Originally posted by TheClemsonJaguar:
I know it well and its an enormous stretch to use that as Jesus requiring Christians to tithe.Originally posted by chapintiger:
23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth[/URL] of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness.[/URL] You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.Originally posted by TheClemsonJaguar:
Really? Show me where it is discussed in Matthew.Originally posted by chapintiger:
So, Matthew is in the Old Testament now?Originally posted by TheClemsonJaguar:
Tithing is discussed in the Old Testament as a means to ensure that the priests have enough to live on. Its is not discussed in the New Testament.Originally posted by twtiger03:
Tithing is throughout the Bible. If you believe in the church, why would you not believe in tithing? How else can the church function, grow, reach the lost, help the needy?Originally posted by TheClemsonJaguar:
Tithing is a church-created donation. Jesus never mentioned tithing.
If you don't believe in the church, that is a different conversation all together.
I agree with giving to the church and giving generously. But no church needs 10% of its members' revenue. Any church that pushes the 10% concept on its members is scary imo.
Originally posted by SWUtigers:
I find it incomprehensible to think that there are people here in this forum blindly giving to a church or person rather, when instead they could be doing so much more with their dollars.
Yes, I am a member of NewSpring. I see where much of my hard earned money goes everytime I go to church. I see the multiple campuses, the service that the band and video guys put on everyweek, the resources put out for visitors, the production that goes into teaching thousands of kids each week about Jesus, the summer beach trip each year for the youth, the shoes for the local school kids, the money/partnership to help others plant churches in places like Israel, Estonia, Kenya, UK.Originally posted by SWUtigers:
First bold: Are you a member of NewSpring or another mega-church? If so, have you asked to see where your hard-earned money goes, specifically?Originally posted by twtiger03:
Yes, it would bother me to see this money used to "line people's pockest and allow them to live lavishly" to a certain extent. I believe there is a line that can be drawn for what is considered going overboard for a pastor. However, finding that line is not so easy, and it wouild vary with each person you ask.Originally posted by ddot7:
Is there anywhere in the bible that God asks for a specific percentage of your income? If so, the bible states 1/10?Originally posted by twtiger03:
I believe God asks for 10%. He has blessed me and my family with so much, that I wouldn't say that is asking a lot. Everything I have is a blessing from God, so I am just trying to be a good steward of what he has given.Originally posted by scotchtiger:
I'm not the biggest churchgoer so maybe I miss a lot, but all the emphasis on tithing (here and in the NS threads) has really stuck out to me. I'm all for contributing, but my idea of it is more along the lines of a $20 in the collection plate.
Taking a full 10% of your income, which for a good chunk of the families on this board is probably in the 5 figure range, seems a bit extreme to me. Do a lot of people actually send large chunks of income like this to their church? Maybe I'm just in the dark.
This post was edited on 4/28 12:46 PM by scotchtiger
I know many people who believe in tithing and many others who feel there is just no way they can get by without keeping that 10%. To me it is all faith, just as our faith in Jesus that we have been saved from our sins. It all goes together in my mind. To be honest, there have been times where the bills are due and I think "man could I use that tithe money". However, God has always provided for me and my family.
Tithing is just one part of being a believer in Christ. While I do a very good job of following this practice, I fall short in many other areas.
I get if it's truly used to keep the church functioning and/or for charitable use but it doesn't bother some of you to see that money used to line people's pockets and allow them to live lavishly? Is an enormous house humble and Godly?
What is living lavishly? You will get a different answer from almost everyone. To some, having an iphone is living lavishly. To others it might be a 50inch with surround sound, Netflix, HBO, AppleTV. That is normal to many people on TI. Some would say driving a Tahoe, while others would say a Mercedes.
I believe any pastor should be able to live as well as others in our society. I don't see why their wife and kids shouldn't live as well off as the rest of us. Now, how large the church is, the financials of the church, the money coming in and going out, should all play a part in the preachers salary.
Do I see any reason someone should make half a mil from the church they preach? No, I don't. That would be a little bothersome to me. Although I am sure some could argue that depending on the size of the church, it may be a smaller piece of the pie that a pastor makes a smaller churches. Still, that seems overbard to me.
What a preacher makes on their own, as far as books and speaking engagements, I don't see why that should really be my business. Also, I wouldn't know what they do with that money as far as tithes/giving to charity/helping others, so why should I be the one to judge them?
Second bold: How would one know if they were an owner of NewSpring? Their financials are no where near transparent.
Third bold: That's comforting to know. It's less comforting to know that there are tons of people who could be giving their hard-earned money directly to a community non-profit and actually making a difference to hundreds in need instead of giving to a so-called pastor.
I find it incomprehensible to think that there are people here in this forum blindly giving to a church or person rather, when instead they could be doing so much more with their dollars.
Yuthgi, this post isn't all directed at you, I know you are responding to another post.Originally posted by yuthgi:
Trading Tiger says:
"In Jesus's day, it was the Pharisees saying "this is the way we do things, either get with the program or GTFO!"
Very interesting paraphrase of Jesus' words.
"Now, mega-churches, they're pastors, and their owners/members/attendees
are the ones who are being persecuted by the "normal churches" because
things are changing and they don't like it."
