It’s a difficult question.
Indeed it is such a difficult question that I will not attempt to give a concrete answer. I will let you know what I’ve done in the past, but that’s it.
It’s really a difficult question. Who should be able to see what each person gives to the church? Let’s look at six perspectives.
- The lead pastor and one layperson. This perspective argues that financial stewardship is a spiritual discipline, and the pastor should have access to individual giving to be able to see how the members are doing in this regard. The layperson, of course, is the person who actually keeps the records.
- One layperson who guides the pastor. The layperson again is the member keeping financial records. He or she is the only one who has access to giving records. But that person is able to share information with the pastor or other leaders as needed. For example, the financial secretary can inform the pastor or elders about potential future elders according to their giving patterns. I took this approach as a pastor. I did not have access to individual giving patterns, but our financial secretary would let me and other leaders know if a person should be eligible for a leadership role according to their stewardship in the church.
- One layperson only. In this example, only the financial secretary (or equivalent) has access to individual giving records. He or she does not provide any input that would reflect this information.
- A key group in the church. In some churches, this group is the elders. In some other churches, it is the nominating committee.
- A staff person other than the pastor and a layperson. The pastor is specifically precluded from individual giving visibility. Instead, another staff person, such as an associate or executive pastor, has access to the records along with the financial secretary.
- No church members. No church member can see the records. Instead, a non-member is recruited or hired to keep the records, but that person does not share the information with any church members.
There are certainly different options and different variations of these options. I can see some rationale in each of them. These are really difficult questions.
What is your church’s practice? What do you think of these six options? What do you think is the ideal option?
Posted on April 13, 2016
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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160 Comments
Regarding the idea of using a member’s contribution records to inform the pastor or elders about potential future elders according to their giving patterns: The biblical qualifications for elders are given in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, and 1 Peter 5. None of these passages includes examining their giving record. I am surprised by the lack of biblical support in most of the comments. Shouldn’t that be our guide? (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Agree, little Biblical support for any comments, a lot of anecdotal claptrap.
But he is to be a mature believer, above reproach, a good manager of his household, not greedy, disciplined, and to hold firm to the scripture. I think if you start rolling those things together, you can make a pretty clear case that he ought to be a faithful and generous giver to the local church.
Church budgets are increasing because more expensive facilities are being built, more staff are employed and more programs are being implemented. I hope this is translating to increase of the gospel message being given out, but sometimes its hard to tell.
Paul exhorted Timothy to speak to those who are rich to be generous. How would Timothy know if they were rich?
Money is a spiritual issue because Jesus said you are either going to serve God or mammon (material possessions =$). Therefore how people handle/their attitudes about/give, is, to me, a spiritual issue.
It is my personal belief that the Lead Pastor should always have access to the giving records. In my 30+ years of ministry experience I have found $$ connected to many spiritual issues in a Christians life. Some Christians use $$$ as leverage to bully their agenda in the church. That’s a huge spiritual issue. I have also found many times but not always, that when a person is having “other” spiritual issues they are not being faithful to give God what He has asked them to give $$.
As a Lead Pastor I am very careful NOT to cater to people who have $$$ means. So having access to giving records I have seen some who are $$$$ givers so I have to resist temptation to cater to them. However, having that knowledge I can approach them with needs that God has blessed them to meet.
The Deacon Board can have access to it if they request it. NO STAFF members have access to the contribution reports.
We receive the offering and have a rotating team of 10 vetted by the Deacon Board. These individuals sign a confidentiality form. When these individuals count the offering they sign an income verification sheet of the amount of the total offering. The bookkeeper counts it on Monday and the amounts MUST match.
Here’s a question that I don’t know if Thom has dealt with before are not. Should the pastor’s salary be itemized in the annual report for people to see?
I don’t mind my salary being itemized in the annual report AS LONG AS each member’s giving record is listed in the same report.
You bring up a great question. I personally, as a church member, would rather not see what the entire staff salary is. People don’t normally go around telling how much they make at their job. When I was growing up, my parents never told us how much they made. Did I need to know? No. All I needed to know was there was enough.
I suppose back in Bible times, you did recognize the rich by their clothes, and positions. Today, anyone can fake it.
I don’t think this is a fair comparison. The pastor is hired by the congregation. They have a right to know how much they are paying their employee.
Ah, but that’s the point, isn’t it. As a pastor, if I’m just an employee, how do I know if the guy in my office demanding my attention is actually paying my salary? Am I only accountable to those who actually give? If I’m just an employee, why shouldn’t I cater to those who are paying the bulk of my salary?
