Our Community Conversation (Week 7)

What does the Bible say about tithing and stewardship?

We looked at passages about "tithing" and "stewardship" in Genesis 14:18-20; Leviticus 27:30-33; Numbers 18:20-32; Deuteronomy 14:28-29 & 26:12-13; 2 Chronicles 31:4-6; Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 23:23-24; Luke 18:9-14; Hebrews 7:1-10; 1 Corinthians 9:14; Galatians 6:6; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; and 2 Corinthians 8. 

Then we had a discussion and people said this about "tithing" and "stewardship":

• There are generational and gender differences in the views we have on giving and money. Seniors give what they give no matter what and Boomers give less. X-gen and Millennials don't give as much because they don't have the same kind of commitment to institutions. 
• For Boomers generation it is about involvement (time and talents come first and then giving follows). What are some ideas that we can use to motivate giving? We need to remind ourselves of all the things our staff does...seniors/children/youth all need to think about what those programs provide. Actions and activities that happen on our facilities like AA and the Carying Place require financial support. 
• Don't use thermometers! Remind us what we're involved in. 
• Should we "tithe" (give ten percent of our income) before or after taxes? Is it net or gross?
• We should give our "first fruits" (the best and first of what we have) to God and not our leftovers. 
• Generation Xers and people with children have a hard time giving money. Kids are expensive so we tithe our time to activities and service instead of our money. There's no disposable income so we will give more money later but we can give our time now. 
• We should and we can give something - not just time and talents but money too. 
• We need to do an inventory of our time, talents, and treasure. 
• The Planned Growth in Giving plan that was led by Jerry Harris was effective. It led people to make commitments in giving. Many people were able to increase their giving by 1% in the first year of that program and it has stuck with those members. 
• Please round off your tithe when you give. It's easier to count.
• We support the things that we have ownership in and that we think are important. Time is a part of giving. 
• We need some new creative strategies for development. 
• We need to step out in faith. Many years ago we made a decision to start tithing when we had children. It was hard and scary, but we did it and our children never went without anything. We will never regret the choice to tithe. 
• We must remember the quote from Malachi. If we give God will take care of us. We started to tithe and each year we've increased our giving and we've hardly even noticed it. 
• I remember a jar I had as a little girl and I would take 10% out of it and give it to the church. My parents taught me the importance and purpose of tithing when I was a small child. We need to teach the same message to our children so we can pass this command on to future generations.