Because the NT standard of giving is generosity, the amount is a matter of faith, prayer and conscience. The Old Testament teaches that we are to give back to God our “first fruits” (Exodus 23:16, 19). Proverbs 3:9 encourages us to “honor the Lord with [our] wealth, with the first fruits of [our] increase” meaning the primary and choicest of our possessions. The New Testament does not negate the underlying principles (see the next FAQ). Fundamentally, God has modeled “first fruits” by giving us his Son, Jesus Christ. Our response to God should reflect our love of and devotion to him and to the Church he has set apart. There are seasons in our economic lives, to be sure. There are financial responsibilities to our families, friends, communities, and in some cases, creditors. We all have them. But in any stage of life, good, prayerful planning is necessary to maintain or increase our giving without neglecting our other financial obligations.

In the Old Testament, the principle of the tithe (10%) was established to give everyone, no matter their level of prosperity, a sense that they are giving equally - as a community. God’s people were called to give a tenth of their income to the support of the ministry and the needs of the poor. They gave everything from flour and olive oil to livestock and gold. The New Testament teaches that we should give as we are “able and even beyond [our] ability” (2 Corinthians 8:3). Therefore, the tithe (10%) is arguably seen as a kind of minimum guideline for giving, expanded in the new covenant. In the New Testament, Jesus told the Pharisees that they should tithe as they were already doing, while not neglecting justice and love (Luke 11:42). And in the earliest days of the Church, believers continued to teach and follow the principle.

The answer to this is a qualified "no." Your gift is an act of personal worship to God in response to his grace in your life and the gift of his Son. The allocation of your money and time to God’s service should be a byproduct of prayer and of consultation with other Christians to whom you are accountable. However, if you consider St Simons Anglican your “home church,” consider allocating a significant portion of your tithe and offering to the community to whom you belong, where you invest most of your time and where others are investing in you as an agape fellowship.

St Simons Anglican’s vision is to bring the whole Gospel, to the whole person, for the whole Georgia coast. That is to make disciples and to love God and our neighbors in tangible, not abstract, ways. As a new church plant of St Simons Anglican’s operating budget comes primarily from the weekly giving of our members and regular attenders. You're giving counts. It might be tempting to think that your individual contributions do not make a difference to the work that is being done. However, every gift adds up to mutual effort of advancing Christ’s vision for St Simons Anglican. Note: Our income and expense reports are always available to our members in full transparency. It all belongs to God!