Committing and Giving Beyond Tithes – Family Budget vs. Church Budget
Today on the Dave Ramsey radio show, he offered his opinion about giving above your tithes in the form of commiting to a church building program all the while trying to get out of debt.
His guidance? Pray about it – act on what God puts on your heart to do. I understood completely when he went on to add that it’s not a matter of commitment to your church or their building program but rather giving above your tithe on things that others have impressed upon you as important.
I agree.
The key? When we feel compelled to give special offerings, financial commitments to fund church projects, building funds when our own house is not in order is not a healthy way to handle our money.
I’ve struggled with this concept since I was a teenager (yep, a long time ago, I know!) but I grew up in a fundamental Baptist church that was always growing, expanding, buying buses and even started a radio station along with a Christian school.
Watching people putting commitment cards into offering plates and seeing those same people with falling apart cars and sacrificing to clothe their children all the while financially subsidizing the building of a new church building. Of course, they were free to do what they wanted to do but even I felt compelled to commit my babysitting money for a summer.
Positive Peer Pressure – you feel good because you are sacrificing for something good. But if you end up deeper in debt because you gave to a building campaign – how has that impacted your family.
Instead of responding to a sermon, a special plea or positive peer pressure – listen to God’s voice and guidance. Look for confirmation from your spouse that God has laid the same thing on his or her heart as well.
I’ve learned through life and it’s become more clear over the last few months that there is more to handling money than paying the bills. The same way we need to be vigilant about listening to poor financial advice – we need to use caution when we feel pressured to spend money we have earmarked to clear our debts.
Focus and commitment should start at home.
You can be fully committed to God and your church without giving a financial commitment to your physical church that stops you from taking care of your family and financial commitments.
Your family budget should not take a back seat to a church budget or a congregation’s bottom line. First accountable to God then your family – your commitment to your church is not about the building your church meets in each week.
I believe I felt so strongly about this when I’ve sat in churches that preached that God would want the church to be debt free then ask for commitments and funds week after week, sacrificial giving … only to wonder why it’s okay for a congregation full of people could be heavily in debt yet believe a church should be debt free.
Of course, it’s ideal for any given church to be debt free. It’s ideal for all of us to live debt free. The same scriptures preached from a pulpit that motivate people give “above and beyond” their means are actually the same scriptures that apply to us.
Remember – anything written here (even in reference to Dave Ramsey) is my own thoughts and feelings. If you take issue with this – take it up with me here – as the only thing Dave Ramsey has done is got me thinking, hard… on this. Tammy
Tags: christian, church, debt, family, money, out of debt
