How much money should you give (percentage-wise) at church?

Question

I am new to a Pentecostal Church that I have been attending these past few months (Assembly). I am born and raised Catholic but recently decided I needed a little more closeness to God which I found at my present church. However, I recently heard that there is a percentage that is the "rule" to offerings. I am not too sure that I like this idea, I had never heard of such a thing. ...not because I dont want to give - but because I could care less if I were going to a beautiful aethestically pleasing church or a plain-old tent.. just as long as I am with God (this is my personal feeling). Then there was a testimony of someone who had increased her offerings and started to receive more money from her business. I am a little confused because I dont go to church for the money benefits. Does God really care about money? Is there really a percentage that I dont know of? Where is the Bible does it state this? I am soooo confused! I dont like feeling this way. Please help!!!!

Answer 1

Yes, it's called a Tithe... deep breath, let me see if I can find it.

It's an Old Testament practice, shortly after Exodus. It was widely rejected in modern Christian churches, but some denomination my view it differently.

The Tithe was set at 10%. but that could be 10% of anything. For farmers, it was 10% of there crop. For dairy workers, it was 10% of their milk. The spirit of this was the Tithe was used to help the community out.

Now of course you are most certainly not expected to give more than you can afford. And if you're resident preacher starts blabbing something about exodus, ask him how much tax exemption they had back then.

Answer 2

The Bible instructs us to give 10%. It's not so much to build beautiful churches and show "look what we did" but to further the gospel and to keep the lights on and the doors open so that those who haven't heard can hear and those who wish to learn more (as you do) can go as well. Churches have expenses just like any business. They don't get free utilities because they're a church and a minister doesn't get to eat free or live free because he's a minister.

Besides the fact that tithes is a way to keep the ministry running it's a way we have to show God - other than just words - that we have faith in Him. To put our money where our mouth is so to speak. We can boast of faith but unless we're willing to show that we have faith by giving up something that is most precious to us - our money - and trust that God will not only give it back but MORE - than our faith is just mere words.

Malachi 3 says this:

8Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Genesis 28:21-22 (New International Version)

21 so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."

I hope this helps a little!

Answer 3

In Deuteronomy 14:22, it describes the requirement for 10%. Read the below verse to relate to what you're hearing from your church. Contrary to what some others have answered, the pastors of churches do not receive all the tithes from their congregation. Most churches have very extensive outreach programs that support local and foreign needs for basic needs, such as food, clothes, etc. In addition, the funds go back into the church, supporting many programs for children and other worship & infrastructure needs.

I highly encourage you to read God's word in the Bible and decide for yourself. I'll pray you learn and understand what the Lord requires of his followers.

Malachi 3:10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Answer 4

Most churches tell you 10 percent. They might also tell you that special offerings are beyond this ten percent. Some will quote from (I believe) Malachai, telling you that if you don't tithe the full ten percent, you are stealing from God.

On the other hand, Jesus mentioned that the woman who gave from ner need, and only a small amount gave much.


The Catholic church doesn't get caught up in this. If you like Pentacostalism, why don't you check out the catholic Charismatic movement, which is very pentacostal in nature. The Fransciscan University of Steubenville is probably the center of the Catholic Charismatic movement.

I'm not a Christian, and not a Catholic, but when Jesus said to "Bloom where you are planted" it seems to make sense to me.