So mega-churches, their pastors and members are being PERSECUTED by "normal churches?" And we are who members/staff of "normal churches" are doing this b/c we don't like the way things are changing?
I don't think you can even use the word "persecuted" by anyone who attends a mega-church. I pray that you aren't using the derision that some people give you or your mega church as some indication that you are going to inherit the kingdom of heaven because you are persecuted! (Matthew 5:10) You have no idea what persecution means.
"Normal churches" see what mega churches are doing and simply don't agree that the model that they employ is the best example of the New Testament church. You want to tell the pastor his sermon changed your life? You cant even make an appointment to talk to these guys! You want the pastor to come and pray with you before your life-altering surgery, no way that's happening! You want to know the people you worship with every Sunday? Good luck with that! If you want to be anonymous in a mega church you can do it all day long. If you want community across all age groups and peoples? "normal churches" is where you will find that.
Please don't try to use your pop-church culture knowledge of church life to make sweeping statements about how great mega-churches are and how insignificant "normal churches" are, because we don't like the way things are changing. I don't know what they teach at your meg-church but at my "normal church" we still teach that we are all the universal body of Christ.
They are close friendsOriginally posted by firegiver:
More to think on. Didn't realize Perry and Steve were so close.
1. Yes. To the penny.Originally posted by twtiger03:
Yes, I am a member of NewSpring. I see where much of my hard earned money goes everytime I go to church. I see the multiple campuses, the service that the band and video guys put on everyweek, the resources put out for visitors, the production that goes into teaching thousands of kids each week about Jesus, the summer beach trip each year for the youth, the shoes for the local school kids, the money/partnership to help others plant churches in places like Israel, Estonia, Kenya, UK.
NewSpring puts out a financial book ever year that shows the churches income and where that money is spent. Sorry, but I don't carry this around in my back pocket. I do not recall it showing exactly how much the preacher or every member on staff makes. They do list how much money as a whole goes to staffing, but no what Joe Smith at the Greenville campus is making individually.
I understand your concern for my money. People are evil and greedy, I certainly understand that. You should have an idea where your money goes. I believe I have a good idea. This is my church. If I felt compelled to check every balance sheet and critique the spending of every dime, then I think that right there would tell me I need to find another church.
If you can't have some trust and faith in your own church to do what is right with your money, then why would you attend that church? I agree in wanting to know, and asking questions, but at some point you have to trust the leaders, or else why would you be giving them your money in the first place.
Do you know exactly how much your preacher makes, your assoc. pastor, your music director? Do you know what they spend their salary on? How do you decide for yourself if your church is spending too much in one area and not enough in another? Do you voice these concerns with your church leadership?
Thanks for the response. I was hoping you wouldn't think I was asking that question just to be an @ss.Originally posted by chapintiger:
1. Yes. To the penny.Originally posted by twtiger03:
Yes, I am a member of NewSpring. I see where much of my hard earned money goes everytime I go to church. I see the multiple campuses, the service that the band and video guys put on everyweek, the resources put out for visitors, the production that goes into teaching thousands of kids each week about Jesus, the summer beach trip each year for the youth, the shoes for the local school kids, the money/partnership to help others plant churches in places like Israel, Estonia, Kenya, UK.
NewSpring puts out a financial book ever year that shows the churches income and where that money is spent. Sorry, but I don't carry this around in my back pocket. I do not recall it showing exactly how much the preacher or every member on staff makes. They do list how much money as a whole goes to staffing, but no what Joe Smith at the Greenville campus is making individually.
I understand your concern for my money. People are evil and greedy, I certainly understand that. You should have an idea where your money goes. I believe I have a good idea. This is my church. If I felt compelled to check every balance sheet and critique the spending of every dime, then I think that right there would tell me I need to find another church.
If you can't have some trust and faith in your own church to do what is right with your money, then why would you attend that church? I agree in wanting to know, and asking questions, but at some point you have to trust the leaders, or else why would you be giving them your money in the first place.
Do you know exactly how much your preacher makes, your assoc. pastor, your music director? Do you know what they spend their salary on? How do you decide for yourself if your church is spending too much in one area and not enough in another? Do you voice these concerns with your church leadership?
2. No and I don't care. They aren't building multimillion dollar homes. They live rather modestly. And because I know the answer to number 1 there is no appearance of impropriety.
This post was edited on 4/28 3:32 PM by chapintiger
Wow that's a great investigative piece in that link. I can't help but wonder if WYFF did one on ole Perry, the guy might be on the bottom of Hartwell lake before it was aired.Originally posted by 1Clemzunfan:
The most interesting video is the one I have linked. I am a Christian, and I believe the bible teaches us to support our pastor and oiur church financially to do God's work, but I have a hard time reconciling this Pastor Furtick and his $1.7 million home and who knows how big of a salary with how Jesus lived and taught. And yes, the money he makes off of his books is part of his pastoral salary IMO because they are promoted and facilitated through his position with the church. If his books were on auto-restoration, or stocks, or anything non-religious that would be different.
To me, this Pastor needs to read the story of Jesus and the money changers in the temple. This pastor, and others like him, are no different than the money changers in the temple. They are using the church to profit for themselves.
Originally posted by acwill07:
Anyone who gives 10% of what they make to one of these mega churches needs to get their head checked.
