This week, we are in week 12 of our 13 week series Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe series. This week we are studying the doctrine of stewardship and fact that all that we have (time, talent, treasure) is ultimately entrusted to our stewardship by God. This issue will be dealt with in greater thoroughness when the book based upon the series is published in 2009, but until then this blog from Pastor Jamie Munson and I is intended to serve as a study tool for those in Mars Hill Community Groups that gather each week to discuss the sermons as well as anyone else wanting to grow in their biblical understanding of stewardship.
Before we begin, stewardship is undoubtedly one of the subjects that people are often least enthusiastic to study. Yet, Jesus devoted roughly 25% of his words in the Gospels to our resources and our stewardship of them. This includes some 28 passages in the Gospels. And, in the Old and New Testaments combined there are over 800 verses on the subject on topics ranging from planning and budgeting, saving and investing, debt and tithing. Furthermore, money and wealth and possessions are the greatest idols in our culture and there is simply no way to be a disciple of Jesus who does not learn to worship God with our stewardship.
Defining what is meant by wealth is important. Everything we have, given to us by God, including our finances, jobs, houses, products of our land, businesses, automobiles and personal items is part of our wealth.
This sermon coincided with the end of our fiscal year forthcoming at the end of June. For those wanting to know where we are going into the leaner summer months we offer the following report to help notify our people where we are at and how our stewardship is going, beginning with some common practical questions about tithing at Mars Hill Church:
How Can I Tithe At Mars Hill?
At Mars Hill there are a variety of different ways that a person can tithe. None is better than the others it is simply a matter of individual conscience or preference. Those methods are:
- Cash or Check During the Sunday Services – either as you come forward for communion in the baskets or in the giving boxes located in each foyer.
- Check Mailed to the Offices – 1401 NW Leary Way, Seattle, WA 98107 – there are addressed offering envelopes available at the giving boxes in the foyer. Please do not mail cash.
- By Debit or Credit Card Online at marshillchurch.org – obviously we don’t want people going into debt to tithe but we do allow credit card payment and ask that you do not tithe in this fashion if you do not plan to pay off your balance each month
- By Electronic Withdrawal from your bank account (ACH) – many people like this secure tithing method as it safely withdraws an exact amount from your account on either the 5th or the 20th of the month depending on how you want it to be set up. Please call or email the office (206) 706-6641 if you are interested in signing up for this.
How is Mars Hill doing financially?
Our church budget year concludes at the end of June and after that time we will have a full annual financial summary. At present, the following data details where we are:
Giving Summary (2008 YTD)
Average ADULT Attendance (January–May 2008)
- Total MHC: 5,454
- Ballard: 3,182
- Shoreline: 474
- West Seattle: 747
- Wedgwood: 279
- Bellevue (Formerly Eastside): 522
- Downtown: 249
Average Giving Per ADULT (January–May 2008)
- Total MHC: $35/week; $1,800/year
- Ballard: $29/week; $1,533/year
- Shoreline: $48/week; $2,517/year
- West Seattle: $39/week; $2,042/year
- Wedgwood: $39/week; $2,053/year
- Bellevue (Formerly Eastside): $43/week; $2,240/year
- Downtown: $37/week; $1,918/year
Number of Donor Households* (January–May 2008)
- Total MHC: 3,495
- Ballard: 1,852
- Shoreline: 350
- West Seattle: 489
- Wedgwood: 210
- Bellevue (Formerly Eastside): 350
- Downtown: 245
*Campus breakdown based on actual donation percentages for April and May; these numbers represent the best estimate possible based on the information available.
Number of People That DON’T Contribute
From January through May 2008, there were 3,495 Donor Households contributing to Mars Hill Church, which equals 4,771 adult donors. There are likely 8,000-10,000 people who call Mars Hill home and attend at least once or twice a month. This means there are thousands of people who do not give anything to Mars Hill.
Average per capita ADULT income in Seattle: $45,369 (2006 U.S. Dept. of Commerce)
Average % of income given per adult at MHC: 4% (based avg. per capita income)
Current Deficits
- Budgeted giving deficit – $499,630
- Actual deficit – roughly $400,000
*If we do not make budget by the end of June, it will be the first time in the 11- year history of Mars Hill Church that we do not make budget during a fiscal year.
How is Mars Hill leading financially?
- Tithing: MHC gives 10% to church planting
- Internal Controls: Extensive accountability systems govern the receiving and spending of money by the staff
- Board of Directors: Provides governance, oversight, and approval of budgets and capital projects
- Elder Compensation: An audit committee of the Board approves all elder salaries based on a pre-determined compensation system, biblical principles, and national research.
- Bank: Quarterly reporting and additional accountability measures provided to our bank.
- Audit: An independent, external CPA firm conducts a full annual audit. Every audit thus far has given us the "highest evaluation possible according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles."
- Financial Coaching: Email money@marshillchurch.org for free help in putting together a budget and basic financial plan.
Can I Get A Tax Deduction For Tithing?
Yes. If you give in a way that we can record (i.e. check, online or cash in a marked envelope) then our church bookkeeper will keep accurate totals of your giving and send you a receipt at the beginning of the year, certifying the amount of your total contributions that are tax deductible for the previous calendar year.
