Seems the age-old, pre-Moses tradition of tithing is still a timely news topic.
Check out Tithing Evolves.
Our church received enough requests that we put a link for electronic giving on our site: http://www.vcwaterville.org/resources.htm#offering
Just last Sunday we were wondering what would the impact be if we had a church full of tithers and people on-their-way-to-tithing that never put money in the basket on Sunday! Would we lose something not having the “modeling” of the giving behavior. Or would we gain something by having it just be understood.
Personally, I think a great thing is that things like web giving help move tithing right into the heart of people’s financial life. I usually pay bills and donate online. Having a button on the VCW site helps me do the giving that’s most important to me while I’m in the midst of trying to keep my financial life well stewarded.
I can’t count the numbers of times I’d write a tithe check and forget it on Sunday. Talk about distracting me from worship! It just nagged me the whole time.
I’ve seen the automated offering system work well. It’s great that it helps conform to an electronic society. I don’t believe in the tithe. I only believe in Spirit-led offerings, which would require sacrificial giving. I think this method of giving will help.
http://churchtithesandofferings.com
The tithe is a great place to get to but a lousy place to stop!