tihvaxy of t:he theological ^tminaxy 
 
 PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY 
 
 •d^D* 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 Rufus K. LeFevre 
 
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 APR 21 l&si , 
 
 i?filGAL fc3 
 
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 THE BETTER WAY 
 
 IN 
 
 Church Finances 
 
 REV. JAMES S. KENDALL 
 
 General Secretary of the Stewardship Cottimission of 
 The United Brethren Church 
 
 THE OTTERBEIN PRESS 
 
 W. R. Funk, Agent 
 
 Dayton, Ohio 
 
 1910 
 
; \ 
 
Introduction 
 
 MONEY matters press heavily upon most churches. 
 Pastors and official boards often carry burdens 
 that are little realized by the congregation. 
 
 Adequate and business like financing lies at the heart 
 of every successful enterprise. This is fundamental and 
 never incidental. Especially is this true in church 
 activities. 
 
 The promoting of the benevolent interests is a matter 
 of concern to the individuals to whom their management 
 is entrusted. They are often agonizing in heart and 
 mind in their efforts to secure sufficient funds to accom- 
 plish what necessity and opportunity places upon them. 
 
 This little volume is given to the church in the hope 
 that it may aid the official boards and others to whom 
 the financing of the local church is committed in solving 
 the problem. We do not claim for it literary finish, but 
 have earnestly sought to present in the simplest and 
 most practical manner a few suggestions and plans that 
 have proven effectual when worked. We do not claim 
 perfection for the system recommended, but some plans 
 are better than others, especially when they are in keep- 
 ing with the New^ Testament teachings, and carry with 
 them business system. 
 
 Neither do we claim originality for many of the plans 
 suggested. Many of them have been used in financing 
 churches. They have worked successfully and we do 
 not hesitate to recommend them. 
 
 T. S. KENDALL 
 
 N3^ 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 CHURCH SUPPORT. 
 Church Support Not Charity. — The Vahie of the Church to Society.— 
 
 Supporting the I<ocal Church 7 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE OFFICIAL BOARD. 
 
 Better Times. — It Works. — The Requisite for Success. — The Pastor 
 
 and the Official Board. — The Stewards. — A Finance Committee. — 
 
 Keep the Congregation Informed. — Providing Against Deficiencies. 
 
 — The Official Board and Benevolences 17 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE ENVELOPE SYSTEM. 
 System in Giving. — The Plan Suggested. — The Envelope Recom- 
 mended. — Why Use the Envelope System. — The Advantages of 
 This System.— "Agony Day." — Quickened Life 27 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WORKING THE PLAN. 
 Organization. --Budget. — Secure a^ Pledge. — \Vays That Win. — A Pas- 
 tor Who Led the Way. — Suggested Forms. — Quarterly State- 
 ment. — Prayer. — Reminding Delinquents. — A Successful Plan. — 
 Quarterly Financial Statement o7 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HOW IT WORKS WHEN WORKED. 
 As Presiding Elders See it. — How it Worked Where Tried by Pastors. 50 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HINTS TO STEWARDS AND SOLICITORS. 
 Enthusiasm. — Enlisting the Congregation. — This is Fundamental. — 
 Thorough Training. — ^Cfiurch Aroused. — The Solicitors. — Secure a 
 Pledge.— Division of Labor. — Meeting Objections to Pledging. — 
 Paying Pledges 59 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE RURAL CHURCH. 
 The Remedy. — Personal Offering to the Lord. — How it Works Where 
 
 Introduced G8 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 THE BENEVOLENCES OF THE CHURCH. 
 Wrong System. — Deal With the Individual. — Organize the Benevo- 
 lences. — Single Budget. — How a Church Succeeded 77 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE TITHE. 
 The Tithe Has Its Moral Grounds. — The Mosaic Law of the Tithe.^ 
 The New Testament Teaching of the Tithe. — The Sanction of 
 Jesus. — Paul's Teaching on the Tithe. — The Apostolic Church on 
 tithing. — The Tithe as a Eaw for To-day ST 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 THE TITHE AND TITHERS. 
 The Use of the Tithe. — The Tithe Covenant Plan.— The Advantages. — 
 
 Experiences of Churches. — Organize 08 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 TITHES AND GOD'S BLESSING. 
 
