100 Disciples: Fall Stewardship Campaign
Each Fall churches look at the budget for the coming year. Often there is a financial campaign, asking church members to make a pledge to God’s kingdom through the local congregation. The pledges, in turn, give an indication of how much money will be available for the church’s budget.
In the Fall churches often talk about tithing or proportional giving (giving in proportion to one’s income). Tithing is “the setting aside of one-tenth of one's income for God as is specifically noted in the Bible. Tithing has been the traditional minimum standard of giving for Christians. The United Methodist Church has taken the official position that tithing is the standard for United Methodists, and the practice of tithing is to be actively encouraged in every local church” (A Dictionary for United Methodists, Alan K. Waltz, © 1991, Abingdon Press).
While all of this can be good, there is a problem. It can give the impression that we have to raise money for a budget and therefore that is why we give our money to the church.
The truth is, it is not our money in the first place. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalm 24:1a NRSV). First, God gives to us. God allows us to be stewards, managing what belongs to God. In so doing, God forms us in his image to be a people who share and give. We give, then, because God calls us to give, to be like God the Father and Creator. Giving is a spiritual issue for each of us and for the Church. We do not give in order to raise money for a church budget.
Jesus spoke about money and possessions in sixteen of his thirty-eight recorded parables (42%)! Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He also said, “No one can serve two master; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:21, 24 NRSV).
We are called to give generously and cheerfully, trusting that God will take care of us. Unfortunately, we are not doing too well. In the United Methodist Church, instead of giving a minimum of 10% we give an average of about 2% (and we are the wealthiest people on the planet). If Jesus was right, if our giving, wealth, and possessions are a spiritual issue, then we are struggling spiritually. We are struggling in our formation as God’s stewards who give and share like God. Where is our heart? Who is our Master? As Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24 NRSV).
This points to a bigger issue. Our purpose in the Church is not to raise money for a budget. Our goal is not even to make members who will give. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world. Our giving is but one part of our discipleship.
In the ancient Church, Tertullian (c.160-c.225) said, “Christians are made, not born.” Just like Olympic athletes are made and not born, the kind of people we become is directly related to the habits we practice in life. There are several practices or habits that help form us as disciples of Jesus Christ.
We promise to practice these habits as members of the church. All members affirm that they will be loyal to Christ through the United Methodist Church and will faithfully participate in the ministries of the local congregation by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service and their witness. Specifically, these habits look something like this:
So yes, this Fall we will ask all members to give to God’s kingdom through Salem Church. We will ask all members to give to the church in proportion to their income. Not because we need to raise money for a budget, but because as God’s people we share what God has given us. We give because we are made in the image of God and God gives.
We will not only ask members to give, however. Rather, we will remind members to honor all of our membership vows and renew all the practices that form us as disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
It is true: since the flood last year, Salem’s attendance and giving has declined. Certainly that reality will be reflected in the budget for next year. That, however, is not the point. If we practice the habits of discipleship the budget will take care of itself. In fact our little budget would only be a small part of the ministry and mission we would support throughout the world. Let us live as disciples of Jesus Christ with wild abandon! Our founder, John Wesley once said, "Give me one hundred people who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergy or lay, they alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of God upon the earth.”
In the Fall churches often talk about tithing or proportional giving (giving in proportion to one’s income). Tithing is “the setting aside of one-tenth of one's income for God as is specifically noted in the Bible. Tithing has been the traditional minimum standard of giving for Christians. The United Methodist Church has taken the official position that tithing is the standard for United Methodists, and the practice of tithing is to be actively encouraged in every local church” (A Dictionary for United Methodists, Alan K. Waltz, © 1991, Abingdon Press).
While all of this can be good, there is a problem. It can give the impression that we have to raise money for a budget and therefore that is why we give our money to the church.
The truth is, it is not our money in the first place. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalm 24:1a NRSV). First, God gives to us. God allows us to be stewards, managing what belongs to God. In so doing, God forms us in his image to be a people who share and give. We give, then, because God calls us to give, to be like God the Father and Creator. Giving is a spiritual issue for each of us and for the Church. We do not give in order to raise money for a church budget.
Jesus spoke about money and possessions in sixteen of his thirty-eight recorded parables (42%)! Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He also said, “No one can serve two master; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:21, 24 NRSV).
We are called to give generously and cheerfully, trusting that God will take care of us. Unfortunately, we are not doing too well. In the United Methodist Church, instead of giving a minimum of 10% we give an average of about 2% (and we are the wealthiest people on the planet). If Jesus was right, if our giving, wealth, and possessions are a spiritual issue, then we are struggling spiritually. We are struggling in our formation as God’s stewards who give and share like God. Where is our heart? Who is our Master? As Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24 NRSV).
This points to a bigger issue. Our purpose in the Church is not to raise money for a budget. Our goal is not even to make members who will give. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world. Our giving is but one part of our discipleship.
In the ancient Church, Tertullian (c.160-c.225) said, “Christians are made, not born.” Just like Olympic athletes are made and not born, the kind of people we become is directly related to the habits we practice in life. There are several practices or habits that help form us as disciples of Jesus Christ.
We promise to practice these habits as members of the church. All members affirm that they will be loyal to Christ through the United Methodist Church and will faithfully participate in the ministries of the local congregation by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service and their witness. Specifically, these habits look something like this:
- We worship together every week unless sick or out of town;
- We pray for our church and the world;
- In addition to worship, we pursue spiritual growth and deep relationships in Bible studies, classes, small and medium size groups, and Sunday school classes;
- We help one another discover our spiritual gifts and use them regularly to serve in the church and in the world, especially in peace and justice ministries;
- We seek to offer warm hospitality to those who come into our midst;
- We give to the church in proportion to our incomes (tithe);
- We share God’s grace and truth with those all around us in our circle of influence: in our homes and neighborhoods, at work, with our friends and family members – all the places we go and all the people we know;
- We participate however we can wherever we see God working in the world.
So yes, this Fall we will ask all members to give to God’s kingdom through Salem Church. We will ask all members to give to the church in proportion to their income. Not because we need to raise money for a budget, but because as God’s people we share what God has given us. We give because we are made in the image of God and God gives.
We will not only ask members to give, however. Rather, we will remind members to honor all of our membership vows and renew all the practices that form us as disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
It is true: since the flood last year, Salem’s attendance and giving has declined. Certainly that reality will be reflected in the budget for next year. That, however, is not the point. If we practice the habits of discipleship the budget will take care of itself. In fact our little budget would only be a small part of the ministry and mission we would support throughout the world. Let us live as disciples of Jesus Christ with wild abandon! Our founder, John Wesley once said, "Give me one hundred people who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergy or lay, they alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of God upon the earth.”
The OT biblical tithe was never income. It was always only food from inside Israel which had been miraculously increased by God. Although money was common even in Genesis, money is never include in 16 texts which describe the contents of the tithe for over 1500 years from Leviticus to Luke. Jesus, Peter and Paul did not qualify as tithe - payers and neither did the poor nor anybody who lived outside Israel.
ReplyDelete2 Cor 8:12-15 say it best for Christians.