How to Start Tithing

I’m going to start by assuming several things:

 - You go to a church regularly.

 - You want to support its ministry because it is benefiting you spiritually (1 Cor. 9:11, 14; Rom. 15:27).

 - You believe that Scripture calls you to give 10% to the church (Deut. 14:22; Numbers 18:21).

 - But you don’t have a good system and haven’t been consistently giving.

 

What do you do?  Here are the baby steps, Dave Ramsey style:

 

1. Start by doing a budget.  How strapped are you, really?  Would giving 10% right away leave you unable to pay basic bills?  Why?  Streaming and subscriptions multiply these days - do you really need them all?  Cut spending elsewhere until you can start giving something, any amount, weekly.  It doesn’t have to be 10% right away.  But you should seek to move toward that as rapidly as possible.

2. Tithe your take-home, net pay, after taxes and benefits.  This is usually an easy number to spot: the cash direct-deposited in your account every other week, or the check handed to you on Fridays, etc.  Move the decimal over one digit to the left – presto!  $498.00 income = $49.80 tithe.  If you are self-employed, this is trickier.  I'd recommend doing your books monthly or quarterly: gross income minus taxes and expenses to figure your net income.

(As an aside, also try to save an equal amount, another 10%, for retirement/savings.)

 

3. Start considering your benefits.  God wants us to tithe on all our increase, any compensation we receive:

a. Retirement.  For Social Security and any 401k type of accounts, I recommend NOT tithing on retirement contributions when you are working.  Instead, tithe on disbursements when you receive them at retirement.  This gives you a break now, it accounts for any increase your 401k makes over time, and it has you tithe when you can afford it later.  This is only a recommendation.  You could also opt to tithe on your contributions now, and give above and beyond the tithe whatever you can, later.  There is no need to tithe on both your contributions now, and on what you receive later.

b. Medical.  If you get health benefits, these are notoriously complicated and difficult to figure out how to tithe on.  The simplest way is probably to find the amount on your check stub that your employer is paying to your insurance company, and tithe on that.  Of course, if you are self-employed and buy your own health insurance, that is not "increase" an employer is giving you, but an expense, and you don't need to tithe on it.

 

4. Consider tithing on your gross pay, instead of the net, take-home, after taxes.  In principle, God gets your first 10%, not the government.  Our devious and duplicitous payroll withholding system gives the government the first cut, and makes the exorbitant taxes it confiscates from you feel painless.  We should not let this happen.  God should get the first and the most of our income, not the state.  (Which means the state should get less than 10%!  See 1 Samuel 8:15 and its context.)

I'm not sure there is a clear biblical case for tithing on gross income instead of net income, though.  It can also be argued that government over-taxation lowers your increase.  So maybe stopping at step 3 is fine, even if step 4 is true in principle.  An alternative is to tithe on the most the state SHOULD take - 10%: take your net pay (say $500) and divide by 90%, .90: ($555.55).  So you give $55.55 instead of $50, even if your gross was $700.

Note that tithing this way, you should ignore any tax refunds or payments from April 15.  If you usually get a refund, a simpler alternative than all of the above is to tithe on your net, ignore the gross, and then tithe on your refund, too.

 

Closing comments:

1. Is this getting into the weeds?  Yes, a bit.  But remember that Jesus commends the Pharisees for tithing on the growth of their spices (Luke 11:42).  It is a lesser thing than justice and love, but something that shouldn't be left undone, He says.

2. Financial advisors like to talk with young people and get them in the habit of saving money for retirement early.  The compound interest really does add up, when you start early.  In the same vein, young people should get in the habit of tithing as soon as they start making money.  It pays huge spiritual dividends in life to tangibly prioritize God's people.

3. If you are in a dire financial situation, it is better to seek financial help from your church, AND continue tithing any income you receive, than to say nothing and not give much or at all.  It may seem odd or intrusive, but many church leaders, especially lay elders and deacons, have a great deal of financial wisdom to share with you.  Ask them.

4. Doing these tithing baby steps will require fiscal restraint.  But it is a healthy spiritual exercise, and it will also result in a church that is well provided for.