Paying Tithes is Not Popular
This week, The Barna Group published research on tithing in the United States. In 2007, 84% of U.S. adults donated money to churches or non-profit organizations, but only 5% of adults tithed. This is not too surprising. Pastors already know paying tithes is not a habit of most Christians.
What interests me is Barna’s analysis of which demographic groups tithe the most and tithe the least.
Who tithes in the United States?
Religion
- 24% of evangelicals
- 12% of people who have prayed, read the Bible, and attended a church service during the past week
- 11% of charismatic or Pentecostal Christians
- 9% of all born again adults
- 8% of Protestants
- 2% of Catholics
- 1% or less of atheists and agnostics
Politics
- 12% of conservatives
- 10% of registered Republicans
- 1% or less of liberals
General
- 5% of adults
- 1% or less of downscale adults
(Those whose annual household income is less than $20,000 and who have not attended college) - 1% or less of people under the age of 25
- 1% or less of single adults who have never been married
It stuns me that the percentage of Catholics tithing is not much higher that the percentage of atheists and agnostics who tithe. And equally surprising is that conservatives out-tithe liberals by at least 12 to 1.
But what surprises me the most is only 1 in 100 people younger than 25 tithe. And the same is true for singles who have never been married.
How can a church effectively get more of its members to start tithing?
Obviously, discipleship is a factor since people who pray, read the Bible, and attend church weekly are among those most likely to pay tithes. And I think it is also vital for church leadership to communicate the importance of tithing, whether from the pulpit, small groups, or leading by example. Congregations tend to be strong in areas that are modeled by leadership.
What are your thoughts? Do you have any creative ideas like LifeChurch.tv’s 3 Month Tithing Challenge?
Jermayn Said,
April 14, 2008 @ 8:16 pm
and we wonder why churches do not see revival???
Geoffrey Brown Said,
April 14, 2008 @ 10:32 pm
I think this reflects two things:
“Time, talent, and TREASURE”
“Green is the color God loves best”
Tithing is an easy target in a cynical age.
Douglas Said,
April 15, 2008 @ 2:37 am
Paying of tithes/10% on income is not a biblical mandate for Christians. No wonder it is not popular when people try to enforce it. Tithing was an Old Testament practice on produce and at diverse times, exchanged for money when traveling from one city to another, but is no longer a practice for the New Testament Church. Tithing was never on wages or salary earned. Offerings and giving, of whatever, is for the Church today, according to what each person decides in their hearts to give, time, talent or treasure, as long as it is given freely, gratefully and thankfully, without compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
TITHING WITHIN THE CHURCH
A discussion paper on the subject of Christian giving.
Scroll down.
“Will a Man Rob God?” (Malachi 3:8): A Study of Tithing in the Old and New Testaments pdf
Andreas J. Kostenberger and David A. Croteau
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Is tithing, that is, giving ten percent of one’s income, obligatory for Christians? This first in a series of two articles investigates this question by studying all references to tithing in Scripture. The discussion commences with Old Testament references to tithing prior to the giving of the Mosaic Law, the Mosaic Law, and the historical and prophetic books. This is followed by a study of the three major New Testament passages on tithing. The article concludes that none of the Old or New Testament passages can legitimately be used to argue for the continuation of tithing in the new covenant period.”
Reconstructing a Biblical Model for Giving: A Discussion of Relevant Systematic Issues and New Testament Principles pdf
Andreas J. Kostenberger and David A. Croteau
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
“In a previous article the authors discussed all relevant references to tithing in Scripture and concluded that the continuation of a tithing requirement can not be adequately supported by the exegesis of individual texts. In the present essay they assess the applicability of tithing in light of pertinent systematic issues. Following a discussion of the relationship between the Mosaic Law and the new covenant, larger systematic issues that have been used to argue for the continuation of tithing are analyzed and critiqued. The article concludes with a survey of New Testament principles for giving.”
Tithing
Presented by Bob DeWaay and Dick Kuffel Broadcast Monday, July 17, 2006 This program shows that the New Testament does not teach a mandatory tithe after the manner of the Old Testament. Those who command tithing are not following the teachings of the New Testament.
MP3 (duration 00:26:00)
SHOULD THE CHURCH TEACH TITHING?
Greg Simmons Said,
April 15, 2008 @ 8:34 am
Thanks for publishing the statistics.
