The Story: The finances of Christians who tithe are generally healthier than the finances of those who do not, according to a new study.
The Story: A new 5-year constituency study released by the State of the Plate gives an inside look at the financial, giving, and spiritual practices of 4,413 people who donate 10% or more each year. According to the Christian Post, researchers compared tithers to non-tithers using nine financial health indicators, and found that tithers were better off in every category. “The weird thing is, a tither looks at that and says to himself, ‘Well I’m better off because I give.’ A non-tither looks at that and says, ‘Oh, they give because they’re better off,’” said Brian Kluth, the founder of the study.
The Takeaways: Some of the more interesting findings from the study include:
• 77% of those who “tithe” give 11%-20% or more of their income, far more than the baseline of 10%.
• 97% make it a priority to give to their local church.
• 70% “tithe” based on their gross income, not their net.
• 63% started giving 10% or more between childhood and their twenties
• Tithers carry much less debt than most people and are financially better off than Christian non-tithers—80% of “tithers” have no unpaid credit card bills; 74% have no car payments; 48% own their home; and 28% are completely debt-free.
• What keeps non-tithing Christians from giving: 38% say they can’t afford it; 33% say they have too much debt; and 18% said their spouse does not agree about tithing.
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