And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord shall bring his oblation unto the Lord of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. His own hands shall bring the offerings of the Lord made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the Lord. And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part. For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the Lord made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the Lord in the priest's office; Which the Lord commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations. (Leviticus 7:28-36 KJV)
God provided for the priests and their families. Leviticus 7:31-36 describes how large cuts of meat from fellowship offerings were to be set aside as the priests' 'regular share' (Lev 7:34). In addition, the Lord arranged for the priests to receive a portion of the tithes and offerings. In Israel's economy, the material needs of priests were met under the sacrificial system because the law precluded from them agricultural employment (see Nu 18:20-24).
'In the same way,' states the apostle Paul, 'the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel' (1Co 9:14, see also 1 Ti 5:17-18). Christian financial stewardship leader Howard Dayton agrees, saying, 'Throughout its pages, the Bible focuses on supporting the Lord's ministry.' But, Dayton asks, how often are Christian workers distracted from their ministry by inadequate support?
Authors and stewardship trainers Dave Sutherland and Kirk Nowery refer to the 'Law of Consistent Collection,' the principle at the core of Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 16:1-3. Simply put, consistent giving facilitates consistent ministry. Without an assurance of regular income, pastors run the risk of preoccupation with the practical concerns of meeting their financial obligations. Some find it necessary to seek supplemental employment, forcing them to limit the time and energy they can devote to their first calling. Sutherland and Nowery state:
There isn't a legalistic demand that we give an amount of money every week to the Lord's work, but that we give regularly and consistently. God's desire is that things be done decently and in good order, not in chaos or uncertainty. When there is a need, his plan is that his people give responsively to meet it. The ongoing operation of church's ministry, for example, requires the ongoing support of faithful believers.
Focusing on an individual giving strategy to ensure dependable support of clergy and the smooth operation of a church's programs, pastor and generosity consultant Brian Kluth shares a personal approach that has worked well for him:
If you're wondering about how much to give to your church and how much to give to other places: A good practice I have used is to give 10% of my main source of income to my local church (i.e., my main income goes to support the work of my main source of Christian fellowship and teaching). Then, I use 10% or more of all other income sources and unexpected blessings to help fund other Christian needs and opportunities that God brings into my life.
For most, a 10 percent giving strategy may seem wildly unattainable, while for others this percentage may be far too small. As Deuteronomy 12:5-7 describes, people have a variety of opportunities and options for giving. Each giver should give as God directs.
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