Does your church tithe?

We ard as members all encouraged to tithe. The church itself tithes the offerings given and 10% goes directly to the mission fund I think.

Have no idea, although my church believes if you don't tithe to it, you are robbing God. What it then does with that money is anyone's guess. We would be in leadership at our church, but my pastor and I disagree with the Biblical teaching on tithing, although I would love to sit down and discuss it with him.

Now when you ask if my church tithes, are you talking about the OT principle of bringing animals and grain, then eating it together and sharing it with the widows, orphans and strangers as well as the tribe of Levi every three years? Your church does that?

I've actually talked to the pastor about this. At the moment, the church isn't making enough to pay its bills, but still receiving assistance from another church in Arizona.

But the future plan is to fund missions based away from our area and various other outreaches within the local community.

no. we do not see the tithe as being applicable to the NT Church, individually or as a insitution. We give as God leads to those in need.

If a church were to tithe - as an institution - who/what would the church tithe to?

And what does it do with the other 90%?

Svt4Him said:

Now when you ask if my church tithes, are you talking about the OT principle of bringing animals and grain, then eating it together and sharing it with the widows, orphans and strangers as well as the tribe of Levi every three years? Your church does that?

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Hehehehe

I like that!

Yes, we tithe to the apostolic team under whose covering we we are .. most of the money goes to support churches in other countries.
As for the 'other 90%', it pays the bills, the pastor and administrator, and any other 'running expenses' and the rest is used to help those in need.

donnamabob said:

Hehehehe

I like that!

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we actually eat together at least once a week. Lunch is prepared and served right after the Sunday service. When we had a mid-week we ate first.

Yes. My church tithes and gives offering.

Yes, 10% of what we receive goes out -- missions, charity etc.

Yes we send a tithe of all our offerings to the Pentecostal Assemblies organization. I am not sure how they use it and I although I am in favour of the tithe, i am not sure about sending it here. But that is what happens. This is over and above missions and benevolence.

our church basically splits all income 50/50. 50% goes out to conference, benevolence, and missions, (10%, 20%, 20%) and the other 50% is used for operating expenses.

the way we afford to do that is thru quite a lot of volunteer work by our members. we have 10 salaried pastors at various levels, and a small office staff of about 5 full time support workers.

it's a stipulation of employment at our church that no one draws all their income from the church. they have to show a steady source of outside income in order to be considered for the job.

My church does, but I don't because it is not biblical. I give as led by His Spirit.

Balance said:

IMHO You're either joking or looking for another tithe battle.

Neither of which I'll enter into.

I was a pretty simple question.

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Nope, not joking. If I read the Bible about tithing, it was pretty specific on what to bring as well as who to bring it to. Another battle? Nope, how about looking at what the Bible actually says is the legal tithe, who were the only people to collect it, and then if those people are still around. Actually, how about I just post the law:

28‘Nevertheless no devoted offering that a man may devote to the Lord of all that he has, both man and beast, or the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted offering is most holy to the Lord.
29No person under the ban, who may become doomed to destruction among men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death.
30And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’S. It is holy to the Lord.
31If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it.

So if you sell your animal to redeem it, you have to submit more?

32And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.
33He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.’”
34These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.

Battle for this? Nope, seems pretty clear what it says. But there's more:

17You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or your new wine or your oil, of the firstborn of your herd or your flock, of any of your offerings which you vow, of your freewill offerings, or of the heave offering of your hand. 18But you must eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God chooses, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all to which you put your hands.

19Take heed to yourself that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

Fair enough, starting to get an understanding of the OT law of tithing. Is there more?

22“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.

Now I know that God actually meant to say tithe all your income regardless of profession, but I'd tend to think that was adding something that God didn't really want there. But what did you do with it after you tithed? Well, thankfully, the Bible says:

23And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.

Any mention of cash? Well, as a matter of fact, yes there is:

24But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you,
25then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses.
26And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.
27You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.

So when you ask if my church tithes, I'm assuming you're talking about the OT law, as I find no mention of tithing in the NT apart from when Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees for preaching the law correct but not following it. Now you may not want to battle this, fair enough, but I think the Bible is pretty clear on tithing and what it is.