soup kitchens, a food pantry and are working on a thrift store. The books are open.

 

I feel scripture says to give to the church. However that is not a hill I am willing to die on either.

[....]

As the OP, I am interested. Right now I am not a member of a church. I left a church that I could no longer in good conscience give any money to. The church went in to debt about $500,000 to renovate a building to the tune of $1 million total. It sits empty 6 days a week because for one reason or another they can't seem to approve too many uses for the building. I don't trust them to be good stewards of a tithe.

 

I know of several families in our area that could benefit from a grocery card or plain old cash. I am reading a book right now that caused me to think about some things and I guess I am just wondering why the Kingdom would specifically have to be a church.

 

I know this will be controversial, but I don't believe in tithing. I don't think a church is "entitled" to money, I don't think that God needs our money and I don't see anything wrong with you giving money to people around you who are hurting for groceries. And, this is coming from someone who goes to church almost every Sunday and I normally give almost twice of what our average member gives.

 

I understand that they have an electric bill and a mortgage. But, when you add in money, it's very easy for these churches to turn into a business and I think it's spawning a new generation of entertainment-churches. There was a church last year who was giving away Ipods for attendance. Why are they looking for attendance? More money. I mean, it would almost be better if everybody just met in a park or at someone's house (and, yes, I know that's unrealistic and sounds stupid).

 

Sorry for the rant. And, I have a lot of respect for people who can tithe.

[momofkhm]

I'd like to know if you tithe to a church only or if you think tithing can be to anyone or any group who needs assistance. Some people have issues with giving to a church so I was wondering if giving to an individual, a family or a charity would still "count" as tithing. I tend to think it would count because giving to a poor family in need would still be giving to the Kingdom wouldn't it?

 

I've taken at least 2 financial classes through our church. The Dave Ramsey course and one from Crown Ministries. According to Crown, you bring the whole tithe (10%) to the church. Anything you give to other charities is considered "offerings" and that would be over and above your tithe.

 

This is actually what we do. And we don't give offerings too much cause we can't afford it.

 

And like someone else said, people are more likely to come to the church and ask for help than to ask individuals. I've heard my pastor has a set of "regulars" that come and ask for money.

[Margo out of lurking]

10% of gross to church

extra can go elsewhere

:iagree: I also believe that, scripturally, the church gets the tithe. The point of tithing is the act of giving, not making the decisions about how the money is used. The ruling body of the church is responsible for that. I, well, dh really, will ultimately answer for his part (the giving); the church leaders will answer for their part (the spending).

 

Obviously, if one were aware that their church leaders were poor stewards of that money, one should be looking for another church.

 

Maybe I see this as too black and white.

[K&Rs Mom]

From dh's main salary, 10% goes to church. From extras, like writing he does or my side job, we give 10% to other charities (Food for the Poor, VFW, local food pantry, pregnancy center, etc).

[DawnM]

Hmmm.....DH and I taught Crown for 4 years. One of the issues our church didn't like was that Crown did not specify that 10% should go to the church.

 

I do see an article on that on the Crown site (what you are saying), but I also see this one:

 

http://www.crown.org/library/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=76

 

which is more in line with the books we have here at home from our teaching days (we haven't taught in about 2 years now.)

 

We love Crown. It changed our lives. And I would consider money given to their ministry to be part of our tithe! :D

 

Dawn

 

 

 

I've taken at least 2 financial classes through our church. The Dave Ramsey course and one from Crown Ministries. According to Crown, you bring the whole tithe (10%) to the church. Anything you give to other charities is considered "offerings" and that would be over and above your tithe.

 

This is actually what we do. And we don't give offerings too much cause we can't afford it.

 

And like someone else said, people are more likely to come to the church and ask for help than to ask individuals. I've heard my pastor has a set of "regulars" that come and ask for money.

[momofkhm]

Hmmm.....DH and I taught Crown for 4 years. One of the issues our church didn't like was that Crown did not specify that 10% should go to the church.

