“I’m supposed to be the breadwinner, the one who’s bringing home the bacon but, as it stands, I can’t put food on the table. How should we handle tithing? ”
In the journey of life, unforeseen events can emerge that challenge our direction of travel. Sometimes they are bumps in the road that we bounce over with ease; other times it can feel like we’ve arrived at a crossroads.
One family’s experience of the financial crisis that’s gripped the UK for the past eighteen months has felt very much like the latter. John describes how he and Sarah are navigating the delicate balancing act of faith and finance:
"At the start I had very mixed emotions about the whole thing. Actually, to be brutally honest, I felt utter shame having to rely on handouts from foodbanks. I know it sounds funny, but not having the choice of what we were eating for tea was also a real low point. My role as provider for my family was called into question. But I also felt that tithing to church was still the right thing to do."
Committed to tithing but financially overstretched
John and Sarah are both professionals. John is an engineer and Sarah is a teacher. Both have been working for a number of years and would consider themselves to have made sensible choices in life. They own their home, have two cars , are careful to have time away as a family on holiday and are involved in their local church. Sarah says:
"We’re deeply invested in the life of our church community. We love our church family, we’ve led a small group for years, we’re always on some rota or another, and we’ve always been tithing, giving at least 10% of our income to the church and the causes we care about."
Like a lot of people in the UK right now, John and Sarah have had to rethink their finances and family budgets. Increasing energy prices, soaring inflation and interest rates have taken a significant toll. They found themselves torn between their deep-rooted belief in tithing and the pressing reality of providing the bare necessities for their three kids.
"We thought long and hard about it. Had many a late-night conversation and we’ve also shared a few cross words. But we read our Bibles together, especially the bits where Jesus talks about money, and we read a couple of books about giving. We also chatted to a few friends, not directly about our situation – that would be a bit too embarrassing – but we tried to get a feel for what others were doing about tithing. At the end of it all we feel like we’ve come to a place where we’re happy. For now."
Gracefully giving and faithfully receiving
John and Sarah's journey raised important questions about how their faith meshed with their competing financial responsibilities. During their soul-searching it became clear that adhering to rigid principles without considering their present circumstances was bordering on foolish, and not what they considered to be wise stewardship.
"We came to realise through all our searching and wrestling that although we’ve always held this view about giving being 10% of our income, we didn’t really know where it came from. We read in a book that Old Testament believers gave more like 23% of their income. But they did it within a different system to ours, a bit like our current welfare system in the UK where money is distributed to the needy, but different as everyone who benefitted was a believer. Plus, the widow Jesus saw was giving a small amount and was still commended by him. We eventually came to the conclusion that God is always graceful towards us. And false guilt is never a good thing for a Christian to live with. So, we’ve decided to temporarily adjust our giving as well as keep receiving the foodbank donations until we can get things back on track."
The widow's mite, as they point out, serves as a poignant reminder that God sees and values our intentions, even when circumstances require us to adjust our actions. John and Sarah believe there will be seasons in the future when they are in a different place to give more to the causes that they love:
"Evangelism and world mission are two areas close to our heart that we’re confident we can support more strongly. Times will change and so will our tithing. We always want to give sacrificially but not to the extent where the basic needs of our family are not being met.
I don’t believe God wants that either. We know there’ll be a time in the future when we can give to those who are in need of help just as we are gracefully receiving it now. The local foodbanks will definitely be top of our list!"
How can a Stewardship Giving Account help me give during the financial crisis?
A Stewardship Giving Account can help you manage all your giving in one place online. It provides you with full visibility of how much you give and who you give to, and the flexibility to make changes to your giving at any time.
* Names changed at the request of the interviewees
Generous Newsletter
Monthly emails for supporters. Inspiration, practical tools and guidance to support the causes you love in more meaningful ways.
Matt Holderness
Matt joined Stewardship in 2022 with over twenty years of marketing experience from roles at Kendal College and Capernwray Bible School. He has degrees in Business and Marketing, Theology, Management and most recently a Masters in Hermeneutics.
Through raising awareness of Stewardship’s services, Matt helps people explore the impact their generosity can have on the church and Christian charities. He’s passionate about supporting Evangelism and Bible causes, and has a particular interest in charities that are helping people in Poverty and Debt in the UK.
