Do you include tithing in your household budget? Congregational leaders hope you do.
The most recent cover story of Christianity Today talks about the lack of generosity among U.S. Christians and what its repercussions will be as the economy gets worse and more folks need a helping hand. Here's the stats:
More than one out of four American Protestants give away no money at all--"not even a token $5 per year," say sociologists Christian Smith, Michael Emerson, and Patricia Snell in a new study on Christian giving, "Passing the Plate" (Oxford University Press). Of all Christian groups, evangelical Protestants score best: Only 10 percent give nothing away. Evangelicals tend to be the most generous, but they do not outperform their peers enough to wear a badge of honor. Thirty-six percent report that they give away less than 2 percent of their income. Only about 27 percent tithe.
Do you tithe? If so, how do you determine how much to give? How does your house of worship encourage you to increase your giving?
Leave a comment