 

I often remember things a little off. :) It could be the way the fellas teaching the class brought it out instead of what was in the book. But still, it's the way dh and I do it - 10% to the church and any other offerings are over and above that.

[TXMary2]

I would gladly continue to give to churches if the money weren't going to fancy buildings, "mission trips" to Rome or fancy equipment for the church. I think churches need to help people who have lost their jobs, lost a husband etc - with buying food, paying electric bills, gas money, clothing etc.

 

Is my experience with churches not the norm? To those of you who are giving to churches directly, what are the churches doing with the money?

[lionfamily1999]

The sermon at our church this Sunday was on worship.

Worship Through Giving:

 

If you give fearful that you will not agree with where the money is spent you have not worshipped. If you are using your gift as a weapon to either arm or disarm some ministry or fund you are not worshipping. If, however, you are totally relinquishing control and trusting God, that is worship. If you are giving from a heart that is overwhelmed by how much God has blessed you, that is worship. Giving is part of gratitude and is an act of worship if done with the right motives/heart and the right attitude...

The whole thing was not about giving, all forms of worship were brought up (I was reminded of a thread posted here months ago by MamaSheep asking how we worship). This part, though, seems to be a partial answer to your question.

 

Hth.

[justamouse]

I would gladly continue to give to churches if the money weren't going to fancy buildings, "mission trips" to Rome or fancy equipment for the church. I think churches need to help people who have lost their jobs, lost a husband etc - with buying food, paying electric bills, gas money, clothing etc.

 

Is my experience with churches not the norm? To those of you who are giving to churches directly, what are the churches doing with the money?

 

No, reasons like the ones you listed were why we left our church. And they're one of the reasons we joined our parish.

[Skadi]

I would gladly continue to give to churches if the money weren't going to fancy buildings, "mission trips" to Rome or fancy equipment for the church. I think churches need to help people who have lost their jobs, lost a husband etc - with buying food, paying electric bills, gas money, clothing etc.

 

Is my experience with churches not the norm? To those of you who are giving to churches directly, what are the churches doing with the money?

 

This is what I have found, as well (just substitute trips to Rome with trips to amusement parks and what have you). The worst church I've seen is the one my mother attends. My mother is a huge volunteer for her church -- she keeps the nursery (without pay) every Sunday, is on the social committee (meaning she sets up the building for every event they have), and spends at least three days out of every week at the church (whether it's for a service like Wednesday Night Supper or helping out with something). She also babysits the pastor's kids for about 20 hours a week without pay.

 

Because of her disability, she couldn't work and became homeless (it takes a long time for the gov't to give you disability money via their approval process). Did they offer to pay her for the work she was doing in the nursery, which technically they are supposed to be paying her for according to their own budget? No. When she asked the pastor if he might pay her minimum wage for babysitting, did he graciously agree? No, he said that it was "service to the church" and that they were too poor to pay her for her time (yeah, right). Did a deacon or another leader in the church offer to take her in, even temporarily? No. THEY DID NOTHING.

 

Now, my mother did end up moving in with someone who goes to the church -- but it was not charity. The "friend" insisted that she pay every penny of back rent as soon as she was able (for the low-low price of $400 per month) and that she do all the household chores for them. We live a long distance away and tried to have her stay here, but she'd be crossing state lines and she thought it would interfere with her application for gov't assistance. My mom still does all those duties at the church, although with some quiet resentment. I know she's ultimately responsible for not leaving, but I can't help but feel that they've taken advantage of her just because they can.

Edited June 30, 2011 by Skadi

[simka2]

I have hesitated to respond, because you asked for those who tithe. Because of the things I have seen, experienced and even been a apart of (in a large church that prided itself on it's "open books") :tongue_smilie:the term "tithe" is directly linked in negative connoation with the term "spiritual authority."