Great response. Which campus do you attend? We go to the Greenville campus and also serve. I'd love to meet you some time.Originally posted by twtiger03:
Yes, I am a member of NewSpring. I see where much of my hard earned money goes everytime I go to church. I see the multiple campuses, the service that the band and video guys put on everyweek, the resources put out for visitors, the production that goes into teaching thousands of kids each week about Jesus, the summer beach trip each year for the youth, the shoes for the local school kids, the money/partnership to help others plant churches in places like Israel, Estonia, Kenya, UK.Originally posted by SWUtigers:
First bold: Are you a member of NewSpring or another mega-church? If so, have you asked to see where your hard-earned money goes, specifically?Originally posted by twtiger03:
Yes, it would bother me to see this money used to "line people's pockest and allow them to live lavishly" to a certain extent. I believe there is a line that can be drawn for what is considered going overboard for a pastor. However, finding that line is not so easy, and it wouild vary with each person you ask.Originally posted by ddot7:
Is there anywhere in the bible that God asks for a specific percentage of your income? If so, the bible states 1/10?Originally posted by twtiger03:
I believe God asks for 10%. He has blessed me and my family with so much, that I wouldn't say that is asking a lot. Everything I have is a blessing from God, so I am just trying to be a good steward of what he has given.Originally posted by scotchtiger:
I'm not the biggest churchgoer so maybe I miss a lot, but all the emphasis on tithing (here and in the NS threads) has really stuck out to me. I'm all for contributing, but my idea of it is more along the lines of a $20 in the collection plate.
Taking a full 10% of your income, which for a good chunk of the families on this board is probably in the 5 figure range, seems a bit extreme to me. Do a lot of people actually send large chunks of income like this to their church? Maybe I'm just in the dark.
This post was edited on 4/28 12:46 PM by scotchtiger
I know many people who believe in tithing and many others who feel there is just no way they can get by without keeping that 10%. To me it is all faith, just as our faith in Jesus that we have been saved from our sins. It all goes together in my mind. To be honest, there have been times where the bills are due and I think "man could I use that tithe money". However, God has always provided for me and my family.
Tithing is just one part of being a believer in Christ. While I do a very good job of following this practice, I fall short in many other areas.
I get if it's truly used to keep the church functioning and/or for charitable use but it doesn't bother some of you to see that money used to line people's pockets and allow them to live lavishly? Is an enormous house humble and Godly?
What is living lavishly? You will get a different answer from almost everyone. To some, having an iphone is living lavishly. To others it might be a 50inch with surround sound, Netflix, HBO, AppleTV. That is normal to many people on TI. Some would say driving a Tahoe, while others would say a Mercedes.
I believe any pastor should be able to live as well as others in our society. I don't see why their wife and kids shouldn't live as well off as the rest of us. Now, how large the church is, the financials of the church, the money coming in and going out, should all play a part in the preachers salary.
Do I see any reason someone should make half a mil from the church they preach? No, I don't. That would be a little bothersome to me. Although I am sure some could argue that depending on the size of the church, it may be a smaller piece of the pie that a pastor makes a smaller churches. Still, that seems overbard to me.
What a preacher makes on their own, as far as books and speaking engagements, I don't see why that should really be my business. Also, I wouldn't know what they do with that money as far as tithes/giving to charity/helping others, so why should I be the one to judge them?
Second bold: How would one know if they were an owner of NewSpring? Their financials are no where near transparent.
Third bold: That's comforting to know. It's less comforting to know that there are tons of people who could be giving their hard-earned money directly to a community non-profit and actually making a difference to hundreds in need instead of giving to a so-called pastor.
I find it incomprehensible to think that there are people here in this forum blindly giving to a church or person rather, when instead they could be doing so much more with their dollars.
NewSpring puts out a financial book ever year that shows the churches income and where that money is spent. Sorry, but I don't carry this around in my back pocket. I do not recall it showing exactly how much the preacher or every member on staff makes. They do list how much money as a whole goes to staffing, but no what Joe Smith at the Greenville campus is making individually.
I understand your concern for my money. People are evil and greedy, I certainly understand that. You should have an idea where your money goes. I believe I have a good idea. This is my church. If I felt compelled to check every balance sheet and critique the spending of every dime, then I think that right there would tell me I need to find another church.
If you can't have some trust and faith in your own church to do what is right with your money, then why would you attend that church? I agree in wanting to know, and asking questions, but at some point you have to trust the leaders, or else why would you be giving them your money in the first place.
Do you know exactly how much your preacher makes, your assoc. pastor, your music director? Do you know what they spend their salary on? How do you decide for yourself if your church is spending too much in one area and not enough in another? Do you voice these concerns with your church leadership?
I just wonder if maybe we should have reevaluated the % over the last several thousand years due to a few changes along the way. I certainly get donating an amount or a percentage, but 10% seems excessive. If an average Clemson couple takes home $60K each, that's a $12,000 donation to the church. For a church of 5K families, that's $60 million a year if it's a college educated demographic and they all tithe.Originally posted by Trading Tiger:
My wife and I do. I told a little story about my tithing experience and that of some friends of ours in another thread. I know it sounds crazy, but when you do as Jesus/The Bible instructs and give 10% in tithe, that remaining 90% goes further than you could ever imagine, much further than when I didn't tithe and had all 100%.Originally posted by scotchtiger:
I'm not the biggest churchgoer so maybe I miss a lot, but all the emphasis on tithing (here and in the NS threads) has really stuck out to me. I'm all for contributing, but my idea of it is more along the lines of a $20 in the collection plate.