Answer 5

I've certainly spent a lot of time reading about different religious ideas -- most Christian, a goodly number either Buddhist or Hindu, some Jewish, and a few Manichaean, pantheist, or Wiccan. When I used to call myself Christian and was attending evangelical prayer groups at times, while also attending Quaker meeting and Presbyterian church on Sundays, there was at least one time when I thought I had a mystical religious experience. It seemed at the time to be kind of Hindu in nature. I've also embarked on certain kinds of volunteer activities at times from what I thought of as a "Christian" perspective, in obedience to at least a few of the teachings of Jesus -- at least to a limited degree, for a limited time. I like to think that on a few odd occasions, I've been granted the experience of feeling myself in God's company, "with no strings attached." But it's hard to tell whether this was a genuine religious experience or the product of my own brain & my own hopes. From my readings in eastern & western religion, I do think there's something to be said for believers seeking "God's company, with no strings attached," as opposed to seeking God for some external reason: a new car, a better career, victory in a football game or a war, or even salvation & eternal life. If you get to the point where you're seeking God for God alone, or so I feel in part of my divided brain, it feels cleaner & more peaceful than seeking God for some other reason. However, the psychologists have some disagreements over whether this is genuine religious liberation or a kind of narcissistic retreat from the world on the part of the self. Some highly religious people experience mystic union with the divine seem to be able to reconcile that with aggressive religious fanaticism, which I don't approve of. -- agnostic

Answer 6

Tithes: A perversion of an Old Testament land deal. The land deal was not a perversion. The perversion comes when church leaders (today) manipulate the principles of the land deal.

To Wit: 10 tribes of Israel made it to the Promised Land. God gave all of his promised land to 9 tribes. Then, he told each tribe to give 10% of its harvest to the 10th tribe, the Judahites, who were to spend all their time studying the Bible. The result was that each of the 10 tribes would get an exactly equal share of the fruits of the Promised Land. (Do the math, or, just lay out 9 stacks of 10 pennies per stack.)

If there were 100 tribes of Israel, would God have given all the promised land to 99 tribes and then told each of them to give 10% of its harvest to the 100th tribe? Of course not. The result would be that the 100th tribe would have received 10 times more than each of the other tribes. (Do the math or lay out 99 stacks of 10 coins each and you may be shocked.) Of course, this method of distributing gifts would be absurdly unfair, unworkable, and indecent.

Yet, every week, most churches encourage all members to give their leader 10% of their Gross take home pay. The result is that most church leaders are 20 to 200 times richer than the average member in their flock. The Pope is about 1 million times richer than the average member of his empire.

Answer 7

Old testament law was 10 percent. This was not always cash and still is not.

New testament states that no matter what you give, if you do it with obligation in your heart , rather than joy, it is useless to you.
Of course the church can and will still use it, but the point of giving is to give back to God what he has so abundantly given to you. By giving a certain percent by obligation, you have not done what God commanded and that was to give back with a joyful heart.

So, the true answer here is to give only what you can give joyfully. As you grow in your walk with God, you may find that you wish to give more and more back to God and that is perfectly fine, God wants your heart, not your money. Money is one of the things that humans tend to covet and strive toward, so when we give it to God with a joyful heart, it pleases God that you find him more important than "treasures" on earth.

The only real guidelines that we are given in the new testament is to make sure that our pastors (teachers) do not have to worry about earthly needs (not wants). We should compensate them enought that they do not have to worry about a roof over their heads and the utilities being shut off and they should not have to wonder where their next meal is going to come from. Their hearts and minds should be free to concentrate on the Lords work and his work alone. The rest of our giving should of course make sure that the house of worship is in a state of repair, but not gilded with Gold and silver. We should finish our giving off with that of ourselves (serving) in the church, praying for others and for most of us supporting missionaries and spreading the good news ourselves.

Remember always, its not the amount, its the manner in which you give it. If you cannot give it with a joyful heart, find somewhere that you can give it with a joyful heart.

Answer 8

in the bible it says a tenth in
Leviticus 27:32
also about tithing Malachi 3:10
God doesn't need your money he just wants you to remember that he really owns it all and you are just the steward. God Bless!

Answer 9

10 percent.

When you do, it allows God into the other 90%

I'd rather have 90% with God than 100% without, I have tried both. If you dont give, you dont go to hell, but you are saying to God "I dont want you involved in my finances, I will do it alone." I have never had any success in anything alone compared to the success I have had in everything when I let God be involved.

Bless you brother

Answer 10

I'm new to a pentecostal church myself...It was my last church that told me 10 percent. I just give whatever i can, God knows that I care and that I give whatever I have