Why We Give
We believe that the local church should be supported by individual tithes and offerings. While no member of this church will ever be forced to financially support this church, it is important to understand how Christian giving works.
A tithe is defined as, “To contribute or to pay a tenth part of one's annual income.”
An offering is defined as, “A contribution or gift, made above a tithe.”
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The biblical view of tithing and giving offerings
As long as the Christian Church is in the world, it will need money in order to accomplish its’ tasks. There is no shame in that; after all, even Christ himself had a treasurer (Judas Iscariot, no less!) to manage the disciples' finances. We all need to understand the biblical view of tithing and giving offerings.
Old Testament Giving
The first mention of tithing is when Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek, the priest to the true God at Salem (Gen. 14:20). Two generations later, Jacob promised a tithe of his possessions to God in response to the vision of the ladder reaching up to heaven (Gen. 28:22). God's legislation regarding tithing is spelled out in the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
New Testament Giving
For us living in the New Testament era, church members are not required to give tithes and offerings as they were in the Old Testament. However, we are commanded to give to the Lord’s church from a joyous heart.
In these respects, nothing has changed for the people of God today. Under the cross of Jesus Christ, giving for the Lord's work is still a joyous privilege. It expresses our thanksgiving to the God of all grace and gives all glory to him. By faith it recognizes that Christian giving is a sign of our totally undeserved fellowship with God, but certainly not a cause of that fellowship. We are to give cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7), because God has accepted us through the forgiveness of sins. He also accepts our meager gifts by the same mercy and uses them in his kingdom. Because we are free from the Old Testament Law does not mean that we should give less to God. It means we are free to give more. Think about it: why would we give less living under grace than those who were required to give a tenth under the law?