p. 17 | Church Officers and the Tithe by T. E. Bowen

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 10, 1910

Church Officers and the Tithe

By T. E. Bowen

IN a recent report from a State conference treasurer I noticed a very interesting feature. In connection with the amount of tithe received from each church, was given the church-membership, and the column following this important item was headed, “Number of Church-Members Paying Tithe.” This last feature was that which attracted my attention.

One would naturally think that the amounts given in these two columns would be identical, for the number paying tithe should be the same as that of the church-membership. But in this instance the number listed in the “tithe-paying” column was just about one half that given in the church-membership column. What does this mean?

Is it possible that in a whole conference one half of the people whose names are enrolled upon the church books as Seventh-day Adventists “in good and

regular standing,” for a whole year (as this was an annual report) pay absolutely no tithe into the treasury? This is what the report said. And we are convinced that this conference is not an isolated case, but that a similar condition would be revealed in other conferences if the conference treasurers were to report conditions as honestly as did this conference treasurer. Possibly not, at least we hope others would be better.

Now it certainly seems as if something ought to be done in regard to a condition of this sort. How can God bless his people when from one fourth to one half pay no attention whatever to his plain requirement to bring “all the tithes into the storehouse”? This matter should not be left entirely with the conference president, or the conference treasurer, or the ministers. The local church officers have a responsibility in this thing. The elder should call together the officers of the church,—the deacons and deaconesses, the treasurer, the Sabbath-school superintendent, the librarian, etc.,—for earnest prayer to God for his direction and his blessing. It might be well then to go over the list of names. The treasurer will have a record showing who have paid tithe. It would seem as if some arrangement should then be perfected whereby labor by different ones who would be careful and judicious, who love and fear God, might be put forth for those who have been remiss in their obligation to the Lord and his cause. God will help you devise some means whereby this reproach may be rolled away from the door of your church.

Can any one tell why every Seventh-day Adventist, whose name has been enrolled among those who love God and keep his commandments, should not be a tithe payer? Even the children can be as honest in this as the richest man in our ranks. And it is just as obligatory upon the one as upon the other. It requires as much love and devotion and sacrifice (if you wish to call it that, but privilege would be the better word) for the one to pay to the Lord his own as it does for the other. The tithe from an income of forty or fifty cents from some little boy or girl is just as precious and sacred to God as if the tithe in amount was one hundred dollars, the amount due from some prosperous farmer with an income of one thousand dollars. God will bless the faithful little boy or girl equally with the rich man. It is because this soul blessing which comes as a result of conscious loyalty to God is not experienced that many in our churches are drying up spiritually. This withholding from God that which is his own, is an evil thing, and works only harm to the individual, and retards the cause of God in the earth.

At a recent local conference the suggestion was made that the church treasurer can do much in this matter by keeping his accounts in such a manner as to send out to the entire church-membership quarterly a letter stating the full amount of tithe received by him during the quarter, and then in a blank place, with the heading, “Of This Amount You Gave $——,” write the amount paid by each individual. To those paying tithe the amount is here given. If the member has paid nothing, this place will be left blank, and that alone should be sufficient to remind him that he has been unfaithful to his God.

T. E. BOWEN.