Purpose:
To encourage God’s people to invest in kingdom priorities through faith-motivated giving (2 Cor. 8:1; 1 Tim. 6:17-18 )
Plan:
We have handed out “Macedonian Project” slips, which are meant to encourage God’s people to prayerfully consider two things: 1.) what has God called you to trust Him to provide for you to support the ministries of Windham Baptist Church? 2.) what is God asking you to trust him to provide for your missionary effort into your community (Rhythm living).
The slips will be gathered by May 18th, and the amount will be tallied. The total number will help us determine the budget for the 2008-2009 year by providing a picture of what we can expect God to provide. This will be used for one year, during which we can evaluate the effectiveness of this system.
What this is not:
- NOT… a technique meant to compel believers to give more through guilt or adrenaline.
- NOT… a legal, binding document. We will not be chasing people down every month.
FAQ’s
Is the Macedonian Project dealing with our missions giving or our whole budget giving? Last year we pioneered the process with missions giving only, but this year Macedonian Project refers to our whole budget giving.
Why are we doing this? Two key reasons: 1.) we want to encourage all of our people to prayerfully consider their giving and 2.) we desire to have more feedback from the congregation in our budgeting process.
What do I need to turn in? Simply remove the right side of the slip entitled, “My Macedonian Project Giving Goal”. Keep the personal worksheet for your own records.
Where do I turn in my Macedonian Project slip? You should put it in the offering plate on Sunday, May 18th or turn it in to the church office.
Who will see my information? There is one financial secretary who will see these slips – your information will not be shared with others. The financial secretary already deals with recording the giving of God’s people, so we figured they she would be the best candidate.
What do you mean, “Let the tithe be your tutor”? In the Old Testament, believers were required to give a tenth of their income to support the ministry and to meet the needs of the poor. The New Testament principle is that we should give as we are able and even beyond (2 Cor. 8:3). We do not say that we must give ten percent, but it does act as a good goal for many.
Do I give based on my gross or “take home” income? What about if I am on commission or get a bonus? We are taught by Scripture that we should give to God our “firstfruits”, or our best (Exo. 23:16, 19; Prov. 3:9). Since we are first and foremost citizens of the city of God we should seek to invest our resources (time, talent, money) in ways that are in keeping with our King’s values and priorities. Therefore, at the very least, each of us should prayerfully consider our giving in light of these passages.
Should all of my giving be to Windham Baptist Church? Giving is an act of personal worship to God in response to His grace in your life. What and how you should give should flow out of prayer and consultation with other believers to who you are accountable. However, if you consider WBC your home church it might be wise to allocate a significant portion of your tithe and offering to the community where you invest most of your time, and where others are investing in you.
