Money is not easy to discuss with your parishioners. But you will be surprised to know that the Bible has mentions of tithes and offerings in it. People may not be aware of them; therefore, it is your church’s responsibility to share why giving is a vital part of our faith. As your church shares…
Money is not easy to discuss with your parishioners. But you will be surprised to know that the Bible has mentions of tithes and offerings in it. People may not be aware of them; therefore, it is your church’s responsibility to share why giving is a vital part of our faith.
As your church shares the reasons and ways for followers to give to your church, use the scriptures in this article to enlighten them on what the Bible says about tithing.
The Bible first mentions tithing in the first book of the Old Testament. In Genesis 14:18-20, Abraham gives one-tenth of the spoils of war to Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem.
Throughout the Old Testament, tithes were given to authority figures to determine how God wanted them to be used. As we move through the Old Testament, many verses state the importance of the law.
However, by the New Testament, Christians were not ordered to tithe but encouraged to give from the heart. Jesus rails against the Pharisees for their focus on money and charges his followers to care more about justice, love, and fairness.
He states that everything on earth belongs to God and that true giving comes from inside. Therefore, Christians now give offerings to continue God’s good works.
To tithe is to give 10% of your resources or income to the church. So if Christians are giving to their churches but less than that amount, it cannot be considered tithing.
Latest church-giving statistics indicate that Christians give about 2.5% of their income to the church. So we can conclude that most Christians are not tithing anymore.
What can be the reason behind it?
Most Christians understand why churches need to collect money. They also feel that tithing is an essential part of their faith. But too much focus on it turns them suspicious.
For example, Billy Graham discusses how much and when to give but emphasizes that God knows what’s happening in our lives. As a Christian, Graham believes how much you give depends on your relationship with God.
The best way to reach these parishioners is through the heart, by being transparent and showing how their gifts spread God’s message and love.
Churches have tools like online donation forms and fundraising campaigns to make this happen. Through these tools, they can share their need for fundraising, the goal, past and future impact, as well as the giving amounts that will best help the church. Check out this live example of an online donation page and form, created by Church of the Way on Donorbox.
Accept Online Tithing with Donorbox!
The Israelites saw tithing as God’s law. Throughout the Old Testament, several verses discuss tithing.
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that though shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver, and brass.
They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the Lord.
And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.
I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.
“Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe.’”
Though shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with three,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall bust out with new wine.
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, said the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Jesus’s arrival in the Bible changed everything. The importance of tithing transformed irreversibly.
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when though doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I saw unto you, they have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; that thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much, And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more I, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
But woe unto you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgement and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and to leave the other undone.
After Jesus, there is no tithing requirement in the New Testament, but it is mentioned in some places.
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
But this I say, He which soeth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soeth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Your parishioners expect to hear about tithing during Sunday service. But churches may want to be careful about discussing God’s giving laws and what’s expected of them.
Traditionally, Christians gave one-tenth of their income. As more news stories come out about church leaders using these funds for themselves, Christians have become cautious about giving.
There are ways your church can discuss tithing and ask for gifts without turning off your congregation. Donorbox helps thousands of churches by offering them simple yet effective means to accept online tithes and offerings. Our features are tailored to meet your church’s needs and to make the giving process faster and smoother for your donors. Give this quick video a watch to learn why churches choose Donorbox for better fundraising –
Christians want to know what Jesus cared about, and tithing may be an area of confusion.
Jesus hated the Pharisees’ hypocrisy about money but wasn’t clueless about the church’s and people’s needs. Jesus shared how giving what you can provide will always be more appreciated than any traditional laws. His story about a widow who gave gold and silver made his followers understand that God notices any gift from the heart.
So when it comes to asking parishioners to tithe, mention what Jesus said. Your online donation page should include the words of Jesus and references to the Bible. This will inspire Christians to learn more and feel connected to your church. This assurance and motivation will encourage them to support your church.
See this example from Apostolic Faith Church. Their donation page content starts with what Jesus said, followed by what tithing and offering mean. They’ve also mentioned the different ways to help their church including giving the suggested donation amounts.
Transparency about how your church uses tithes is vital to building and strengthening relationships with your parishioners.
When asking for tithes and offerings, both during services and external events, you must tell people exactly where their donations will go. You can do this in speeches, appeal letters, and online donation forms.
Donorbox enables you to add suggested giving amounts to your church donation form. And you can also add impact details with each of these amounts. This helps people see how their donations would help your church and the lives you support.
Look at how Holy Cross Church – Catford is utilizing the below Donorbox-hosted fundraising page to accept recurring donations and showcase the impact of weekly donations through the customized donation form.
Create Customized Church Donation Form
One way to limit the continuous appeal during services that should focus on God’s message is to give members and visitors other ways to give.
For example, you can have QR codes to your donation page pasted on the walls of your church lobby. You can also share text-giving information there. Another great and simple way to grab the attention of your church visitors is to set up a giving kiosk at the church.
Donorbox lets you create simple and efficient church donation forms and pages to accept tithes. You can add weekly or monthly (as well as other) recurring intervals to your form and encourage people to become regular givers. Every campaign you create on Donorbox comes with a free QR code. You can download and add it to your program or lobby.
Donorbox Text-to-Give is a great option for you to empower your parishioners to give with their smartphones. Share your unique campaign ID and the texting number with them, so they can text whenever they want to and easily support your church.
Donorbox Text-to-Give - Learn More!
Finally, the Donorbox Live ™ Kiosk app will make it easier for you to set up a giving kiosk at your church. Just add this app to your tablet device and pair it with a card reader to get started. Your donors can select a giving amount and tap, dip, or swipe their cards, smartphones, and smartwatches to give via secure and quick transactions.
As we can see, Christian’s views of tithing and offerings transformed thanks to Jesus’s teachings and followers’ situations. Today, tithing is no longer seen as an obligation. It is another way to share God’s love and good works in your life.
That doesn’t mean your church needs to hesitate to ask for tithes and offerings. Create an online donation page and add what the Bible and Jesus said about the importance of giving.
Enlightening parishioners about newer ways to support the church will inspire them. At the same time, make it easy for them to give and improve transparency with effective tools like Donorbox.
Donorbox brings you several powerful features to improve your giving experience and boost donations. Learn about them in detail on our website. Sign up for free to start fundraising now!
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Kristine Ensor is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience working with local and international nonprofits. As a nonprofit professional she has specialized in fundraising, marketing, event planning, volunteer management, and board development.
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Kristine Ensor