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Missionaries Are Not Second Class

In Nehemiah 13:10 we see that the tithe was distributed by leadership to everyone who was doing work as a Levite. Nehemiah says, “I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields.” This was a very sad note, actually. This was Nehemiah realizing that both the Levites and the rest of the tribes had broken their contract. The Levites no longer claimed the tithe, but went back and worked at the banana stand to earn a living. The people had quite giving the tithe (I am sure this was justified by a dozen cynical judgements) and no longer had any sense of needing to honor their leaders and receive equipping. I could say the same thing today about so many people who are set apart to do the work of the ministry both in our fellowships and in other places around the world. Here is an excerpt from a previous post:

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Four Fundamentals for Understanding the Tithe

This next excerpt from the previous post “Now, To Put It On the Stove” really needs some clarification:

“People who have been set apart to do the work of the ministry full-time are going to need some provision from the people they serve. If we receive tithe gifts through an organization for them then we might consider their account in that budget the “storehouse” for them. If we give them our tithe directly then their own savings account might be the storehouse for them. In either case, trustworthy men are supposed to oversee this storehouse and make sure that they are provided for properly and living in integrity with their provision.”

I see four major points in this short point, and I think I should apologize for cramming that much stuff in such a short space.

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Respect Their Kingdom IQ

Here is some ridiculously practical advice for the elders of local fellowships, that will cost almost no money and will require no major rewrite of your constitution or purpose white-papers. Excerpted from a previous post: “Some have chosen, as a very simple experiment on the above encouragements, to reprint their giving envelopes and reconstruct their online giving options to reflect this better imagination. Some have added the giving line of “Tithes for People In Ministry” and have directed that more specifically to salary accounts. Some have added “Offerings for the Building and Grounds” so that folks may give freewill offerings in a way that inspires that contribution. Some have even added pastors’ and teachers’ names to these giving choices to further emphasize the options, while others have simply separated the words “tithes” and “offerings” to let givers know if their gift is for “people” or if it is for “projects” All of these things show respect to the giver, and inspire more strategic generosity.”

This is a very simple way to respect the kingdom IQ of those who participate in our fellowships.

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Don’t Confuse the Two

So here is the second bullet point, from our previous post, that touches our need to overcome cynicism: “Confusing the nature of the tithe and the nature of offerings is dangerous and has led to all kinds of confusion. Giving to honor people is such a rewarding enterprise that to diffuse it with any other kind of giving is to do a deep disservice to everyone involved. We should not homogenize all giving under one label and demand that it all be put into one slot on a box at the front of the building we meet in. Putting everything into one big pot at the local fellowship under the banner “tithes and offerings” just robs each believer from the joy of a more informed and strategic kind of financial stewardship. I think believers are smart and have good instincts on wise investment. As leaders we must consider meeting their wisdom with better imaginations and applications so that cynicism will not grow around us as a result of our ignorance.”

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Cynicism May Not Help

A bullet point excerpt from a previous post: “Believers will naturally need buildings for a variety of things and this is natural. Asking for offerings for such building is easily Biblical, and we should enjoy the opportunity to give into whatever we need for ourselves as a community of faith for our own meeting places, or for what we believe for others to use as their meeting places like a building in another country or a building downtown for the homeless. Burning down buildings is not a good way to reform the broken money systems of the Church, rather teaching one another about the joy of tithing and the focused responsibility of giving offerings most certainly is.”

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Maybe You Should Stop Tithing

Still working out our post containing bullet pointed notes on giving and tithing and kingdom finance, the third point read...

"People who don’t tithe from their heart to their leaders and care-givers are more likely to do one of two things: rage against the tithe as a tyrannical Old Testament tax or give a tenth like a tax to their local fellowship with no joyful understanding of it. If you have been doing either of the latter it could be a great time to repent, stop paying taxes, and start honoring your leaders more personally. Instead of arguing over the tithe like it is a tax, the better questions for all of us are, “Who is pastoring you? Who is helping you in your spiritual growth? Are you honoring them with your money? Are you thanking them in tangible ways?” This is our path to maturity."

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