By Editor Bob Terry
Judging from the headlines, one would think that church giving is headed in a positive direction. After all, 97 percent of evangelical Christians, including Baptists, contribute to their local churches, according to a study by George Barna. In 2004, the average amount of money donated to churches was $895 per donor.
Perhaps that is why you can be sure the budget most churches are preparing for 2006 will be more than the church budget for 2005.
But when one looks behind the numbers, the financial direction for church giving is not good. Barna’s study also pointed out that when adjusted for inflation, the actual giving by members to churches was 2 percent less in 2004 than it was in 1999.
Giving to churches has been in trouble for a long time. In 1916, Protestants gave 2.9 percent of their income to churches. In 1933, in the depths of the Great Depression, Protestants gave 3.2 percent of their income to churches. In 1955, just after affluence began spreading through American culture, giving was still 3.2 percent of income.
Giving remained at more than 3 percent through the 1960s. In 1968, for example, giving still equaled 3.11 percent of income. But by 2002, when Americans were more than 480 percent richer — after taxes and inflation — than during the Great Depression, Protestants gave 2.6 percent of their income to churches, according to a study by empty tomb inc.
A look at American spending habits does not bode well for the future of church giving. The average American spends $1.20 for every $1 earned. The result is that America is a debt-ridden society. One in three born-again Christians say they find getting ahead in life to be impossible because of the financial debt they have incurred.
Bankruptcies are soaring. Money is reported to be the leading cause of marital conflict, and Americans now save at the lowest rate since the Great Depression. Of every $1,000 earned, the average amount saved is $5.
Many Alabama Baptist families, like other families across the nation, have trouble making their monthly payments. Second incomes have become necessities for many families. Ironically a family’s spending habits seem to go up in proportion to the amount of the second income, economists report.
Some have speculated that living with little or nothing creates a type of pressure that people respond to by buying something new with the first extra dollar they get. Unfortunately the result of such impulse buying is more debt and economic pressure. Until Christian families learn to be good stewards with their money, church giving will continue to decrease.
Christian stewardship begins with making church giving a priority. Malachi 3:8ff teaches the first part of one’s earnings belongs to God — the tithe, or 10 percent.
Scaling down one’s want list is also an important step. Caring for one’s family is important. That point is made explicitly clear in 1 Timothy 5:8. But how much is enough? There is a difference between needs and wants. Learning that difference is difficult.
Christian money counselors also urge paying bills on time. The writer of Psalm 37:21 calls those who borrow and do not pay back “wicked.” That is not the way for God’s people. By paying bills on time, one avoids extra charges and fees, which have the effect of unexpectedly cutting into one’s income.
An important part of Christian stewardship is for Christians to pray about how God would have them reduce financial obligations. This is a personal matter that no one can do for another. We all know that God’s plan is for the Christian steward to have something left over, something for offerings and something for life.
There is nothing wrong with having wealth, but wealth will not bring happiness. It is the love of money, not money itself, that the Bible calls the root of all evil.
That is why the heart of Christian stewardship is one’s relationship to God. God has to be one’s first priority. Living according to His guidance is the way to become a good and obedient financial steward.
For a church to talk about money seems like meddling to some but it is not. Helping members grow and develop in Christian stewardship is as important as helping members grow in prayer, Bible study and ministry.
All are obedient responses to the commands of God. Churches would do well to regularly provide instruction that will help members grow in their understanding and practice of Christian stewardship.
Only then will we see a turn-around in the downward direction of church giving.
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