These great verses help set some key principles that all believers should have towards finance and giving in their lives. They certainly impact our approach at The Community Church to money!

In The Community Church you will see that we provide people with both Tithe and Offering account bank details to organise their giving.

Though many churches do not separate their finances like these… we do and here’s why.

In a broad brush stroke, put simply, we see a principle that is found in the Bible that : Tithes are used for people and Offerings are for ‘things’. In the Old Testament, those who ministered to the people were supported from the tithe and as Paul writes (1 Corinthians 9:14) we extend that principle in today’s church. Practically, financial support for salaries and ‘people needs’ comes from the tithe, whereas we would pay for ‘things’ like chairs, heating, building repairs and lighting… from the offering.

Deuteronomy 14:23 explains to us that the purpose of the tithe was so that God’s people “…may learn to fear the LORD your God always.” Honouring the Lord, by bringing Him the tithe, is one of the primary ways we express that He is Lord of all my life …including my wallet!

It is important for all believers to realise that the tithe belongs to the Lord. It doesn’t belong to me, it is someone else’s ‘possession’, and as such, I do not have the right or liberty to go and spend it, or give it to whoever I want – it is the Lord’s, it belongs to Him!

This is taught to us early in the Old Testament in Leviticus 27:30 where we read that:

“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord”

Our English word tithe comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning a “tenth.” The custom of giving a tenth of one’s income to God goes back at least 3,000 years to the times of the patriarchs - Abraham being the first to tithe on all he had, followed by, Isaac and Jacob who all gave a tithe of their income.

This tithe (10% of what we earn) – had a destination where it should be deposited… in Malachi 3:10 we are told the tithe should be bought into the “storehouse” - the place where we get fed. In our modern times, we see this as the local church, the place where a person belongs to – the church family home where they are taught, encouraged and cared for – their storehouse.

God's people in the times of Malachi the prophet were challenged about “robbing God” because they were withholding tithes and offerings – 2 distinct aspects of giving. They were encouraged, by the prophet to test God, and see what He would do, when they honoured Him with their giving in the way that God had instructed them. God’s promise was that He would “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there would not be room enough to store it.” He even went further to say that He would “… prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe”.

Well, we may not be in an agricultural economy now... but the promises of God are eternal and can be depended on. Even today, the devourer can still be rebuked based on the promises of God but we have a part to play in this divine exchange, in bringing to Him our tithe and offerings.

When we understand that we bring to God what belongs to Him first and at that point our own personal giving actually begins. It is from these funds that we have left that we can direct where and what we give to with faith, joy and spontaneity.

Many Christians try to explain away the practice of tithing as being an Old Covenant practice and part of the law, so not applicable today. Sadly, in our experience, many who dismiss tithing in this way, invariably give and sow less financially than if they were tithing, this needs no further explanation!

In actual fact, this view does not match with what Jesus himself said, when he reaffirmed tithing when speaking to the religious people of his day (Luke 11:42). In addition, later in the New Testament, Paul shared many times about how we should steward the finance that God had entrusted to us in our lives (2 Corinthians 8:7, 2 Corinthians 9: 5 – 11, 1 Timothy 6:18)

The most generous giver is God, who gave His only Son (John 3:16), and we are created in His image, have his divine DNA, and should produce fruit in our lives, that is consistent with God’s own nature. The Apostle Paul shares clearly that as believers, our lives should also be marked by a lifestyle of giving and generosity. So ….even if we did believe tithing was an Old Testament practice, it could only be replaced (and we don’t believe it has been!) by something at least equivalent or even better. After all, as the writer to the Hebrews comments “The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come..” (Hebrews 10:1)

In The Community Church we believe we are all blessed to be a blessing in life. As individuals and as a church family, the way we handle our finances in life, no matter how small or great, matters a great deal for…

Luke 16:11 “ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches”

As a church, we also tithe on all of our income AND we make regular special offerings that help touch our town, nation and wider world with the practical love of Jesus.

Of course, this way of handling finance may be quite a radical change to how you have been taught. You may need some assistance and support with organising your finances, especially if you have ever found yourself in debt. We are here to help and have confidential counsellors who can help you manage your finances better, if that help is needed.

Just for you to know… The Community Church is a registered charity, who have our accounts independently audited and these can be viewed on the Charity Commission website. Alternatively we are happy for you to ask any questions about our finances, just contact our administration office to arrange a convenient time to chat.

As a registered charity we are able to reclaim money from the taxman, currently 20 pence for every pound that has been given by a tax paying donor – these 20p’s soon add up! So we do encourage everyone who contributes to the church and who pays any U.K. income tax, to register for the Gift Aid scheme that the government run. Details can be got from the church administration – it is a simple, short form.