Taking a full 10% of your income, which for a good chunk of the families on this board is probably in the 5 figure range, seems a bit extreme to me. Do a lot of people actually send massive chunks of income like this to their church? Maybe I'm just in the dark.
It's tax deductible too, I'd much rather give my money to the Church, even if some of y'all think it's being stolen or used personally by an individual instead of the community, rather than give it to Obama/the government.
First of all, I would not attend the church once it grew over 1000 people or so, but that's neither here nor there.Originally posted by vatiger1:
acwill07 - so if you join a Church and it's small, say 200 people. Then in 5 years it grows to 15,000 people? Are you just going to stop giving?
I'm not sure if I follow your logic?
Originally posted by acwill07:
Anyone who gives 10% of what they make to one of these mega churches needs to get their head checked.
The answer to your question about salaries in the church is yes. Those salaries as well as the overall annual budget is voted on by the church members and not kept secret. Big expenditures are brought before the church for a vote. I'm not judging you and your church for how you do things, just answering your question.Originally posted by twtiger03:
Yes, I am a member of NewSpring. I see where much of my hard earned money goes everytime I go to church. I see the multiple campuses, the service that the band and video guys put on everyweek, the resources put out for visitors, the production that goes into teaching thousands of kids each week about Jesus, the summer beach trip each year for the youth, the shoes for the local school kids, the money/partnership to help others plant churches in places like Israel, Estonia, Kenya, UK.Originally posted by SWUtigers:
First bold: Are you a member of NewSpring or another mega-church? If so, have you asked to see where your hard-earned money goes, specifically?Originally posted by twtiger03:
Yes, it would bother me to see this money used to "line people's pockest and allow them to live lavishly" to a certain extent. I believe there is a line that can be drawn for what is considered going overboard for a pastor. However, finding that line is not so easy, and it wouild vary with each person you ask.Originally posted by ddot7:
Is there anywhere in the bible that God asks for a specific percentage of your income? If so, the bible states 1/10?Originally posted by twtiger03:
I believe God asks for 10%. He has blessed me and my family with so much, that I wouldn't say that is asking a lot. Everything I have is a blessing from God, so I am just trying to be a good steward of what he has given.Originally posted by scotchtiger:
I'm not the biggest churchgoer so maybe I miss a lot, but all the emphasis on tithing (here and in the NS threads) has really stuck out to me. I'm all for contributing, but my idea of it is more along the lines of a $20 in ction plate.
Taking a full 10% of your income, which for a good chunk of the families on this board is probably in the 5 figure range, seems a bit extreme to me. Do a lot of people actually send large chunks of income like this to their church? Maybe I'm just in the dark.
This post was edited on 4/28 12:46 PM bsee by scotchtiger
I know many people who believe in tithing and many others who feel there is just no way they can get by without keeping that 10%. To me it is all faith, just as our faith in Jesus that we have been saved from our sins. It all goes together in my mind. To be honest, there have been times where the bills are due and I think "man could I use that tithe money". However, God has always provided for me and my family.
Tithing is just one part of being a believer in Christ. While I do a very good job of following this practice, I fall short in many other areas.
I get if it's truly used to keep the church functioning and/or for charitable use but it doesn't bother some of you to see that money used to line people's pockets and allow them to live lavishly? Is an enormous house humble and Godly?
What is living lavishly? You will get a different answer from almost everyone. To some, having an iphone is living lavishly. To others it might be a 50inch with surround sound, Netflix, HBO, AppleTV. That is normal to many people on TI. Some would say driving a Tahoe, while others would say a Mercedes.
I believe any pastor should be able to live as well as others in our society. I don't see why their wife and kids shouldn't live as well off as the rest of us. Now, how large the church is, the financials of the church, the money coming in and going out, should all play a part in the preachers salary.
Do I see any reason someone should make half a mil from the church they preach? No, I don't. That would be a little bothersome to me. Although I am sure some could argue that depending on the size of the church, it may be a smaller piece of the pie that a pastor makes a smaller churches. Still, that seems overbard to me.
What a preacher makes on their own, as far as books and speaking engagements, I don't see why that should really be my business. Also, I wouldn't know what they do with that money as far as tithes/giving to charity/helping others, so why should I be the one to judge them?
Second bold: How would one know if they were an owner of NewSpring? Their financials are no where near transparent.
Third bold: That's comforting to know. It's less comforting to know that there are tons of people who could be giving their hard-earned money directly to a community non-profit and actually making a difference to hundreds in need instead of giving to a so-called pastor.
I find it incomprehensible to think that there are people here in this forum blindly giving to a church or person rather, when instead they could be doing so much more with their dollars.
NewSpring puts out a financial book ever year that shows the churches income and where that money is spent. Sorry, but I don't carry this around in my back pocket. I do not recall it showing exactly how much the preacher or every member on staff makes. They do list how much money as a whole goes to staffing, but no what Joe Smith at the Greenville campus is making individually.
