Why Christians Don't Give

"Why Christians Don't Give
by: Rod Rogers

I have a book of cartoons called Church Is Stranger Than Fiction with a picture of four men sitting around a conference table in a church board meeting. In the caption, the man at the head of the table says, “It looks like we’re going to have to recall our last twenty-five converts—there seems to be a defect in their giving”.1

Sadly, there is a defect in the giving of the vast majority of Christians. According to Barna Research Online, 'The proportion of households that tithe their income to their church—that is, give at least ten percent of their income to that ministry—has dropped by 62% in the past year, from 8% in 2001 to just 3% of adults during 2002.'2

Why don’t Christians give more generously? The Bible and research indicate that the primary reason is that they lack pastoral leadership. As the key spiritual leader in the church, the pastor has the most influence on a church’s giving practices. According to church stewardship expert Eugene Grimm,

'The pastor is the chief steward of the congregation. Congregations that are above the national average in their giving have one of several things in common. One of the most important of these is strong pastoral leadership. In congregations with effective stewardship, "