Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Buzzsprout, online, or search ‘The Stewardology Podcast’ in your favorite podcast app.

 

STOP GIVING TO YOUR CHURCH!

Have you ever heard that said?

Have you ever heard that said by a Pastor?

When is it okay to NOT give to your church?

 

As crazy as it sounds, for the believer to stop giving to their local church is not something that we find pleasure to talk about.  But it is one of those topics that rarely, if ever gets discussed with some sort of detail.

We feel like we were treading where “angels fear to tread” (tongue in cheek).  But, we feel like it would be a disservice to the Body of Christ to not share these good, clear and Biblical reasons why one might need to stop giving.

 

Don’t vote with your dollars.

If you are dissatisfied, have conversations! Here is a good, real life example: It would be inappropriate to not give to your church because you don’t like that they spent $10k on a sign and you feel like they should have spent less, or if there is some difference of opinion. 

Or maybe the leadership didn’t handle a disciplinary issue as well as YOU would have liked (and to this, the leadership did not sin…the just did it differently than what you would have).

Churches are always going to fail to meet our expectations, and frankly, because churches are full of sinners, they will fail to meet up to God’s standard too! 

Have grace. If you’re just disgruntled, know that we are not giving you permission to not fund the work of the ministry.

We want you to know before digging into the weeds, that what this episode implies is that we’re dealing with a very, very, very fine line. There is a spectrum that ranges from: “I love my church, I love Jesus, and I want to give to my church…” to “I distrust my church, but I love Jesus, so therefore I’m going to leave…”

This episode lies somewhere between these two ends. 

Right now, we’re in the, “I love my church…I have questions…and I don’t think I can stay here long term” phase of thinking. I am sensing that they are doing things that are dishonest and unfaithful, and I want to hold on to my tithe. The thinking in this arena is that the individual is unclear if they are the problem and need to change, or the church is the problem, and they need to change. 

In this scenario, this is when you withhold your giving, for this is a very specific set of circumstances.

 

5 Reasons Why Not to Give to Your Local Church

  1. Doctrinal Changes

    • If the church’s doctrine is still in the realm of acceptable Biblical beliefs, and you’re just unsure where you stand, it is okay to pause your giving. Maybe it’s not in line with your theological convictions. If this is the case, you need to study! In this process, work toward either alignment or transition out of that church.  Once you make a decision of your new church, it would be then that you write a check of your back-tithe and offerings to that new church. One only ought to pause their giving if they feel that they can’t give in good conscience.

  2. Transparency Issues

    • As a former Pastor, it is very important that the church finances are, for the most part, good for all to see. Transparency is questioned if sufficient financial disclosure is not given to the congregation.  When this happens, the sin nature kicks in and the mind goes toward concern or suspicion that the information is not being provided because it may have been, or is being mishandled. Now, suspicion should only happen AFTER a conversation with Church leadership requesting for more information. If they are actually stonewalling you, that very well could be a major red flag and a cause for concern. A lack of transparency obscures what really is going on in the mind and in reality!  We don’t want to go there, but there could be potential malfeasance happening and you are one that is “sniffing” it out.

  3. Personal Financial Crisis

    • This reason is not looking at the church, but it is looking at you and your financial situation at hand. In choosing to not give to your church, we want to make clear that this must be a true and genuine case of financial triage. In most, if not all cases, this would be a “pause” in your giving. However, as we are seeing more often than not in these economic times through our Life Institute Stewardship Lifestyle Seminar, if this is literally a survival scenario ( basic and simple food/shelter/clothing), it is okay to redirect those funds for a period of time. For example, if a spouse loses their salary, and you have bills that exceed 100% of your current income, you have to pay those bills!  Here are some examples of these challenging scenarios:
      • Primary income earner died
      • Loss of a job
      • Significant financial loss
      • Medical challenges/bills
      • SIGNIFICANT financial changes that cause you to have to scramble to keep your head somewhat above the water and fight to survive another day.

  4. Major Church Transitions

    • Now we are looking back at the church. There are always going to be seasons of change.  Here are some of the few changes that may elicit a choice to not give for a period of time, a season or until you are settled into a new Church home.
      • Staff Transition – Maybe you just hired a new Senior Pastor and have some concerns.
      • Philosophy Transition – Your church changes its philosophy of ministry, and you have questions.
      • Preaching Method Transition – Maybe your church is changing the way it presents the Word of God, and you have strong convictions about this.
    • But remember, change isn’t always a bad thing! Approach change with an open mind, but be sure to think through these things thoroughly.

  5. Questionable Spending Patterns

    • Here are two key examples of what we have heard, seen and witnessed.
      • Purchasing premium everything. The goal of your local Church is to match the environment of your community.  Nothing more and nothing less. Choosing to go with “High End” furnishings and equipment can signify that physical things and material possessions may become too important to the leadership of the church!  Church image to the community could trump the Church’s heart for the people.
      • Using debt to make large purchases. “My church went into debt and I don’t think they should have. I Don’t want my dollars to fund the Church’s debt.” Remember, we at the Stewardology Podcast make it clear that debt is a tool in the toolbox.  

 

Stewardship Application

As we wrap up this topic, we want to conclude with how we see “Paused Giving”

When we say “paused giving”, we are not redirecting the giving back into your own pocket! 

What we are saying is that when you are not actively giving to the church, you are still giving! Take what you would have given to your Church and open an account to put that money in weekly or bi-weekly that so it does not commingle with your everyday expense money. The goal and reasoning for this is when God gives you the green light to stay at your Church or peace to settle into a new Church, it would be at that time that you redirect the full amount (and we would include interest) to the local church.

Remember Ps. 24:1 which says…“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”

Let us be a people, even in transition, between churches, that remembers that all that we have, including our giving in transitions, still belongs to the Lord…and let us be a people that honor Him by faithfully giving…after the pause.

 

Next Steps

 

Material presented is property of The Stewardology Podcast, a ministry of Life Financial Group and Life Institute. You may not copy, reproduce, modify, create derivative works, or exploit any content without the expressed written permission of The Stewardology Podcast. For more information, contact us at Contact@StewardologyPodcast.com or (800) 688-5800.

The topics discussed in this podcast are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations.  Investing and investment strategies involve risk including the potential loss of principal. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Securities and advisory services offered through GWM, Inc Member FINRA/SIPC