Posted on 04/14/2008 10:41:20 PM PDT by Between the Lines
Only 9 percent of all born again adults gave 10 percent of their income to churches and charitable groups, a new survey revealed.
While the practice of tithing and whether it is a biblical responsibility is still debated today, The Barna Group found that very few Americans, including Christians, give tithe.
Overall, only 5 percent of U.S. adults tithed in 2007, the survey released Monday showed. Since 2000, the proportion of adults who tithed has remained in the 5 percent to 7 percent range.
The most generous group was the evangelicals, with 24 percent having tithed last year. Other groups who were more likely to give at least 10 percent of their income include conservatives (12 percent); people who had prayed, read the Bible and attended a church service during the past week (12 percent); charismatic or Pentecostal Christians (11 percent); and registered Republicans (10 percent).
Evangelical Christians gave high donations with 83 percent contributing at least $1000 to churches and non-profit entities in 2007. Among all adults, only 34 percent gave away $1000 or more that year.
Regarding donations only to religious centers – church, synagogue or other place of worship – 25 percent of all adults contributed at least $1000. Ninety-six percent of evangelicals gave money to a church and 81 percent of them donated at least $1000.
Despite the generous contributions to churches by evangelicals, an earlier study released by Ellison Research last month revealed that only a minority of evangelicals believe it is a sin to not tithe 10 percent of their income. Over four out of 10 evangelicals believe it is a sin not to tithe, but other studies show relatively few evangelicals actually do so.
The March study also showed that more Protestants than Roman Catholics considered the failure to tithe a sin. According to this week’s Barna study, Protestants were more likely to tithe compared to Catholics (8 percent vs. 2 percent of Catholics) in 2007.
Donations by the aggregate born again community (both evangelicals and on-evangelical born again adults) reached the highest level this decade. The mean donation to non-profits and churches was $1971. But the new study was quick to note that the percentage of born again adults who gave any money to churches dropped to 76 percent – its lowest level this decade.
"Born again adults remain the most generous givers in a country acknowledged to be the most generous on the planet," said George Barna, head of the research group. "But their donation decisions must be seen in the larger context of the changes occurring in a wide range of religious behaviors.
"With millions of people shifting their allegiance to different forms of church experience, and a more participatory society altering how people interact and serve others, many Christians are now giving their money to different types of organizations instead of a church," he continued. "They attend conventional churches less often. They are expanding their circle of Christian relationships beyond local church boundaries. And they are investing greater amounts of their time and money in service organizations that are not connected with a conventional church. That doesn’t make such giving inappropriate or less significant, it’s just a different way of addressing social needs."
Of all the money born agains have donated, the proportion given to the churches has dropped over the past three years. The proportion born again adults give to churches declined from 84 cents out of every donated dollar during the first five years of the decade to 76 cents.
"The choices being made by born again donors have huge implications for the non-profit sector," said Barna. "Realize that a majority of the money donated by individuals in the U.S. comes from the born again constituency. If this transition in the perceptions and giving behavior of born again adults continues to accelerate, the service functions of conventional churches will be redefined within the next eight to 10 years, and conventional churches will have to adopt new ways of assisting people in need."
If only this was what the money actually went for! But it is usually gobbled up by multi-million dollar buildings, salaries for zillions of staff and so on. Very little ends up outside the costs of church administration.
I suppose the gov’t was not taking over 1/3 of your income when that 10% figure came out.
Yeah every year my church’s operational budget is around 8 figures for two buildings. They have literally a program for every conceivable thing.
Got to remember ? the suckers,, opps, I mean the church folk got to pay for the pastors ( Salary ) love affair in the Bahamas with the church secretary while his wife is out of town with the coffee gossips group buying shoes with their husbands credit cards.....
I guess I haven’t been taught it is a sin not to tithe, but rather whatever you give is an indicator of your relationship to God. Not everyone (elderly, large families) may be able to swing the 10%. Most probably could, but guilting someone into increasing giving by 4-500% instantly isn’t going to make a cheerful giver (God wants people to give happily as well). What kind of a gift is it if it’s given forcibly or with contempt. (It’s taxes then!)
Also, time and talent can also be considered a well as treasure.
Generally our church has not asked people to tithe, what we did do is identify about 6-7 different giving levels (certain dollar ranges) and listed a population foreach giving group. What they asked people to do was, if after they prayed about it, send in a card (without their name) that they would pledge to give at the next higher level (or even jumping a level) than they were currently at. That way the person has time to think about what they are currently giving, examine their budget, see where they can make changes if necessary, and they can give more, but freely and cheerfully. Next year they can re-examine their giving. It’s not about comparing giving between others, but yourself.
Don’t all Mormons/LDS give 10% of their gross income, while RLDS give 10% of net?
Surprising.
It makes a lot of sense, with no organized church, who are they supposed to give it to?
Tithing is just the beginning.
We Fast for two meals a month and give a “Fast offering” for the needy.
Then there is the missionary fund.
The Perpetual Educational fund. Seed money is being given to help those who cannot afford an education to get one. Then, they are expected to pay it back so the next group can go.
Then there is the time donations working on the Welfare farms and the welfare canneries.
It's late and I think I forgot something.
fred
Thats because they are too busy trying to buy food and gas.
OK, which one? Seriously, I've never had this explained to me satisfactorily. Do you write off your taxes? Then how do you keep your hands from knowing what the other is doing? DO you give out of your poverty? How do you do that? Hasn't tithing in the Christian church replaced the phylacteries and tassels? Inquiring minds want to know.
No one who is truly born again should be weighted down by the yoke of the tithe. This teaching misses the point of Scripture for the Christian: we don’t own anything. We ought to thank God for all we have and get, spending on ourselves what is NEEDED for living, and cheerfully giving back to kingdom work (not all of which is one’s church) as He leads. Tithing is chicken feed, representing fear of man rather than fear of God.
A couple good sites on this topic:
http://www.tithing-russkelly.com/
You’re right, in the New Testament, there is no command to tithe. There is the command to give cheerfully. Of course you may deduct it from your taxes, just like any legal deduction. I think the “do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing” is more allegorical. It is wrong to shout from the rooftops or stand up in church waving a check and letting everyone know how much you gave. I was having a philosophical discussion about giving with a buddy who is a church elder. He sees the check so he knows what I give, but I still felt funny when I mentioned how I break up my donations between church and other ministries.
In some churces, sadly, they require at least a tithe and sometimes ask to look at your income statements to assure that they are getting their money, so I fear that you’re right about the phylacteries and adornments.
My recommendation, find a good small church that’s not overly concerned with multiple staff, tons of programs and a soaring edifice, but more concerned with ministry and preaching the Bible.
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