What I find interesting is the difference in tithing between conservatives and liberals. Note I said interesting and not surprising. Conservatives, especially Christian Conservatives are framed by the media and liberals alike as hard hearted, close minded individuals. However, I would make the argument that the truth is in the tithing. Conservatives appear to care more about reaching out and helping others than Liberals.
Of course, this study just covers tithing and not general charitable giving.
Kirby Andersen Said,
April 15, 2008 @ 10:32 am
The most important thing to help people align themselves with God’s principle of tithing is to teach on it. Pastor’s who complain the most about their congregation’s lack of giving are the ones who don’t teach on the benefits. If they do teach on giving, it often creates more of a “have to” than a “want to.” I teach on tithing 1 or 2 Sundays each year and it is also taught in core discipleship classes.
Additionally, anything a church can do to help people become better managers of their money is huge. Most people want to give more; they just don’t know how to.
Kent Shaffer Said,
April 15, 2008 @ 11:38 am
@Douglas
I disagree. I view tithing as a responsibility of New Testament Christians. It is a matter of honoring God with one’s first fruits.
I don’t think the church should “enforce” tithing. They can encourage it, but ultimately, tithing is something one must choose to do.
I do, however, appreciate you taking the time to provide research and links for your perspective. It’s a dogmatic issue. And regardless of one’s stance on the issue of tithing, I think we all can agree that too many Christians are stingy with their money.
If Christians truly believe the salvation message, then shouldn’t they express more support and commitment with their finances?
Charles Said,
April 15, 2008 @ 11:51 am
My wife and I took LC’s three month challenge, and i’m not sure i’ve heard of anyone asking for their money back yet. lol, we even invite adults that have a legit need to dip out of the offering when passed. I’m really surprised the Catholic number wasn’t higher as well. Maybe once you have so many golden ornaments, you don’t need any more. :), plus don’t alot of priests share multiple campus’, so multiple campus’ actually help pay one persons salary, that could be it.
Tony Scialdone Said,
April 15, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
While I find the statistics interesting, I find the comments more so. As a former tither, I have to wonder about this question:
“How can a church effectively get more of its members to start tithing?”
I think that asking the wrong question gets you the wrong answer. The problem isn’t that people don’t tithe…it’s that people don’t GIVE. I think there’s a significant difference.
When I was a tither, I considered it bondage. When I did some homework on tithing and found that I could no longer support it as a practice for the church, I felt freed to give cheerfully, willingly, and abundantly.
Could it be that a lot of Christians feel a disconnect between what’s being taught and how they live? I know that I’m a lot more generous than I used to be, now that I’ve studied the topic.
I welcome anyone so inclined to show me - from Scripture - that God expects Christians to give ten percent of their money to their local church. That’s what we’re teaching, and I find it unBiblical. I’d be happy to post my change of mind on my own website, where hundreds of thousands will read it.
Kent Shaffer Said,
April 15, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
Some of you may not agree with tithing, but let’s not go too deep into theological debate.
If you don’t believe in tithing, feel free to say so. But I am interested in reading your thoughts on how churches can help Christians become better givers.
Greg Simmons Said,
April 15, 2008 @ 10:01 pm
Hmmm….getting Christians to become better givers. I think that is the ultimate question that many people are looking to answer.
My opinion - people have to have ownership in what’s going on. I’ve been at churches where the tithes/offerings/giving were taken and that was the last you knew of it. That is until the annual Tithing sermon and budget approval process.
We’re now at a church where the tithes/offerings/giving is taken, but there is constant feedback about what the church is doing with those tithes and offerings. I believe this is especially important with newer non-traditional Christians. They haven’t “grown up” in church and don’t necessarily understand the whole tithing/giving concept. They want to see that what they are giving to is actually doing something.
I think it’s a good thing to provide that feedback - not as a prideful statement of what you’re doing - but to show your membership that you’re being good stewards of the tithes/offerings that are being given. That changes are being made in people’s lives and the community is being reached using those tithes/offerings.
Just a few thoughts…
Cory Said,
April 16, 2008 @ 11:06 am
This past year at Catalyst I heard Dave Ramsey for the first time. One of the many things that he said that stuck out to me was it is somewhat pointless to teach tithing when there are so many people in debt. He shared a reason that no one tithes is because they don’t have the money to do so because they are so deep in debt. He challenged pastors to teach financial stewardship and then teach tithing which I think is a strong argument to think about.
