the giving crisis

I’ve been reading the book “The Giving Crisis,” by Andrew McNair. I’m not sure how I came to have this book, but it’s been sitting on my desk for several months. McNair describes how many churches are struggling financially. While many churches describe this as a “financial crisis,” McNair suggests it would be more accurate to call it a “Giving Crisis.”

In the opening pages of his book, he shares some eye opening statistics:

• Some 247 million U.S. citizens identify as Christian, but only 1.5 million tithe.

• The average weekly giver contributes less than $1,000 a year

• Of those who attend church, only 5 percent tithe.

• Eighty percent of contributors only give 2 percent.

• Only 1 percent of households making over $75,000 tithe.

McNair goes on to say, “We tithe less now than we did during the Great Depression, during which we had almost 50 percent unemployment. We are the richest generation in human history. And yet more prosperity has not made us more generous.”

McNair tells how, when he was a teenager, he worked several jobs and saved as much as he could. By the time he was 16 he had $160,000 in the bank. By the time he was 26 he had earned his first million. And yet, for all his money, he had a nagging sense of unfulfillment.

What he discovered was that money couldn’t buy happiness. He eventually learned about the joy that comes from generosity. He arranged his finances so that he would live on 20 percent of his income and give away 80 percent. He gave, not because God needed the money, but because he liked the feeling of being able to make a difference.

Now, not all of us have McNair’s gift for making money. And not all of us can make enough to live on 20 percent of our paycheck. The question is, “How much CAN we give?”

What would happen if all of our active members became tithers? We would add hundreds of thousands of dollars to our budget. Think of the impact we could have on our community. I’m not one of those pastors who always talks about money. And my intent is not to guilt anyone into giving beyond their means. But friends, we can do better! We MUST do better.