Tithing online = Faster first fruits
July 1, 2008
I love technology. I love that I can blog and tell complete strangers what my life is all about. I love that some churches have been able to incorporate technology to aid the congregation.
I have a dilemma every week when it comes to tithing. I write a check on Wednesday or Sunday and then it takes a week or two for the check to clear – ALOT can happen in a week or two when it comes to my bank account. Meanwhile, I’m spending money, paying bills online, and completely forgetting that my tithe check has not cleared. We haven’t bounced any tithe checks – but we have come CLOSE!
Yes, I realize that I can tithe with cash and this wouldn’t be a problem, but with direct deposit – Mark and I haven’t been to a bank in MONTHS!
So today, I have switched to online tithing. Our church offers it, and it’s incredibly easy and effective. It is truly a first fruit gift (meaning that I give to God before I give to anything else). I don’t inadvertently spend all of the money because a check hasn’t cleared and then my tithe is actually a last thought and makes me grumpy!
Does anyone else experience this?? Does your church offer tithing online?
Entry Filed under: Being Authentic, Family, God, Job, Life, Shopping, Technology, Uncategorized. Tags: Church, Finances, Money, religion, Technology.
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1.
mudpuppy | July 1, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I’ll never understand why people don’t register every penny they spend. It’s been a habit of mine since High School. I used to do it by hand, but now I use Quicken. There’s never a question how much I have available, no wondering if a check has cleared. Just look at your register and see how much you have, in real time. You might actually have more in there should something not been cleared, but you’ll never have less than that amount.
Take my brother for example, he’ll go to an ATM and see what his balance is and work from that. Or my aunt that rounds all her numbers in her register. CRAZYNESS I TELL YA!!
OK… I just took a deep breath.
As for online tithing, bring it on! Love the idea. One I’m not such a fan of is the church allowing credit cards for tithing. It just seems to promote a very bad habit.
2.
sarah | July 1, 2008 at 12:53 pm
my sense is this: I’m in favor of almost any method that helps us obey God. Lord knows, I need all the help i can get!
3.
JudiFree.com | July 1, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Great points! MudPuppy – I’m looking into quicken now. You guys rock.
4.
J May | July 1, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Haha, our church is pretty organic. It’s amazing we have a web site.
I DO hate that check tithe thing, though! Especially because they seem to take longer to get deposited for some reason!
5.
Paul | July 1, 2008 at 7:06 pm
We actually pay our tithes with a credit card that has some nice rewards. We just make sure to put the money aside in our checking account, and then just pay off the credit card every time it posts. I think with all the tithes we paid on 2007, we were able to get almost $500 worth of merchandise with the points we earned from our tithes alone. Double blessing.
6.
tony | July 2, 2008 at 4:54 am
…and you DID tithe the rewards value, right?
7.
jesusfreakchef | July 2, 2008 at 5:33 am
My wife and I just started tithing online a coupla months ago and it has never been easier. I did have a hard time at first, what with not being able to put the money in the basket during church service because I felt like people might judge us for not putting anything in the basket. Talking it over with my wife, I realized that the spirit of tithing is not in the perception of our giving by everyone else. If that were the case we would be just like the Pharisees that prayed to gain the respect of men. My wife made me realize that tithing is between ourselves and God alone. I love online tihing!
8.
JudiFree.com | July 2, 2008 at 7:42 am
@Paul – AWESOME! Mark and I don’t have any credit cards (we know ourselves, but that sounds like an awesome way to immediately reap a harvest on your tithe.
@Jesusfreakchef – AMEN!
9.
seanmichaelbrage | July 2, 2008 at 7:53 am
I once bounced a tithe check (by accident,) and it was not a pleasant feeling in my guts. Online all the way.
10.
cbgrace | July 2, 2008 at 8:30 am
Oh, this reminds me…I need to pay my tithes. I’ve been paying my tithe online for almost a year.
Another church that is associated with ours, added a little atm machine to their lobby…I don’t think you can get money from it, but you can pay your tithes right in the lobby of the church.
11.
JudiFree.com | July 2, 2008 at 9:51 am
@cbgrace: ATM in the lobby! That’s a new one…bring it on!
Like Sarah said above, anything that makes it easier for me to obey God.
12.
kingsview | July 2, 2008 at 10:39 am
Uh….I have bounce s check offering! It was soooo embarrassing, but my Pastor was cool about it and let me know right away before it was ran twice (I had forgotten to transfer from one account to the other). I am an online user all the way. Our church does not offer online banking, but I would love it.
I am taking a financial class at church right now, and mudpuppy has a point in recording income and spending. The Bible speaks that everything has a purpose. Therefore, our money (seeds from God) should also have a purpose as to how, when, and why we are spending it. It is a powerful thing.
Judy, Miguel and I don’t have credit cards either. We too know each other.
13.
teresap | July 2, 2008 at 8:46 pm
hey, i didn’t know that’s why we put our tithes on the credit card…
14.
mudpuppy | July 11, 2008 at 8:32 am
Forgot to mention, at our church we implemented the famous Rob Bell “joy box” method for receiving tithes. There are simply 2 (nicely handmade) boxes in the foyer that people can drop their tithes in anytime during the service. No pressure. No competition.
15.
JudiFree.com | July 11, 2008 at 8:46 am
Sweet! Your previous comment on this post really challenged me to be a better steward of my money….
I’m workin on it
16.
mudpuppy | July 11, 2008 at 8:49 am
Didn’t mean to be convicting there. It’s just that I’m slightly OCD and also live sort of paycheck to paycheck, so it’s more of a necessity to have an accurate handle on the money situation.
Maybe one day (when all the school loans are history) I’ll be able to sit back and not worry about that bottom line.
Probably not.
17. Impact the world, today &&hellip | July 16, 2008 at 1:37 pm
[...] like that “they see mom & i on daystar here” and was convicted to follow Judi’s advice and went online here to make sure that those called to go, can go and that TV and technology [...]
18.
doc wheeler | January 21, 2009 at 10:57 am
I love this post, I know this may be old but can some of you give the names of your churches. I’d like to contact those over tithing at some of the churches you go to. I’ve been task to find the most economical solution for tithing online at my church and I need to get back to the pastor asap.
Thanks,
Doc
19.
Alexwebmaster | March 3, 2009 at 7:21 am
Hello webmaster
I would like to share with you a link to your site
write me here preonrelt@mail.ru