 The Kev in Our Hands. — The Tithe and God's Promises of Spiritual 
 BlcFsings. — Tithes and Revivals. — The Tithe the Key to Temporal 
 Blessings. — Individual Testimonies as to God's Faithfulness 109 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE GR.\CE OF GIVING. 
 How can Giving be a Grace? — Give Ourselves. — Love is Es&ential.— 
 Giving Should be Intelligent. — Self Denial. — Must be Liberal 
 Giving. — Should be a Part of Our Worship. — Giving Must be a 
 
 Joy no 
 
T 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CHURCH SUPPORT 
 
 HE church's resources and how to make them avail- 
 able is the problem in many of our local congre- 
 gations. In discussing this great question we are 
 touching a most vital point in the spiritual and temporal 
 prosperity of the church. The problem of sustaining the 
 church has too often been treated from the wrong view- 
 point. The impression has gone abroad that the entire 
 fault has been in the system, when the facts are. that 
 it is in the spirit and purpose of giving as well as in the 
 system. The attitude of many church members toward 
 the support of the church is entirely non-Christian and 
 positively detrimental. The fundamental idea of Chris- 
 tian giving is, that we are bond-servants of Jesus Christ, 
 and as such belong to him by a two-fold title — 
 creation and redemption. To fail in faithfulness in 
 rendering unto the Lord that which is his, is sinful if 
 not criminal. The editor of the Homilctic Reviezv says : 
 "The cold truth is, that tax-dodgers and non-contributing 
 Christians are birds of a feather. Their attitude is the 
 same aversion to an unwelcome obligation and an avoid- 
 ance of its demands." 
 
 It is hard for many honest, conscientious people to 
 understand why they are under obligations to give of 
 tlic means for which they have sacrificed and toiled, t(^ 
 ilic support of the church. This will not be when the 
 
8 The Better Way 
 
 individual discovers the true relation that exists between 
 him, on the one hand, and his Lord and the church on' 
 the other, or if he can but see the relation of the church to 
 the world and its needs. The purpose of the existence 
 of the church of Jesus Christ is, that the gospel may be 
 given to every creature, and that we may discover our 
 true inheritance in him. A single sentence from the 
 marvelous prayer of our Lord gives the true purpose of 
 the church. In it He declares, that as the Father has 
 sent him into the world, so has he sent his disciples 
 into the world. Thus the mission of the church is iden- 
 tical with that of Jesus, namely, to give the glad tidings 
 of salvation to all the world. With many members of 
 the church, the only method of fulfilling this trust com- 
 mitted to them is by supporting the church with their 
 money. For them to fail here is to fail entirely. It has 
 pleased the Lord to place every believer under solemn 
 obligation to do his full share in carrying out his purpose 
 of saving the world. 
 
 The work committed to the church cannot be done with- 
 out the developing of proper agencies. Churches must 
 be built and maintained, missionary activities must be 
 projected, workers must be trained and maintained in 
 the work to which God has called them. This cannot be 
 done without the expenditure of money. No one will 
 doubt but that God could have made different provisions. 
 He might have committed this glorious task to angels, 
 but he chose to confer this high honor upon men. He 
 has made no other plans for this great work. He is truly 
 counting on us. He puts his claim on the material sub- 
 
In Church Finances 9 
 
 stance of the church. This is hard for some to under- 
 stand. The moneyed men in the days of Christ laughed 
 at his ideas about the use of money. It is said that "The 
 Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these 
 things, and they scoffed at him" (Luke 16: 14). What a 
 privilege to have the power of aiding in carrying out the 
 plans and purpose of God for his church and making glad 
 the hearts of the needy! 
 
 Church Support. Not Charity. 
 
 We have allowed ourselves to look upon church 
 support as a charity. With many the church is 
 regarded as an organized appeal to charity, and they 
 respond to her appeals as they do to other charities. This 
 is a great mistake. A proper conception as to the true 
 relation of the church of Jesus Christ to the social and 
 moral condition of society, will place her appeal for sup- 
 port on an entirely different basis. Any institution that 
 is a necessity to our well-being must be maintained, and 
 every individual is responsible for his part of its main- 
 tenance. The Government is looked upon as such a 
 necessity, and our taxes are paid because we realize that 
 such an institution is for our own good and it is our duty 
 to see that it is properly maintained. 
 
