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Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10
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FAQs regarding giving and pledges
There are two basic reasons why we ask people for pledges. First, it helps us in the budgeting process. Once we receive the pledges, we can build the budget. Second, pledging is a helpful way of maintaining personal discipline. If I make a pledge, I am more likely to follow through on my good intentions. Also, we provide you with quarterly statements to help you track your progress. Aren't churches supported primarily by a few rich people?
This is occasionally true but certainly not Church of the Holy Apostles. Most of our members have above average income, but none have great wealth. Everyone's support is needed and important.
Doesn't the church receive financial support from the diocese?
The exact opposite is true. They don’t support us. We support them. The diocese does provide partial funding during the early days of a new congregation. For us, that lasted three years.Since then, we have been self supporting. In addition, we are required to send money to the diocese to support their programs.
Does the church receive financial support from endowments or foundations?
There are some congregations that have endowments. These are older congregations in which wealthy members have given substantial amounts, usually in their wills. We do not have an endowment. The diocese does have a foundation that assists new congregations with construction of their initial facilities. We did receive a $2 million grant that helped us build our wonderful facility. However, we receive no support for operations or debt service.
Where does the money I give go?
We publish our budget every year and it is always available for examination. As noted above,some of the money goes to the diocese to support their ministries and programs. However, most of our income is used to support our own ministry services.
Is there an amount I should give?
That is between you and God. However, as a starting point, you should know that it costs about $5,000 per household to run the church. Of course, not everyone has equal resources. This is why the Bible commends the practice of percentage giving. In particular, the Bible looks to the tithe (i.e., the first ten percent of our income) as a standard of giving.
Isn’t the tithe an Old Testament requirement?
The tithe was introduced in the Old Testament but the practice was commended by Jesus. Further, the New Testament tends to establish higher standards than the Old Testament. However, these standards are to originate from full and grateful hearts rather than being a matter of forced obedience. God loves a cheerful giver.
What if I want to give but can’t afford to tithe? This is a common occurrence. There are two possibilities. First a person could change lifestyles. Most people have ways of squeezing their personal budgets. People can also work their way into tithing. For example, start at five percent this year, and then increase the percentage over three or four years until you reach ten percent. Regardless of where you start, it is important that you start. Giving is an important part of our Christian journey and every gift is important.
Where can I find out more about Christian giving? There is a wonderful new website, Generous Giving- Experience the Joy. Its address is www.generousgiving.org. This site is loaded with an unimaginable amount of information on every conceivable facet of giving.We also have a 30 Day Stewardship Devotional that can help you learn, pray and discern your giving. What if I still have questions? Give us a call. We would be happy to visit with you. |
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