Principles of Christian Giving
Should I be giving?
If you are a Christian, the answer is “yes”. Giving is a way of telling God that all you have, and are, belong to Him.
Your first responsibility is to support financially the church in which you worship and serve, but give also to other Christian agencies as God leads you.
A response in active giving - Christian Stewardship
“Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
To describe our response and love we use the words “Christian Stewardship”. The word “steward” is used in the Bible to express the concept of responsibility for the use of material possessions and spiritual powers.
Christian Stewardship may therefore be defined as the response which we the Church, collectively and individually, are called to make to God, for all that he has given us and done for us, above all in Jesus Christ.
Our response in Christian Stewardship is therefore active:
as we respond to God in praise and thanksgiving
as we look on the universe as God’s creation
as we treat the earth and it’s resources as God’s provision for the needs of all mankind
as we seek to consecrate our personal wealth to God
as we regard our lives, our powers and possessions, money and material wealth, as gifts from God to be enjoyed and used in his service
as we seek to be “Stewards of the Gospel” and to share in Christ’s mission to the world
Unless our money gift has cost us something, it is not really a thanksgiving but more like a tip. And one of the tensions in our discipleship lies in whether we live our life and give to God the odd crumb, or whether we give to God first, and then manage the rest.
If the Christian disciple does the first, he will never be satisfied.
If he does the second, he will always have enough.
All Saints’ Finances
As a Church we would encourage all our members to give 10% of their income to God through the church, but we recognise it is a personal decision.
There is no law that Christians ought to give a tenth. The New Testament encourages us to give out of love for God, not to fulfil some legal obligation. However, since most Christian work needs regular, committed financial support, giving a percentage of income makes good sense.
What’s the money spent on?
The Common Fund – our contribution to the Diocese which pays for the Vicar’s salary, housing and training. Additional costs are church repairs, heating, cleaning, churchyard maintenance, office costs, youth work, evangelism and training count for the bulk of the church’s regular, on going expenses. A proportion of the budget is set aside for missions (allocated according to member’s instructions).