PERSPECTIVES ON CHURCH GIVING IN GOMBE, NIGERIA

Research Problem: Previous studies about tithing and seed sowing have emphasized a lot on the theology of the practice, the benefits of paying and the disadvantages of defaulting vis-à-vis the scriptural legislation. Beyond the aforesaid, there now exists issues and questions relating to the morality of the practice. These are about the appropriateness and efficacy of the act. This paper therefore examined these issues with a view to identifying the perceptions, receptions and the motives of the givers and the skeptics. Methods: Three denominations in Gombe city were selected for the study namely the Mainline (Catholic Church), the Evangelical (Evangelical Church Winning All, aka ECWA) and the Pentecostal (The Living Faith Church). These churches were purposively sampled for primary data gathering. A questionnaire was distributed to one hundred and fifty (150) purposively selected respondents across the three denominations per block, fifty (50) copies per each denomination. Secondary data was gathered through the review of textbooks, journal articles, projects/theses, bulletins, pamphlets, diaries, and Nigerian newspapers, among other sources. Data was analyzed using simple percentages, content analysis, and ethnographic summaries. Results: About perceptions,many Christians considered tithe and seed offering as obligatory and a ritual to be carried out even if no reward accrues. Some of them see the reward as heavenly treasured while others believe the rewards are both here and hereafter.They believed that there are consequences for defaulting. Skeptics believed that church leaders have unduly manipulated this means of funding to exploit gullible contemporary Christians. Payers’ responses towards tithing demonstrated that Christiansought to pay and not question or doubt the giving legislation.Skeptics felt thatparting with one-tenth of income was economically unrealistic today,not to mention the inordinate and selfish expenditure of the fundsby church leadership. They also claimed that tithing was only ingrained in the Old Testament, whereas not emphasized in the New Testament as a legal command. Tithe payers are motivated by reward, spiritual fulfilment and love of God to be able to offer it. Skeptics feel that God neither needs nor spend money and God would not solicit for man’s commitment by testing his greed or generosity. They further felt that the practice had outlived its age and was now used by the contemporary church to exploit givers. Conclusion: This study revealed the perspectives of church giving, while portraying a rather objective picture of how church givers think, what skeptics feel and how to perpetuate church giving in an increasingly challenging economy as Nigeria’s.Giving of tithes, offering, seed sowing and first fruit generally have spiritual connotations and interpretations.Givers or donors operate within these compasses.Donors and church leaders will continually be challenged at convincing skeptics when allegations of misuse, exploitation and insincerity of fund disbursement are unresolved.Transparency should therefore be encouraged in relation to collection and disbursement of church offerings.