Tithing--to your Church, Or Pick and Choose?

Your church where you hold membership. Anything going anywhere else is excess over and above your normal tithe.

 

I believe wherever God's work is being done is fine. It's the attitude behind the giving that God wants, and if it further's His Kingdom, it will be going to good use.

 

I personally think that if the church you are a member of is a good steward of what is being given to them that one needs to continue to support his/her local church.

However, if the church is found to be a not so good steward of what is given them then I think it is okay for us to support a ministry that is a good steward of what is being given them.

 

Sister Donna and I are on the same page of the same book---the same paragraph---the same sentence--the same word!!

Thanks, DonnA!!

 

Ditto!

 

I support a crazy cabbie priest in whatever projects he comes up with...

...in other words I pick and choose

 

Good thread Tom. I have always been instructed as you have. I guess that is because we have spent so many years in the same church. However, I have many times wondered about this issue and personally don't know of much scripture that would be "on point". From a practical standpoint, tithing of our regular income would seem to belong in the local church. The church has ongoing, reoccuring financial needs that rely on the regular systematic giving of the members. However, I have wondered about irregular income like a financial gain on the sale of an asset or a one-time bonus. Should we have the flexibility to route tithes on these receipts to another ministry if we feel God has led us in that direction and our local church is not adversely impacted?

 

The thing is though that person is not a member of a local church,at this time per his post, his family is holding there tithe and not spending it,(good for them) so why not send it to a missionary or someone who could use it.

 

Every christian needs to be a member of a local church. No excuses.
And if he is not now a member of a baptist church why is he in the baptist only forums?

 

There is ample evidence in Acts that the believers of the first church supported their local church, in fact selling all they had and giving to those in need as situations came up. That is why I feel we should give the tithe to thte local church in which one serves until God moves that person somewhere else. Not sure what "I have always been instructed..." means in regards to tithing to the local church, but my reasons come from Acts.

 

The emphasis in NT giving is in giving to those in need. This idea that a church member owes his/her church at least 10% of gross income is a holdover from when the Roman church centuries took the idea of OT tithing [as they also took sabbaths, music and big choirs, a priesthood class, et al] and imposed it upon membership, which was seldom voluntary in the first place. Now centuries after the reformation, resulting churches vary greatly as to how far they want to really separate from the RCC, but by and large most have kept some of these Roman developed doctrines which benefit their churches and for many it is impossible to separate genuine NT scripture from long-held tradition, especially as to holidays, arts and certainly tithing, a yardstick to measure commitment in the minds of many.

Do I object to anyone tithing to his/her church? No. But I don't mind at all saying someone who struggles financially to always meet their tithe and virtually never gives to what the NT emphasizes in giving [to those in need] is scripturally off-base. Some churches do much more than others as far as this type of NT giving, but most, in my experience, are much more concerned with elaborate styles in carpets and stained glass and "dynamic" ministers, which consumes most, all, or even considerably more than all, their funds they tell people they are robbers of if they don't give without question.

"So what do you think?" you asked. I told you, though I doubt if really wanted to read it.

 

As some here may know, I have a lot to say about subject of church "tithing" and don't see how one can possibly justify any Scriptural mandate for such because there is no evidence in the New Testament, neither is there an accurate way to "translate" the tithe laws from its national Levitical form to a modern disparate local church form.

However, I can assume for the sake of argument in this thread. Assuming that there is such a Biblical concept as a church tithe requirement, the question is: where should it go?

According to the O.T. laws, there may have been one, two, or even three tithes depending upon how one interprets the different passages. It may have been one tithe for different purposes or it may have been three separate tithes each for their own purpose.

According to Deut 12:11-21 and 14:22-27, there was a celebration where everyone in the nation came together and ate their tithes in a celebration of praise to God. They were to share with the Levites. I would say that church tithing today should be an annual celebration within the local church where everyone eats and shares their profits with the ministers and praises God.

According to Deut 14:28-29, at the end of every three years, a tithe (or the same tithe) was laid outside the gates and was meant for the Levites, fatherless, widows, and foreigners in the local area. I would say that church tithing today should include the tri-annual tithe of profits given to the ministers and the needy in the community.

According to Num 18:20-32, a tithe (or the same tithe) went to the Levites, because they had no inheritance in the land. The Levites then gave a tithe of their tithes to Aaron the priest. I would say that church tithing today should include giving a tenth of one's profit to those ministers whose sole employment is the ministry. They should then tithe of that to whomever oversees them (whose sole employment is the ministry).

According to Numbers 10:28-36, later when the Temple was constructed, a tithe of the tithes of the Levites went into the Temple storehouse. This was used for meeting the needs of the Levites, the priests, and those who ministered full-time in the
Temple. Being that it was a storehouse, it was also used for meeting needs of the poor. I would say that church tithing today should allocate the tithe in the budget for meeting the needs of the ministers and the community.

