Exercising Good Stewardship

Q

We give our tithe to the church and the money goes for all kinds of needs for the church and different ministries. There are so many needs in our church community and we have missionary needs as well. I know some of the money goes to these things but when you see churches buying things that don’t help much like a $100,000 sign to advertise what is going on or upcoming events, I have this feeling something is wrong. Hope you can help me out with this.

A

I don’t see anything in the Bible requiring you to give all your tithe to your local church to do with as they please. You have the right to specify that part or all of your contributions be allocated to areas the Lord has placed on your heart. You can also contribute to different ministries such as local food banks or shelters on your own. Or you can choose to help support a missionary. As you say, there are many needs.

Once you give money in good faith, it’s the responsibility of the recipient to exercise proper stewardship, but you don’t have to blindly support any program. Ask the Lord for guidance in distributing your tithe according to His will.