Having now concluded the reporting from the church, we will shift to answer common questions about stewardship from the Scriptures.
What does the New Testament teach about wealth?
A summary of Craig Blomberg’s book Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions that was compiled for me said, "The following is a summary of the NT teaching on wealth. First, it warns again the desire to be rich (1 Tim 6:9, 18, 19; Hebrews 13:5-6). Second, it gives some general guidelines for what the rich should do (1 Tim 6:17-19; Matt 6:19-21; Luke 12:32-34; Luke 14:13-14). Third, it explains why God has given us so much: Ephesians 4:28 says, "The thief no longer steals, but rather let him work, doing honest work with hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need." In other words, there are three levels of how to live with things: 1) steal to get, 2) work to get, or 3) work to get in order to give.
Too many Christians live on level two. Almost all the forces of our culture urge them to live on level two. But God pushes us to level three and critiques level two."
Who owns everything?
Essential to the doctrine of stewardship is that everything ultimately belongs to God. The great myths are that we own anything, that we deserve anything, that we can do anything good apart from God and that we are sovereign over our own lives. Nothing good that we have or do originates with us, it all comes from the hand of God as the Scriptures repeatedly and emphatically declare (Deuteronomy 8:17-18;Psalm 50:10; Haggai 2:8; James 1:16-18).
What is stewardship?
A steward is a person, who by God’s grace, belongs to God. And, because they belong to God they recognize that ultimately everything they are and have belongs to God and has been given to them as a gift. Therefore, they then seek to both enjoy the gifts God has given them as well as invest those gifts in others and the future by distributing them wisely. We have 3 categories that we must steward: our time, our talents and our treasure or wealth. The fact that God owns everything and we are to steward it faithfully also explains why when people fail to do so God charges them with robbing or stealing from him (Malachi 3:8-10).
Should Christians tithe?
- Tithing literally means "tenth". In the Old Testament the tithe referred to God’s people giving the first ten percent of their gross income (also called firstfruits) to God to fund the Levite priests' ministry (Numbers 18:21-29, 27:30). In addition to that there were other tithes and offerings that were required of God’s people:
- 10% paid for festivals to build community & for celebration (Deuteronomy 12:10-11, 12:17-18, 14:22-27)
- 3.3% of the church tithe was given to help the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29)
- Crop Gleanings collected for poor and alien (Leviticus 19:9-10)
- Occasional additional tithes above and beyond regular giving (Nehemiah 10:32-33)
Therefore, the total "mandatory" OT tithe resulted in over 25% of a family's gross income going to God and ministry. In the New Testament financial giving among God’s people focuses on grace, generosity, and the heart. The word "tithe" is rarely used in the New Testament, and when it is it is usual mentioned negatively in conjunction with the Pharisees who had sinful hearts when they gave. Perhaps the most thorough teaching in all the New Testament on giving is found in 2 Corinthians 8-9 where we discover the following principles regarding giving:
- Giving is a joy and an honor.
- Giving is a heart issue, there is no standard.
- Giving should come from your first fruits.
- Giving should be done regularly, cheerfully and sacrificially.
- Giving is tied to your proportion of faith
- The amount is between you and God.
- Giving is a spiritual gift - (Romans 12) some have a greater measure of this gift, coupled with faith.
Therefore, God’s people are today not required to tithe. But, as like everything else in the New Covenant our grace giving is to exceed Old Testament requirements of the law. Therefore, 10% should be for God’s people a floor and not a ceiling and a place to begin but not a place to end. Lastly, since God is ultimately the owner of all of our wealth the question is never how much should I give to God, but rather how much of God’s money should I keep?
Is Money Related To Worship?
Jesus said that we cannot worship both God and money, but we can and should worship God with our money (Matthew 6:24). Our money is inextricably linked to our worship both corporately and individually (Deuteronomy 16:16; Philippians 4:18). As a body of believers, we worship corporately by contributing financially to our local church. We respond to God's gifts and kindness by giving in return, so that the Gospel can continue to reach others through the work of the church. As scattered individuals we worship by loving our family and loving others with our money. This may take the form of sharing your home and a meal with friends, loaning your truck to a neighbor or buying a bible for your unbelieving co-worker. Our whole lives are to be marked by worship - and how you use your money plays a role in this every day. Worship does happen on Sundays, but does not end there. The following principles are helpful to guide worshipful stewardship:
- More stuff won’t make you more happy (Ecclesiastes 5:8-12)
- Jesus is a generous giver (2 Corinthians 8:9)
- It is more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20:35)
- We should grow in our giving (2 Corinthians 8:7)
- When we give, we are storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21; 19:29; Philippians 4:7).
- Our life follows our wealth (Matthew 6:21)
In closing, this final point is poignant. Stewardship does include all of our life, but the first priority is to get our financial stewardship and church giving in order. Once we do, we will be invested in our church and it’s well being thereby compelling is to pay attention to our church, helping to serve to improve it, and taking ownership in its well being so that it is for us more like a home than a hotel.
For Further Study:
A great, simple, brief, and biblical book on all of this is Randy Alcon’s book The Treasure Principle.
