Churches Find It’s the Tithes That Bind

When Charla Mooney sits down yearly to decide how much of her income goes to her church, she does not look at her excess to determine how much to give.

“My church offering does not come from what is left over,” Mooney said. “It comes from what my husband and I feel is the right amount of support we should give, and then we budget it in.”

She said she feels it is her responsibility to support St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Camarillo because of the benefits she gets from worshiping there.

With taxes, rent, utilities, food and so many other necessities eating away at paychecks, many people are still earmarking a portion of their budgets for church.

“The Bible says that we’re to pay 10% of our income,” said Carlos Tejada, pastor of the Spanish-speaking congregation at the Alliance Christian Church in Simi Valley.

This is not always easy for new members, he said.

When the collection plate is passed on Sunday, about 80% of the approximately 40 members attending church pay a full tithe, he said.

New members sometimes pay 5% to start, he said.

Churches have bills to pay and maintain their facilities through donations, said John Soyster, pastor of Mount Cross Lutheran Church in Camarillo.

“Some of the money stays locally to pay for the light bill, mortgage, salaries, candles, construction paper and other supplies,” Soyster said.

But some of what goes in the collection plate at Mount Cross can end up on the other side of the planet to support hospitals or missionaries, or it could be used to buy necessities for needy people in Ventura County.

Mount Cross member Marilyn Gardner keeps all that in mind when she decides what to contribute.

“I feel church offerings are a very personal thing,” she said. “Whatever you feel you can give, you give.”

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Her pastor agrees: “It is up to you. How much you give is between you and God.”

A 10% tithe is a goal worth shooting for but should not scare people off, he said.

“A person can start with half of 1% off the top at first, the next year pay a whole percent, the next year 2% and work their way up,” Soyster said.

Lynette Snyder, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has paid a 10% tithe all her life, she said.

“When I was a child, my parents taught me to tithe my allowance,” the Thousand Oaks woman said. “I believe that everything we have is the Lord’s, and he’s just asking for a tenth of it back.”

Dave Davidson, assistant pastor at All Saints Episcopal Church in Oxnard, explained his philosophy. “We don’t require people to give a 10% tithe, but we strongly encourage people to work toward that as a goal, since the Bible sets 10% as a minimum standard.”

Tithing not only pays bills and salaries at All Saints, the money also goes into a mission fund that helps people all over the world, Davidson said.

“I believe we do get blessings,” Davidson said. “Tithing is a part of a healthy spiritual discipline and reminds us that what we have is really not ours--it’s God’s. We’re just caretakers.”

Some of the 100 members at the Chinese Christian Church in Oxnard put their donations in an offering box to support their church.

“People give whatever they want to give,” Pastor Stephen Mak said.

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Offering plates, donation boxes, envelopes sent through the mail and yearly pledges all help keep money coming in for local churches. But in Oxnard, a Buddhist temple has another way.

“We have a yearly membership fee,” said the Rev. Kakei Nakagawa, who declined to say how much it is.

At the Bethany Chapel Assembly of God in Oxnard, members receive a statement at the end of the year for tax purposes, or they may choose to give anonymously.

“God promises if you give he will bless you, but we don’t give for the blessing,” said Mike Tolbert, Bethany Chapel’s pastor. “We give for God’s glory. He’s done so much for us. I was on my way to hell and he saved me, and now I’m going to heaven.”

Tolbert emphasized that it is important not just to give, but to give cheerfully.

“I get along better on 90% of my income with God’s blessing than 100% with God’s curse,” he said.