 Is not the propagating of the church in the world of 
 such importance to our individual well-being that she has 
 claims upon us beyond that of mere charity? If we can 
 fully realize the value of the church upon earth, we will 
 more readily see our indebtedness to her and our obliga- 
 tion to give of our means for her support. 
 
10 The Better Way 
 
 The Value of the Church to Society. 
 
 If we can realize the value of the church to society we 
 will more readily give to her support. History fully 
 reveals the fact that no nation ever attained to the 
 highest type of civilization apart from Christianity. 
 Hume, infidel as he was, ascrihed the civil liberty of 
 England to the Puritans. Cecil Rhodes said, *'As a 
 politician, I believe that one of the chief mainstays of the 
 government is religion." IMr. Gladstone, when asked 
 what he regarded as the brightest hope for the future of 
 the world, replied : "The maintenance of faith in the 
 invisible. This is the mainstay of civilization. After 
 sixty years of public life I hold more strongly than ever 
 to this conviction." The maintenance of the church is 
 of untold value to the commonwealth. Even Voltaire 
 said, "Unless there be diffused among men a belief in a 
 power to which day and night are just the same, who 
 takes cognizance of secret as well as overt action, all law 
 must prove inefficacious." 
 
 The history of missions is an unanswerable argument 
 as to the efficiency of Christianity for the social elevation 
 of the people. The civilization that follows in the wake 
 of the church is high or low as the principles maintained 
 by it are pure and true. The history of nations proves 
 that they do not rise higher than the principles they 
 gather from the life of the church. When Paris dis- 
 regarded religion and closed the doors of the church, 
 the Reign of Terror came upon her, and but for Na- 
 poleon, who restored the worship of the true God, Paris, 
 to-day, might have a history similar to others that 
 
Ill Church Finances 11 
 
 forgot God. The social blessings which we are enjoying 
 to-day put an obligation upon us to give to the support 
 of the church to the limit of our ability. 
 
 The value of the church of Jesus Christ to commerce 
 or business is of such importance that we are under obli- 
 gations to sustain her. The presence of the church en- 
 hances the commercial value of the things that we possess. 
 Property is always of greater value in Christian lands 
 than in non-Christian lands. It is claimed by good au- 
 thority that the intrinsic value of soil in some heathen 
 lands is greater than in America, but the poorest acre in 
 the United States is worth more than five of the richest 
 in Turkey. Why this difference in value? Christianity 
 has developed such principles and government as give 
 protection, while in Turkey men are continually exposed 
 to lawlessness, confiscation, and death. What would one 
 give for a house and lot in a town where there is no Sab- 
 bath, or Bible, or public sanctuary, with the assurance 
 that there never would be? It is the influence emanating 
 from the church that produces economic conditions that 
 are wholesome and inviting. 
 
 The influence of the church tends to*economy. It costs 
 more to care for the results of sin and vice than it does 
 for virtue. It costs more to convict a criminal than it 
 does to lead him in right paths. vStatistics fully show- 
 that the principles of righteousness inculcated by the 
 church cost much less than the crime they prevent. What 
 one gives to the building up of such institutions redounds 
 to the lessening of other expenses. It is evident that, 
 from a mere economical standpoint, the church has a 
 claim upon our resources. 
 
12 The Better Way 
 
 But the giving of the disciples of Jesus should 
 rest upon a much higher and holier basis than this. 
 Our Lord well knew what an influence giving would 
 have upon the lives of his disciples ! He knew how hard 
 it would be for many to use for the sake of others that 
 which meant so much sacrifice to them. Hence he placed 
 cheerful, liberal giving among the graces which one 
 should earnestly cultivate. Our selfishness has caused us 
 to foster the idea that Jesus is so absorbed with our spir- 
 itual and eternal welfare that he takes no thought as to 
 how we worship him with our substance. A brief study 
 of the Gospels will plainly reveal the opposite and show 
 the importance that Jesus placed on the right use of our 
 substance. 
 
