Tithing Down 62% in the Past Year
May 19, 2003
(Ventura, CA) - Amid widespread reports that churches are suffering from decreased giving over the past year, a new study from the Barna Research Group helps to explain at least part of the problem. The proportion of households that tithe their income to their church that is, give at least ten percent of their income to that ministry has dropped by 62% in the past year, from 8% in 2001 to just 3% of adults during 2002.
Born again adults, who represent 38% of the nations population, also sustained a decline in generosity during the past couple of years. In 2000, 12% of all born again adults tithed. The percentage rose to 14% in 2001, but dropped to only 6% in 2002.
Generous Groups
The Barna study discovered that several people groups are more likely to tithe than are others. Groups with the highest proportion of tithers were people 55 or older, college graduates, middle-income individuals, Republicans, conservatives, residents of the South, evangelicals, Protestants, and those who attend mainline Protestant churches.
The group that had the highest proportion of households tithing was evangelicals. While that group represents just 6% of the public, nearly 9% of the group tithed in 2002 roughly three times the national average.
Several population segments emerged as highly unlikely to participate in tithing. In fact, there were five segments identified among which less than one-tenth of one percent tithed in 2002. Those segments included Hispanics, liberals, downscale households (defined as earning less than $20,000 and not having a head of household who graduated from college), Catholics, and parents who home-school their children.
The research indicated that three other groups that were significantly below average in their likelihood to tithe were people not registered to vote, those registered as independents, and residents of the Midwest.
Reasons for the Decline
When asked to explain the reason for the decline in tithers, researcher George Barna indicated that the drop is due to a combination of factors. Different challenges have caused people to choose not to tithe. For some, the soft economy has either diminished their household income or led to concerns about their financial security. For others the nations political condition, in terms of terrorism and the war in the Iraq, has raised their level of caution. The scandals involving Catholic priests last year reduced some peoples confidence in church leaders and, consequently, reduced their giving as well. The author of more than 30 books regarding faith and cultural trends, Barna also pointed out the demographic shifts affect church giving. We are losing many of the people who have a habit of tithing people in their sixties and beyond while the proportion of homes headed by younger adults, who have never tithed and dont plan to, is growing. Also realize that the fastest growing group in the country is Hispanics, among whom very few give generously to their church.
Asked about the steps that churches could take to encourage more people to give at least ten percent of their income to their church, Barna noted that the most effective strategy is to ensure that congregants make their life decisions on the basis of a biblical worldview. That is a long-term approach, however, and he noted that in the short-term it is helpful to give evidence of the ministry needs peoples money would be devoted to, show how efficiently the church uses money, demonstrate the life-changing impact of the churchs ministry, and establish trust and confidence in the leadership of the church.
Several of the groups mentioned in the study as being particularly unlikely to tithe surprised some observers. Barna noted that among those, the infrequency of tithing to churches among liberals is not surprising since they tend to give a bigger share of their donor dollars to non-religious non-profit organizations. As for the infrequency of tithing among home-school households, Barna cited research showing that they tend to have below-average household income levels and less disposable income than the typical household.
Online Source: Barna Research Online Site
http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=139&Reference=F