Dear Pastor, My tithing record is none of your business!
Posted on January 1st, 2008 by David Mackin into the Tithe, David Mackin Writes: categoryIn 1990, I taught high school for a local church in my area. When I received my first paycheck, I felt shocked because a tithe had already been deducted from it. This church is not the only one which automatically deducts a tithe from their staff's paychecks. The practice of the automatic tithe deduction from church staff salaries raises a host of questions. One concern is the question of whether pastors have any biblical right to know the giving or tithing practices of their church members. I say no, and here is one of the reasons:
Since, under the New Covenant, tithing is not required, it would fit under the category of the "non-essentials" of the faith. As a non-essential of the faith, therefore, tithing would also fall under the category of a voluntary practice. As a voluntary practice, it should be done in private between the individual believer and God without the interference or manipulation of any pastor/leaders. We find Paul addressing the principles of Christian toleration in Romans 14:1-23. In the first century congregation in Rome, the community members were asking if they had to become vegetarians in order to please God (Romans 14:2 cf. I Corinthians 8-10). They also wondered if they were still obliged to honor holy days (Romans 14:5-6). The question of holy days, little doubt, raised the question of Sabbath-keeping especially for the Jewish Christians in the church.
In my view, since the principle of toleration of non-essentials is the same today regarding the question of tithing, I have taken the liberty to substitute the words "tithe(s)" or "tithing" for the words "eats" and "observes the day" in the appropriate verses of Romans 14 in order to emphasize not only the voluntary nature of the tithe for Christians but also that pastor/leaders have no biblical right to view their church members' tithing records. On non-essentials like tithing, I believe that a believer only has to give account of himself to God - not to any church leader. Here are the verses for your consideration:
"Let not him who [tithes] despise him who does not [tithe], and let not him who does not [tithe] judge him who [tithes]; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:3, NKJV).
"He who observes [tithing], observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe [tithing], to the Lord he does not observe it. He who [tithes], [tithes] to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not [tithe], to the Lord he does not [tithe], and gives God thanks" (Romans 14:6, NKJV).
"For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “ As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”
"So then each of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:8-12, NKJV).
"Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God…"(Romans 14:22, NKJV)
P.S. In my view, the one exception to saying that non-tithers should not "judge" tithers would be if tithers or pro-tithing preachers would begin to say that tithing was mandatory for believers and/or if they claimed that tithing was required for eternal salvation or necessary for Christian sanctification. In these cases, tithers would still not have the right to "condemn" the pro-tithers, as if to send them to eternal damnation, but they would, in my opinion, have the right and obligation to condemn such heretical teaching.

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January 2nd, 2008 at 1:14 pm
How would it feel to CBC members if they thought that their pastor knew who the highest contributors were by name? Is it possible that might affect the integrity of a ministry? Reality can be a scary thing sometimes.
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Hank does. And he treats those with more money differently (I’ve been at both ends of the scale with him on this). Indeed it does seem to have affected the integrity of his ministry.
January 2nd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Believe it to be true. It is. Frankie has at his fingertips an updated printout record of every member’s giving (tithing, shmithing) record of when, how often and most important, how much.
At least in this matter he is all seeeing and all knowing.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Kinda like Santa?
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:02 am
-joe
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:07 am
I’ve heard that Frank will at times personally call those who gave the most in the offering to thank them…and to let them know they were the top giver. I don’t if it’s true or not (I never got a call from him) but it sure sounds like Frank’s style.