You seem to have a really low opinion of your pastor or maybe just pastors in general.
No one said “you are just pastor”. You have a very important and difficult job. I think the topic was “who should see what financial information'” and if the congregation knows your salary, why shouldn’t you know how much each parishioner gives. In the case of parishioners, I feel they have a right to know what the whole budget looks like and how their contributions are being spent. I don’t see the same “need to know” when it comes to the pastor seeing how much each person is contributing.
In the church I attend, which is very centrally located in the town, we have many people who walk in off the street looking for various types of help including financial. The pastor ministers to all of them whether they are members or not, which is expected, appreciated and appropriate. If someone is taking up an unreasonable amount of the pastor’s time, the pastor can easily find out whether or not the person is a member, but doesn’t need to know how much that person gives. Wouldn’t you agree, Christopher? Or maybe I am just not getting your point.
I am already disgusted with the modern churches trying to place a believer under law by tithing. Where exactly did that come from in the new testament church? Sacrificial GIVING. that is the example we have from a scriptural foundation. Making God the priority in your life and finances is obedience. Making him your personal LORD in all areas of your life. I give a sacrificial portion of my income to the church to support the ministry of the Gospel. I do so in cash, i am not interested in a tax write off or giving so man can reward me for it. I prefer to give in secret with just my children seeing what i am giving. I have a responsibility to model by example sacrificial giving out of love before my children, because i am the spiritual leader of my family and i should teach them this…..
I also teach them to rebuke legalism. Should a person honestly review their own stewardship of what God has entrusted to them? Yes absolutely. If you want to check yourself, I would suggest checking two things right to start with. Your calendar and your bank book. How you spend your time and how you manage your finances are great indicators. Let the pastor disciple the flock, teach them how important it is to manage these things themselves. Not go through a bunch of records and try and pick and choose and to try and use that as a foundation to say a person is spiritually mature enough to be in a leadership position is bordering on worshiping the LOVE OF MONEY
Well said, Wilton. Also, could anyone know if a person is tithing if they don’t know the person’s income? If you guess at the income, then you become judgmental and assuming. Also, part of the person’s tithing may include recipients other than the church. Too many variables.
Good point, if I made a million and gave $10,000 that might be considered a lot and acceptable to many posters to this blog, and I can then be an elder. This is why anyone who does not choose independence of this is being held with a millstone around their neck and will drown in perdition.
I keep my giving secret (between me and God) by giving in cash or by purchasing needed items for the church without seeking reimbursement. I try to give generously and sacrificially.
I agree with those who say it is a spiritual issue but I don’t think giving statements are a good way of judging the spiritual maturity of another. I prefer to focus on the question is the person generous and sacrificial in their attitude toward money?
How do you know if someone has the right attitude toward money if you don’t know what they give?
I am always amazed at how many church members adamantly insist that no one should ever see their giving records. Where in the Bible is that taught? What about accountability? What about being the body of Christ? I can just hear someone saying, “Hold me accountable in my prayer life, hold me accountable in Bible study, but don’t you dare ask how much I give!”
I’m not suggesting a tote board be put up, but tithing is the church’s only source of income and the idea that no one in the church should know from where that income originates is ridiculous.
I know most people make the “privileged donor” argument, but let’s be honest, the real underlying motivation driving this whole issue is that most people don’t want anyone to know how “little” they give.
They are probably applying Matthew 6:3-4:
“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Jesus is speaking about the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. That verse has nothing to do with intentionally concealing things, especially spiritual disciplines, from your church family.
I don’t think anyone is saying no one should see the records, but it should be limited …. very limited.
From the other way round, where in the Bible is it taught that leadership should know what church members are giving and hold them accountable?
>Where in the Bible is it taught that leadership should know what church members are giving and hold them accountable?
Acts 5:1-10, utilizing CENI as your mode of Bible Study.
Yep, just rip a text out and now you feel justified.
What is leadership for if not to hold people accountable? Matt 18:15-17, James 5:16-20. Acts 5 deals specifically with giving, yet according to many of the commenters on this blog, Peter had no right to question Ananias and Sapphira about their giving. They were not only struck dead because they held back some of their money, but more so because they lied about it and concealed the purchase price of their land. However, according the general sentiment here, Peter was the one who should have been struck dead.
What is leadership for? Oversight and accountability to church members for Spiritual disciplines. Giving is a spiritual discipline exercised by a disciple, believer, church member. Therefore, the leader ought to know and hold members accountable for their giving. How are you missing this?
