² and Abraham gave him a tenth of all [the spoil]. He is, first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, which means king of peace. ³ Without [any record of] father or mother, nor ancestral line, without [any record of] beginning of days (birth) nor ending of life (death), but having been made like the Son of God, he remains a priest without interruption and without successor. ⁴ Now pause and consider how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the spoils. ⁵ It is true that those descendants of Levi who are charged with the priestly office are commanded in the Law to collect tithes from the people—which means, from their kinsmen—though these have descended from Abraham. ⁶ But this person [Melchizedek] who is not from their Levitical ancestry received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who possessed the promises [of God].

Hebrews 7:2-6 Amplified version

Yesterday’s blog post stated, ‘paying tithes is a tool that can allow the church to help more people because more resources will be available to use.’ Therefore tithing matters. Tithing is integral in the DNA of the Black Church. It’s the reason many community programs exist today.

Now God asks for a tenth of what He gave us to be given back to Him. There are promises God has made to us that we receive when we tithe.

⁸ “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings [you have withheld]. ⁹ You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, this whole nation! ¹⁰ Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it. ¹¹ Then I will rebuke the devourer (insects, plague) for your sake and he will not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field drop its grapes [before harvest],” says the Lord of hosts. ¹² “All nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight,” says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 3:8-12 Amplified version

My church teaches that when Jesus died and was resurrected the curses from not tithing were broken. However, the promises stayed. So tithing allows us to receive the promises God has made to us. And tithing allows us to help others through our church. That last line is me but it makes sense. The church can’t help anyone if no one is helping the church.

Historically speaking there were no banks, money lenders, etc for the Black community in the 1800s or early 1900s but there were churches. Black churches would raise money for those in need and assist as best they could.

Then they started building places of worship. With that came more expenses. By the mid-1800s there were “mega” Black churches such as First African Baptist in Lexington, Kentucky and First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia.

Yes, the church has bills to pay. Buildings cost to maintain them, taxes on the property, utilities, staff salaries. There are expenses. Just like you, people who work at a church are WORKING therefore they deserve to receive a salary that allows them to live without struggle.

And here’s where the issue lies.

People expect the church to do for them, the community and be available 24/7/365 yet hiss when any mention of money is taken by the church. Yes, there are some Pastors and Preachers who mismanage the monies. But don’t let a few dissuade you from understanding that charitable work is an expense. There can be no food giveaways, money to give to people who need help with bills, someone to sit with your loved one at the hospital, someone to pray with you when you’re going through something, activities for the children/youth, dinners, or to bail people out of jail who are protesting against injustice, etc without money.

When church began the money raised went to help families in need, cover expenses related to the church and help give some money for those who were going to college. Church was a stopgap when people’s personal funds were running low. In fact, I wrote how churches in Texas bought property to build parks so there would be a place to celebrate Juneteenth annually.

While Black churches are great at theatrical worship experiences, a lot of that wouldn’t be possible without tithing. Tithing allows the church to increase the good works the Bible teaches. To have the necessary equipment to bring the worship experience to concert level. To help widows, orphans, those in need, those who are hungry or need a place to sleep. Without tithing, the Black church’s contribution to the community would have gone away a long time ago.

If you expect to receive from the church, don’t you think it’s right to put in as well?

You can’t withdraw from an empty vessel.