Gosh this is so good. And amen! I once served as a women's ministry director for a very large church whose annual electrical budget alone was in excess of $60,000. I worked between 20-40 hours a week and often longer during retreats and major events. This was not a paid position and, to the best of my knowledge, was never going to be. The person who served before me asked for pay and was refused, so she stepped down. I was constantly told that serving in this capacity was "ministry," and I loved it so I kept my mouth shut. The pastor of this church made well over 6 figures. I'd like to see them try that with him lol. Maybe they'll come across your post and change their ways if they haven't already. Thanks for putting this out there!
I've been teaching in SBC churches for 12 years (mostly by request) and no one has ever offered me a dime, even after I started paying tuition for seminary. I'm thankful my husband has a good job as a CPA, but if he didn't, I'm not sure I could invest the time that I spend researching and writing my own curriculum, in addition to the actual teaching time, for no pay. Thank you for all of your hard work and for your heart for ministry.
Actually, I didn't realize that until Julie posted her comment. I think it could also be that certain positions aren't valued. Youth, children, and music directors once were underpaid or not paid at all (and that's likely still true in many cases) but it has been nice to see churches step up and hire trained ministers for these positions, when able and needed.
Thank you again for this series. Some of it was a good refresher and some of it was new information. I enjoyed learning and it prompted me to study further!
What I found in my Hebrew word study--which we started a chat about on a different post, but here's my belated reply nonetheless--isn't anything earth shattering, but I thought it was really interesting. Apologies in advance for the lengthy reply. There are so few people in my life I can share these things with who actually care! :)
TWOT says that the root of ma 'aser ("tithe") is related to the Arabic verb 'ashara, "to form a community or group." As you mentioned, the tithe was a tenth (the Hebrew word aser, which comes from the same root, means "ten.") And, as you wrote so eloquently, the tithe was connected to the Levites, tabernacle/temple, and the poor. But what I found so interesting in TWOT is that the tithe had "two directions"--Godward and manward. In regard to Godward, "the tithe was never meant to be an onerous weight, that one MUST give a tithe of what one earns. Rather, the tithe was a liberating act of joyful worship (e.g. Deut. 12:12; c.f. the "cheerful giver" of 2 Cor. 9:7)" which, if true, means the NT principle of joyful, radical generosity was already embedded into the tithe that the Jewish followers of Jesus would have been well accustomed to.
In regard to the manward direction, TWOT says that the tithe was part of the "inter-relatedness of the people of God." As the direct beneficiaries of the tithe, the Levites and their ministry were connected to the non-Levites and their daily labor, and it connected the poor to the rest of the community as well. TWOT says, "In this synergistic bond, there was a regular reminder of their need for one another." So now we've circled back to the root word and it's verbal form, "to form a community." I know I'm a huge nerd but I thought that was super cool.
In my experience, church members often think about tithing through one of two lenses: a burden or a blessing. Or maybe both--"I'm burdened but I'll be blessed!" Never do I remember hearing anything about it being a bond. That really changed my perspective.
It's also interesting that in Exodus 25, which begins the construction of the tabernacle, which takes up almost half of the entire book, God's very first instruction is for the people to bring a voluntary offering (terumah) of materials and that Moses is to receive it "from everyone whose heart prompts them to give." (Ex 25:1-2) So the tabernacle, which would be the residence of the Living God among his people, was dependent on voluntary contributions from the people, and would also be the place where the community of God brought their tithes as a "liberating act of worship and reminder of their need for one another."
I read a Jewish interpretation of this verse that said it teaches us that God's presence dwells with the generous. I love that. And I think you said, perhaps in different words, that generosity is a witness that God's presence dwells in God's people. So while there was a break with the Levitical system under the new covenant, for all the reasons you wrote about, I do think there is continuity between OT tithing and the NT, but that continuity is the presence of God, not the system or the place.
As far as getting church members on board with paying church leaders and teachers a living wage, I hear you. (See my reply to Tonya's comment below. It's even harder when you're a girl.) :)
Julie, this is gold! Thank you so much. In my studies for this series-which were not as in-depth as I would have liked for the limited time I had-I definitely had the sense that NT generosity was not something new but the natural continuation of the OT Law of tithing. You brought that out beautifully. One day, I'm coming back to this because it is so rich, and when I do, I will use what you've shared.
Gosh this is so good. And amen! I once served as a women's ministry director for a very large church whose annual electrical budget alone was in excess of $60,000. I worked between 20-40 hours a week and often longer during retreats and major events. This was not a paid position and, to the best of my knowledge, was never going to be. The person who served before me asked for pay and was refused, so she stepped down. I was constantly told that serving in this capacity was "ministry," and I loved it so I kept my mouth shut. The pastor of this church made well over 6 figures. I'd like to see them try that with him lol. Maybe they'll come across your post and change their ways if they haven't already. Thanks for putting this out there!
