$17 For The Kingdom Of God Or $21 For Coffee?
I follow a pastor from Hawaii on social media. His name is Thomas Costello. He likes to talk about what’s going on in churches in America today. He documents his research with credible sources. In his last video he talked about the giving habits of Christians in churches across America. Some of the information he shared was disappointing and some was encouraging. Here is some of the information he shared.
Today the average Christian gives 2.5% of their total income to church. During the Great Depression, when people were struggling to put food on their tables, Christians gave a national average of 3.3% of their total income to church. This means Christians are giving less today when the standard of living is the highest it’s been in human history. 5% of Christians tithe (the tithe means ten percent), although 77% of Christians believe in tithing. The median U.S. household income is $83,700 according to a U.S. census in 2024.
Now here is the statistic that made me sad. The average churchgoer gives $17 a week and the average American spends $21 a week on coffee. If a person who identifies as a Christian gives $17 a week to the church and spends $21 on coffee I have to wonder about that person's priorities. Don’t get me wrong, I am a coffee lover. I wouldn't deny anyone the pure bliss of sipping on a good cup of coffee. However, I hope that Christian coffee lovers place a higher priority on supporting their local church than their local coffee shop.
In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This means if we put God first we can expect him to take care of all our needs including our need for good coffee.
Now for some good news. Religious people give $2,210 a year to church and other non-profit organizations while their secular counterparts give $642 a year. Faith definitely makes us more generous. 65% of practicing Christians gave time, goods, and finances to help the needy in the past week. Research also indicated that people who read their Bibles daily are more likely to be generous.
That's not a surprise to me because when we read God’s word the message of giving comes through loud and clear. Just this morning in my daily devotions I was reading through Exodus. Moses receives the law from God for the people. As I read through it I couldn’t help but see the heart of God for people in need. It was a communal responsibility to take care of each other.
At Pacific Life Church we do our best to love and help those in the church and those outside the church. We support several local organizations that help people. We also support missionaries, Bible translators, as well as disaster relief.
I am so thankful to each one of you who have sacrificially given to our church so that we can love our community and those beyond our borders.
Drink good coffee but keep the kingdom of God first.
Stay close to Jesus,
Steve