It’s time for a new CHN community members question- and we’re especially interested in the responses of former pastors on this one.
It doesnāt take the commissioning of any sort of study to know that when it comes to the passing of the plates on a given Sunday, protestant ChristiansĀ vastly outgive their Catholic brothers and sisters.Ā Granted, Catholics have a lot more charities outside of the parish community to support, from religious orders to pregnancy centers and more, but it brings up an interesting question for our convert readers:Ā What was the shared understanding of the meaning of tithing in the Christian communities you were part of before becoming Catholic?
Maybe it was a straight 10%, of your income, but was that 10% supposed to be calculated before or after taxes?Ā Were you perhaps part of one of those rare communities where you had to report your income to the community because of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5?Ā Weād love to hear your thoughts, and possible include them in this Fridayās group blog. Ā Share in the comments below!
Not a Protestant pastor, but the daughter of one. Most of the churches I attended taught the 10% tithe was a starting point. Everything thing we have belongs to God and the offering you make on Sunday is a token. Your time and talent also belong to God. The tithe wasn’t compulsory.
There were also special offerings taken for things like pregnancy centers, missionary support, community outreach events, in addition to what was already in the church budget for those things. A lot of churches tithe their budget (10%) to other Christian ministries.
I’m a convert from mainline protestantism to Catholic. As I was raised, tithing was never discussed, either by church or parents. I have no recollection of any standard for donating that was expected; I knew only that the church issued envelopes to official members. I had read the Bible’s expectation of tithing. When I was baptized at age 12 and joined the church roster, I began receiving my own envelopes. I actually tried to tithe my allowance income, but after awhile, I forgot to do it. For the next many-some years, I donated only sporadically and randomly.
Many years later, I was received into the Church. Tithing was mentioned only in passing in my education process and my donating behavior did not change. I remember receiving a flyer from our diocese that asked us to give half of our total donating to the Church. I will say that I was astonished (and off-put) at the amount of begging mail I began to receive from all and sundry shrines, religious orders, Catholic Charities and Relief Services, etc. There is no counterpart in the protestant world. Now, many years later, I understand that this reflects our faith’s deep commitment to service that the protestant world lacks.
A few years into my Catholic life, on my own account, I decided to tithe my family’s gross income. Only a portion of this goes to the official Church in any form. I strive to cover the Works of Mercy in my tithing and I strive to donate directly as far as possible. I do not donate to Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, United Way, or any other organization that seems to be just a clearinghouse for money transfers. I plan it a year in advance. Every month I donate somewhere – the parish, the Archdiocese for the Military, a home for pregnant women in crisis situations, the Little Sisters of the Poor or the Hawthorne Dominicans, Ronald McDonald House, and so on. Twelve different organizations each year, covering most of the Works of Mercy. Not all of the organizations are Catholic (e.g. Ronald McDonald House), but all do God’s work in some concrete way. Nobody told me to do it that way; it was prayer and reflection and just a movement within my heart that set me to that method. I have never met another person who donates in this way, oh well.
I know I have gone much farther than your question, but I hope it’s helpful to someone out there.
I was brought up nothing, became a kind of street Christian at age 27, by 30 was Reformed – and became a Catholic at 53.
When I became a Christian, I was challenged – not by a denomination but by another ‘street Christian’ to tithe – a literal 10%. This was before tax, etc – after all, tax was just another expense.
I have no views about whether everyone should tithe. I just know that over the many years since then – I am almost 74 – the few times I have tried to convince myself that we should give less (because we have tended to be pretty hard up at times :-)), I have been unable to do so.
FWIW, only about a third of that goes into the church plate – and some of it is directly given to individuals who cross my path.
Still working – once I can’t any longer, we’ll be at the mercy of the New Zealand Superannuation near-starvation income. I can’t worry about it. My view has always been: find out what God wants me to do and do it. If it costs money, spend it. If I don’t have the money, either He will provide, or else I must have been mistaken in believing He wants me to do it.
I’m still a good 10 Kg overweight, so God hasn’t let me starve yet š
jj