‘Almost Nobody is Tithing,’ But Decline in Evangelical Giving Slows
After several years of significant decline, evangelical giving has stabilized, according to a new report from Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research.
The study explores several common assumptions about generosity and giving, many of which do not hold up to scrutiny. For example, it commonly is thought that raising funds in the evangelical world is more difficult during election years, with many believers funneling some of their giving to politics. But the study found that only 12 percent of evangelicals gave to a political cause, campaign or candidate during the last election cycle.
Another myth is that many people give of their time instead of money. This study explodes that myth, finding that only 2 percent of evangelicals volunteer with an organization but do not give any money to church or charity. Related to this, it is a common assumption that seniors do the most volunteering. Among evangelical Protestants, seniors actually are the least likely to volunteer their time through an organization, while the most likely to volunteer are those under age 35.
“A lot of the ‘conventional wisdom’ about giving and generosity may be conventional, but it is not very wise,” said Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research. “Building plans and strategies around myths that are not true will lead to poor outcomes. For example, how many churches are not intentionally trying to engage seniors in volunteer opportunities because they assume seniors will proactively volunteer without prompting?”
Sellers said it is “tragically funny” that Christians debate what constitutes a tithe, whether it’s to their church or organizations outside Christianity and if it is net or gross, sellers tolad Baptist Press recently.
“And my point is, stop the debate; it doesn’t matter,” Sellers stated. “Almost nobody is tithing.”
The study also explores how giving to church is affected by attendance. Among evangelicals who typically attend in person each week, 84 percent financially support their church. When they attend less often in person, the proportion giving falls to 69 percent among those attending one to three times a month and just 39 percent when they attend even more sporadically Among evangelicals who primarily attend church virtually (watching online), just 37 percent financially support a church.
“What we do not know is whether this stabilization of giving is the beginning of a new normal or a brief respite in a continuing decline,” said Mark Dreistadt, president and CEO of Infinity Concepts. “But what has been consistent in every study we have done together is that the single biggest predictor of giving and generosity is how spiritually active and engaged people are.”
–Alan Goforth
