The churches of the U.S. last year received about $4 billion in donations. If the 112 million Americans who claim a religious affiliation had given one-tenth—the traditional tithe—of their personal income to churches, that total could have topped $25 billion. Without aspiring to that great a transformation in church revenues, U.S. clergymen are making a strong effort to get their congregations back to the two principles of tithing: giving regularly, and giving a fixed percentage (even if less than 10%) of income.
That no-nonsense tithe collector, the
U.S. Government, has taken over many of the welfare functions once served by church charity, but U.S. churches see no shortage of things that they could accomplish on bigger budgets. Costs have been rising because of the proliferation of church-centered clubs and weekday activities, the increase (belated) in ministerial and staff salaries, mounting upkeep on church buildings. New church construction has cost $2 billion in the last two years. The missionary effort in Africa, Asia and Latin America is bigger than ever. And Roman Catholics have the added costs of parochial schools.
In a recent survey, the weekly Our Sunday Visitor discovered nearly 300 Catholic parishes whose pastors have already introduced tithing, 1,250 others where the system is scheduled for adoption. At its 60th triennial convocation of bishops in Detroit last year, the Protestant Episcopal Church strongly recommended that ministers introduce tithing. The United Presbyterian Fellowship of Tithing Churches, which had twelve congregations at its founding in 1951, now has 250.
A Tenth of the Harvest. Historically the tithe meant the first tenth of the harvest that was offered up to God. In Exodus, God tells Moses: "Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits." Church councils until early modern times regarded tithing as part of divine law.
Except among Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists and a few fundamentalist churches, which follow the traditional practice to the letter, today's approach to tithing is more flexible. A number of Catholic parishes with parochial schools attached split the tithe—5% to the rectory, 5% to the school. Many Protestant ministers believe that other charity can be counted in. "The tithe should be a means of free expression of thankfulness to God—with the accent on freedom," says Episcopal Canon Rudolf Devik, of Seattle's diocesan stewardship department. "Charity may include anything the person feels is the work of God. It could include the Seattle Symphony. We sort of draw the line at flower clubs."
"We Sell 95%." Churches that have inaugurated tithing often find the gains spectacular. Since 1954, when the Rev. Samuel Johnston began encouraging "percentage giving," the yearly income of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Wellesley, Mass., has increased from $55,000 to $132,000. The largest Protestant congregation (2,000 families) in Washington, D.C., Mount Vernon Place Methodist Church, inaugurated tithing in 1951 and has pushed income since then from $100,000 to $250,000.
U.S. church headquarters are happy to help ministers put over tithing, but a good many pastors have turned to professional fund-raising firms. One such company is