Jesse Phillips Said,
April 17, 2008 @ 8:33 am
I don’t think tithing reflects how good of a giver one is. After taking crown financial and learning how important it is to be a good steward, I find tithing to actually be
1. Poor stewardship
2. not really biblical
Although I tithe, I fear that I’m wasting my money. What do sermons do to change anyone’s life - yet this is what my money goes to support: A building to sermonize in, a staff to support a sermonizer and take care of a building, and sermonize kids, and some midweek sermonizing, with a tiny bit of counseling and helping the poor.
Well, that’s my reaction. I do wish more people would be faithful in tithing since The Church at large is convicted that that’s necessary. Even more, I wish we would give to help people around the world, which I think would be more effective for sharing God’s love.
arudd Said,
April 17, 2008 @ 11:14 pm
I’m an ex-tither (group: “hello ex-tither”).
I would be interested to know what the statistics are of free giving [vs] tithing. Without this information I don’t have anyway to say how we can get more Christians to tithe (not that I would want to).
I’m personally glad to see that I’m not the only one who’s been freed.
Praise God!
Tony Scialdone Said,
April 21, 2008 @ 9:54 am
Kent said: I am interested in reading your thoughts on how churches can help Christians become better givers.
Without getting further into the theological implications of whether tithing is actually Biblical, I consider the question of what’s taught to be central to the giving issue. Most churchgoing folks are open to being taught as long as what they hear doesn’t conflict with what they know (or think they know).
Having grown up where tithing was the norm, and was taught regularly from the pulpit, I can testify firsthand that it’s a good way to get a bump in giving.
Having been a full-time minister, I can also testify firsthand that it’s not a good way to grow givers. I *guess* that it’s because what we’re taught doesn’t mesh with what we believe. There’s a disconnect between statements of belief on tithing and actions on tithing…and that appears to be a core issue.
I’ve never been in a church that seriously taught about GIVING (current church included)…so I can’t say for sure what might happen. I can only share my experience: as soon as I understood what the Bible does and does not teach about giving, I felt free to simply give. So I give.
When I was a tither, the last thing a pastor would want was a church full of tithers like me. They’d have the money, sure…but they’d be surrounded by surly and confused people who give out of compulsion. Now that I’m a giver, I’m confident that most pastors would appreciate having a church full of givers like me.
What do you think, Kent? What’s the main reason that people don’t give?
Kent Shaffer Said,
April 23, 2008 @ 11:16 pm
@Tony
I think the main reason that people don’t give is the sinful nature of the lust of the eyes. People are selfish and like material things.
Rick Warren says generosity is the antidote to the lust of the eyes. See:
http://churchrelevance.com/rick-warren-on-engaging-culture-relevantly-and-biblically
Andy Stanley taught a good sermon series on giving. See:
http://resources.northpoint.org/store/shop.do?pID=1392
And Craig Groeschel did a similar series. See:
http://www.lifechurch.tv/message-archive/how-to-be-rich
Tim Said,
April 27, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
To understand the motivations needed to inspire giving, one needs to understand the giver. Today’s potential giver has seen a world full of for profit and non-profit organizations use money for uses it was never intended for. Think of Enron, the US goverment, and countless church scandals. A great way to start the giving is to start opening up the books of the church wide to more than just the select few in leadership.
As for the need for material things among givers, many places of worship are guilty of the same. Many larger churches are beginning to look like palaces. Isn’t there a better use for that money?
Dave Said,
May 8, 2008 @ 9:32 pm
Kent, please don’t be offended at me saying so, but I think you missed the point of the articles above (I co-wrote them with Kostenberger). I think one of the reasons people don’t tithe is because they are taught to tithe. When I finish teaching my view of giving (as expressed in the articles above), I frequently get comments from people who have decided they will stop giving 10% and will reach for 20, or 30, even 40%. These aren’t rich people, just people who have joined my thought process of the “post-tithe” group. Make sense?
Kent Shaffer Said,
May 8, 2008 @ 10:04 pm
@Dave
Thanks for the clarification!
Malcolm Said,
June 3, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
My question is why God would put a number on tithing. Could someone give me a reason? I’ve heard if he didn’t and told us to give from our hearts one week it would be small the next large and etc. The point I’m trying to make is that the giving or tithing should hurt a little even though you are giving cheerfully or freely.