Straight Talk About Tithing
Rev. Steve Butler
Matthew 6:25-34
Thank you very much for inviting me back again today. It’s always a pleasure to be asked to speak. It’s an even greater pleasure to be asked to speak again. A retired pastor once told me he asked a friend when he should stop preaching and they replied, “When they stop asking!” So, thank you for asking again! What I have for you today is not really a sermon. A sermon is an inspirational speech on a reading from the Bible. Certainly, I’ll refer to the Bible, but this is more of a talk, a straight talk about tithing. You see, I have a very difficult task today. Everyone has come here with a number already in mind. And I know basically what that number is. For almost everyone here it’s what we think we can give, but it’s less than we can really afford to give. And for a lot of us, it’s the same as last year. But it’s the number we’ve already decided on. So basically, I’m faced with two choices. I can help us feel good about doing less than we can. Or I can do my best to help us give what we’re truly capable of. Guess which one I’ve chosen? But I’m going to do it nicely. I promise.
Every counselor learns that the client already knows the solution to their problem, but they’re usually too afraid to do what’s necessary. So, it’s the counselor’s job to help the client gain the information and obtain the strength to do what they already know is right. That’s my job today. And what does God ask of us? God asks for 10% of our income. That’s a tithe: one tenth, or ten percent. So, if you would, please think of the amount of money you receive each week or month or year, divide that by ten and that’s a tithe: ten percent. And most of us are terrified at the thought of giving that much money to God. Right? Notice I said, “Give that money to God.” I’m not asking you to give anything to this church. In fact, I hope you won’t ever give anything to this church. I hope and pray that all the gifts you give through this church are given to God for the ministry of Jesus Christ. Why? Because the church is a sinful organization. Is there anyone here who has never been hurt by someone connected with a church? Of course, we all have. Churches are established, staffed, and administered by professional and volunteer sinners: sinful human beings. But we’re forgiven sinners, aren’t we? “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness!” (I John 1:9) But experience shows we will probably sin again. So, please, don’t give to this church or to any church. Please give through this church to the ministry of Jesus Christ!
But we don’t like to change, do we? How many church members does it take to change a light bulb? “Change? My mother gave that light bulb! It was good enough then so it’s good enough now, right?” Do you know there are four basic human personality types? Some systems compare them to animals like Eagles, Lions, Bears, and Beavers. Eagles are the freedom lovers. They love to soar and float wherever the wind takes them, but they can strike quickly and forcefully when they want to. Lions are people who are desperate to lead. They’re very competitive, always looking ahead, love to set long-term goals and work to fulfill them. Bears are strong nurturing people who get their greatest satisfaction from learning new things and helping others succeed. A lot of them are teachers. Beavers are cooperative team members who are comfortable with routine tasks and love to get them done. Very few Eagles are willing to sit through an hour of worship. They are seldom active church members. Most church members are Beavers. We’re comfortable with routine, we like to work hard together, but we prefer to do things the same way we did them last time. At least 50% of all church members are Beavers. Most pastors are Bears. We see the future and want to help others get there. I’m a Lion. Aren’t you glad I’ve never been your pastor? There are lots of reasons why I never became the pastor here. #1: Too many people remembered what a wise guy I was growing up here way back when. But it’s been a real adventure for this Lion to learn how to work with Beavers! Nobody likes to change. But it may not be as hard as we imagine. A journey of 1000 miles starts with the first step, doesn’t it?
I once thought it was impossible to tithe, but I took a Christian Discipleship course that encouraged us, among other things, to tithe for a month. At that time, 10% of my income was $35 a week. I’d never given that much to anyone or anything. But we did it for a month and we survived. At that time, we were giving about 5% of our income, so we decided to increase that by one percentage point a year. Eventually we got to 10%. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness,” said Jesus “and everything else will work out.” We’ve found that to be true, and so have a lot of other people for a very long time. But how can we do that when we’re on a fixed income? How many here today receive Social Security benefits? (Hands down, thankyou.) No one who receives Social Security benefits is on a fixed income. We may believe we are, but we are not. Why? Because Social Security and almost all pensions today are adjusted every year to account for inflation. A fixed income is a dollar amount that does not change from year to year. Almost no one in America today receives a fixed income pension. Fixed income pensions were basically done away with in the 1980s. But the term “fixed income” is cemented in our brains. Almost every pension plan today increases each year for inflation. But how can we get ahead? People ask this question all the time. Pensions are not designed to help people get ahead. They’re designed to help us keep from falling behind. There’s been a lot of discussion about inflation this year, running at about 6%. Horrible, right? But our Social Security benefits are increasing by about 6%! And a lot of things have not gotten more expensive over the years. When color TVs first came out, they cost $500. Fifty years later the equivalent price would be $5000. But no one pays that much for a TV today do we? When I worked delivering milk with my Dad in 1970, we sold a half gallon of milk for 65 cents. The equivalent price today would be $6.50. But a half gallon of milk costs a lot less than $6.50, doesn’t it? Not everything is more expensive than it used to be. And it’s not more money. It’s just more dollars. So, what’s the problem?
