The State of the Plate just released a report on the characteristics of tithers. Their report is based on a five year study of 4,413 people. They found that
- 77% of tithers give more than 10% (between 11-20%)
- 70% base their tithe on their gross, rather than net income
- 63% started tithing in their twenties or before
- “Tithers carry much less debt than most people and are financially better off than Christian non-tithers — 80% of ‘tithers’ have no unpaid credit card bills; 74% have no car payments; 48% own their home; and 28% are completely debt-free.”
- Only 10-25% of churchgoers tithe, which constitutes 50-80% of a churches funding.
Reasons cited by non-tithing Christians for not tithing include the lack of finances (38%), too much debt (33%), and lack of spousal approval (18%). And yet, State of the Plate found that those who tithe are “distributed almost equally across all income brackets.” It seems that one’s personal debt may be one of the best indicators regarding their likelihood to tithe.
HT: Scot McKnight
Thinking to Believe 
May 22, 2013 at 8:21 pm
I suppose there are two ways to look at this,
1.) God blesses those who tithe (this would be the initial response of the tithing is a commandment that must be obeyed camp).
2.) Those who tithe are better equipped to live on a budget, have better fiscal sense, and don’t waste money they don’t have on things they don’t need, thus they can clear debt, make larger payments faster, and generally have better spending habits (from the tithing is not a commandment and God doesn’t require it crowd).
Either way, regardless, the stats go to show just how beneficial supporting the work of the Lord financially is to one’s own bottom-line.
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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