I understand your concern for my money. People are evil and greedy, I certainly understand that. You should have an idea where your money goes. I believe I have a good idea. This is my church. If I felt compelled to check every balance sheet and critique the spending of every dime, then I think that right there would tell me I need to find another church.
If you can't have some trust and faith in your own church to do what is right with your money, then why would you attend that church? I agree in wanting to know, and asking questions, but at some point you have to trust the leaders, or else why would you be giving them your money in the first place.
Do you know exactly how much your preacher makes, your assoc. pastor, your music director? Do you know what they spend their salary on? How do you decide for yourself if your church is spending too much in one area and not enough in another? Do you voice these concerns with your church leadership?
Is this true? You would leave your church, the place your kid was baptized, the place you may have found Jesus, all because it grew to over 1000 people? I don't understand.Originally posted by acwill07:
First of all, I would not attend the church once it grew over 1000 people or so, but that's neither here nor there.Originally posted by vatiger1:
acwill07 - so if you join a Church and it's small, say 200 people. Then in 5 years it grows to 15,000 people? Are you just going to stop giving?
I'm not sure if I follow your logic?
Originally posted by acwill07:
Anyone who gives 10% of what they make to one of these mega churches needs to get their head checked.
I'm not saying I would stop giving, but I certainly wouldn't give 10% of my income while listening to Perry Noble blither on like an idiot about how everyone who questions tithing 10% is "stupid."
My 10% shouldn't be going towards building extravegant houses for the preacher and making folks that work in the church administration rich. Also, I don't respect any preacher that refuses to preside over weddings and funerals for people in his/her congregation. Besides helping people grow in Christ, that's what preachers exist for. They are supposed to help bless families and help get them through tough times. I want a one on one relationship with my preacher. I want my preacher to baptize my son/daughter.
That's why I'm not giving 10% to a mega church. Perry Noble, Furtick, and others like them absolutely disgust me and are not men of God IMO.
Originally posted by clemsonu0219:
I am only speaking to Christians here, not non-Christian.
I am an owner of NewSpring church.
I couldn't care less what Perry Noble, etc do with my tithe. That's between them and God.
Has the leadership of NS made poor decisions, oh absolutely.
I couldn't care less what Perry Noble and his team do. Not my place to judge.
I give primarily bc it helps me to trust God w my finances. God doesn't need our money.
Overall, proof is in the pudding for me.
This post was edited on 4/28 4:04 PM by clemsonu0219
I've said it before and people either misunderstood me or they just didn't understand what I was saying, I don't know which, but I'll say it again, if every Christian tithed, there would be no such thing as hunger in the world and most, if not all, of the government assistance programs could go away. Notice that I said "if every Christian tithed", not everyone period or even everyone who went to Church, but just every Christian.Originally posted by scotchtiger:
I just wonder if maybe we should have reevaluated the % over the last several thousand years due to a few changes along the way. I certainly get donating an amount or a percentage, but 10% seems excessive. If an average Clemson couple takes home $60K each, that's a $12,000 donation to the church. For a church of 5K families, that's $60 million a year if it's a college educated demographic and they all tithe.Originally posted by Trading Tiger:
My wife and I do. I told a little story about my tithing experience and that of some friends of ours in another thread. I know it sounds crazy, but when you do as Jesus/The Bible instructs and give 10% in tithe, that remaining 90% goes further than you could ever imagine, much further than when I didn't tithe and had all 100%.Originally posted by scotchtiger:
I'm not the biggest churchgoer so maybe I miss a lot, but all the emphasis on tithing (here and in the NS threads) has really stuck out to me. I'm all for contributing, but my idea of it is more along the lines of a $20 in the collection plate.
Taking a full 10% of your income, which for a good chunk of the families on this board is probably in the 5 figure range, seems a bit extreme to me. Do a lot of people actually send massive chunks of income like this to their church? Maybe I'm just in the dark.
It's tax deductible too, I'd much rather give my money to the Church, even if some of y'all think it's being stolen or used personally by an individual instead of the community, rather than give it to Obama/the government.
The church often was the community back in the day. Times were simpler, people paid their tithe in crops or spices or goats. Communities shared goods and services. I'm not sure the tithe translated accurately into today's financial structure.
Then again, maybe I'm just greedy. And giving to the government really stings, because that's wayyy more than a tithe and much more wasteful.
I like a good crazy preacher gif. I don't think the one with the guy swinging the coat will ever be topped.Originally posted by TAINT_PAINT:
Originally posted by clemsonu0219:
I am only speaking to Christians here, not non-Christian.
I am an owner of NewSpring church.
I couldn't care less what Perry Noble, etc do with my tithe. That's between them and God.
Has the leadership of NS made poor decisions, oh absolutely.
I couldn't care less what Perry Noble and his team do. Not my place to judge.
I give primarily bc it helps me to trust God w my finances. God doesn't need our money.
Overall, proof is in the pudding for me.
This post was edited on 4/28 4:04 PM by clemsonu0219
Originally posted by TheClemsonJaguar:
Tithing is a church-created donation. Jesus never mentioned tithing.
Nice try.
"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law?justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things." Matthew 23:23 (NLT)
The words in this passage were spoken by Jesus. The underlined part seems pretty clear to me.