 

I can't do it. Not to a specific building or organization or anything like that. Can I give? Yes. Will I get there in the future? Maybe. The only reason I can say that is because of where I am at now. The set up is very different. Building projects...heck even new chairs...are heavily scrutinized by neutral parties outside our immediate church.

[Mrs Mungo]

http://www.crown.org/library/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=76

 

 

Hm, interesting article. If a church is going to use the storehouse analogy to insist that a 10% tithe go directly to *that church*, then should the church be using the money in the manner specified?

 

God's Word tells us to bring our tithes into the storehouse (see Malachi 3:10). To bring our tithes into the storehouse, it is necessary to determine exactly what the storehouse is. In biblical times, it was a physical place where the Jews would deliver their offerings of grain or animals. The storehouse had specific functions according to God's Word.

 

 

 

1. To feed the tribe of Levi (Numbers 18:24-26) and the priests of Aaron (Numbers 18:28-29). The tribe of Levi and the priests would be the equivalent of pastors and other church staff, evangelists, and missionaries today.

2. To feed the Hebrew widows and orphans living within a Hebrew city (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). They would be the equivalent of the widows and orphans being served in a local church.

3. To feed the Gentile poor living in a Hebrew city (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). Today's equivalent would be the unsaved people in the community surrounding a local church.

 

If the church is not feeding the poor and such (2 of the 3 missions specified), then would you feel comfortable giving the church 1/3 of your tithe to support staff and missionaries and the other 2/3 of your tithe to organizations that support widows, orphans and the poor?

[kchara]

I suppose how I should explain more in detail why I don't like giving to the church.

 

In the denomination I was raised in (no longer attend, but that's pretty recent), tithe didn't go to the local church. The church sent it up to the conference (usually a state level, sometime two states). Eventually, it went all the way up to the global level, and was redistributed from there. Pastors were not paid by the local church, they were paid by the denomination, and church budget (evangelism, heat, keeping the lights on...) came out of any loose offering in the plate, not tithe.

 

It seemed like a fair system, but what ends up happening is that if a region doesn't have a lot of tithe to put into the pot, so to speak, they stop getting support from the Conference. When I lived in Wyoming, there were less people in the entire state than in the city I had just moved from. Our tithe count was low, because physically, the numbers simply weren't there. As a result, we lost our Camp Meeting, our pastor was in charge of 9 churches, because we couldn't get the conference to send us any more pastors, and we never saw him. Most of the time, he was out of the country, anyway. Our formal evangelism (revivals, things of that nature that take money) was nearly non-existent, because there simply wasn't money. OTOH, the areas that had a lot of people, therefore, a lot of tithe, got 4-6 pastors in many churches, and their evangelism was supported in ways we could only have dreamed about. Their camp meetings were extraordinary, and a real blessing.

 

I guess I got tired of the political games being played with tithe. If I had a church where the tithe did go straight to the local church, I would probably pay tithe to my church. Tithe is to help support the church. BUT... I agree with the PP who said that the church is much more than the local body, so i don't feel bad about sending it to missions work.

[Ellie]

As the OP, I am interested. Right now I am not a member of a church. I left a church that I could no longer in good conscience give any money to. The church went in to debt about $500,000 to renovate a building to the tune of $1 million total. It sits empty 6 days a week because for one reason or another they can't seem to approve too many uses for the building. I don't trust them to be good stewards of a tithe.

 

I know of several families in our area that could benefit from a grocery card or plain old cash. I am reading a book right now that caused me to think about some things and I guess I am just wondering why the Kingdom would specifically have to be a church.

If you are not a member of a church, then of course you would give your money to people or organzitions who need it.

[lionfamily1999]

I would gladly continue to give to churches if the money weren't going to fancy buildings, "mission trips" to Rome or fancy equipment for the church. I think churches need to help people who have lost their jobs, lost a husband etc - with buying food, paying electric bills, gas money, clothing etc.

 

Is my experience with churches not the norm? To those of you who are giving to churches directly, what are the churches doing with the money?

