The word “tithe” is derived from the Hebrew word ma’aser and it literally means a tenth. Ten percent of everything belongs to the Lord. In Malachi 3:10-11, God says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house.” The ‘storehouse’ is the Old Testament picture of the New Testament church. So as New Testament followers of Christ we worship the Lord with the tithe; or the ten percent.
But giving away 10% of your income can be a big–and often frightening–commitment! That’s why we created the Three-Month Tithe Challenge: a money-back guarantee of sorts. Essentially, it’s a contract based on the promises of God in Malachi 3:10-11. We commit to you that if you tithe for three months and God doesn’t hold true to His promises of blessings, we will refund 100% of your tithe. No questions asked.
God doesn’t need our money. He owns everything. But we give first because it takes faith to give first and God wants us to trust Him. He tells us in Proverbs 3:9-10 to “honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops and then your barns will be filled with overflowing.” We give first and the blessings of God follow.
HOW TO START
But giving away 10% of your income can be a big–and often frightening–commitment! That’s why we created the Three-Month Tithe Challenge: a money-back guarantee of sorts. Essentially, it’s a contract based on the promises of God in Malachi 3:10-11. We commit to you that if you tithe for three months and God doesn’t hold true to His promises of blessings, we will refund 100% of your tithe. No questions asked.
God doesn’t need our money. He owns everything. But we give first because it takes faith to give first and God wants us to trust Him. He tells us in Proverbs 3:9-10 to “honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops and then your barns will be filled with overflowing.” We give first and the blessings of God follow.
HOW TO START
- Read the terms and complete the registration form below. Your three months will begin according to the challenge start date on your registration form. You can also pick up a copy of this on Sunday mornings at Journey and turn it in there or mail it in.
- Begin Tithing! You can give by check or cash with a Journey offering envelope on Sunday mornings, or by mailing it (in a Journey offering envelope) to P.O. Box 421 Franklin, IN 46131.
TERMS
- I understand this form must be completed and received by Journey Church prior to the beginning of the Three-Month Tithe Challenge Period.
- I understand any request for refund must be received by the Lead Pastor within 30 days of the end of the Three-Month Tithe Challenge Period.
- I understand that, whether paid at Journey or by mail, my tithe must be paid by check or by using a Journey offering envelope, so that my tithe can be properly credited.
- I understand I cannot seek a refund prior to the end of the Three-Month Tithe Challenge Period, and that I cannot seek a refund for any contributions made prior to the beginning of the Three-Month Tithe Challenge Period.
- I would like to test God’s faithfulness by accepting the Three-Month Tithe Challenge. I agree that for the three-month period, I will contribute to God, through Journey Church, a tithe equal to 10% of our income. At the end of the three-month period, if I am not convinced of God’s faithfulness to bless my life as a result of my obedience to His Word, then I will be entitled to request a refund of the full amount of contributions made during that 90-day period.
TITHE CHALLENGE FAQ
Q: Do I give 10% of the income I make during the three months, or what I make for the year?
A: The challenge is to give 10% of the income you make during the three months.
Q: My spouse and I both work. Do we give 10% of what we both make?
A: If your spouse is in agreement with you about taking the challenge, then you should give 10% of both your incomes. However, if your spouse does not want to participate, then just tithe on your income for the challenge.
Q: What if I miss a week or two during the three month period? Do I have to make that up?
A: The tithe is based on what God gives you (your income), not on how often you go to church. To tithe means to give back to God 10% of what He has given to you. So when you miss church you simply make up the difference with your next giving opportunity.
Q: I want to tithe, but my spouse doesn’t. What should I do?
A: We don’t want your spouse to be turned off from church and turned off from God because of this challenge. What you might do is talk with them and explain that you’d like to do this, and that if they don’t want to that’s okay. Then you could suggest that you’d like to tithe on just half of your combined income (that could be your half). We would still count that for the challenge. If they aren’t open to that, then maybe this isn’t the time for you to take the challenge.
Q: Should I tithe on my gross income or net income?
A: Do you want to blessed gross or net? 🙂 Seriously, the way the tithe is described in the Bible it’s giving the first fruits to God, which sounds like pre-tax, pre-everything, which would be gross income. However, this is between you and God, and we believe that when you see how God blesses you for tithing you’ll WANT to tithe on your gross income.
A: The challenge is to give 10% of the income you make during the three months.
Q: My spouse and I both work. Do we give 10% of what we both make?
A: If your spouse is in agreement with you about taking the challenge, then you should give 10% of both your incomes. However, if your spouse does not want to participate, then just tithe on your income for the challenge.
Q: What if I miss a week or two during the three month period? Do I have to make that up?
A: The tithe is based on what God gives you (your income), not on how often you go to church. To tithe means to give back to God 10% of what He has given to you. So when you miss church you simply make up the difference with your next giving opportunity.
Q: I want to tithe, but my spouse doesn’t. What should I do?
A: We don’t want your spouse to be turned off from church and turned off from God because of this challenge. What you might do is talk with them and explain that you’d like to do this, and that if they don’t want to that’s okay. Then you could suggest that you’d like to tithe on just half of your combined income (that could be your half). We would still count that for the challenge. If they aren’t open to that, then maybe this isn’t the time for you to take the challenge.