However, given that there is no practicing Levitical priesthood, no tabernacle/Temple, no national theocracy of Israel, you are free to conjecture about how these specific Old Testament laws should apply to the disparate local New Testament church and do all the twisting, abstracting, and "principle-izing" you feel necessary to make this fit into church polity, but please don't preach that the end result is a mandate.

 

If one could equate the nation of Israel to the body of Christ, then the tithe really should go to anywhere one feels that it can be used by God in the most efficient and effective way possible.

 

As some here may know, I have a lot to say about subject of church "tithing" and don't see how one can possibly justify any Scriptural mandate for such because there is no evidence in the New Testament, neither is there an accurate way to "translate" the tithe laws from its national Levitical form to a modern disparate local church form.

However, I can assume for the sake of argument in this thread. Assuming that there is such a Biblical concept as a church tithe requirement, the question is: where should it go?

According to the O.T. laws, there may have been one, two, or even three tithes depending upon how one interprets the different passages. It may have been one tithe for different purposes or it may have been three separate tithes each for their own purpose.

According to Deut 12:11-21 and 14:22-27, there was a celebration where everyone in the nation came together and ate their tithes in a celebration of praise to God. They were to share with the Levites. I would say that church tithing today should be an annual celebration within the local church where everyone eats and shares their profits with the ministers and praises God.

According to Deut 14:28-29, at the end of every three years, a tithe (or the same tithe) was laid outside the gates and was meant for the Levites, fatherless, widows, and foreigners in the local area. I would say that church tithing today should include the tri-annual tithe of profits given to the ministers and the needy in the community.

According to Num 18:20-32, a tithe (or the same tithe) went to the Levites, because they had no inheritance in the land. The Levites then gave a tithe of their tithes to Aaron the priest. I would say that church tithing today should include giving a tenth of one's profit to those ministers whose sole employment is the ministry. They should then tithe of that to whomever oversees them (whose sole employment is the ministry).

According to Numbers 10:28-36, later when the Temple was constructed, a tithe of the tithes of the Levites went into the Temple storehouse. This was used for meeting the needs of the Levites, the priests, and those who ministered full-time in the
Temple. Being that it was a storehouse, it was also used for meeting needs of the poor. I would say that church tithing today should allocate the tithe in the budget for meeting the needs of the ministers and the community.

However, given that there is no practicing Levitical priesthood, no tabernacle/Temple, no national theocracy of Israel, you are free to conjecture about how these specific Old Testament laws should apply to the disparate local New Testament church and do all the twisting, abstracting, and "principle-izing" you feel necessary to make this fit into church polity, but please don't preach that the end result is a mandate.
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TRANSLATION: I don't tithe!

 

Shiloh;
You could bring in a calf or maybe a lamb.
How does your church operate, with love offerings?

 

I also question required tithing, but lets get back to the thread as orginally above as follows.

Orginal assumption:
So what do you think? One caution: There are other threads debating whether tithing is a New Testament concept. Let's assume for purposes of discussion that we all believe in tithing. The question is, who gets it?

J Jump writes:
"I personally think that if the church you are a member of is a good steward of what is being given to them that one needs to continue to support his/her local church.
However, if the church is found to be a not so good steward of what is given them then I think it is okay for us to support a ministry that is a good steward of what is being given them."

I agree with Jump. Tithes and offerings should be given cheerfully. Personally, I have trouble giving cheerfully to a church that is not a good steward of the funds.

Not being a good steward includes a lack of ministry that the church should be doing, i.e. evangelism, missions, teaching, helping the homeless, caring, etc. In those cases, I have given part of my offerings to other organizations that provide those ministries. At present, my church has these ministries, so I give practically all my offerings there.

We have a responsibility to give, but the church also has a responsibility to be a good steward. If the church does not do its part, then we should fill the gap by spreading our tithes and offerings around accordingly.

I have seen too many people give grudgingly because they believe they must. I think it is better not to give than to give grudgingly.

 

Other possible translation: I believe in giving cheerfully and abundantly and I don't believe in the church "tithe" mandate for the simple reason that it cannot be supported in Scripture. Anything wrong with that? Anything that tries to add to or change Scripture is Phariseeism. The New Testament example and command is cheerful giving and the point is to make sure no one is in need. I often give what amounts to far more than a "tithe" (assuming based on salary). I also almost always give by cash (unless it is a great missionary need), so I don't get tax deductions on most of what I give either.

Just because I don't practice and believe in an ambiguous and superficial "mandate" of "tithing" on monetary income for the sole reason that I cannot see it supported in Scripture, does not mean I am not giving enough.

 

If you are SAVED, you should be a member of a,I believe Ind. Fund. Baptist church. Then you are "encouraged" by Scripture to TITHE to your local church.