What It's Really All About

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Koinonia

When I was in the LC, I consistently gave more than 10% of my income each month to my local congregation, believing that this is what was expected of me. Our household income was/is quite modest (about half of the average household income for our area); so, this money made a big difference.

Tithing for the Levites was in lieu of taxes. Today we pay local, state, federal income tax, soc. sec. tax, local, county, and school property tax, besides all the sales taxes, fees, registrations, etc. My dad had 9 kids and he used to complain that he had to work and pay double taxes for another family of 9 kids living off the government. That was over 50 years ago, long before gov't got "big" along with the debt. Those who preach that tithing must be on our gross income actually are demanding roughly 20% of our income.

Then add on that all of the expenses for me to serve. I used to drive hundreds of miles per week for the church. Once I fell asleep at the wheel after work going to care for the home meeting 25 miles away. I could go on and on here, but why do the tithing demands not include all of my other expenses for church service. To this day I have never been reimbursed except for purchases, and there were literally thousands of them.

I know what really builds up the church, and it's not the Sunday morning guy whose wife writes a weekly donation check. It's the endless hours praying, visiting, caring, fellowshipping, serving, before the meeting, after the meeting, on the weekends, during the weekday, every morning, every night. I'll take the brother who gives his heart and soul and time over the mere donation check every day of the year.

Originally Posted by Koinonia

About six months before finally leaving the LC, I had already stopped this kind of "giving"--because I had begun to realize that this was not something that God expected of me. I was giving 10% of our income in order to finance all manner of religious programs determined at the discretion of the eldership--salaries of full-timers, building maintenance, mortgage payments, other construction projects, etc., etc.

Koinonia, if it was the local eldership who prayed and followed the Lord and then decided how to steward the offerings, I would have no problem with that, but we never had that liberty. Cleveland and Anaheim constantly had their hands out.

[Koinonia]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Tithing for the Levites was in lieu of taxes. Today we pay local, state, federal income tax, soc. sec. tax, local, county, and school property tax, besides all the sales taxes, fees, registrations, etc. My dad had 9 kids and he used to complain that he had to work and pay double taxes for another family of 9 kids living off the government. That was over 50 years ago, long before gov't got "big" along with the debt. Those who preach that tithing must be on our gross income actually are demanding roughly 20% of our income.

Then add on that all of the expenses for me to serve. I used to drive hundreds of miles per week for the church. Once I fell asleep at the wheel after work going to care for the home meeting 25 miles away. I could go on and on here, but why do the tithing demands not include all of my other expenses for church service. To this day I have never been reimbursed except for purchases, and there were literally thousands of them.

Ohio, I completely sympathize with you here. My entire adult life in the LC, my weekly "serving" hours would almost always tally up to the equivalent of a second full-time job.