Don't you give to your church?
Four common reasons people don’t give to their local church.
While many church members give regularly and generously to their local church, some do not. There are some good reasons not to give, but most often the absence of planned and meaningful giving is an indication of some ignorance or sin. In this short article, I’d like to address four of the most common reasons people do not give to or through their local church, and I’d like to offer some (what I mean to be) helpful considerations for each of them.
1. Sometimes people don’t think about their money at all.
Many people don’t have a budget, they don’t plan their spending, and they don’t put much thought at all into where their money goes. They simply spend what they have until it’s gone. And when they get paid, they spend it again.
Friend, if you don’t spend your money on purpose, then you will spend it on accident; and you’ll likely have very little to show for accidental spending. When was the last time you did not spend money on a thing (even though you had it in your bank account) because you already designated that money to go toward something else (like benevolence, savings, charity, starting a business, or long-term investment)? If we don’t regularly make decisions like this, then we are not thinking well about our money. And the only way we will ever be able to make such necessary and practical decisions is if we budget our money and spend it on purpose.
2. Sometimes people feel like their giving is insignificant.
Those with little means can easily feel like their gift wouldn’t be big enough to actually make a difference. The church budget is so big, and small gifts don’t seem significant enough to do much good. But this is wrong on at least two counts.
First, small contributions add up over time, and they also get bigger when they are combined with other contributions. It will often surprise us to learn what the annual total is for small weekly or monthly contributions. And the financial gifts of many (big and small) can usually do far more than any single giver could do alone.
Second, our regular giving (as Christians and church members) is not just about what good we can do to maintain our church’s ministry or to make some provision for others. When we give a regular portion of our income and resources away (with a cheerful heart of gratitude), it makes us just a bit less susceptible to the greed, envy, and covetousness that so easily plagues those who are servants of money. Every time we give something of value away, we are reminded that what Jesus said is true, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
3. Sometimes people feel they don’t make enough money.
Some people feel their needs outweigh their desire or their responsibility to give. And it is important to note that if we’re having trouble paying our bills, then we should absolutely not give any money away. We are obligated to pay our bills, support our own families, and organize our own finances before we start trying to give any money away.
However, it is also true that Americans today are quite prone to think of luxuries as “needs.” According to one source, Christians in America gave an average of 2.5% of their income in 2024.[i] During the Great Depression (100 years ago), Christians in America gave an average of 3.3% of their income. While their resources were much less than ours, Christians in the 1930s did not believe the modern American lie that luxuries are “needs.”
If you don’t have much money at the end of the month, then this may be an indication that your expenses need an honest evaluation. It may also be that you need to heartily consider a different job or an additional job. The simple fact is that our income must exceed our expenses, but there are many ways to make this happen.
4. Sometimes people have been burned by a church.
Maybe this has happened to you. Maybe you’ve attended a church that seemed never to stop asking for money. Maybe you’ve belonged to a church where financial corruption was uncovered at some point. Friend, churches are not immune from financial sin, including carelessness and even fraud. But each church should be evaluated on the basis of its own reliability (or lack thereof).
And if you believe that the leaders of your church are untrustworthy with money, then you should not trust them with the care of your soul. The Scripture says that “an overseer [i.e., pastor or elder], as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined (Titus 1:7-8). These basic qualifications for pastors reflect an all-around exemplary character, and if a man does not meet these qualifications, then he ought not to be serving or leading as a pastor. Indeed, financial sin is one of the common vices of false and nefarious teachers (1 Timothy 3:6-10).
Conclusion
The Bible makes it clear that Christians ought to be regular contributors to their local church, both to fund the word-ministry of the church and to help other church members in need. And the Bible also makes it clear that our regular practice of giving money away is good for our souls. Let’s make it a priority in our own lives, and let’s encourage others to do the same.
[i] See https://nonprofitssource.com/online-giving-statistics/church-giving/.