Appropriate Generosity

I have a blast doing what I do; I work in the “generosity” space. It’s a beautiful sector to spend my time in. Dealing with peoples’ relationship to money is heavy, messy, and glorious at the same time because of the people that I come to know and that come to know me and my family. Having built 6 companies in the marketing space and 3 nonprofits, this sector and our commercial application is no different—we identify a felt need, create value, and serve well. We have found our stride in community formation through Generosity NY, representing a communal expression of heartfelt giving in and around NYC, as well as through GENEROUS.LIFE, the leading national platform for small group activation and fellowship around relevant causes.

Working in the space, I am witnessing a large gap between donor fulfillment and impact; national giving is up, but the church is feeling financially anemic. And there is a trend from impulsive charity to calculated, purposeful investing.

I am frequently asked about this nuanced aspect of money as it relates with tithing, investments, and generosity. Questions come from different angles: How do you measure giving success? What is considered a tithe? Can I direct my giving resources toward Christian led businesses? Is that stewardship? … and many more. And then there are the unspoken narratives around stewardship, tithing, giving, and philanthropy—good and bad.

The aim for stewardship is to mirror and reflect Christ as our Savior and Sustainer. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians, we carry this in our lives as a ministry striving towards that upward call and as ambassadors of His triumph over sin and death. But if generosity is what we are supposed to show and generous is what we are supposed to be, how do we properly navigate stewardship—and our giving and investing?

Before we can speak to measurement or direction we need to agree on the language.

To start, let us acknowledge that it is all God’s… all that we own, and are, belongs to God.

Job 41:11 – Everything under heaven belongs to me.

Psalms 24:1 – The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.

Haggai 2:8 (Financial assets) – The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty.

1 Chronicles 29 – As David watched the Israelites bring forth hundreds of tons of precious metals and gemstones for use in building the temple, he said, “Who am I, and who are my people, that we should give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

Deuteronomy 8:18 (Your hands created the wealth.) – Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

Therefore, we are stewards of God’s resources, not owners. We literally were purchased for a price in and through Christ’s life and death.

Now let us define some terms:

Stewardship:

A biblical world view of stewardship can be consciously defined as: “Utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation.”[1] A steward oversees the affairs and property of another person. Being a good steward means to manage our resources well and use them to glorify God.

“The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein” (24:1). God is the Author of all things, the Creator of all things, and the Owner of all things. Whatever God makes, He owns. What we own, we manage as stewards who have been given gifts from God Himself. God has the ultimate ownership of all of our “possessions.” He has loaned these things to us and expects us to manage them in a way that will honor and glorify Him.

Giving:

The word give has been defined as “to make a present of.” One of the many ways we can give to others is to give Financially. Through giving, the early church helped one another and invested in what God was accomplishing.

Although the Apostle Paul never overemphasized the subject of giving, he never neglected its importance either. In 1 Corinthians 16:1–2, we find specific guidelines for giving: it is to be a universal practice for believers; it is to be done regularly; it is a personal act; and it is something we should be prepared to do. As we give, God will meet our needs and prosper us (see 2 Corinthians 9:6–10).

Tithing:

At the center of the biblical concept of stewardship is the tithe, which first appears in the Old Testament. The word tithemeans “tenth.” The basic principle was that every person was to return one tenth of his increase to the Lord on an annual basis. Old Testament law required God’s people to give ten percent of their income, which could include Flocks, herds, or crops.

This ten percent was known as a tithe. In addition to the tithe, God’s people were required to give offerings to the Lord for the care of the temple and the salaries of the priests. In the days of Israel, tithing was not voluntary giving. It was demanded as a form of taxation.

Investing

To invest is to allocate money with the expectation of a positive return in the future. In other words, to invest means owning an asset or an item with the goal of generating income from the investment or realizing the appreciation of your investment, which is an increase in the value of the asset over a period of time.

Faith-informed investing considers the investor’s financial return and aligns their investment decisions with their Christian values. This is a lens through which to view investing, which has a lot of new aspects: faith-based funds, faith-based advisors, etc.

