Frequently
Asked Questions
Stewardship
Tithe
Offerings
Storehouse
Stewardship
What is stewardship?
Stewardship is the human side of the lordship relationship with
Jesus Christ. It is the lifestyle of one who accepts Christ's
lordship, walking in partnership with God and acting as God's agent
to manage His affairs on earth. Stewardship is the human side of the
Lordship relationship with God--in other words, integrated lordship.
This includes every area of life, including but not limited to
money. Thus stewardship has a broad scope and application to daily
life.
How is the focus of stewardship changing and why?
Past focus on church funding has led to an emphasis on raising money
through methods that may not always biblical. The pressure to
increase giving often leads to resistance and dislike of stewardship
due to a lack of clear understanding of biblical stewardship.
Research and biblical understanding tell us that stewardship must
focus on discipleship--helping people know and walk with God. Only a
person who has a relationship with God can truly partner with God
and worship Him with tithe and offerings.
What is meant by the lordship?
Lordship is intimacy with God through the indwelling Christ
integrated into daily life. It is the result of accepting Christ as
Savior, Owner, and present within us through the ministry of the
Holy Spirit. Lordship means trusting God to guide our lives and
empower them with His Spirit to accomplish His will.
What are the key ingredients for effective stewardship in an
individual's life?
The starting point of stewardship is to recognize that God initiates
stewardship. He gives us life and invites us into intimate
partnership. This partnership begins with accepting Jesus Christ as
Savior--experiencing the joy of salvation. This then leads us to
trust Him enough to accept Him as Lord or Owner of our lives. We
thus accept His guidance. He then offers us the Holy Spirit to bring
the reality of Jesus Christ into our lives and give us strength to
live and serve Him (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Phil. 2:12-13, and Ephesians
3:16-19. Thus God guides and empowers our lives in partnership with
Him.
Should money continue to be part of stewardship ministry?
Financial discipleship is a key ingredient in stewardship ministry.
Money is a direct competitor with God in our lives (Matthew 6:24).
It is crucial that we integrate God into the financial side of our
lives. Part of discipleship is learning to let God be God in every
part of our lives. Dealing with money is at the core of who we
determine is Lord of our lives. Financial discipleship includes
learning to manage the financial resources God places in our hands.
It includes establishing biblical priorities, budgeting and
managing, and worshiping God with everything He places in our hands.
What are the crucial areas for a successful stewardship ministry?
Because stewardship is the human side of God's Lordship, we need to
focus on making disciples--helping people know God and integrate Him
into every area of their lives. Thus, stewardship ministry develops
the broad philosophy of a lifestyle of discipleship. It must be
sensitive to discipleship issues and develop discipling resources.
This makes spiritual leadership a crucial ingredient of stewardship
ministry. Therefore we must also develop resources that help leaders
develop spiritual leadership. At the same time, we must continue to
develop resources in the area of financial discipleship. This
includes biblical teaching about tithes and offerings. Because
stewardship is built on trusting leadership and knowledge of church
finances, stewardship ministry must also include comprehensive and
understandable information about church finances and the use of
church moneys.
Tithe
What is tithe?
Tithe is an act of loyalty--recognizing God as owner of our material
possessions and lives by returning one tenth of what He places in
our hands. It is holy and belongs to God. "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" (Leviticus 27:30, NIV).
Why should I tithe?
The primary reason God has given us the tithe system is to help us
integrate Him into the material side of our lives. The reason for
tithing is to worship. By returning one tenth of our increase to
Him, we recognize that God is owner of all He has placed in our
hands. Each time we tithe on an income or an increase we remember
God is owner of everything He has entrusted into our hands.
What is the primary purpose for tithe?
We have usually declared that the purpose is to support the gospel
ministry or the church. The biblical record helps us understand that
the primary purpose for tithe is to worship God. We return our tithe
to Him through our church. God then uses it to support His church
and fund His ministry.
How should I tithe?
The best way to tithe is to set aside 1/10 of your increase in
either money or product when you first realize an increase or
income, and give it through what you recognize as God's church. Make
it an act of worship by remembering God is your Creator and
Redeemer. Return your tithe to Him as an act of worship. Accept Him
as Lord of every area of your life.
How is tithe used?
Within the Seventh-day Adventist Church tithe is received by the
local congregation and sent on to the local conference office as the
primary site for distribution and use of tithe funds in keeping with
Church Policy. That policy is an agreement by the world church as to
how tithe funds will be used. While the distribution percentages
vary somewhat in different conferences, the largest portion of the
tithe is used to fund the ministry of local churches through
pastoral salaries, as well as evangelism and additional services
provided to the local church.
Should I tithe on the "net" or the "gross"?
