What do you teach about tithes and gifts?
The church has expenses that must be covered, such as the rental on the room, printing costs, books, staff, etc.
And those expenses are covered by donations from members of the church. How much? That's not a simple answer.
Some people would have you give a standard 10 percent of your income. But that was under the Old Testament Law. The
New Testament simply says that each person should put aside a certain percentage of their money each week based upon
what they have decided with God for the ministry of the church. Some people may want to give a third or more of their
income and have the ability to do just that. Others may only want to give a few dollars a week or may want to give more
but be limited in what they are able to give. The amount depends upon your own committment to the purposes of the church,
your family situation, and your prayer life. Sorry -- we told you that there was not a simple answer. You need to struggle
with God to find your own personal giving level. Being a Christian means you need to learn to make wise decisions.
We do not conduct fund-raising programs for our church. Also, we do not accept special-purpose gifts. The reasoning
is that it invariably starts ok but eventually leads to crass buying for recognition, such as "This pew provided by John and
Mary Smith" or "The Jim Jones Punch Bowl". (Sorry, bad example!)