Faith-informed investing is just like any other type of investment philosophy in that it aims to maximize investor returns. Where it does differ from traditional, secular investment plans is how individual investors choose their investment professionals and vehicles. Individuals who invest using faith-based principles often choose managers, companies, and investments that align with their own religious values. That’s why this strategy is also called values-based investing.

Historically, faith informed investing has been around for a while. Early in the 19th century, Quakers and Methodists adopted investment guidelines grounded in religious mission and values. The Vatican has taken a leadership role in Impact Investing and informed investment screening. Catholic Values Investing is guided by the Catholic Framework for Economic life, set by The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Catholic Church recognizes that the financial markets and economy at large are central to humanity.

There is a phrase that I came to love from honeymooning in Thailand 14 years ago—“Same same, but different.” Stewardship, giving, tithing, investing… they are same same, but different. Stewardship is the umbrella responsibility and term, but there is a distinct difference between tithing, giving, and investing and in how we are generous, faithful believers.

There is a risk of equivocation between giving and investing. Giving is a direct reaction in effect of your relationship with God. It is core to our being and spiritual communion. Giving reflects a relationship between us-God. Investing is downstream, dependent on a value exchange. Investing reflects a relationship between us-others.

Here are some other examples of key questions and the differences between various acts of stewardship:

Do I give my 10% to my local church?

Under the new covenant, the tithe continues to support the work of building up people in the truth of God and reaching sinners with the gospel. Christ works through churches, seminaries, parachurch organizations, missionaries, and many others to build and grow His kingdom.

That brings up a controversial question with respect to financing the kingdom. Again, in Malachi 3:10, God says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house.” In the Old Testament, the tithe was brought to a central location, the storehouse, which was managed by the Levites. The whole tithe from the whole nation was brought into this single receiving place, and it was then distributed by the Levites according to the needs of the people.

Some people believe that means that, in the New Testament age, there should be a single storehouse where all the tithes go and from which they are distributed. There are two problems with that. In the first place, in the Old Testament, the people of Israel had a single, central sanctuary. When the New Testament church began, churches were established in every town and every city—in Ephesus, in Corinth, in Thessalonica, and so on. No longer was there one central sanctuary. So, the idea of bringing tithes into one central storehouse becomes challenging.

The storehouse is not donor advised. The gift is vertical, to God. Now the storehouses have arguably changed. Where the church was central and poured into the community, in modern day impact, parachurch organizations, ministries, and others are feeding the hungry and serving the poor. So, it has been argued that it’s a decentralized model for getting into the hands and feet of Christ. However, that impact is not controlled by the giver.

Dr. J. B. Gabrell made this observation: “It is unthinkable from the standpoint of the cross that anyone would give less under grace than the Jews gave under law.” God makes an incredible promise to those who give to His work. He will “open for you the windows of Heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

Trouble developed in the Old Testament when the people held out on their tithes. They were not obedient to God’s law. Malachi 3:8–10 tells us:

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, “How have we robbed you?” In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

We systematically rob God when we don’t tithe. Malachi’s teaching indicates that when we fail to tithe, we are not merely robbing the church, the clergy, or Christian educators—we are robbing God Himself. But note that God had words not only of condemnation for the people but also a promise of prosperity were they to change their ways. God challenged them to be faithful, giving His own promise that He would open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon them.

The Levites were set apart to take care of the spiritual and educational responsibilities of the nation, and their work and physical necessities were paid for by the tithe (Num. 18).

I sold my company and gave 10% into my Donor Advised fund. This will enable me to give this out over time and have my kids give it away… Is this tithing?

