Tithing – A Plan for Grateful Giving

Here's an article I wrote for a major Catholic magazine a few years ago. While I'm not Catholic and I know many of my readers aren't as well, I think the general principles in this piece make it worthwhile for us all to consider.

If you’re like many Christians, you’re scoffing at this title: “Tithing?  Get real!  That’s Old Testament stuff!  We have freedom to give as we please.”  Others may not even know what “tithing” means.  And seldom do people link happiness with giving money away.  But giving can – and should – produce joy for Christians.

Tithing is the principle of giving 10% of your income to the Church.  In today’s secularized society, the thought of giving away that much or more is considered outrageous.  But it hasn’t always been that way.

Tithing is first seen in the Old Testament as a standard for expressing honor to God.  In Jesus’ day, tithing was assumed, yet He called us to a higher standard.  Christians are to give abundantly, sacrificially, and cheerfully.  The Catholic Encyclopedia confirms this teaching stating: “instead of a compulsory method of church support, the spirit of free-will offerings” is the rule.

So how have we done by giving voluntarily?  A recent survey by Charles Zech at Villanova University showed that Catholics were giving just over 1% of their incomes – the lowest of the 20 denominations surveyed.  According to Money magazine, this places Catholics just above half the giving rate for all Americans – Christian or non-Christian.  So what do these findings say about honoring God and loving our neighbor?

Should we institute a mandatory system?  Maybe the Church should just “send us a bill”.  But does this encourage a generous spirit?  Of course not!  So where do we begin?

Giving needs to be done privately and prayerfully.  Then it can be done with the proper spirit – joyfully – as we thank God for His provision and the privilege of helping others in need.  But giving won’t happen by accident.  We need to incorporate regular giving into our financial plans in order to make a difference.  Here are some ideas for doing just that: 

• Make a plan – The first step is to determine what you are giving and spending in relation to what you are earning.  This is called a cash flow plan or budget.  Without a written plan, it’s like trying to go from the East Coast to the West without a map.  You may remember where you’ve been, but you’re never quite sure where you’re going.  With a plan, you are in a position to control your own finances.  “When we’re asked to give above our yearly commitment,” comments Mary Skowronski, a parishioner at St. Jude’s in Grand Rapids, Michigan, “we’re able to look at our budget and determine what we’re able to give.”

• Give first – The next step is to make giving a priority.  Consider where you want your level of giving to be.  For example, many Christian financial planners advocate allotting 10% of the gross income to the church and then budgeting the rest.  Barbara Scholtz, a tither for 38 years, recommends 10% as well.  Her husband is the stewardship director for the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida and together they promote stewardship and sacrificial giving.  She states, “Tithing is Scriptural (see Deuteronomy), spiritual, and fair because it’s based on a percentage of income.”  And while she does leave room for giving a specific amount, she prefers the percentage.  Whatever you decide for your family, be sure to make it a priority.  “We make our giving commitment every year, and it’s the first check we write each week," notes Skowronski.  Scholtz confirms this method.  “You have to write the giving checks first or nothing will be left over to give.”

• Take small steps – For some people, the tithe is a starting point.  For others, it may seem impossible.  As you assess your current level of living and giving, you may find that gradually increasing your percentages each year might help you achieve your goal.  Scholtz started at 10% but notes that not everyone can do this.  “We encourage people that if they are giving 1% to try 2% for six months and move up as possible.  We’ve seen the Lord be faithful in providing as we tithed, and He’ll do the same as people grow their giving.”

• Get out of debt – Debts can suck the life out of any financial plan.  Determine to pay off debt as soon as possible and live within your means.  Financial expert, author, and radio host Dave Ramsey recommends a “debt snowball”.  This method reallocates payments for retired debts to existing loans until the payments become large enough to consume all debts. 

• Give from “extra” money – Each year there is usually money that flows in from unexpected sources.  A few of these are raises, tax returns, gifts, bonuses, and garage sales.  Resolve to give these funds to help you achieve your goal even faster.  “We set our giving as a percent of our income, so when our salaries increase, our giving automatically increases,” comments Skowronski.

• Give creatively – While giving cash is often the easiest and most obvious method of giving, there are plenty of other opportunities for you to give from your abundance.  For instance, you can donate appreciated stocks, an unneeded car, or free services from your business.  With the internet, you can give while you shop.  On-line sites such as www.igive.com will donate a percentage of your total bill to a charity of your choice. Look for other unique ways you can give.

• “Create” more cash to give – There are hundreds of ways you can create extra money in order to give it away.  Sell or donate those unused clothes and items around your house, and then offer the unused space to a renter or for storage.  Collect your spare change each day and give it away at the end of the month.  Just $2 collected each day adds up to over $700 in a year!  Turn a hobby into a mini-business and give away the earnings.  The possibilities here are endless.

• Observe the poor – The story of the widow’s mite in the Bible is played out in the Villanova research noted above – it appears that the poor know how to give.  Zech discovered that mid and high income Catholics give a much lower percent of their incomes than their Protestant counterparts or lower income Catholics.   “Lower income people understand giving because they often have to share with each other just to survive,” says Scholtz.  Father John Whalen from North English, Iowa concurs.  He shares that his poor, rural congregation is “just good at giving.  They don’t have the money to give, but if there’s a need, they always fill it.”  Learn how willing the poor are to share and determine to incorporate the same spirit into your own plans.

• Involve your children in giving – Children learn much more from what we do than what we say.  Teaching them the importance of giving to others will help to develop love and compassion for those less fortunate.  It might also help them to be satisfied with what they have, knowing others have much less.

• Study the Bible – The more you know what the Bible says on giving, the more inclined you’ll be to give.  Some good passages to start with include Luke 16, 2 Corinthians 8-9, and Acts 2.  Let the example of the early church encourage you in the grace of giving.  And ask your priest for additional study suggestions.  Additionally, Barbara Scholtz reminds us: “You must also pray.  This is a daily journey and you need to pray each day to keep giving.”

• Give your time and talent too – While the concept of stewardship reminds most people of giving money, The National Catholic Stewardship Council states “We know from the Bible that everything we have is a gift from God. We are stewards – managers of the many gifts God has given to us. As Christian stewards, we recognize that all that we are – all that we have – belongs to God, and we are accountable to Him for the use of all things. Therefore, we must live and give as Christians, generously sharing our God-given gifts of time, talent and treasure.”  So as you plan to give more, plan to serve more as well.

Comments

[MM]

Im a frequent reader (well new, I just found your blog but have been coming often ever since) and a Catholic.
I'm not sure why most Catholics don't tend to give 10% or more but I think its due to theres many ministries/organizations withthin our parish (church) that always ask for money, so our contribution gets split up.

ps thanks for your time in sharing your knowledge and tips of financial matters, I am a young college student and hope to be able to grow finacially