Ditto for me on 1 & 2.Originally posted by chapintiger:
1. Yes. To the penny.Originally posted by twtiger03:
Yes, I am a member of NewSpring. I see where much of my hard earned money goes everytime I go to church. I see the multiple campuses, the service that the band and video guys put on everyweek, the resources put out for visitors, the production that goes into teaching thousands of kids each week about Jesus, the summer beach trip each year for the youth, the shoes for the local school kids, the money/partnership to help others plant churches in places like Israel, Estonia, Kenya, UK.
NewSpring puts out a financial book ever year that shows the churches income and where that money is spent. Sorry, but I don't carry this around in my back pocket. I do not recall it showing exactly how much the preacher or every member on staff makes. They do list how much money as a whole goes to staffing, but no what Joe Smith at the Greenville campus is making individually.
I understand your concern for my money. People are evil and greedy, I certainly understand that. You should have an idea where your money goes. I believe I have a good idea. This is my church. If I felt compelled to check every balance sheet and critique the spending of every dime, then I think that right there would tell me I need to find another church.
If you can't have some trust and faith in your own church to do what is right with your money, then why would you attend that church? I agree in wanting to know, and asking questions, but at some point you have to trust the leaders, or else why would you be giving them your money in the first place.
Do you know exactly how much your preacher makes, your assoc. pastor, your music director? Do you know what they spend their salary on? How do you decide for yourself if your church is spending too much in one area and not enough in another? Do you voice these concerns with your church leadership?
2. No and I don't care. They aren't building multimillion dollar homes. They live rather modestly. And because I know the answer to number 1 there is no appearance of impropriety.
This post was edited on 4/28 3:32 PM by chapintiger
Wow. You are so wrong in so many ways that I don't know how to address this ridiculous post. But I'll give it a shot...Originally posted by acwill07:
First of all, I would not attend the church once it grew over 1000 people or so, but that's neither here nor there.Originally posted by vatiger1:
acwill07 - so if you join a Church and it's small, say 200 people. Then in 5 years it grows to 15,000 people? Are you just going to stop giving?
I'm not sure if I follow your logic?
Originally posted by acwill07:
Anyone who gives 10% of what they make to one of these mega churches needs to get their head checked.
I'm not saying I would stop giving, but I certainly wouldn't give 10% of my income while listening to Perry Noble blither on like an idiot about how everyone who questions tithing 10% is "stupid."
My 10% shouldn't be going towards building extravegant houses for the preacher and making folks that work in the church administration rich. Also, I don't respect any preacher that refuses to preside over weddings and funerals for people in his/her congregation. Besides helping people grow in Christ, that's what preachers exist for. They are supposed to help bless families and help get them through tough times. I want a one on one relationship with my preacher. I want my preacher to baptize my son/daughter.
That's why I'm not giving 10% to a mega church. Perry Noble, Furtick, and others like them absolutely disgust me and are not men of God IMO.
Originally posted by yuthgi:
Trading Tiger says:
"In Jesus's day, it was the Pharisees saying "this is the way we do things, either get with the program or GTFO!"
Very interesting paraphrase of Jesus' words.
"Now, mega-churches, they're pastors, and their owners/members/attendees
are the ones who are being persecuted by the "normal churches" because
things are changing and they don't like it."
So mega-churches, their pastors and members are being PERSECUTED by "normal churches?" And we are who members/staff of "normal churches" are doing this b/c we don't like the way things are changing?
I don't think you can even use the word "persecuted" by anyone who attends a mega-church. I pray that you aren't using the derision that some people give you or your mega church as some indication that you are going to inherit the kingdom of heaven because you are persecuted! (Matthew 5:10) You have no idea what persecution means.
"Normal churches" see what mega churches are doing and simply don't agree that the model that they employ is the best example of the New Testament church. You want to tell the pastor his sermon changed your life? You cant even make an appointment to talk to these guys! You want the pastor to come and pray with you before your life-altering surgery, no way that's happening! You want to know the people you worship with every Sunday? Good luck with that! If you want to be anonymous in a mega church you can do it all day long. If you want community across all age groups and peoples? "normal churches" is where you will find that.
Please don't try to use your pop-church culture knowledge of church life to make sweeping statements about how great mega-churches are and how insignificant "normal churches" are, because we don't like the way things are changing. I don't know what they teach at your meg-church but at my "normal church" we still teach that we are all the universal body of Christ.
Originally posted by SWUtigers:
First bold: Are you a member of NewSpring or another mega-church? If so, have you asked to see where your hard-earned money goes, specifically?Originally posted by twtiger03:
Yes, it would bother me to see this money used to "line people's pockest and allow them to live lavishly" to a certain extent. I believe there is a line that can be drawn for what is considered going overboard for a pastor. However, finding that line is not so easy, and it wouild vary with each person you ask.Originally posted by ddot7:
Is there anywhere in the bible that God asks for a specific percentage of your income? If so, the bible states 1/10?Originally posted by twtiger03:
I believe God asks for 10%. He has blessed me and my family with so much, that I wouldn't say that is asking a lot. Everything I have is a blessing from God, so I am just trying to be a good steward of what he has given.Originally posted by scotchtiger:
I'm not the biggest churchgoer so maybe I miss a lot, but all the emphasis on tithing (here and in the NS threads) has really stuck out to me. I'm all for contributing, but my idea of it is more along the lines of a $20 in the collection plate.
