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PRESBYTERIAN
FALL 2024
presbyterian.ca
Connection
STEWARDSHIP
Reflections on Giving
By Karen Plater,
Stewardship & Planned Giving
What does the Bible teach us about how much a person should give to be a generous disciple of Christ? Should we tithe (give 10% of income)? If so, should the tithe be based on net or gross income? Before taxes or after taxes? Should we take all sources of income into account? Do we include inheritances? What if someone is on a fixed income and expenses keep growing? These are questions I’m often asked when talking about stewardship.
There isn’t one correct answer, except maybe “it depends.” How- ever, scripture does give us some clues about how to give that, with prayer and reflection, can guide our discernment.
There are many stories of dif- ferent ways of giving in the Bible. In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul writes of sacrificial giving: the churches of Macedonia overflowed in gener- osity even though they were going through “severe ordeal of afflic- tion” and “extreme poverty.” Deu- teronomy and Leviticus include stories of offerings given to cel- ebrate festivals, special times of year and milestones. Tithes were given from herb, grain, fruit and vegetable harvests, seeds kept for storage, and herds and flocks taken to market. Both the Old and New Testament share how gifts of land, precious stones and oils were used in God’s mission.
What is considered generous today?
Here are three scripture passages I like to consider. The first is Mat- thew 23:23: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin and have neglected the weightier mat- ters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglect- ing the others.” This passage reminds me that what I give is important, but so too is what I do with all the rest of my resources, time and money. If I am generous to the church, but take advantage of the vulnerable, oppress people and are mean-spirited, I’m miss-
ing the point.
In 2 Corinthians 9:7, we are
told to “give as you have made up your mind.” This passage encourages me to be intentional, thoughtful and prayerful about what I give and that my attitude matters, as we are to give “not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” I can remember times when I have given—and been given—a gift reluctantly versus cheerfully. It makes a difference.
Finally, even as Paul praises sacrificial giving in 2 Corinthians 8, he also writes “that if the heart is in it, the gift is acceptable ac- cording to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” In other words, God isn’t calling us to keep up with our neighbours. God calls us to look at what we have been given and decide what we can give back.
If we are barely meeting our basic needs or falling behind in our expenses each month, we will rightly give less than at other times. We can give financially when we have the ability. There are other ways to give now: time, skills, prayer and encouragement.
Reviewing our expenses and determining which costs are “wants” and which are “needs” can help us see what we have to cover our basic needs (including building up savings), and decide how much we can give to God, and then use what is left to cover non-essentials. The result: we are intentionally deciding what we will give to God, considering all we have been given.
It is important for us to think broadly when we consider giving. Sometimes we can give out of our assets in addition to, or instead of, our regular income. Some people have found that they can give more than they thought by giving gifts of securities. (When securities are given as a gift-in- kind, rather than giving the cash from selling the stocks, the donor doesn’t have to pay any capital gains taxes.) Others have given when they have received an in- heritance or sold a piece of prop- erty. Some include a bequest to a charity in their will, allowing them
to give a gift when they no longer need the income to live. The taxes saved by giving a gift in your will, means people can be generous to their congregation and/or fa- vourite charities and still leave an inheritance for family and friends.
People tell me, again and again, that once they have given an of- fering, they rarely feel that they don’t have enough. Even when hard times come, they are sur- prised that they can get through it. They might change their spend- ing patterns, find money in unex- pected places or be surprised by the generosity and help received from friends, family and even strangers.
During the pandemic, I recall feeling scared that that churches might collapse under the strain
of forced closures and that we’d never worship in public again. Many people feared that mission and ministry programs across the country were going to close. However, congregations pivoted and by the tenacity and generosity of congregational members, offer- ings were received. The govern- ment offered grants and loans that helped businesses—and church- es—faced with lower incomes
continue to pay wages to staff. Many communities rallied to sup- port people in different ways. They were challenging times, but the church didn’t die, and in fact, new life sprung from the challenges.
God continually surprises and inspires us. We are enough. We have enough. We can cheerfully give out of what we have been given. And that is what is accept- able to God.
This chart shows weekly offerings as a percentage of income, one way to discern how much to give to the church. For those giving monthly, simply multiply the weekly giving in this chart by 4.33 (there are 4.33 weeks in a month).
Save on taxes by giving planned gifts to the church Visit presbyterian.ca/plannedgiving