Tithing is not a popular practice among U.S. Christians and some pastors believe the church hasn’t done the best job in relaying the significance of giving a tenth of one’s income.
“We’re not talking about it in the right way. When the church has talked about money, it’s in a guilt thing or obligation, and it is very much in a transactional way — do this and God will do that,” Glen Packiam, lead pastor of New Life Downtown in Colorado, said in a recent podcast.
Daniel Grothe, associate senior pastor of New Life Church, knows all too well the message on tithing many pastors give: “Sow your seed so you can reap your harvest.” Grothe grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which he labeled the “word of faith” capital of the universe.
The problem with these messages is that they make it all about “you” and not about the community.
“This is not about you and Jesus being OK. This is about God blessing us to make us a blessing because whether or not you’re struggling, someone out there is struggling and if we will pool our strength, if we will be the church, there will be single moms and their little kids rejoicing because of it,” said Grothe.
Though 83 percent of churchgoers believe tithing is a biblical command that still applies today, only 54 percent of those who attend church at least once a month say they tithe, according to LifeWay Research.
It’s fair to say that many people are hesitant to give and skeptical of the local church “because they’ve seen so much mismanagement of money,” Packiam acknowledged. “They’ve seen pastors … padding their own bank accounts; they’re not helping the poor.
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SOURCE: Christian Post, Sheryl Lynn
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