Taking a full 10% of your income, which for a good chunk of the families on this board is probably in the 5 figure range, seems a bit extreme to me. Do a lot of people actually send large chunks of income like this to their church? Maybe I'm just in the dark.
This post was edited on 4/28 12:46 PM by scotchtiger
I know many people who believe in tithing and many others who feel there is just no way they can get by without keeping that 10%. To me it is all faith, just as our faith in Jesus that we have been saved from our sins. It all goes together in my mind. To be honest, there have been times where the bills are due and I think "man could I use that tithe money". However, God has always provided for me and my family.
Tithing is just one part of being a believer in Christ. While I do a very good job of following this practice, I fall short in many other areas.
I get if it's truly used to keep the church functioning and/or for charitable use but it doesn't bother some of you to see that money used to line people's pockets and allow them to live lavishly? Is an enormous house humble and Godly?
What is living lavishly? You will get a different answer from almost everyone. To some, having an iphone is living lavishly. To others it might be a 50inch with surround sound, Netflix, HBO, AppleTV. That is normal to many people on TI. Some would say driving a Tahoe, while others would say a Mercedes.
I believe any pastor should be able to live as well as others in our society. I don't see why their wife and kids shouldn't live as well off as the rest of us. Now, how large the church is, the financials of the church, the money coming in and going out, should all play a part in the preachers salary.
Do I see any reason someone should make half a mil from the church they preach? No, I don't. That would be a little bothersome to me. Although I am sure some could argue that depending on the size of the church, it may be a smaller piece of the pie that a pastor makes a smaller churches. Still, that seems overbard to me.
What a preacher makes on their own, as far as books and speaking engagements, I don't see why that should really be my business. Also, I wouldn't know what they do with that money as far as tithes/giving to charity/helping others, so why should I be the one to judge them?
Second bold: How would one know if they were an owner of NewSpring? Their financials are no where near transparent.
Third bold: That's comforting to know. It's less comforting to know that there are tons of people who could be giving their hard-earned money directly to a community non-profit and actually making a difference to hundreds in need instead of giving to a so-called pastor.
I find it incomprehensible to think that there are people here in this forum blindly giving to a church or person rather, when instead they could be doing so much more with their dollars.
lmao at the new living translation. I see what they did there. You see, this is the problem with taking the Bible or its "translations" literally.Originally posted by Clemson81:
Originally posted by TheClemsonJaguar:
Tithing is a church-created donation. Jesus never mentioned tithing.
Nice try.
"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law?justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things." Matthew 23:23 (NLT)
The words in this passage were spoken by Jesus. The underlined part seems pretty clear to me.
If you think a pastor's only job is preaching the word you are so far detached from reality I don't know if anyone can help you. A pastor is there to meet your spiritual needs. He is there to provide comfort for you and your family. He is there to provide guidance. Getting married and making a covenant with God is a big deal. Probably the biggest decision outside of salvation you will ever make. If you don't think it is his job to guide you on that day and the days leading up to it I don't know what to say. If he can't take an hour out of his day to preside over your funeral and offer some heart felt comfort to your family I don't know what to say. If a pastors example is Christ (and it should be) a pastor should be ashamed not to visit his flock while in the hospital or being humble enough to baptize people. What a crock of crap.Originally posted by Mr. Clemson:
Wow. You are so wrong in so many ways that I don't know how to address this ridiculous post. But I'll give it a shot...Originally posted by acwill07:
First of all, I would not attend the church once it grew over 1000 people or so, but that's neither here nor there.Originally posted by vatiger1:
acwill07 - so if you join a Church and it's small, say 200 people. Then in 5 years it grows to 15,000 people? Are you just going to stop giving?
I'm not sure if I follow your logic?
Originally posted by acwill07:
Anyone who gives 10% of what they make to one of these mega churches needs to get their head checked.
I'm not saying I would stop giving, but I certainly wouldn't give 10% of my income while listening to Perry Noble blither on like an idiot about how everyone who questions tithing 10% is "stupid."
My 10% shouldn't be going towards building extravegant houses for the preacher and making folks that work in the church administration rich. Also, I don't respect any preacher that refuses to preside over weddings and funerals for people in his/her congregation. Besides helping people grow in Christ, that's what preachers exist for. They are supposed to help bless families and help get them through tough times. I want a one on one relationship with my preacher. I want my preacher to baptize my son/daughter.
That's why I'm not giving 10% to a mega church. Perry Noble, Furtick, and others like them absolutely disgust me and are not men of God IMO.
If you are a Christian, then you should be ashamed of the bolded comment. Who are you to question their faith, especially since they are leading churches that are bringing 1,000s of people to Christ? I don't know Furtick or listen to his sermons, but I do know my pastor and know that he is absolutely, 100% a Christian. You may not like his stance on tithing (although it's also 100% biblically correct), his verbiage or delivery technique used during his sermons (have you even listened to a full sermon?), or the fact that he makes a good living doing the most important, eternally valuable thing you can on this planet, but you are a disgrace for a "Christian" if you truly believe what you just wrote about him not being a "man of God."
