Does your church require you to tithe

[Anonymous]

That is give 10% of your pretax income?
This is a lot of money for me. I get by on little so it makes a big difference. I heard somewhre that the babtists did not used to tithe, but that teaching was added later, and according to church history this is a fairly new phenomenon.
I do not know what to do or where to go.

[Anonymous]

In my church it's voluntary.
You don't pay anything to join or to be part of it. You give if you want to.

[Anonymous]

Strictly voluntary, and we (and a lot of other people) do not give 10%.

[Anonymous]

It's voluntary for Catholics.

[Anonymous]

We go to a Methodist church, and it is voluntary.

[Anonymous]

OP if you're asking about the biblical stand point, Jesus was clear that it should be volunteer but each church has autonomy to teach whatever they want.

[Anonymous]

My brother tithes. He's conservative Baptist. My sister and I both pledge but don't tithe. (She's Lutheran, I'm Episcopalian.) My church has a suggested per-family donation that is higher than what I give, but it's a very wealthy church and I'm a single mom with a not-huge income. I figure the $720/year I pledge is pretty good given that I rarely attend church and pay a lot less than that for my gym membership.

[Anonymous]

I think LDS/Mormons are encouraged to give 10%, but its based on post-tax income.

[Anonymous]

I speak from experience and will tell you that Mormons are required to tithe 10% of gross income.

Mormons who are struggling financially are encouraged to pay tithing before they pay their mortgage, buy groceries, etc., with the promise that god will take care of those who tithe.

There is a formal meeting annually with local church leadership to account for your tithing, and you must certify that you have fully paid your 10% in order to remain a member with privileges to attend the temple.

[Anonymous]

Don't tithe - that's my vote.

[Anonymous]

Not mandatory (ELCA Lutheran). I have a HUGE problem with churches that "require" tithing. Go ahead and suggest what % people should give if they are able - but to require it as the cost of Jesus loving you is a load of crap and wholly un-Christian, in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I speak from experience and will tell you that Mormons are required to tithe 10% of gross income.

Mormons who are struggling financially are encouraged to pay tithing before they pay their mortgage, buy groceries, etc., with the promise that god will take care of those who tithe.

There is a formal meeting annually with local church leadership to account for your tithing, and you must certify that you have fully paid your 10% in order to remain a member with privileges to attend the temple.

So true. When my DH was a little boy and his dad was unemployed for a little over a year, his bishop actually threatened excommunication because they couldn't tithe the full 10% of their gross income that year. It's pretty ridiculous. What did they expect my in-laws to do, not feed their three sons and keep a roof over their head so they could hand over more money to a very wealthy church? Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I speak from experience and will tell you that Mormons are required to tithe 10% of gross income.

Mormons who are struggling financially are encouraged to pay tithing before they pay their mortgage, buy groceries, etc., with the promise that god will take care of those who tithe.

There is a formal meeting annually with local church leadership to account for your tithing, and you must certify that you have fully paid your 10% in order to remain a member with privileges to attend the temple.

So true. When my DH was a little boy and his dad was unemployed for a little over a year, his bishop actually threatened excommunication because they couldn't tithe the full 10% of their gross income that year. It's pretty ridiculous. What did they expect my in-laws to do, not feed their three sons and keep a roof over their head so they could hand over more money to a very wealthy church? Ridiculous.

One more reason why I think it is a cult.

[Anonymous]

Find a different Baptist church. Not all require tithing and no one should make you feel guilty for not meeting the standard.

However, from another viewpoint, my husband is a minister and it is amazing how many people think that giving $5/week per family can keep a church going these days. You need to know what you can afford, decide how important the church is in your life, know something about the church budget and make a pledge accordingly.

Less income to the church does mean less activities - and one has to accept that if folks don't put in money, then they will see fewer things happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't tithe - that's my vote.

Mine too. Another vote for not tithing. It's your decision. Don't let anyone guilt you into it.