The collective answer is no, or not yet. Understand that the biblical precept of tithing is giving to God a portion of what He entrusts to you at a certain time. Israelites didn’t have a vehicle that trickled or flowed to the priests over time. They brought the season’s tithe and gave it for the ministers’ storehouse. The act of storing capital into a donor advised fund is a smart act of stewardship, but NOT giving or tithing. If we are called to tithe 10%, then 10% into the donor advised fund is not giving at all. It is merely a smart tax vehicle to be able to give more. It is storing the seed in a barn. However, until the seed goes into the ground, it is a useless grain. When the funds are contributed to a church or ministry, it is given—it is tithed.

I have heard many families say that integrating their faith into their investment strategy is leveling-up their giving strategy. Is this true?

We would confer that it is outstanding stewardship, but it is not giving. There is a fundamental difference between giving and investing. Giving responds to a need often without even being asked. Giving requires empathy, sacrifice, and no strings attached. Giving does not require control over the outcomes. Giving does not expect to have recognition or accolades in return. Giving happens when we remember how God and others have been generous with us, and is motivated by gratitude and joy. Giving is one step: I give. Investment has two parts: I give and after some time… I get. (Although let us not get into the altruism debate for now.)

Giving is a direct reaction in effect of your relationship with God. It is core to your being and spiritual communion. Giving reflects a relationship between you and God. Investing is downstream, dependent on a value exchange. Investing reflects a relationship between you and others.

One other key mark of giving is that it is a straight cost to us. Investments provide a return. Giving is just that—a one-way transaction. King David claimed his own sin, admitted that it had cost him much suffering, and admitted that his sin was actually also causing innocent people to suffer. And when he admitted this sin and its related suffering, he was instructed to go and offer worship to God on a particular spot. But when he arrived on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite to give God worship, Araunah tried to give David both the land and the animals and even the wood for free. But David, that most real and human being, says an amazing thing. He acknowledges Araunah’s attempt to give him the land, but he says that he will not and cannot offer to God that which cost him nothing. David had come to give, and giving means that it costs us something. His worship is not to be transactional. David came— with all of his faults—to give God worship.

Some would argue that investing in a Christian led business creates jobs, wealth, and more giving. Thus, the investment is part of their tithe. Maybe? How much of the stewardship conversation is a conversation of the heart? And how much is measured on the scales?

Their investment’s return is a part of their tithe. No farmer counts as harvest the downstream effects of tending his field. No parent counts the investment in their child in such a way that they are giving to God what the child does in the future. Why claim the blessings of God in the harvest, your family, or your investment outcomes as your contribution?

Here is a recent case. A leader puts aside capital into a donor advised fund. (Amazing!) Each year, she gives from that fund 10% of her annual income (accumulative salary and investments) to her church and 4 favorite parachurch organizations. (Tithing, Check.) Then she learns that she can make an equity investment into a Christian led for-profit recruiting company that creates jobs for formerly incarcerated men, using her DAF. (Stewardship, Check.) She receives quarterly dividends from her investment back into her DAF. Her DAF also grows tax free through being invested by her financial advisor. (Excellent) At the end of the year, she sees that she gave half what she did the previous year to church and ministries (5%), yet she invested significantly more into a purpose driven investment (5%), and her dividends and DAF investments provided more to be able to give long term (2.7%). Her church is struggling financially and launching a capital campaign. Is this a pass or fail for stewardship? Pass or fail for tithing?

I feel like there are some common agreements here. If it’s all God’s, and we are stewards not owners, then funding the church and parachurch organizations with at least 10% of our annual income sounds like the baseline. As a portion of the remaining 90%, we should invest with the same principles, as they too reflect our stewardship. If we do not honor or fulfill our roles in living generously, then we are robbing God, the church becomes more anemic, and we miss out on the inherent joy designed for us—a joy defined as “…such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

[1] Charles Bugg, “Stewardship” in Holman Bible Dictionary (Holman: Tennessee, 1991), 1303-1304

Article originally hosted and shared with permission by The Christian Economic Forum, a global network of leaders who join together to collaborate and introduce strategic ideas for the spread of God’s economic principles and the goodness of Jesus Christ. This article was from a collection of White Papers compiled for attendees of the CEF’s Global Event.

Image used with permission.