Tithing can be a great source of funds to keep your online church working.

There are many considerations for a Universal Life Church minister.  It takes more than a calling to ministry and going online to get ordained – finances are crucial to making sure your ministry gets off the ground and flourishes. Tithing is a source of income for a church budget and churches are able to determine either weekly or monthly budgets based on it.  Even an online church can incur significant expenses. While the Universal Life Church does not request members to tithe, if you chose to get ordained to be a pastor of your own church, you will want to consider implementing such a practice.

Tithing has been a practice of church-goers since the times of the Bible.  Scriptures focus on two types of tithing, sacrificial and proportionate. Sacrificial tithing is defined as having the nature of, or being used in offering a sacrifice.  An example of this can be found in Mark 12:41-44 KJV.

 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and behold how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto
you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which has cast into treasury.

Proportionate tithing is determined by proportion and is thus relative.  A common practice would be for members of your congregation to offer 10% of their gross income to the church.  In the Bible, 2nd Corinthians 9:7-8 discusses this sort of giving – “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

Both sacrificial and proportionate tithing should be allowed during tithes and offering service.

Tithing directly influences church building expenses, community outreach projects, and the size and hours available for a staff.  Remember that some church may have full-time, part-time or volunteer staff members.  Your Universal Life Church is more than just a house of worship.  Churches are run like a business to an extent. The church has assets, liability and equity to maintain.

If you want to be a pastor of a church that practices tithing, your congregation members can receive individual tax deductions for giving to your Universal Life Church. A tax deduction affects a taxpayer’s income tax at the end of year and is subtracted from your total gross income when you compute your income taxes. The tax deduction lowers your overall taxable income and the actual amount of tax you pay.  A donor cannot claim a tax deduction for any single contribution of $250 or more unless the donor obtains a contemporaneous, written acknowledgment of the contribution from the recipient church or religious organization.

Special Considerations for Online Churches

If you operate an online church or internet ministry, you will need to account for special circumstances.  You will need to set up a method by which your congregation can safely tithe, whether it be setting up a PayPal account so they can make offerings directly at your online church, or providing mailing instructions to accept offerings via the postal service.

In conclusion, churches tend to use proportionate tithing instead of sacrificial tithing, and if you want to get ordained to be a pastor, you should understand different type of tithing.  You do not want to run churchgoers away from your congregation due to tithing. There should not be pressure in the Universal Life Church for tithing. Church leaders should adapt same mindset as Jesus did in the scriptures.  To begin your own online church, get ordained through the Universal Life Church to start your journey.

Article by Universal Life Church Minister LaDonna Barnes D.D.