–– Tim Cantrell
The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
Everyone can see that the brain drain has dealt a heavy blow to Africa. Skilled professionals emigrate overseas, while locally the working class are forced to leave their villages for our African cities in search of work, as our continent continues to urbanise. All of these factors severely impact churches and their income. Recent news told of a local pastor having “sleepless nights” because of losing so many faithful givers in his church to emigration. While there are many causes of brain drain, my aim here is simply to answer two practical, related questions: (a) ‘How important is it for churches to be self-supporting?’; (b) ‘How should churches respond to a financial crisis?’
Finding biblical answers to these two crucial questions also helps us with many related questions, such as: ‘Should churches even speak about money, or just trust God to provide? Is it only the health-wealth prosperity pastors who speak about finances? Does the Bible teach that we must tithe? How much of my income does the Lord expect me to give? What if I have little or no income?’
Let’s approach this brief study under four headings: Old Testament tithing; New Testament giving; wise counsel; and church planting application.
Old Testament Tithing
In the Old Testament, God commands his people to give 10 percent of their income to support the Levites—the religious teachers of the day (Lev. 27:30-34; Num. 18:21-24; Deut. 14:22-29; 26:12-15). Plus, there were a couple more required offerings, all three of which added up to roughly 23 percent of an Israelite’s annual income, to say nothing of the temple tax and voluntary offerings.
How much more have we received from Christ than the Old Testament saints could have imagined? Giving for the Christian is one way we use our money to invest for an eternal return. Giving helps us loose the chains that money can wrap around our hearts. Giving says, “God is sufficient” (Ps. 23:1; Ps. 16:4).
New Testament Giving
Christians sometimes assume their responsibility starts and ends with giving 10 percent to a favourite charity. But that’s not quite right. Ten percent may be a good starting point based on Old Testament precedent. Think of Abraham giving that much to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20; Heb. 7). But nowhere does the New Testament tell Christians to give a “tithe” (10 percent).
Instead, Paul instructs each Christian to give “in keeping with his income” (1 Cor. 16:2), which is to say, as much as one is able. Elsewhere he commands, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches” (Gal. 6:6; see also 1 Cor. 9:14). And he commends one church for giving “with rich generosity” and “beyond their ability” (2 Cor. 8:2,3).
Yet the Bible also teaches that what we give to the church must be balanced with our other financial obligations. Paul says that a man who does not provide for his family’s basic needs “has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8). Money is just one of many stewardships God has given to us, like time or relationships. Just as we should make “the best use of the time” (Eph. 5:16) for God’s glory, so we should behave with our money.
We dare not ask the world to fund the Lord’s work, by resorting to all kinds of typical secular fund-raising efforts at manipulating or guilt-tripping people. Instead, we must remember that, as R.C. Sproul often said, “The King’s work is done by the King’s people”. And God always provides! (Php. 4:19)
Wise Counsel
A good starting point is giving 10 percent of your income to the church (or less if unable, see 1 Tim. 5:6). Most importantly, remember that everything in your bank account is an opportunity to bring glory to God, since He owns it all anyway (1 Chron. 29:12; Ps. 24:1). Would it best be used for extra needs at the church? Or to hire a babysitter to free you up to disciple a younger Christian regularly? Or to minister to your family through a much-needed holiday together? Or to buy this house versus that house because it allows you to do hospitality? You are utterly free in Christ to decide! The point is, to use all your money for His glory, and in light of eternity (Matt. 6:33; 1 Cor. 10:31).
If you have no income, you can still give from what you do have (skills, time, relationships, etc.) so that the first day you have an income it feels second-nature to give again. Here are four specific encouragements we give to our church members:
- Give to your local church general fund first. Since the local church is the primary source of teaching (1 Tim. 3:15), it should be the primary recipient of your giving (see Gal. 6:6; 1 Cor. 9:14).
- Give regularly and deliberately. Paul told the Corinthians to set aside money on the first day of every week (1 Cor. 16:2). Giving to the church should not be a spontaneous decision. Plan ahead. Build it into your budget as Priority #1 (Prov. 3:9-10).
- Give sacrificially and cheerfully. God loves a cheerful giver and He calls all of us to take up our cross and follow him (2 Cor. 9:7; Luke 9:23). Our entire lives should be lived in sacrificial obedience, including our giving. Remember that whatever you give pales in comparison to what you are receiving in Christ.
- Seek wise counsel. We should not give to impress others (Matt. 6:2), and yet it’s foolish to make decisions about money without godly advice (Prov. 15:22, 1 Tim. 6:10). Be transparent with at least someone at your church about your whole life—including how much and where you give (Heb. 3:13; 10:24-25; Prov. 27:5-6).
Church Planting Application
How then should this apply in church planting and in missions? Pastor Conrad Mbewe notes that, due to an unhealthy dependence upon foreign funds:
…it became deep-seated in the African psyche that church giving did not really matter. [Thus Mbewe says]…If the church in Africa is to mature and take its place in the missionary movement that will usher in the Lord’s return, we must reverse this trend. Our church members must learn to be faithful, generous and deliberate about financial matters in the context of the church.
Seasoned church-planter among the Tsongas, Paul Schlehlein, tells of missions history, “Even if the native Christians were poor, they learned to live and work and save without foreign aid bailing them out of their responsibilities. …If they follow the model of the Philippian church, who gave amidst their deep poverty (2 Cor. 8-9), the African church will grow in maturity and numbers.” As missionary statesman and leader, Rufus Anderson, wrote nearly 200 years ago, “The salary of the native pastor should be based on the Christianized ideas of living acquired by his people, and the church should become self-supporting at the very earliest possible day.”
Missionary pioneer and hero, John Paton, said of the beloved Tannese islanders whom he evangelized, “I have striven to train them to be self-supporting, and have never helped them where I could train them to help themselves.” Veteran church-planter in Zambia, Phil Hunt, sums it up well, “Develop the ministry only to the degree that the local assembly will be able to handle financially and capably. Programs and equipment that are beyond the means of the mature assembly are, in the end, counter-productive to the goal of a self-supporting church.” Even if a church does enjoy outside donors who assist with occasional or auxiliary ministries, it must be clear that without those donors, the church could surely stand on its own feet and carry on essential ministry.
In conclusion, God’s Word is indeed rich with relevant counsel and timeless wisdom on all kinds of money matters. Instead of overreacting to the money-loving false churches and saying nothing to our people, true churches must faithfully model and teach biblical stewardship and sacrificial giving to the Lord’s work. May God help us in our own churches, and in all our church planting and missionary endeavours, to be faithful stewards that honour our risen Head and faithful Lord.