Tithing and Giving

(By Chris Blumhofer)

I just finished my taxes, and as part of the process, I reviewed a statement of all the contributions that my wife and I made to our church last year. It was humbling.

I was reminded of a missionary that Stephanie and I supported, and the time that we shared a meal with him and heard about the kingdom-building work going on in the U.K. Good times.

But there are embarrassing omissions on our statement, too. Last July is an example, when our church recorded zero contributions from us. I vividly recall four weeks of, "Did you remember the offering?" "No, I thought you had it."

This year, my wife and I are striving to do better, though not under any illusions that four more weeks of tithing will usher in the kingdom. Instead, we give because we're convinced that faithful, generous giving is the appropriate response to him who's been so generous to us.

A church that embraces the right attitudes toward tithing requires wise leadership in the area of financial stewardship.

[The entire church leadership team must have the right training and attitude on how to teach tithing and giving.]