One problem is, this is a terrible time of year to try to raise money. Every year in October and November something scary happens: the stock market takes a dive, heating bills are projected to increase, the price of gas goes up, or there’s some other economic bad news that gets us wondering if we’re going to be able to pay our bills. It’s so much easier to ask people for money in the Spring. In the Spring, there’s more sunshine, it’s getting warmer, people feel better. But most churches work on a calendar year budget, so here we are today, and there’s nobody else to do this. So, let’s do it now.
But pastors just want a bigger salary, don’t they? Isn’t that what tithing is all about? Oh, my! If we were in this for the money, we would certainly have chosen a different occupation. We’re not in this for the money. And I’m not accepting an honorarium for being here today. This is something we do for each other for free. We’re not in this for the money. All we ask for is enough to live on and a decent place to live. I’m sure Pastor Kelly could have made a lot more money if she’d stuck to her first occupation instead of answering God’s call to this one. Sometimes people ask me why I became a pastor. The short answer is: I was never much good at anything else. The longer answer is: this is what I was born, raised, gifted and called to do. And this church is where I first realized that. It was downstairs in the Fellowship Hall when Rev. Ron Conklin said, “Right now we have a great need for more pastors.” The Holy Spirit was whispering in my ear and I thought, “I could do that!” This is where it started for me. Who knows who’s next? I’m not the only pastor or person in ministry who’s come from this church. There have been several. But it’s up to us now, and “same as last year” won’t get it done. Believe me. I’ve been in a lot of empty church buildings that were closed and eventually sold. I helped sell some of them when I was a Troy Conference Trustee. Every one of them was neat, tidy, and all in order. The hymnals were perfectly arranged in the pews. The Sunday school materials were all on the shelves. The heat was on, the bills were paid, and they were all abandoned. “Same as last year” will not continue the ministry of Jesus Christ in this place. So, what do we do? It’s very simple.
Would you please consider that number we all came in with today and increase it by one? Is there anyone here today who really cannot afford one more dollar a week? There’s got to be something we can do to save one dollar a week. Maybe we make our own coffee. Maybe we can take the coins in our pocket every night, put them in a jar and bring that extra change here on Sundays along with our regular offering. Or if we calculate our gift as a percentage of our income, can we increase that number by one? Don’t we all pay for magazines we never read, buy food we never eat, clothes we never wear, online subscriptions we never use, cable channels we never watch, lottery tickets that never win? I once knew the Chief Financial Officer of the Stewart’s Corporation. When I asked him about the Lottery he said, “The Lottery is a voluntary tax on foolish people.” That’s the opinion of a professional accountant. And casinos are a hundred times worse. There are things in our lives that we can change. When we seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, everything else tends to work out very well. I’ve made my pledge here today. The check is already in the envelope. Let’s not just do what we think we can do. Let’s increase that number and see what God does for us.
Every counselor learns that the client already knows the solution to their problem, but they’re usually too afraid to do what’s necessary. So, it’s the counselor’s job to help the client gain the information and obtain the strength to do what they already know is right. That’s my job today. And what does God ask of us? God asks for 10% of our income. That’s a tithe: one tenth, or ten percent. So, if you would, please think of the amount of money you receive each week or month or year, divide that by ten and that’s a tithe: ten percent. And most of us are terrified at the thought of giving that much money to God. Right? Notice I said, “Give that money to God.” I’m not asking you to give anything to this church. In fact, I hope you won’t ever give anything to this church. I hope and pray that all the gifts you give through this church are given to God for the ministry of Jesus Christ. Why? Because the church is a sinful organization. Is there anyone here who has never been hurt by someone connected with a church? Of course, we all have. Churches are established, staffed, and administered by professional and volunteer sinners: sinful human beings. But we’re forgiven sinners, aren’t we? “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness!” (I John 1:9) But experience shows we will probably sin again. So, please, don’t give to this church or to any church. Please give through this church to the ministry of Jesus Christ!
But we don’t like to change, do we? How many church members does it take to change a light bulb? “Change? My mother gave that light bulb! It was good enough then so it’s good enough now, right?” Do you know there are four basic human personality types? Some systems compare them to animals like Eagles, Lions, Bears, and Beavers. Eagles are the freedom lovers. They love to soar and float wherever the wind takes them, but they can strike quickly and forcefully when they want to. Lions are people who are desperate to lead. They’re very competitive, always looking ahead, love to set long-term goals and work to fulfill them. Bears are strong nurturing people who get their greatest satisfaction from learning new things and helping others succeed. A lot of them are teachers. Beavers are cooperative team members who are comfortable with routine tasks and love to get them done. Very few Eagles are willing to sit through an hour of worship. They are seldom active church members. Most church members are Beavers. We’re comfortable with routine, we like to work hard together, but we prefer to do things the same way we did them last time. At least 50% of all church members are Beavers. Most pastors are Bears. We see the future and want to help others get there. I’m a Lion. Aren’t you glad I’ve never been your pastor? There are lots of reasons why I never became the pastor here. #1: Too many people remembered what a wise guy I was growing up here way back when. But it’s been a real adventure for this Lion to learn how to work with Beavers! Nobody likes to change. But it may not be as hard as we imagine. A journey of 1000 miles starts with the first step, doesn’t it?
