Did Someone Say Tithe?

The subject of a Tithe has come up a few times during discussions of the Stewardship campaign. Usually, folks are a bit wary of saying it too loudly, or too seriously.

Tithing, if you don't already know, is the so-called biblical practice of giving ten percent of one's income to the church. I was not familiar with the biblical support for a tithe, so I did a little light research. There seems to be a lot of gray area about whether a tithe was ever expected or given by anyone in biblical times. Of course, there are currently plenty of people who give 10% or more of their income to the church. You know some of them. There is also a widely held perception of a biblical call for a tithe. You may hear more about it soon.

While I am somewhat skeptical about a biblical mandate, I like the idea of a tithe, as it gets people thinking about giving as a percentage of income. The idea of a percentage of income helps each of us to understand how much or how little we are giving in relation to our total budget. For example, if my family spends 10% of our income each year on entertainment - travel, dining out, shows, movies, etc - and 5% on charitable contributions (mostly to the church), then I am forced to conclude that entertainment is twice as important to us as supporting the church and helping people in need. Ouch! It can be kind of painful to think about it this way! Enough about me.

Let us look at typical pledges at First Congo, and the percentage of income idea. The typical family (pledging unit) at First Congo makes a monthly contribution to the church of $100, or an annual amount of $1200. This is the actual median pledge - half of us contribute more, half less. When considered as a percentage of income, how much is $1200? The median family income in our area is about $80,000 per year. If our church membership is representative of the Madison area, then the median income of our pledging households is close to $80,000. If that is the case, our median pledge amount of $1200 is 1.5% of income. I don't know if the $80,000 figure is valid, but 1.5% seems like a pretty small percentage to me. Visualize Phil Certain standing at the front of the sanctuary at pledge time, and clipping off the top part of a dollar bill for God. I cannot help but think that a 1.5% sliver is going to be pretty hard to see from the pews. Again, there are plenty of folks who give more than this percentage. Thank You! Thank you to everyone who contributes to our church. There would be no church without you! But I repeat, the median pledge at First Congo is probably about 1.5% of income, which is a small percentage.

If and when you hear about a tithe, please use it as an opportunity to think about your pledge as a percentage of income. No one is going to snoop into your tax returns. That is between you and your accountant. Your pledge amount, and how you determine it, is between you and your God.