That’s right folks, I’m going to write about one of the most controversial topics in our culture…giving money to the church!
It seems that in recent years “tithe” has almost been a taboo word to mention from the pulpit. Maybe it’s because we’ve seen so many celeb Pastors using their money for mansions, sports cars, and fancy shoes (PreachersnSneakers anyone?), or maybe we felt tithing was a legalistic thing. Whatever the cause, it seems that Millennials and Generation Z don’t exactly know how to feel about giving to the church anymore. In most church circles I would say we are the group that is known for pushing change in the church without backing the change with well….change($).
Today I don’t think the question I need to answer is how much you should give to the local church. Questions like, “should it be 10% exactly?”, “should I tithe off the gross or the net?”, etc. Are all questions I’m going to direct you elsewhere to solve. These questions you should take to God. Pray about them, and ask God to convict your heart. Also, read what the Bible has to say about these topics. Below I’ve linked some great resources that give good Biblical references to the topic of tithing that you can easily take a more in depth look at.
The Bible Commands Christians to Tithe
7 Reasons Christians are not Required to Tithe
Is Tithing Commanded for Christians?
Grace Turns Giving Upside Down
Paying Pastors, Church Buildings, and Weekly Sermons
The question I want to answer today is if you should be giving to your local church and if so when should you start giving?
To start, there are two main mindsets I seem to come across in Millenials/Gen Z:
1. Many start off with a part time job, or a low paying job. They think, “once I get a real job then I’ll tithe.” But that slowly turns into getting a real job and then thinking, “I’ll tithe once I have _________ amount of savings in the bank.” And the cycle continues without ever giving.
2. Many see the church budget and think “my church doesn’t need my money they already have enough!”
Or maybe you can’t relate to either of these, but whatever the case, Millenials/Gen Z aren’t giving.
So why give?
We are told to honor God with our wealth.
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your crops.
Proverbs 3:9 (NIV)
This verse really covers honoring God with all things money related, however I think it is strongly referring to giving to God first before anything else.
Also, giving is an act of worship.
Therefore brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
Romans 12:1 (CSB)
Giving up money is definitely a sacrifice. This giving of money to God shows that we value him more than the new purse, house, or video game; he is the one we worship.
Also we should be a joyful giver. Not one out of duty (aka legalism!)
Each person should do as he has decided in his heart — not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7 (CSB)
God obviously wants us to give to him because we want to, not because we feel like we have to. Question is, do you want to? If not pray that the Lord would increase the desire of your heart to give. If we don’t feel like giving, that doesn’t necessarily mean stop giving, rather we should figure out why we are not cheerful about it.
Lastly, where we spend our money shows what we value.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
Ever done one of those pie charts that shows you how much money you spend on each category of your budget? There is nothing like when you realize how much money you spend on your phone bill, internet, coffee, eating out, getting your nails done and so on. Then you realize that you just might value those things a bit more than you do the ministry of God’s church.
So now we know to give, but why give to the local church?
Remember that thought earlier about the Church not needing your money?
Yeah that’s not true.
The church probably does need your money, even if you don’t think it does. Yes that budget is high but how much of that goes to keeping the lights & heat on in the building? How much of that goes to the free meals you so often eat? How much of that goes to the Pastor that has counseled you through a hard time out of work hours absolutely free? How much of that goes to missions to provide help for those in need that no one would be helping otherwise?
So maybe, just maybe the church does need your money, because without someone’s money these things wouldn’t be happening. There wouldn’t be church as we know it today.
Also, I get it. I’ve seen the articles about a few well known Pastors that seem to have spent way too much money on things we deem foolish. But if that’s how you feel like the church is handling the money it receives, then maybe you need to find a new church. You should be a part of a church body that you feel confident in it’s values and how it is using church resources. Not giving just simply isn’t an option.
Not only is finding a church you can trust important, but more importantly you should trust God. Trust God to take care of the money you donate. You don’t have to oversee that it is used properly, that’s God’s job. Your job is to simply give out of obedience.
Also, you have to trust that he will take care of you when you give out of your seemingly small paycheck.
I once heard that Americans are in the top 3% of wealth in the world. Now don’t quote me on this, or ask for the study where this was found. I seriously don’t know, lol. But what I do know is that this serves as a wonderful reminder to me that even when I don’t FEEL like I am rich. I AM rich. At least compared to the rest of the world. We in America are seriously just comparing the rich to the richer.
Think about it, if the widow who put in her two coins (Mark 12:41-44) can give, than so can I, and so can you.
Think about this for a second. Monday I hit up Starbucks, Tuesday I prime a few items from Amazon, Wednesday I go out to eat, Thursday I get my nails done, Friday I go out to a movie with friends, Saturday I buy paint to re-do my room. And then Sunday I get to church after driving through Dunkin and realize I can’t give to God…I’m broke!
Wow, hopefully that hit you like a pound of bricks, like it did me. Obviously I do have money, I just didn’t give to God first. Instead, I gave to my desires first!
So remember…
If you bought Starbucks this week, you can give.
If you bought yourself some new clothes that you didn’t need, you can give.
If you have money in your bank account, you can give!
You just didn’t give.
With the New Year approaching, let me encourage you to set a goal to give. And not just give to give. But rather, let us give with a heart of joy and as an act of surrender to a God that will always be a better giver than us.
Thanks for reading.
-Kasey
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