St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

In our "Questions to the clergy" slot, John will try to answer any query you throw at him, without hesitation, deviation or repetition...

Money and Missionaries

Q. In last month’s magazine you suggested that the Church should give money to missions and other charities. Wouldn’t it make more sense for individual Christians to support charities, and let the Church restrict itself to paying its own way?

A. I used to think this way, and I remember arguing for this point of view on the PCC of St George’s Leeds when I attended as a student in 1980-82. The Old Testament asked the Israelites to give a tithe (a tenth) of their income to the LORD their God, and I had discovered for myself that God really does look after those who honour him in this way. I reasoned that the money in the church collection had already been tithed, so surely the church shouldn’t tithe it again? In fact the PCC voted the other way, and continued to support missions by giving a tenth of the church’s income to God’s work overseas.

I became convinced I was wrong and the St George’s PCC was right when I found a bible verse on the subject - Numbers 18:26. The Levites were supported by the tithes given by the other Israelites, but God still asked them to give a tenth of their incomes to him. As a church minister the bible tells me to give a tithe of my income, and it seems to me that as a church the bible tells us to give a tenth of our church’s income. The practical outworking of this might be a bit complicated, seeing as we have legacies given for specific purposes - but I think the principle is clear enough.

So the basic reason is: it is what the bible says. Besides this, I think there are three reasons why we as a church should give, and not simply ask our members to give to individual charities:

(1) It sets a good example. How can we ask people to give generously to God’s work in the local church if the local church will not give generously to God’s work in the wider church? If the church is tight-fisted then don’t we encourage the congregation to be tight-fisted?

(2) We can give a substantial amount. We can take on a large chunk of a missionary’s salary, and thus build a close link, whereas individuals giving small amounts always feel they don’t make much difference. It encourages us to realize we are significant.

(3) It makes us concerned together for the wider church. So we can learn together about the geography, climate, culture and needs of a particular country, which means we can pray intelligently for those we support - this is much easier when we do it together as part of our church life. It makes the whole idea of the worldwide mission of Jesus real in our lives.

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. December 2000, Page 4.
Home Page. Index of articles. Questions: index, Spilled wine, Multifaith, Why marry, Christenings, Mission giving, Homeopathy. Money: index, C of E 1999, Gift Aid, Missions, Missions 2, All from you. In this issue: (December 2000) Vicar's Letter, Christmas, Question, Quiz.	In our "Questions to the clergy" slot, John will try to answer any query you throw at him, without hesitation, deviation or repetition... Money and Missionaries Q. In last month’s magazine you suggested that the Church should give money to missions and other charities. Wouldn’t it make more sense for individual Christians to support charities, and let the Church restrict itself to paying its own way? A. I used to think this way, and I remember arguing for this point of view on the PCC of St George’s Leeds when I attended as a student in 1980-82. The Old Testament asked the Israelites to give a tithe (a tenth) of their income to the LORD their God, and I had discovered for myself that God really does look after those who honour him in this way. I reasoned that the money in the church collection had already been tithed, so surely the church shouldn’t tithe it again? In fact the PCC voted the other way, and continued to support missions by giving a tenth of the church’s income to God’s work overseas. I became convinced I was wrong and the St George’s PCC was right when I found a bible verse on the subject - Numbers 18:26. The Levites were supported by the tithes given by the other Israelites, but God still asked them to give a tenth of their incomes to him. As a church minister the bible tells me to give a tithe of my income, and it seems to me that as a church the bible tells us to give a tenth of our church’s income. The practical outworking of this might be a bit complicated, seeing as we have legacies given for specific purposes - but I think the principle is clear enough. So the basic reason is: it is what the bible says. Besides this, I think there are three reasons why we as a church should give, and not simply ask our members to give to individual charities: (1) It sets a good example. How can we ask people to give generously to God’s work in the local church if the local church will not give generously to God’s work in the wider church? If the church is tight-fisted then don’t we encourage the congregation to be tight-fisted? (2) We can give a substantial amount. We can take on a large chunk of a missionary’s salary, and thus build a close link, whereas individuals giving small amounts always feel they don’t make much difference. It encourages us to realize we are significant. (3) It makes us concerned together for the wider church. So we can learn together about the geography, climate, culture and needs of a particular country, which means we can pray intelligently for those we support - this is much easier when we do it together as part of our church life. It makes the whole idea of the worldwide mission of Jesus real in our lives. John Hartley
Top of page.	This web page was last updated on 20th June 2002.