And a preacher does not exist to preside over your wedding and funeral and to help you grow with Christ. I seriously cannot stop shaking my head at the idiotic remarks in your post. A pastor's job is to preach the gospel and bring people to Christ, just as it is your job as a Christian (assuming you are a Christian). No different. Just because he is a pastor of a church as his profession and gets paid to preach the gospel does not mean that his job isn't to marry you or preach at your funeral. What an incredibly dumb and selfish statement. You should learn from a pastor's messages, but it is your job to spend time daily reading your Bible, praying, and going deeper with your relationship with Christ. That is not a pastor's job, nor can he do that for you. Good grief.
This post was edited on 4/28 5:14 PM by Mr. Clemson
1. LOL at the bolded passage. You've really bought into Perry's Old Testament Tithing rap. He's got you hook line and sinker. Folks also sacrificed their children in the old Testament.....are you doing that too? And before you tell me that tithing 10% is in the New Testament I can go ahead and tell you that every passage I've ever read in the NT that people claim proves it's law to tithe 10% is beyond a reach. I can't wait to read the NT scripture that you cite that actually makes no reference to tithing 10%, but since Perry said it in his sermon I'm sure it must be true.Originally posted by Mr. Clemson:
Wow. You are so wrong in so many ways that I don't know how to address this ridiculous post. But I'll give it a shot...Originally posted by acwill07:
First of all, I would not attend the church once it grew over 1000 people or so, but that's neither here nor there.Originally posted by vatiger1:
acwill07 - so if you join a Church and it's small, say 200 people. Then in 5 years it grows to 15,000 people? Are you just going to stop giving?
I'm not sure if I follow your logic?
Originally posted by acwill07:
Anyone who gives 10% of what they make to one of these mega churches needs to get their head checked.
I'm not saying I would stop giving, but I certainly wouldn't give 10% of my income while listening to Perry Noble blither on like an idiot about how everyone who questions tithing 10% is "stupid."
My 10% shouldn't be going towards building extravegant houses for the preacher and making folks that work in the church administration rich. Also, I don't respect any preacher that refuses to preside over weddings and funerals for people in his/her congregation. Besides helping people grow in Christ, that's what preachers exist for. They are supposed to help bless families and help get them through tough times. I want a one on one relationship with my preacher. I want my preacher to baptize my son/daughter.
That's why I'm not giving 10% to a mega church. Perry Noble, Furtick, and others like them absolutely disgust me and are not men of God IMO.
If you are a Christian, then you should be ashamed of the bolded comment. Who are you to question their faith, especially since they are leading churches that are bringing 1,000s of people to Christ? I don't know Furtick or listen to his sermons, but I do know my pastor and know that he is absolutely, 100% a Christian. You may not like his stance on tithing (although it's also 100% biblically correct), his verbiage or delivery technique used during his sermons (have you even listened to a full sermon?), or the fact that he makes a good living doing the most important, eternally valuable thing you can on this planet, but you are a disgrace for a "Christian" if you truly believe what you just wrote about him not being a "man of God."
And a preacher does not exist to preside over your wedding and funeral and to help you grow with Christ. I seriously cannot stop shaking my head at the idiotic remarks in your post. A pastor's job is to preach the gospel and bring people to Christ, just as it is your job as a Christian (assuming you are a Christian). No different. Just because he is a pastor of a church as his profession and gets paid to preach the gospel does not mean that his job isn't to marry you or preach at your funeral. What an incredibly dumb and selfish statement. You should learn from a pastor's messages, but it is your job to spend time daily reading your Bible, praying, and going deeper with your relationship with Christ. That is not a pastor's job, nor can he do that for you. Good grief.
This post was edited on 4/28 5:14 PM by Mr. Clemson
Originally posted by scotchtiger:
I just wonder if maybe we should have reevaluated the % over the last several thousand years due to a few changes along the way. I certainly get donating an amount or a percentage, but 10% seems excessive. If an average Clemson couple takes home $60K each, that's a $12,000 donation to the church. For a church of 5K families, that's $60 million a year if it's a college educated demographic and they all tithe.Originally posted by Trading Tiger:
My wife and I do. I told a little story about my tithing experience and that of some friends of ours in another thread. I know it sounds crazy, but when you do as Jesus/The Bible instructs and give 10% in tithe, that remaining 90% goes further than you could ever imagine, much further than when I didn't tithe and had all 100%.Originally posted by scotchtiger:
I'm not the biggest churchgoer so maybe I miss a lot, but all the emphasis on tithing (here and in the NS threads) has really stuck out to me. I'm all for contributing, but my idea of it is more along the lines of a $20 in the collection plate.
Taking a full 10% of your income, which for a good chunk of the families on this board is probably in the 5 figure range, seems a bit extreme to me. Do a lot of people actually send massive chunks of income like this to their church? Maybe I'm just in the dark.
It's tax deductible too, I'd much rather give my money to the Church, even if some of y'all think it's being stolen or used personally by an individual instead of the community, rather than give it to Obama/the government.
The church often was the community back in the day. Times were simpler, people paid their tithe in crops or spices or goats. Communities shared goods and services. I'm not sure the tithe translated accurately into today's financial structure.
Then again, maybe I'm just greedy. And giving to the government really stings, because that's wayyy more than a tithe and much more wasteful.