It really pains me when well-intentioned people are burdened by pressure other people place on them to do things not even commanded by Christ. Modern "churches" bear no resemblance to the New Covenant assemblies on record, for they are steeped in pagan and human traditions. One example is the collection/offering plate which is often passed around during worship services.
There is no mention of an offering/collection plate being passed around in the early New Covenant assemblies; it's a practice that started centuries later. The early saints gathered to pray, praise God, eat the Lord's supper (break bread), teach, interpret, sing, be edified and to have fellowship (Acts 2:42, 46; Acts 4:31; Acts 11:26; Acts 12:5, 12; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 11:17-34; 1 Cor 14:26), but never is passing around an offering/collection plate listed among the things the saints assembled to do. Those saints who had an abundance took their gifts to the apostles to be divided among the poor saints (Acts 2:45).
Others here have mentioned that tithing -- the giving of a tenth of a family's flocks, produce, grain, wine or oil (Deut 14:22-29; Neh 13:10-13) -- was an Old Testament command. Both tithes and offerings were associated with the Levitical priesthood and the animal sacrifices. Hebrews 6:19 - 7:28 explains their purpose and how the sacrifices and the priesthood have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Even in the Old Testament, God instructed His people who were able to provide for the Levites and the poor among them. As our High Priest, Jesus has no fleshly needs but he stated if we [welcome, clothe, feed, visit, etc.] "one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me" (Matthew 25:31-40).
The saints in the first New Covenant assemblies built no physical structures called "churches" to worship in. Jesus never commanded them to do so. They met primarily in private residences and also in public places, so there were no expenses associated with buildings and property. Resources were used instead to help the needy saints. Many church leaders, though, like to take certain scripture out of context and use it to justify robbing their congregations. One such passage is 1 Cor 16:1-2 in which Paul instructs the congregation at Corinth, as he did the congregations at Galatia, to take up a collection for the needy saints in Judea. The third verse makes it clear the collection was for a special circumstance. The original Greek indicates the collection was to be gathered and stored only
one week -- not "every" week. While Paul urged the saints to be generous, no one gave by compulsion. Because the saints at Macedonia were extremely poor, Paul didn't expect them to contribute anything, but they insisted (2 Cor 8:1-4).
That picture of the New Covenant assemblies of the first century contrasts greatly with the religious institutions today where church-goers are compelled to "give 'til it hurts." Poor church-goers are expected to cut back on groceries to pamper a well-fed preacher, maintain a building and the property it sits on (while struggling to pay their own bills), and fine-tune an organ. Another popular biblical passage used to condone the practice is Jesus' observation about the poor widow in the Temple treasury. Many people suppose Jesus was commending the woman and holding her up as an example for all to follow. Yet, nothing in the passage supports this view. Jesus simply made a comparison between the poor widow and others contributing to the treasury, who gave out of their abundance, to point out the disparity. Those who gave out of their abundance still had plenty to live on, while the poor widow gave "all she had to live on" (Mark 12:41-44).
Obviously, Jesus was very concerned about the poor and his expectation for his people is that we help the needy rather than criticize them, as the Pharisees and scribes did. Think about it: If a church takes up a collection during worship services with the idea that it is a display of worship, and the proceeds or a portion of the proceeds are used to fund or maintain a building, who or what is really being worshiped?
The apostle Paul even quoted God, saying (Act 7:48-50):
48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’
