Al Capone was imprisoned not because the police caught him with the smoking gun or found him with the bootlegger’s still.  His gangster friends didn’t rat him out.  The Feds followed the money and found him guilty of tax fraud.  They simply followed the money trail and discovered money laundering, fraud and tax evasion.  How does this relate to the subject of tithing?  What I am proposing is to look at the New Testament and consider all the verses that deal with money. Yes there are a lot of verses about money and Christian giving.  What is the scriptural direction for this money?  In this study when a verse does not specify the use for the money we will not consider it but when it is clear that moneys are to be provided for a particular purpose it will be considered.  If we follow the money verses in the New Testament we can discern what Biblical fiscal responsibility is.  After discovering Biblical fiscal responsibility lets examine how the non-profit organization tithe preaching church spends its money and then follow the money.

The New Testament (KJV) mentions ‘money’ 23x’s, moneychangers 2x’s,  mammon 4x’s, collection 1x, treasure(and all sorts of forms of it)28x’s, talent(s) 16x’s, riches 26x’s, silver & gold 44x’s (many of these references do not concern money), filthy lucre 5x’s, penny 9x’s, penury 1x, pennyworth 2x’s, pence 5x’s, goods 15x’s, land(s) (referring to property) 4x’s, possession(s) 8x’s, scrip 6x’s, tribute 10x’s  All and all this is 209 verses that discuss money and its relationship to the New Testament believer.  Of these verses there are 59 verses that have specific reference as to the charitable use for this money; this is where our study will take on some significance.   These verses speak of two main directions for these charitable funds.  So, if we look at all the New Testament verses that give direction for the charitable giving of the church we see only two different uses.

1)      Money for the impoverished / needy

2)      Money for ministers of the gospel

After this exhaustive search of money mentioning scriptures it is clear that most scriptures dealing with moneys in the church are to be dedicated to the needy; widows, orphans, impoverished and disabled.  There are 2000 scriptures in the Bible (O.T & N.T) that talk about giving to the poor.  It is interesting to note here that there is only one occasion (1Cor.16) that talks about taking a collection of money in the church during the Sunday meeting and these moneys were intended for the needy in Jerusalem.  The call for this collection was a temporary call and it involved the physical needs of impoverished believers.  There is absolutely no scriptural evidence that indicates a continual (Sunday after Sunday) collection ($) be gathered for a professional clergy.  It is very evident that the church is to be a beacon of light upon the hill casting forth truth and blessing to those in darkness, financially this was to translate into voluntary charitable giving that blesses the needy.  There are only 5 verses in the New Testament that reference financially supporting a minister of the gospel.  And there are 6 verses concerning the potential offence that a gospel minister taking money might produce. All these verses are interesting to study and consider.  In reading them all and taking them in context it is clear that the majority of moneys collected by the church was not intended to pay for buildings or pastors but it was intended to bless (be given to) the needy.

Hydesville Community Church is a tithe preaching church lets look at its budget and follow the money.  This budget I have in front of me is from a couple of years ago but it is not so different from the present 2007 budget.

Check out the numbers...

Total budget                                                                           = $629,040.00

Tithe Preacher staff payroll including health insurance, sabbaticals, vacation benefits & retirement funding                            = $400,310.00 = 63.6% of total budget

Other benefits for tithe preachers - Books, Conferences, Cell phones, Mileage and meals

                                                                                            = $23,900.00   = 3.7%

Missions (the only line item in the budget that resembles funding for the needy) a portion of this might go to the impoverished but most is earmarked for professionals in the field as missionaries

                                                                                           = $50,000.00   - 7.9%

Do you remember the Girl Scout cookie scandal or The United Way scandal?

Bottom line about these scandals was the misappropriation and misuse of funds by supposed charitable organizations.  Girl Scouts would sell the cookies and people would buy thinking this will directly benefit these young girls.  It was assumed that the local girl scouts’ needs would be met with the local sale of Girl Scout cookies.  This assumption was wrong the money was sent off to fund corporate employees (high paid executives) in the corporate office far from the local fund raising events.  This sensational hypocrisy was part of a 60 Minutes show that changed the way America thought about Girl Scouts.  It is too bad that a few shameful executives caused the whole Girl Scout movement to slide downhill.  After this show the Girl Scout changed their ways.  Exposure led to correction / repentance. Today money that is collected in local cookie sales is used for the local girl scouts. 

Hydesville Community Church is a typical tithe preaching church.  Some tithe preaching churches dont't own their meeting facilities so their budgets might be weighted less heavily toward the preachers but at Hydesville more than 2/3’s of this tithe preaching church goes to the tithe preacher, his staff and his benefits.  Eye opening isn’t it?  Most New Testament verses that concern charitable funding signify the funds to be directed toward the needy not the professional clergy.  Yet in the tithing church the tithe preacher receives more than eight times the charitable funds, it is the tithe preacher that is directly benefited by the tithe.