2.56%

What could we do with an extra $161 billion dollars?

By "we" I mean the Church… Christians.

Every church has only two earthly resources: people and money. And both of these resources are limited. And the second resource, money, comes via the first resource, people.

As a pastor it is my job to get the most out of the people and the money that God gives us. I can tell you that on a daily basis I feel like we bump into barriers due to a lack of both.

According to a recent study by an Illinois research firm, Empty Tomb, inc., it was found that the average church goer gives just 2.56% of their income to their church. Let me put it a different way. For every $1000 someone makes, they give only $25.60 to God. I gotta tell you that's pretty pathetic. Some people spend more than that at Starbucks every week.

It was also estimated by the study that if everyone who attended church would tithe, that "we" would have an extra…you guessed it, $161 billion dollars a year with which to work!

What could your church do if everyone in your church actually tithed?

I'm not talking about giving. Lots of people give. 2.56% is giving. 10% is tithing. And there's a big difference, not only in money with which to see vision become reality , but in blessing.

You see, as a pastor, one of my chief desires is to see all the people of my church blessed to overflowing by God. And the area of finances is the one and only area where God gives us permission to "test" him (Malachi 3) and just see if He won't open the blessings of heaven upon us.

I am broken, not over lost dollars, but over the lost blessing that my brothers and sisters in Christ are missing out on because of lack of obedience and faith.

And yes, extra dollars would be nice too!

Jeff