10% Temple Tax
A few weeks ago I posted some info about the fact that tithing was an instruction for farmers and Levites. Farmers/shepherds were to tithe a tenth of their produce and flocks to take care of the Levites who weren't allowed to own land or do other work. The Levites tithed to the priests.
Every male over 20-years-old paid the Temple tax, and everyone was to give to the poor.
With this (VERY BIBLICAL) model it would cost a congregation of 300 people less than $12 dollars a week per person to finance a worship building and leadership with a budget of $200,000.00 per year.
Imagine being a part of a ministry where the leaders say, "Bring $12.00 a week for upkeep and leadership costs. Anything beyond that will be an offering to the poor. We, as a body, can decide where it will go."
With this biblical model, a church of 300 could have a major impact on its community that would never be a burden on the Christians who supported it.
I currently give $70.00 per week. $12.00 of that would go to the upkeep of the church and I could give $58.00 directly to help the needs in my community and to people oversees. If all 300 people were to match that, we would meet the church budget and contribute an additional $904,800.00 to help people in our world.
Currently, with the imposed 10% (unbiblical) temple tax, which an estimated 20% of churchgoers actually contribute, most churches don't make their building and leadership budget and depend on gifts from outside to help the poor.
Imagine if all churches were to take on the biblical model of giving. There would be no need for government funding or community chest funds.
The church could do its job!
Forever learning,Johnny
5 comments:
So here's my question: How much should we give? Only what we have "decided in our heart?" What's the least I can give and still be considered religous?(although I am being sarcastic. . .It's a great question.)
i hope you were looking for questions, because i have one, too...how much would charlotte temple have to give in order to pay the budget and have left over money for the poor? we don't quite have 300 people in our congregation...i'm pretty sure it would brake the bank. and what about gifts that are given in other ways? giving someone in need a gift to get them out of the gray and into the light...doesn't that count for anything? just trying to understand...i mean, i do work for the army...i can only spend so much before i'm one of those in neeed!
careful, johnny...if you start throwing around words like "unbiblical" when referring to the commanded 10% you may be labelled a heretic. unless that's already happened. :-)
good teaching. i started responding more but my thought process was apparently too long and it wouldn't publish. so i wrote an entry in response.
keep learning, keep teaching.
blessings.
I responded to the others by blogging. I want to respond to Sheri here.
If a current congregation averaging 70 per week were to have 50 people who were faithful givers, it would require each person to give $70.00 per week to make the budget of $200,000.00.
It's important that we don't buy more than we can pay for as a congregation. This is why it is so difficult for many churches to do more than "talk the talk." All their money is wrapped up in too much building.
thanks for the second blog and your response to sheri - it's quite interesting to put this in perspective.
and just in case there was any doubt, i was cracking a joke with the whole "heretic" comment.
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