I once thought it was impossible to tithe, but I took a Christian Discipleship course that encouraged us, among other things, to tithe for a month. At that time, 10% of my income was $35 a week. I’d never given that much to anyone or anything. But we did it for a month and we survived. At that time, we were giving about 5% of our income, so we decided to increase that by one percentage point a year. Eventually we got to 10%. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness,” said Jesus “and everything else will work out.” We’ve found that to be true, and so have a lot of other people for a very long time. But how can we do that when we’re on a fixed income? How many here today receive Social Security benefits? (Hands down, thankyou.) No one who receives Social Security benefits is on a fixed income. We may believe we are, but we are not. Why? Because Social Security and almost all pensions today are adjusted every year to account for inflation. A fixed income is a dollar amount that does not change from year to year. Almost no one in America today receives a fixed income pension. Fixed income pensions were basically done away with in the 1980s. But the term “fixed income” is cemented in our brains. Almost every pension plan today increases each year for inflation. But how can we get ahead? People ask this question all the time. Pensions are not designed to help people get ahead. They’re designed to help us keep from falling behind. There’s been a lot of discussion about inflation this year, running at about 6%. Horrible, right? But our Social Security benefits are increasing by about 6%! And a lot of things have not gotten more expensive over the years. When color TVs first came out, they cost $500. Fifty years later the equivalent price would be $5000. But no one pays that much for a TV today do we? When I worked delivering milk with my Dad in 1970, we sold a half gallon of milk for 65 cents. The equivalent price today would be $6.50. But a half gallon of milk costs a lot less than $6.50, doesn’t it? Not everything is more expensive than it used to be. And it’s not more money. It’s just more dollars. So, what’s the problem?
One problem is, this is a terrible time of year to try to raise money. Every year in October and November something scary happens: the stock market takes a dive, heating bills are projected to increase, the price of gas goes up, or there’s some other economic bad news that gets us wondering if we’re going to be able to pay our bills. It’s so much easier to ask people for money in the Spring. In the Spring, there’s more sunshine, it’s getting warmer, people feel better. But most churches work on a calendar year budget, so here we are today, and there’s nobody else to do this. So, let’s do it now.
But pastors just want a bigger salary, don’t they? Isn’t that what tithing is all about? Oh, my! If we were in this for the money, we would certainly have chosen a different occupation. We’re not in this for the money. And I’m not accepting an honorarium for being here today. This is something we do for each other for free. We’re not in this for the money. All we ask for is enough to live on and a decent place to live. I’m sure Pastor Kelly could have made a lot more money if she’d stuck to her first occupation instead of answering God’s call to this one. Sometimes people ask me why I became a pastor. The short answer is: I was never much good at anything else. The longer answer is: this is what I was born, raised, gifted and called to do. And this church is where I first realized that. It was downstairs in the Fellowship Hall when Rev. Ron Conklin said, “Right now we have a great need for more pastors.” The Holy Spirit was whispering in my ear and I thought, “I could do that!” This is where it started for me. Who knows who’s next? I’m not the only pastor or person in ministry who’s come from this church. There have been several. But it’s up to us now, and “same as last year” won’t get it done. Believe me. I’ve been in a lot of empty church buildings that were closed and eventually sold. I helped sell some of them when I was a Troy Conference Trustee. Every one of them was neat, tidy, and all in order. The hymnals were perfectly arranged in the pews. The Sunday school materials were all on the shelves. The heat was on, the bills were paid, and they were all abandoned. “Same as last year” will not continue the ministry of Jesus Christ in this place. So, what do we do? It’s very simple.
Would you please consider that number we all came in with today and increase it by one? Is there anyone here today who really cannot afford one more dollar a week? There’s got to be something we can do to save one dollar a week. Maybe we make our own coffee. Maybe we can take the coins in our pocket every night, put them in a jar and bring that extra change here on Sundays along with our regular offering. Or if we calculate our gift as a percentage of our income, can we increase that number by one? Don’t we all pay for magazines we never read, buy food we never eat, clothes we never wear, online subscriptions we never use, cable channels we never watch, lottery tickets that never win? I once knew the Chief Financial Officer of the Stewart’s Corporation. When I asked him about the Lottery he said, “The Lottery is a voluntary tax on foolish people.” That’s the opinion of a professional accountant. And casinos are a hundred times worse. There are things in our lives that we can change. When we seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, everything else tends to work out very well. I’ve made my pledge here today. The check is already in the envelope. Let’s not just do what we think we can do. Let’s increase that number and see what God does for us.