Over the years of church consulting, I’ve seen various answers to the question, “Should the pastor know what church members give?” In this post, I list some of those options, and I invite your feedback. This list is in no order of priority or preference.
- The pastor knows no details about individual giving. Sometimes that’s because he has made that choice; in other cases, that’s church policy to protect everyone.
- The pastor knows the number of giving units, but not individual names or giving. Thus, he knows what percentage of active families give, but he doesn’t know amounts. He can still use that information as he challenges the church to give, but without implying he knows more than he should.
- The pastor knows the names of anyone who gives, but not actual giving. All he knows is whether each attender or member gives something to the church. He may make guesses about giving, but he has access to no actual numbers.
- The pastor knows the names of the top 10 percent (or 20 percent, etc.) of givers, but he does not know amounts of their giving. In that sense, he knows the financial influencers who might influence others to give—but without knowing their dollar amounts.
- The pastor knows the actual giving of the staff, but not others. He does know the giving of those who receive a paycheck from the church. His position is often that he holds the staff accountable on behalf of the church.
- The pastor knows the actual giving of elders and deacons, but not others. That is, he knows what the spiritual leaders of the church give. Indeed, he wants to know that information before anyone is considered for such a role.
- The pastor can know the actual giving of those who are considered for election to a leadership position. These positions are in addition to elders and deacons listed above. The pastor (and the church) investigate financial faithfulness before setting apart any leader for any ministry in the church.
- The pastor knows the actual giving of all givers. He has access to all the records, though he may turn to them on only a “need to know” basis (for example, when responding to an angry member who threatens to “pull his tithes.”).
I’m sure there are other options. What are your thoughts on this question?
A priest/pastor needs to know the giving level of all stewards because stewardship of our gifts (ALL OF OUR GIFTS) is key to our spiritual journey toward theosis. We don’t treat people differently because of how much they give. We minister to all and encourage them to be stewards of everything in their life – the Gospel, work, family, faith, treasure, parish, position of responsibility, the environment and more.
Thanks, Fr. James, for your thoughts.
I am glad you don’t treat people differently based on their giving level. I have seen churches that did for pastoral care, genuine concern, and every other thing. It is not pretty.
I’ve always been reluctant to have much knowledge of giving records. Biggest reason was when I helped stuff the giving statements at a previous church I saw how little key leaders (and vocal demanders of church energy and resources) gave. And it affected my perception of them.
It’s also why we pushed to hire a non-member to handle our bookkeeping. That way a name and amount means nothing to them. And my concern has always been about giving units. The less I know, the better.
Thanks, Scott.
It’s an interesting issue because giving is a spiritual issue. Theoretically, the spiritual shepherd of the church ought to be able to address all areas of spiritual maturity. But, I acknowledge it is not really that simple for most people and circumstances.
I’ve been in churches in which I have experienced 1, 2, and 8 above. I never intentionally treated anyone differently based on my knowledge of their giving (#8). I found that option to be good when we were evaluating key leaders (elders and deacons) and when including “generosity leaders” in vision casting gatherings. Currently, I am in option #2. I have not found it to be as limiting as I feared it might. Though, I admit I find myself wondering how faithful in giving people are who are called to serve in leadership roles. (Admittedly, it is the Holy Spirit’s role to convict, not mine!)
I think the options above cover most every circumstance. Ultimately, I am not sure there is a single approach that would fit every church situation.
My pastor knows the % of ppl giving but not the amounts ppl give. He told me once he wants to be able to confront ppl with their sin and challenge them without hesitation and knowing how much ppl give might affect his counsel. It gives him freedom to say what needs to be said.
What does the Bible say? Jesus said in Matthew 6: 1that our giving should not be done to be seen by others. Why would a pastor want to rob those who give generously to his church from receiving the reward that God gives to them by prying into their generosity? These people should not give to be “seen of men” so why should the pastor try to defraud them of their eternal reward?
Asking how much a person is giving to the church also violates Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6: 3. “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”(NIV) I believe Jesus is teaching on giving to the temple which in His day would then distribute to the needy. Here Jesus says that the left hand should not know how much the right hand is giving. Leadership should not know how much a person is giving.
A pastor should be discipling his key leadership and they in turn disciple others in the congregation. Part of this discipleship should include a person’s generosity and stewardship before God. A tithe (10% or more) is a biblical level of financial stewardship. Anything less is robbing God according to Malachi 3:8 – 10. Requiring that leadership (staff, elders, deacons, committee chairs) give 10% to the church however, I would argue, is not biblical as our gifts and offerings are to be given to God, not the church. I have seen in the actual constitution of a church that elders have to give 10% to the church as a part of the qualifications for eldership. That is not biblical. The Lord’s work goes far beyond the local church and leadership may or may not give their total donations to the local church. I believe that they should give a fair amount of their giving to the local church where they receive spiritual instruction and help but their giving should not be mandated by the church. We are giving to the Kingdom of God not the kingdom of a local church or pastor.
A pastor or spiritual leader should ask the question of those he disciples if they are generous toward others and the work of the Lord. They will only receive blessings of God if they have a generous spirit. That generosity needs to be cultivated and modelled by leadership. In discipleship, generic not a specific challenges can be discussed. “Are you being generous? Have you ever robbed God according to Malachi 3:8? You reap what you sow. Can you expect to reap bountifully based on your giving patterns?” These kinds of questions do not identify whether the local church is getting the totality of the generosity of the one we are discipling but it does challenge them to have a generous spirit. It leaves the disciple with the decision on how much they want to share with the person discipling them.
Those pastors that request the top givers and their names are tempted to play favourites. He may not want to offend these big givers so this compromises his message and perhaps even who he hangs out with.
Thus I believe that according to the Bible, the church should operate on level 1. “The pastor knows no details about individual giving. Sometimes that’s because he has made that choice; in other cases, that’s church policy to protect everyone.” The pastor should however make sure that people in his congregation are generous so that they can enjoy the blessings God gives to those who are faithful.
I am a layperson and thus my perspective may be short sited, but I felt the need to respond. Giving comes from the heart of relationship with the Lord. I do not care to know what others give. If a pastor knows what anyone is giving he needs to keep it to himself unless there is genuine Christian need to tell someone else. I don’t know how it actually aids a given group to know who gives what otherwise. When there are needs that are not being met there is a need to give a better understanding of why we are to give. I do not give out of obligation; I give out of love for the Lord and His ministry. That is one reason I like offering envelopes. I put my name on mine, but sometimes leave the rest blank. I know bookkeeping needs to be done for tax purposes and to show the government who gives said monies so my name is on the envelope. At times I impulsively put cash into an offering plate. God knows my giving. No one else knows all that I do or I do not. If the fullness of tithing and its benefits are not being preached to the congregation that is a shortcoming of the pastor. We, the laypersons, need to be taught that giving is more than money, more than just a set amount and is vital to our own personal relationship with the Lord. If I do not give to the support of my local congregation that is a show of my not listening, studying and responding to God’s word. thank you for an opportunity to add my thoughts.