Allocating Our Tithe

Q

We’ve been regular tithers to our local church and also make scheduled payments on a 3 year pledge we made to a construction project there. For a variety of reasons our attendance is no longer regular although we still maintain both our tithe and our pledge. I feel a responsibility to fulfill our pledge, but would it be proper to divert some of our tithe to other worthy ministries?

A

If you’ve made a pledge to the church, then I agree that you’re obligated to fulfill it. The Lord said to let our yes be yes and our no be no (Matt. 5:37). To me that means we should do what we say we’ll do.

As for your tithe, there’s no Biblical requirement for you to allocate it all to your local congregation unless you have made a commitment to do so. You are free to divert part or all of it as the Lord leads you to support other kingdom work.