I give to my church. The money goes all over the place. Some goes to missionaries that are connected with our denomination. Some go to the church's missions in the US and abroad. Some go to our sister church in Tanzania. Some goes to the youth ministry, which does pay for trips and fancy equipment. Some goes to Lands and Grounds, to keep up the gardens and brand new playground equipment. Some goes to the Women's Missions which helps families pay for food, gifts for holidays, they also provide rides when needed and visitations/house cleaning (they've decided to join those, since most of the folks visited really wanted to get their house cleaned). Some go to the Deacons and they help pay bills among other things. Some go to the two worship groups. Some pays my pastor. Really, the money goes ALL OVER THE PLACE.

 

Sure, there are some things that I don't personally find to be highly important, but it's not up to me. Like I posted before. Giving is an act of worship. I'm giving my money to God. Where it goes is in His hands and I think I'm going to lay off worrying about it. He created the universe, He can handle my measly gift :lol:

[DawnM]

Well, that is an interesting way to put it. I believe our percentages are indeed similar to what you mention. We do give some to the church as we know pastors do need to be paid and electric bills paid. We don't give to building funds that are lavish or some of the "country club" funds at the church.

 

We do give to missionaries and the poor as much as possible. I like to know that my funds are directly serving those in need and not giving to something that will serve ME better.

 

Dawn

 

Hm, interesting article. If a church is going to use the storehouse analogy to insist that a 10% tithe go directly to *that church*, then should the church be using the money in the manner specified?

 

 

 

 

If the church is not feeding the poor and such (2 of the 3 missions specified), then would you feel comfortable giving the church 1/3 of your tithe to support staff and missionaries and the other 2/3 of your tithe to organizations that support widows, orphans and the poor?

[Nakia]

We give our entire tithe to our church which is very active in helping the community, its members who are in need, domestic and foreign missions, etc. The last church we attended, for 8 years, wasn't involved in the community at all (and very little help went to its members), so we felt led to give part of our tithe elsewhere.

 

I truly believe that God will lead you in your decisions.

[momma aimee]

the tithe is actually supposed to go to the church to support the church (and the Priest) it is not just about chairty.

[abacus2]

Dh and I disagree on this one. I say tithe is to the church; he says it can be to anywhere. At the moment we are giving tithe plus offerings, but if we were financially tighter, I'm sure he would insist on reducing our giving to the church.

[Camarell]

I'd like to know if you tithe to a church only or if you think tithing can be to anyone or any group who needs assistance. Some people have issues with giving to a church so I was wondering if giving to an individual, a family or a charity would still "count" as tithing. I tend to think it would count because giving to a poor family in need would still be giving to the Kingdom wouldn't it?

 

We are in a homechurch, so there is no building, pastor or committees etc... we tithe to a savings account and use those funds as needs arise in our community/friends/family. We've used the money to help pay medical bills, help someone rebuild after a fire, provide groceries for an internet friend etc... We don't feel that the tithe is a command, but a good rule of thumb. We use 10% as a guide (to help us keep it in the budget and make sure it goes out first), but feel that Jesus made it pretty clear that it wasn't the amount but the attitude in which it was given that mattered... We also support a missionary family that we know personally as well as a radio ministry.

 

The kids tithe as well out of the little bit of money they get, we save it up and at the end of the year they decide what charitable cause that money goes to. It's been a great lesson in learning how companies and charities manage their money. My oldest was really put off when he discovered that an organization he wanted to support only sent about 15% to those actually in need, the rest went to administration of the program.

[....]

We are in a homechurch, so there is no building, pastor or committees etc... we tithe to a savings account and use those funds as needs arise in our community/friends/family. We've used the money to help pay medical bills, help someone rebuild after a fire, provide groceries for an internet friend etc... We don't feel that the tithe is a command, but a good rule of thumb. We use 10% as a guide (to help us keep it in the budget and make sure it goes out first), but feel that Jesus made it pretty clear that it wasn't the amount but the attitude in which it was given that mattered... We also support a missionary family that we know personally as well as a radio ministry.

