If just American Christians gave a tithe (tenth), the world would be changed. I've been reading a rather amazing book, entitled, Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don't Give Away more Money. It's not a lot of fun to read. It's a bit depressing. But, it's also insightful, incisive, and a real encouragement to me and my colleagues to preach and teach on giving. It will bless the life of each giver, and help change the world in Christ's name.
Smith and Emerson estimate that American Christians give away 1-2% of their income on average–based on after-tax income. If they met the tithe on after-tax income, it would free up another 40 Billion dollars for Kingdom purposes.
What would you do for the Kingdom with that much money?
Based on their analysis, here's what that 40 Billion Dollars could do (Imagine your own list):
Cost
|
Description
|
Global Missions |
|
$330,000,000
|
Sponsor 150,000 new indigenous missionaries and pastors in nations most closed to foreign religious workers |
$2,200,000,000
|
Triple |
$350,000,000
|
Provide |
$30,000,000
|
Translate |
$120,000,000
|
Hire
1,500 new Christian ministers to work in hospitality, evangelism, and discipleship with foreign students studying in U.S. universities |
$9,000,000
|
Finance |
$75,000,000
|
Provide funds to help build, expand, or upgrade 75,000 church and ministry buildings in Africa, Asia, and Latin America |
$9,000,000
|
Finance |
$95,000,000
|
Finance 350 new Christian radio stations broadcasting Christian programming into the least evangelized regions of the world |
$50,000,000
|
Finance |
$1,000,000,000
|
Quadruple the total resources being spent by all Christians globally on missions to evangelize the unevangelized world
|
Global Development and Relief |
|
$2,000,000,000
|
Finance |
$500,000,000
|
Completely close the funding gap on resources needed by the current global campaign to eradicate polio worldwide before 2010 |
$2,000,000,000
|
Fund |
$1,000,000,000
|
Finance 10,000 comprehensive faith-based programs of AIDS/HIV prevention, education, and medication in sub-Saharan Africa |
$3,900,000,000
|
Provide full resources needed for a global campaign to prevent and treat malaria worldwide |
$2,000,000,000
|
Supply 1 heifer or 4 hogs (as needed and appropriate) to 4,000,000 needy Christian or other families worldwide per year |
$4,550,000,000
|
Provide food, clothing, and shelter to all 6,500,000 current refugees in all of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East |
$9,000,000
|
Finance |
$480,000,000
|
Quadruple the current annual operating budget of Habitat for Humanity |
$1,600,000,000
|
Double the current annual operating budget of World Vision, which serves 100 million people in 96 nations |
$200,000,000
|
Boost |
$10,000,000,000
|
Sponsor 20 million needy children worldwide through Christian organizations providing them food, education, and healthcare
|
$810,000,000
|
Quadruple all resources currently being spent by all Christians globally on medial missions work |
U.S. Christian Ministry and Church Finance |
|
$750,000,000
|
Hire 10,700 new Christian youth ministers to evangelize, disciple, guide, and counsel U.S. teenagers |
$750,000,000
|
Raise |
$75,000,000
|
Fund 500 new Christian Prison ministry organizations providing evangelism, discipleship, and education to prison inmates |
$10,000,000
|
Translate |
$1,800,000,000
|
Finance |
$1,100,000,000
|
Fund |
$4,000,000,000
|
Hire |
$9,000,000
|
Finance |
$9,000,000
|
Finance |
$3,375,000,000
|
Provide |
$75,000,000
|
Launch
300 cross-race immersion programs around the United States to provide Christians opportunities to live for 2 weeks in different race environments, to learn and build relationships toward more profound racial reconciliation |
U.S. Economic Stewardship & Diaconal Ministry |
|
$150,000,000
|
Provide |
$100,000,000
|
Provide church-based jobs training and career counseling to 100,000 unemployed or welfare-dependent Americans per year |
$50,000,000
|
Finance
25 new U.S. regional faith-based organizations that would provide assistance and subsidies to pay heating and utilities bills to the most needy of the poor and elderly in the United States |
U.S. Christian Educational and Scholarship Development |
|
$15,000,000
|
Pay down the mortgages of 500 Christian middle and high schools by $30,000 each to reduce debt burden and interest payments |
$150,000,000
|
Provide needs-based scholarships of $15,000 each per year for 10,000 needy U.S. Christian college students |
$45,000,000
|
Provide needs-based scholarships of $15,000 each per year for 3,000 needy Christian seminary students preparing for ministry |
$12,000,000
|
Provide |
$202,000,000
|
Provide |
$6,000,000
|
Provide graduate school scholarships for 300 of the most promising Christian Ph.D. students per year in various fields of study
|
$46,000,000,000 |
= GRAND TOTAL
|