More about Giving? (Bulletin Article for April 15)

Do I give of my money as I should? That is a question that only God and I can answer, and it is a question that we need to answer together. Brother Andy often reminds us that he does not know what each member (or family) gives, and that he does not want to know. The same is true of me. It is not my job to look at members’ checkbooks and find out what was given last week.

A recent study, though, shows that the average Christian does not give much. Admittedly, the statistics given were from the “Christian” world at large, but the information is still helpful as we think about our own giving in a personal way.

Here are some interesting facts from the study:

• In 2000, American evangelicals made $2.66 trillion in income.
• The average contribution by American Protestants to “their church” is $17 each week.
• In 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, Americans in Protestant congregations gave an average of 3.3% of their income to the local congregation. Today, with a good economy that number has decreased to 2.6%.
• If every “Christian” raised his/her giving to 10% of the household income, an additional $139,000,000,000 would be available for mission work!1

Numbers like those should jump off the page. Again, these numbers are for all “Christians” in America, but are we any different?

Not all of us can give $500 a week, or even $100, but the New Testament places the emphasis on both the amount and the attitude behind it! If I love God and realize what He has done for me, I will want to give as much as I possibly can.

For some, that $17 per week amount may be a lot. For most, though, it is not hard to give that much. But that is the average. So, what is an average salary? Just over $40,000 per year. If we were to give just 10% of that average salary, we would be giving $76.92 each week.

So what? What’s the point of all these statistics? Simply this: There are 184 families listed in our church directory. If each family unit could strive to make that average amount their weekly contribution, what would our giving be each week?

$14,153…every week!

Just think of what our elders could do for the Lord’s cause if every family just gave that average amount!

Some can give more and some can’t give that much, but we should all strive to do better. God is the greatest Giver, and we need to strive to be like Him.

1http://www.christianitytoday.com/money/articles/keystatistics.html