 

 

That is very cool. :thumbup1:

[Cindy in FL.]

We believe that the tithe should go to the church. However, we have used our tithe to pay for my MIL to be in an alzheimer's care facility in the past. There is a passage in the Bible about people not taking care of their families because that money was promised (corban) to the church. Based on that, we did use some of our tithe for MIL.

[TheAutumnOak]

I know this will be controversial, but I don't believe in tithing. I don't think a church is "entitled" to money, I don't think that God needs our money and I don't see anything wrong with you giving money to people around you who are hurting for groceries. And, this is coming from someone who goes to church almost every Sunday and I normally give almost twice of what our average member gives.

 

I understand that they have an electric bill and a mortgage. But, when you add in money, it's very easy for these churches to turn into a business and I think it's spawning a new generation of entertainment-churches. There was a church last year who was giving away Ipods for attendance. Why are they looking for attendance? More money. I mean, it would almost be better if everybody just met in a park or at someone's house (and, yes, I know that's unrealistic and sounds stupid).

 

Sorry for the rant. And, I have a lot of respect for people who can tithe.

 

:iagree:

 

This is my view as well (though there are many people at my church who give much more than we do)...The church is the people, not the building and you can meet at a park or someone's house if you want to...

 

The New Testament says to give sacrificially, not necessarily 10%...Some can give more and some need to give less...I know many will disagree...

[TheAutumnOak]

We are in a homechurch, so there is no building, pastor or committees etc... we tithe to a savings account and use those funds as needs arise in our community/friends/family. We've used the money to help pay medical bills, help someone rebuild after a fire, provide groceries for an internet friend etc... We don't feel that the tithe is a command, but a good rule of thumb. We use 10% as a guide (to help us keep it in the budget and make sure it goes out first), but feel that Jesus made it pretty clear that it wasn't the amount but the attitude in which it was given that mattered... We also support a missionary family that we know personally as well as a radio ministry.

 

The kids tithe as well out of the little bit of money they get, we save it up and at the end of the year they decide what charitable cause that money goes to. It's been a great lesson in learning how companies and charities manage their money. My oldest was really put off when he discovered that an organization he wanted to support only sent about 15% to those actually in need, the rest went to administration of the program.

 

:thumbup: This is the best thing I have read so far...I really like what you have going there...Very inspiring!

[TheAutumnOak]

This is what I have found, as well (just substitute trips to Rome with trips to amusement parks and what have you). The worst church I've seen is the one my mother attends. My mother is a huge volunteer for her church -- she keeps the nursery (without pay) every Sunday, is on the social committee (meaning she sets up the building for every event they have), and spends at least three days out of every week at the church (whether it's for a service like Wednesday Night Supper or helping out with something). She also babysits the pastor's kids for about 20 hours a week without pay.

 

Because of her disability, she couldn't work and became homeless (it takes a long time for the gov't to give you disability money via their approval process). Did they offer to pay her for the work she was doing in the nursery, which technically they are supposed to be paying her for according to their own budget? No. When she asked the pastor if he might pay her minimum wage for babysitting, did he graciously agree? No, he said that it was "service to the church" and that they were too poor to pay her for her time (yeah, right). Did a deacon or another leader in the church offer to take her in, even temporarily? No. THEY DID NOTHING.

 

Now, my mother did end up moving in with someone who goes to the church -- but it was not charity. The "friend" insisted that she pay every penny of back rent as soon as she was able (for the low-low price of $400 per month) and that she do all the household chores for them. We live a long distance away and tried to have her stay here, but she'd be crossing state lines and she thought it would interfere with her application for gov't assistance. My mom still does all those duties at the church, although with some quiet resentment. I know she's ultimately responsible for not leaving, but I can't help but feel that they've taken advantage of her just because they can.

 

:svengo::confused1: That is just not right...I hope your mom finds another place...