Q: Should I tithe on my gross income or net income?
A: Do you want to blessed gross or net? 🙂 Seriously, the way the tithe is described in the Bible it’s giving the first fruits to God, which sounds like pre-tax, pre-everything, which would be gross income. However, this is between you and God, and we believe that when you see how God blesses you for tithing you’ll WANT to tithe on your gross income.
GENERAL TITHING FAQ
Q: Wasn’t tithing an OT thing?
Yes, we are under the new covenant, but when you examine the reasons for the OT tithe and special offerings, I see no reason they would not still be necessary today. Tithes and offerings provided for the upkeep of the temple and for the priests. Today, that would be providing for the ongoing operation of the church and the pastors and staff, and the spread of the Gospel.
Q: Do I tithe on gross or net?
Do you want to be blessed gross or net? :) Seriously, the way the tithe is described in the Bible, it’s giving the first fruits to God, which sounds like pre-tax, pre-everything, which would be gross income. However, this is between you and God, and we believe that when you see how God blesses you for tithing, you’ll WANT to tithe on your gross income. Jodi and I tithe on all income we receive, including gifts and unexpected money.
Q: What if I want to tithe, but my spouse doesn’t?
If your spouse is in agreement with you about tithing, great!, If not, then you could talk with your spouse about tithing off of your income only. If you don’t work outside the home, half of what your spouse makes is yours, so you could propose tithing from that amount. You know your spouse best, and the last thing we want is for the topic of tithing to cause problems in your marriage. Pray and ask God for guidance and wisdom about how to approach this with your spouse.
Q: Should the whole tithe go to the church?
I believe so. In Malachi 3:10, God says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse..” The storehouse was part of the temple, the house of God. Today, the church is the house of God. Again, if you look at the reason for the tithe, it makes sense that it would go to the church. It has always been my conviction that the full tithes go to the church I attend, and this goes back long before I was called into ministry.
Q: I can’t even pay my bills; how can I afford to tithe?
I’m not suggesting you stop paying your bills so you can start tithing! You must honor your commitments by paying your bills. However, you might want to evaluate where your money is going and see if there are some changes you could make to allow you to start tithing. If you are in a serious financial crisis, it might be, that you have to start in stages. If you’re giving nothing now, start by giving something, maybe 3-5%, and increase the amount as you can.
Q: Now, here’s a question for you: Are you willing to give God your best, or just the leftovers?
Giving God the leftovers means doing what you want and spending what you want, then giving to God what is left over, if anything. Giving God your best involves making God your top priority and “paying” him first. If you commit to giving God 10% upfront, you’ll find that living off of the other 90% comes quite easily. Remember 2 Corinthians 9 verse 7: You must each decide in your heart how much to give. Decide up front, trust God, and let him bless you!
Yes, we are under the new covenant, but when you examine the reasons for the OT tithe and special offerings, I see no reason they would not still be necessary today. Tithes and offerings provided for the upkeep of the temple and for the priests. Today, that would be providing for the ongoing operation of the church and the pastors and staff, and the spread of the Gospel.
Q: Do I tithe on gross or net?
Do you want to be blessed gross or net? :) Seriously, the way the tithe is described in the Bible, it’s giving the first fruits to God, which sounds like pre-tax, pre-everything, which would be gross income. However, this is between you and God, and we believe that when you see how God blesses you for tithing, you’ll WANT to tithe on your gross income. Jodi and I tithe on all income we receive, including gifts and unexpected money.
Q: What if I want to tithe, but my spouse doesn’t?
If your spouse is in agreement with you about tithing, great!, If not, then you could talk with your spouse about tithing off of your income only. If you don’t work outside the home, half of what your spouse makes is yours, so you could propose tithing from that amount. You know your spouse best, and the last thing we want is for the topic of tithing to cause problems in your marriage. Pray and ask God for guidance and wisdom about how to approach this with your spouse.
Q: Should the whole tithe go to the church?
I believe so. In Malachi 3:10, God says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse..” The storehouse was part of the temple, the house of God. Today, the church is the house of God. Again, if you look at the reason for the tithe, it makes sense that it would go to the church. It has always been my conviction that the full tithes go to the church I attend, and this goes back long before I was called into ministry.
Q: I can’t even pay my bills; how can I afford to tithe?
I’m not suggesting you stop paying your bills so you can start tithing! You must honor your commitments by paying your bills. However, you might want to evaluate where your money is going and see if there are some changes you could make to allow you to start tithing. If you are in a serious financial crisis, it might be, that you have to start in stages. If you’re giving nothing now, start by giving something, maybe 3-5%, and increase the amount as you can.
Q: Now, here’s a question for you: Are you willing to give God your best, or just the leftovers?
Giving God the leftovers means doing what you want and spending what you want, then giving to God what is left over, if anything. Giving God your best involves making God your top priority and “paying” him first. If you commit to giving God 10% upfront, you’ll find that living off of the other 90% comes quite easily. Remember 2 Corinthians 9 verse 7: You must each decide in your heart how much to give. Decide up front, trust God, and let him bless you!