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Submitted September 16,
2005
Tithing |
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People sometimes say "Why is the Church always
asking for money?" The answer is simple. Because
we have to.
If Orthodox Bishops, Clergy, and Parish Councils
we given the poll question "If you could would
you like to never have to ask anyone for money?"
We all know what the answer would be. And if you
want to see your Bishop or Priest dance for joy
just send him a report indicating there is
enough money for all necessary expenses and he
is now free to give all his energy to the
pastoral care of his people.
But the truth is we often think the Church is
exempt from the ordinary laws of economics.
Perhaps its because we came from a place where
the Church was supported by the State. Or maybe
our frame of reference is of an old country
Priest given a small plot of land and the people
donating food and occasional cash for blessings.
Perhaps we've just thought that contributions
were for "rich" people and we've gotten used to
the very generous few taking up our slack.
Regardless of how we came to our ideas our
thinking about church finances is often magical,
as if the rules we use for our own finances have
been suspended when it comes to our Parish or
Diocese.
Thus every year our Bishop, Priest, or
Stewardship Committee, is faced with the
unenviable task of coming to us with the same
story. Expenses have gone up, giving
is flat or declining, and the Festival we hoped
and prayed would make up the difference
was short of expectations. Then the groaning
starts. "How could this have happened to us?"
"It's all the fault of the people who ran the
festival." "If only our Priest wasn't such a
money grubber we'd be okay." But the real answer
is almost certainly in our checkbook.
There is a way out and its, simple, fair,
biblical, and it works. It's called a tithe.
It's simple because you dedicate like the saints
of old, a basic ten percent of whatever God has
blessed you with to the work of God and the
support of His Church. No fancy figuring is
required. It's fair because everyone pays the
same percentage but those who have more will
give more. It's biblical, there are texts all
over the Bible where the tithe is presented as a
model for giving and none that use the word
bazaar, festival, rummage
sale, or raffle in the same context. It works
because as people move towards tithing the
bottom line results are often startling and even
small parishes find a new wealth of resources to
move ahead as God would have them do.
But the largest question is "Do we have the will
to do this?". A person who increases their
giving as a percentage of their income 1 percent
per year until they are tithing
will experience changes. They will have to
really think about financial priorities and
separating wants from needs. They will not be
able to as deeply buy into the American myth
that we are what we can purchase. They will have
to adapt to a new way of living less focused on
themselves and more directed towards holy
things. Not all will be able to do this because
often when we talk about whether something is
"realistic" or not we are, in fact, defining
that word not by what is possible but rather by
what we are really willing to do. That's sad,
because a heart full of generosity towards God
and His Church is a heart that will blessed in
ways those who hold good things to themselves
will never know.
Fr. John Chagnon
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church
West. St. Paul, MN
frj3@att.net
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