The September 2024 report from two groups, Grey Matter Research and Infinity Concepts, surveyed 1,039 adult Evangelicals to find a disturbing trend: 31% of them didn’t give money to a church or charity during the previous 12 months. That penny-pinching figure is up from the 19% revealed by a previous church-giving survey done in 2021.
Christian apologist Dr. Alex McFarland says giving to your local church is a fundamental part of the Christian life.
“For Bible-believing Christians,” he says, “giving is such a privilege but also really an expectation from God.”
Digging into its own research, the “Giving Gap” report found Evangelicals who are minorities are more generous with their tithes than white churchgoers. That number is down 6% from the 2021 but is nothing close to whites, which fell 34% from three years ago.
The average Evangelical giver gave, on average, 3.3% of their income and/or to charity.
The research also showed that most who give to their church also give to charities, including ministries that compete for donations.
Among the many teachings of Jesus in the New Testament, McFarland says He taught more about money than almost any other topic.
He says many Christians, including Evangelicals, misunderstand financial giving as if the Creator of the universe needs a portion of your paycheck.
“Interestingly, tithing is not at all about money,” McFarland tells AFN. “It's about trust and acknowledgement that God owns us and God is our source.”
1/4/2025 - Percentages reported in second paragraph revised to more accurately portray the survey findings.