I think it's especially hard for women to get paid (at all, much less equally) for their work in churches, which can be discouraging. Jen Wilkin wrote a really good article about it for Christianity Today not long ago. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/09/wilkin-women-ministry-leaders-church-staff-wages-lifeway/
I've been teaching in SBC churches for 12 years (mostly by request) and no one has ever offered me a dime, even after I started paying tuition for seminary. I'm thankful my husband has a good job as a CPA, but if he didn't, I'm not sure I could invest the time that I spend researching and writing my own curriculum, in addition to the actual teaching time, for no pay. Thank you for all of your hard work and for your heart for ministry.
Thanks for sharing the article, Julie. I wasn't aware that this was a widespread issue, and yes, this was a SBC church. :)
Thanks, Tonya. You are right. Women are especially overlooked and overworked when it comes to paying for ministry rendered.
Actually, I didn't realize that until Julie posted her comment. I think it could also be that certain positions aren't valued. Youth, children, and music directors once were underpaid or not paid at all (and that's likely still true in many cases) but it has been nice to see churches step up and hire trained ministers for these positions, when able and needed.
Thank you again for this series. Some of it was a good refresher and some of it was new information. I enjoyed learning and it prompted me to study further!
What I found in my Hebrew word study--which we started a chat about on a different post, but here's my belated reply nonetheless--isn't anything earth shattering, but I thought it was really interesting. Apologies in advance for the lengthy reply. There are so few people in my life I can share these things with who actually care! :)
TWOT says that the root of ma 'aser ("tithe") is related to the Arabic verb 'ashara, "to form a community or group." As you mentioned, the tithe was a tenth (the Hebrew word aser, which comes from the same root, means "ten.") And, as you wrote so eloquently, the tithe was connected to the Levites, tabernacle/temple, and the poor. But what I found so interesting in TWOT is that the tithe had "two directions"--Godward and manward. In regard to Godward, "the tithe was never meant to be an onerous weight, that one MUST give a tithe of what one earns. Rather, the tithe was a liberating act of joyful worship (e.g. Deut. 12:12; c.f. the "cheerful giver" of 2 Cor. 9:7)" which, if true, means the NT principle of joyful, radical generosity was already embedded into the tithe that the Jewish followers of Jesus would have been well accustomed to.
In regard to the manward direction, TWOT says that the tithe was part of the "inter-relatedness of the people of God." As the direct beneficiaries of the tithe, the Levites and their ministry were connected to the non-Levites and their daily labor, and it connected the poor to the rest of the community as well. TWOT says, "In this synergistic bond, there was a regular reminder of their need for one another." So now we've circled back to the root word and it's verbal form, "to form a community." I know I'm a huge nerd but I thought that was super cool.
In my experience, church members often think about tithing through one of two lenses: a burden or a blessing. Or maybe both--"I'm burdened but I'll be blessed!" Never do I remember hearing anything about it being a bond. That really changed my perspective.
It's also interesting that in Exodus 25, which begins the construction of the tabernacle, which takes up almost half of the entire book, God's very first instruction is for the people to bring a voluntary offering (terumah) of materials and that Moses is to receive it "from everyone whose heart prompts them to give." (Ex 25:1-2) So the tabernacle, which would be the residence of the Living God among his people, was dependent on voluntary contributions from the people, and would also be the place where the community of God brought their tithes as a "liberating act of worship and reminder of their need for one another."
I read a Jewish interpretation of this verse that said it teaches us that God's presence dwells with the generous. I love that. And I think you said, perhaps in different words, that generosity is a witness that God's presence dwells in God's people. So while there was a break with the Levitical system under the new covenant, for all the reasons you wrote about, I do think there is continuity between OT tithing and the NT, but that continuity is the presence of God, not the system or the place.
As far as getting church members on board with paying church leaders and teachers a living wage, I hear you. (See my reply to Tonya's comment below. It's even harder when you're a girl.) :)
Julie, this is gold! Thank you so much. In my studies for this series-which were not as in-depth as I would have liked for the limited time I had-I definitely had the sense that NT generosity was not something new but the natural continuation of the OT Law of tithing. You brought that out beautifully. One day, I'm coming back to this because it is so rich, and when I do, I will use what you've shared.
Limited time means you have a job and a life. I have neither. :) You did an excellent job with a hard topic. Bravo. And praise the Lord for TWOT.
I especially enjoyed that quote from Tim Keller - thanks!