One of America’s largest churches, Life.Church, has announced that it has launched a 100% money back guarantee for members who don’t see the effects of tithing.
Perhaps among the most contentious issues in the church today, or indeed in any era, tithing, the giving of the first ten percent of one’s income, has always been viewed differently by Christians.
Is it a command or a suggestion? Does it have to be a full ten percent? Is the percentage before or after tax? That’s not the discussion on the table here, but offering a money back guarantee is.
Obviously, after a deep discussion with the One who actually does the supplying, the church’s senior pastor, Craig Groeschel, is offing the deal to members of his Oklahoma-based megachurch.
“The Bible asks us to give our first and our best back to God, and He will bless the rest. We return to the Lord 10% of what He’s given us because it belongs to Him,” the church stated.
“If you’re not tithing already, a great way to start is with the Three-Month Tithe Challenge. It’s based on the promises of God in Malachi 3:10, and essentially it’s a money-back guarantee of sorts.”
The church then quoted Malachi 3:10: “Test me in this … and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
The church went on to say: “Money Back Guarantee. If you tithe for three months and don’t see God’s blessings in your life, we will refund 100% of your tithe.”
In April, new research has found that fewer churchgoers believe tithing is a biblical command that still applies.
The research, conducted by Lifeway Research, found most churchgoers say tithing is a biblical command and give at least 10% of their income. But they have more diverse opinions on the “where” and “how” of tithing.
More than 3 in 4 American Protestant churchgoers say tithing is a biblical command that still applies today (77%). One in 10 (10%) say it is not. And 13% are uncertain about the matter. Compared to 2017, fewer churchgoers today believe tithing is a biblical command that still applies (77% v. 83%) and more are not sure (13% v. 10%).
In January 2022, Life.Chuch begun holding virtual reality church services, stating it will “do anything short of sin” to reach people who don’t know Christ.
The church, which is known for developing a series of innovative apps and programs for churches to also be able to use to more effectively evangelize, is the fist church to start VR.
As the church stated, “To reach people no one is reaching, we’ll do things no one is doing.”
Matthias Browning
Matthias Browning | Reporter
»
