I was reading an article today on church tithes being lower than they have in years, for reasons ranging from the recession to the impact of churches following a “seeker friendly” philosophy where new believers think more about what churches can do for them, rather than teaching them to have a servant’s heart like Jesus
I am kind of torn on this one, but the reality is, in general, Christians have always been inconsistent with tithes, though I am little shocked that tithing is so low in general at the moment
Some quick facts from the 20th annual study on church giving from Empty Tomb Inc. (data from 2008):
- Giving to churches declined to 2.4 percent of a donor’s income, lower than during the first years of the Great Depression; a total of $172 billion could be available if church members tithed 10 percent (imagine what could be done every year with $172 billion, we could wipe out world hunger overnight!)
- 92 percent of charitable giving by people younger than 25 goes to “church, religious organizations,” according to federal data. As age increases, so does the amount given to other categories, including charities and educational institutions
- In 2008, church giving spent on “benevolence” including global missions and social services slipped to 0.35 percent of income, the lowest in the study’s 40-year sample
- In 2008, the Salvation Army collected a record $130 million through its annual storefront bell-ringer campaign
Amazing statistics!
2 Corinthians 9:7
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver
Young people give to churches the most, but the older people get, the more likely they are to give money to non-church related charities and organization
I have no idea why this is, do you?
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