There are some parts of the world where religious communities are supported through government funds. In fact, if we look at the history of St. George’s, when Canada was in its infancy as a country, there was initially a push for land to be set aside in all communities as “church land,” which would provide a perpetual source of income for the Church of England here. That met with a great deal of resistance: it didn’t make sense for one religious denomination to be favoured over and above all the others here. There was also a desire to see the separation of Church and State, much as had been favoured in what would become the United States.
This means that St. George’s, like most religious communities throughout the world and across time, relies on the support of its members in order to be able to provide ministry, outreach, pastoral care, worship services, and care for a building that is used as a hub of community for St. Catharines’ downtown.
That being said, there are a variety of models for stewardship that St. George’s could consider as possibilities for planning and providing ministry.
The Biblical model, which would have been assumed by Jesus and his first followers, speaks of both “first fruits” and “tithe.” Deuteronomy 26 gives these instructions as the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land: “When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.” First Fruits is how the faithful were to signal their gratitude for God’s provision by putting their gift to God before anything else is considered. The Biblical tithe of giving 10% of household income back for God’s purposes is based on the same premise. Numbers 26 says, “When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the LORD’s offering.” The word “tithe” is used to refer to God’s provision. Ten percent is offered back as a sign of God’s blessing.
Whereas expectations around giving were clearly mandated in Jesus’ time, there is a much greater variety of practices across the religious spectrum today. There are churches that take the Biblical tithe of 10% very literally. There are even churches that demand that members show their bank statements so that the church leadership can then assign the appropriate level of giving! Needless to say, this is not the Anglican way, and your leaders at St. George’s think that such an approach would go against everything that we believe about offering!
Instead, we call our annual Stewardship Campaign JOYFUL GIVING because we believe that the offering we make to the church is a choice, and it is a choice that should bring us joy. Joyful Giving is our chance to be accountable to you: we can tell you how St. George’s has been using the offerings you have been giving and how we plan to use them in the future. Joyful Giving is also your chance to be thoughtful and intentional about how you give – not only out of the financial resources with which you have been blessed, but also how you wish to share your time and talents with your church. Nobody is going to be looking over your shoulder to see what you choose, and nobody is going to be mandating to you how much you should be choosing. Instead, Joyful Giving presents you with information and resources so that you can give in the way that is right and good for you and your household.
There are some parts of the world where religious communities are supported through government funds. In fact, if we look at the history of St. George’s, when Canada was in its infancy as a country, there was initially a push for land to be set aside in all communities as “church land,” which would provide a perpetual source of income for the Church of England here. That met with a great deal of resistance: it didn’t make sense for one religious denomination to be favoured over and above all the others here. There was also a desire to see the separation of Church and State, much as had been favoured in what would become the United States.
This means that St. George’s, like most religious communities throughout the world and across time, relies on the support of its members in order to be able to provide ministry, outreach, pastoral care, worship services, and care for a building that is used as a hub of community for St. Catharines’ downtown.
That being said, there are a variety of models for stewardship that St. George’s could consider as possibilities for planning and providing ministry.
The Biblical model, which would have been assumed by Jesus and his first followers, speaks of both “first fruits” and “tithe.” Deuteronomy 26 gives these instructions as the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land: “When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.” First Fruits is how the faithful were to signal their gratitude for God’s provision by putting their gift to God before anything else is considered. The Biblical tithe of giving 10% of household income back for God’s purposes is based on the same premise. Numbers 26 says, “When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the LORD’s offering.” The word “tithe” is used to refer to God’s provision. Ten percent is offered back as a sign of God’s blessing.
Whereas expectations around giving were clearly mandated in Jesus’ time, there is a much greater variety of practices across the religious spectrum today. There are churches that take the Biblical tithe of 10% very literally. There are even churches that demand that members show their bank statements so that the church leadership can then assign the appropriate level of giving! Needless to say, this is not the Anglican way, and your leaders at St. George’s think that such an approach would go against everything that we believe about offering!
Instead, we call our annual Stewardship Campaign JOYFUL GIVING because we believe that the offering we make to the church is a choice, and it is a choice that should bring us joy. Joyful Giving is our chance to be accountable to you: we can tell you how St. George’s has been using the offerings you have been giving and how we plan to use them in the future. Joyful Giving is also your chance to be thoughtful and intentional about how you give – not only out of the financial resources with which you have been blessed, but also how you wish to share your time and talents with your church. Nobody is going to be looking over your shoulder to see what you choose, and nobody is going to be mandating to you how much you should be choosing. Instead, Joyful Giving presents you with information and resources so that you can give in the way that is right and good for you and your household.
You can watch for more information in coming weeks about what you can expect from the Joyful Giving Campaign and how you can be prepared to participate.
You can watch for more information in coming weeks about what you can expect from the Joyful Giving Campaign and how you can be prepared to participate.