Massachusetts Conference Edition

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Tithing Goals Can Be Reached

by Andy Gustafson, Assoc. Conference Minister for Stewardship & Financial Development

February/March 2006

In my travels among our churches here in Massachusetts, I am impressed by the strong desire on the part of our members to be more generous, including sincere interest in tithing. Yet given the financial pressures so many are under, how can we achieve our goals to be faithful in our giving and to move towards or beyond the tithe? Here are some ideas:

1) Budget and financial planning ministry: Americans are drowning in consumer debt, and the pull of the consumer culture is leading them away from practicing the values they believe in. By offering budgeting and financial planning workshops from a Christian perspective, churches can help members achieve their financial goals, including their giving goals.

 2) Due in part to the high cost of housing, many young families struggle to pay their mortgages. However, they also are likely to be able to look forward to regular pay raises. A practical strategy for people in this situation is to use a portion of their pay raises to increase their giving.

3) For many people who are currently giving 1% or 2% of their income, the jump to a tithe of 10% seems impossible. A time-tested and true method that has worked for tens of thousands of Christians is to each year increase giving by 1% of their income. For a family with an income of $60,000 (the median in Massachusetts) this would represent only $12.00 a week, a very achievable amount for most. Over time this slow incremental method will lead all the way to the tithe.

4) For those on fixed social security income, there may be little or no current income available to give. For them the dollar a week in the plate is truly “the widow’s mite”. However, many have assets such as houses or certificates of deposit. Through a bequest or a gift annuity, even those of very modest means can make a significant gift.

As Paul said “God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”

(2 Cor. 8:8).