Christopher said, on April 13, 2016 at 11:13
“I know most people make the “privileged donor” argument, but let’s be honest, the real underlying motivation driving this whole issue is that most people don’t want anyone to know how “little” they give.”
response:
I donate *more* when I can remain unidentified to church leadership. It is critical to me to have a clear conscience that my donation has been to God’s work and that my accountability is to God (alone).
Do you have data to back your assertion, Christopher, or are you merely expressing personal cynicism? Lacking data, your use of “most people” would be unsubstantiated.
Other threads talk about accountability. If “accountability to God” is the real objective, does pastoral/staff/elder enforcement of giving expectations betray a lack of full faith in God’s ability to guide the consciences of church givers?
One caution about this is that many people do not itemize and may give cash with no record. It is important not to make too many assumptions about the data you receive. I do think someone in the church should know for leadership qualifications.
That is a fair caution Matt. I admit to having made that assumption about the financial data in the leadership vetting process. Thank you for bringing it up.
I have been a Baptist Pastor 43 years. I have always been told the Pastor should never see the giving statements of church members for fear of treating major givers differently, etc. Pastors need to be firm that if a major giver uses his giving as a bargaining chip to get his way, he must be confronted. God will provide if you lose such a cancerous member of the church. Generally, I tend to think there is wisdom in not knowing actual dollar amounts, but there is also wisdom knowing whether folks are giving above the tithe, tithing, or on a track of increased giving to be tithing within a few short years, or have suddenly stopped giving. (A questionnaire of church leaders would be in order to discover this.) The truth is, if you are at a church for any length of time, you know who the big givers of time and talent are, you know the retired folks of limited means who are your ardent prayer supporters, you know the persons who have a heart for missions, you know who the young Christians are who may not yet be tithing, but have much potential for the kingdom, and so why shouldn’t you should know who in the church has a heart for supporting the church financially? It is one of many indicators of spiritual health. The next question is, do you treat healthy church members differently than those who display apathy, or a lack of involvement or a lack of support? Lets be honest! I should hope you do! We must be good stewards of the time we invest in people, and always focus on those we can most effectively help to grow in faith – even Jesus focused on the 12, not the crowds. Financial giving is one of many indicators of a growing Christian. Finally, Pastors should be informed if a member suddenly stops giving. A sudden stop in giving can either be an indicator that a Christian is not happy at church and is soon to drop out, or there may be a family crisis that may be an opportunity for the church to help. Either way, it would be nice for the pastor to know.
If you want to use the word tithe as meaning the believer’s gives to a church that is fine, but tithing as outlined in the bible is not for the church.
This is a great question! Thought provoking and certainly invokes emotion!
If I went to a physician and they did not want to know everything about my physical being I would not trust the diagnosis. They can be trusted to keep it confidential and to use the information for good. Pastors are our spiritual physicians and watch for our souls! Can we not trust them? Really! I doubt if I would want such person to be my pastor! They are possibly not spiritually mature enough to deal with the information!
Giving is what God wants for us not from us! I want my pastor to know and help me in this area of my life as they should in all other aspects of my spiritual walk.
Information is to be personal and for such use only. Information is used to help us not hurt us! Shame on those who might misuse this in any way! God will most certainly hold them accountable (even for not knowing)!
Dr Rodgers once said, “Secrecy on earth is still open in Heaven!”
Very well said.
Hello,
I am a pastor and I would love to hear more on this topic. Thank you for your thoughts.
The lead pastor and one layperson has been our practice – As pastor, I am able to access these records anytime, however, I choose to seldom look at anyone’s record. I have been asked through the years to look up a person’s own record – to see if they are on track in their giving. In our church, our treasurer never sees these records, and never handles cash or checks from givers. Our counters (always at least two count offerings) never write checks – nor does our financial records person. It has always amazed me to hear of some church who was robbed by a person in the church -i.e. a treasurer, a counter, etc. It seems nearly impossible with this system of care for giving in the church.
This is how it is done at our church – two tellers, not related to each other and both the same gender, working on monthly shifts, record the offering amounts – only allotting the giving to a number – then the money and the teller sheet go to one of the treasurers who records it on a software system and deposits the money. Then the other Treasurer writes the Cheques. Both Treasurers have access to the names associated with the numbers and the amounts given. This information is not shared with anyone else, and requires the same confidentiality that is used in banks or medical situations and is not used as a tool to judge anyone else’s giving. Everyone should give as he purposes in his heart and it is not the business of anyone else to judge it or police it.
What if giving was done through your small group for accountability? Then, the small group facilitator, along with financial team for the church could keep track and hold accountable.