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December 11, 2007
The Pulpit vs. The Pew on Tithing (continued)
The heart of this issue lies in the options we have available to us. There was a time when the church was the most obvious place for charitable donations because of the commitment it carried to local, social-based ministry as well as global endeavors. Outside the church there were very few options available.
Over time this has changed. And people now have to decide not just between one or two options but an unlimited number of choices and organizations to donate to. In the meantime, other organizations have perfected the work of raising funds. The church has been doing this very well for centuries. Now other non-profits are paying attention to what churches are doing to attract people and raise funds. In response, churches are now paying close attention to successful non-profits too.
But when people have choices, they struggle to make the right choice. Barry Schwartz contends in his book The Paradox of Choice that more options often leads to less satisfaction and more anxiety when it comes to decision making.
If you only have "x" number of dollars to donate, it can become an overwhelming task for someone to decide where that money should go. This puts the church in a position that for the most part it has avoided up to this point. The position is this: every church must now justify to its members and regular attenders why they should donate.
After the fall of Enron and similar organizations, the "heat" was turned up on churches as well. Many people who see their pastors and staff members driving nicer cars and living in nicer neighborhoods than they could ever dream of struggled to adopt the worldview that they must give their "tithe" to the church. So these people respond in silence to the pleas from the pulpit to give, give, give.
Perhaps some have decided that the church already has enough. I'm not against pastors being compensated fairly for their work and expertise. But we are attempting to uncover the perception of the person in the pew. And just like Tom Peters says, "Perception is everything."
I suppose some pastors would object to the idea of having to justify why their members should give. Many might continue to carry forward the "just because" argument. But the brutal facts tell us that--like it or not--church leaders have the responsibility to generate the contributions necessary to build the ministry of the church. Even if that means entertaining the question "why?"
So now the ball in the the church leader's court. The people in the pews have an unlimited number of choices and options when it comes to giving their time, money and talent. Why should they give it to your church?
Another important question is this: what can be done to ensure this change in behavior doesn't become a crisis in the near future?
Posted by bstroup at December 11, 2007 1:06 AM
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