Your question is one that is frequently asked, and there are several
aspects that need to be considered in answering it.
- The primary purpose of tithing is not so much to collect the
money, but rather to help individuals integrate the lordship of
Jesus Christ into every area of life, especially the area of finance
and material possessions.
- It is important that each person have the experience of tithing
as an act of worship to God.
- The principle of tithing is based on the concept of increase
gained by the individual or family. The individual should tithe on
all those areas which would be considered direct increase and not
related to direct expenses in producing a product or service, etc.
The key principle is that we tithe on the increase. (Lev. 27:30-33).
When it comes to taxes, we need to realize that they are normally
part of our "increase" because we do receive services in return for
them. (We may not like or appreciate those services, but we do
receive services.) So most people tax on their gross income if they
are on salary. There is also the issue of who we place first--God or
the government.
Most people who own and run their own business tend to tithe on
their net profit after deducting their business expenses. Here is
where you need to be careful and let the Holy Spirit guide you as to
how to consider business expenses. The government many times allows
us to deduct things which are really part of "increase", such as
when we expand the business, or buy new equipment. Some overlook the
fact that if you count equipment purchases and depreciation on
equipment as business expenses, you are actually counting the same
thing twice as a business expense. In addition, there is a
difference between our personal expenses for living which include
taxes, and the expenses involved in producing a product or running a
business. This would be calculated by deducting the expenses for
producing the product or service from the total income--thus
calculating the increase.
Should I tithe on welfare income?
The principle of tithing is based on the concept of increase gained
by the individual or family. The individual should tithe on all
those areas that would be considered direct increase and not related
to direct expenses in producing a product or service, etc. The key
principle is that we tithe on the increase (Lev. 27:30-33). Welfare
income is one of the ways God may provide for our family and our
needs. Thus it is an increase though it is not earned by our work.
Should I tithe on my income before or after deducting such things as
Social Security or retirement contributions?
Remember, the key principle on tithe is that we tithe on the
increase,
With Social Security, we need to remember that ultimately we receive
back what we have paid in with additional income beyond what we paid
in our taxes. That additional income comes from the amount our
employer paid, as well as benefits even beyond what was paid in
should we live to an older age. So some of our Social Security
benefits come from what we have paid in during our working lives.
The rest comes from what our employer paid in, and what others have
paid to the system. In most cases we will receive more in benefits
than what we paid in during our working lives. I have heard three
alternatives that seem to apply the principles of tithing on our
increase and putting God first:
- God blesses in so many ways that some people tithe now before
Social Security and continue to tithe after they are on Social
Security and count it all as "increase."
- Some people deduct their Social Security payments before they
tithe as they will tithe on that money when they begin receiving
Social Security.
- Some people tithe on all of it now. Then when they receive Social
Security they only tithe on the difference between what they put
into the program and what they take out. But this requires careful
record keeping to maintain our own integrity.
Any of the three ways seem to work in applying the principles of
tithing on our increase and putting God first.
Should I tithe on my Social Security income?
Please refer to the previous answer about tithing before or after
Social Security or retirement plan deductions.
Offerings
What are offerings?
Offerings are our response of love responding to God's blessings and
goodness. They serve as a means of helping to further integrate God
into the financial side of our lives. Recognizing God as Owner, we
follow the convicting of the Holy Spirit--managing what He has
placed in our hands and worshiping God by returning some of what He
has placed in our hands. We give where and how the Holy Spirit
convicts and empowers us to do so. We give to worship God--and we do
so by supporting His Church, by advancing His mission, by helping
others-but most of all by listening to Him and following where leads
and doing what He convicts.
How should I give offerings?
Two principles should guide our offerings-as God blesses and as He
guides us through His Spirit--"Each man should give what he has
decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7, NIV). The Macedonian
churches give us an example of the way to give. "For I testify that
they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.
Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the
privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not
do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and
then to us in keeping with God's will" (2 Cor. 8:3-5, NIV).
Storehouse
What does the term "storehouse" mean?
The term "storehouse" has become a contemporary term describing the
place we choose to which we bring our tithes. It comes from God's
call in Malachi 3:10-"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse,
that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord
Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven
and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for
it (NIV).
Where did the term "Storehouse" originate?
The concept of storehouse began during the revival at the time of
King Hezekiah when the people returned their past tithe as part of
the revival. So much was brought in that the king ordered the
construction of storerooms (2 Chronicles 31:2-11).
How does the "Storehouse" function in the Seventh-day Adventist
Church?
The local conference office is considered the storehouse for tithe
within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Tithe is returned through
the local congregation and then passed on to the conference where it
is distributed according to the policies voted by the world church.
Most of the tithe is used within the local conference, and the major
portion is used for ministry in the local church.
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