 Supporting the Local Church. 
 
 Many realize that they are under obligations to the 
 Lord to use their substance for the work of the kingdom, 
 but they feel that they are free to use their funds where 
 and how they choose. They do not understand how or 
 why they should be obligated to a local church. Li 
 shedding light upon this very important questiou, there 
 is space to give only a few of the many reasons that 
 suggest themselves as to why we should make our 
 offerings through the local church. Among those most 
 important are : 
 
 First. Because we have chosen this church as that 
 portion of the household of faith to which our lives are 
 to be given; or God, through the power of the Holy 
 Spirit and the agency of this church, called us to a 
 
In Church Finances 13 
 
 knowledge of the truth, and through her agency we have 
 been led into heirship of God, and joint heirship with 
 Jesus Christ, and into an inheritance which so far sur- 
 passes anything that we have to give him, that we should 
 feel highly honored to lay upon her altar of our earthly 
 substance in such proportions as will cause her to be a 
 joy in the earth, and enable her to pass on to others the 
 tidings of the same blessed joy and privileges. 
 
 Second. We pledged to her our loyalty and support 
 when we were accepted into her fellowship. We are now 
 a part of this organization and are so regarded by all 
 those who know of our relation ; her humiliation and 
 failure will mean our humiliation. If her obligations are 
 unpaid, her honesty and honor are compromised. If we 
 withhold our support she will fail to meet the require- 
 ments upon her in the community and the world at large. 
 In so far as we have brought this upon the church we 
 are responsible. 
 
 Third. The benevolent institutions of the denomina- 
 tion depend on her membership for their existence. The 
 institutions of learning and the agencies for extending 
 the work in general can accomplish their purpose, serve 
 the needs of this generation, and meet the requirements 
 resting upon them, only as they are provided with the 
 necessary funds. If these funds do not come from the 
 membership there is no source from which they can come. 
 
 Fourth. It will save the church from adopting second- 
 ary and worldly methods for raising money. If all who 
 have taken upon themselves the vows of the church 
 would adopt the scriptural standard of contributing to 
 
14 The Better Way 
 
 the work of the kingdom, all questionable and humiliat- 
 ing methods would be eliminated. John Wanamaker 
 says : "Eighty per cent, of the churches are able to care 
 for the interests of the kingdom and pay their pastors a 
 good living salary, and will do so when the slipshod, 
 spasmodic ways of raising money, such as fairs, festivals, 
 and suppers are given up, and the church puts her 
 finances on a business and scriptural basis, holding her 
 members to an honest fulfillment of their vows as to 
 giving." These methods are used, not because men feel 
 that they are an advantage, but because of the imperative 
 need of funds. Think you, that He, who is the possessor 
 of heaven and earth, who owns the cattle upon the thou- 
 sand hills, and in whose right are all the treasures of 
 the earth, needs such devices for the financing of his 
 kingdom? We are greatly to blame if we fail to keep 
 God's requirements as to giving before the people. We 
 have erred, in that we have allowed many of our mem- 
 bers to believe that they can consecrate themselves to 
 Him without consecrating their substance to his service. 
 No sympathy should be given to the common excuse 
 that people do not have the money. They have it in 
 abundance and are lavishing it upon things that minister 
 to their pleasure. God has given to the church all the 
 wealth she needs for the task committed to her. I fear 
 some of her members are like the agents to whom were 
 entrusted large sums of money for the relief of the 
 famine sufferers in India. They were given large sums 
 of money to feed the starving, but they proved untrue 
 and kept the money for themselves, while hudreds of 
 
1)1 Church Finances 15 
 
 starving creatures died under their eyes. God has placed 
 in the hands of those whom he has called into his church, 
 wealth sufficient to give the Bread of Life to every spirit- 
 ually starving soul. Shall we keep it for ourselves? 
 Shall we spend it for our own pleasure and let the many 
 millions for whom Christ died perish for the want of the 
 Bread of Life? 
 
 Fifth. Giving through the local church is better than 
 haphazard giving. The danger of our gifts being devoted 
 to doubtful use is much less, for usually all these interests 
 are managed by a careful, conscientious corps of workers 
 who feel doubly responsible for every cent that passes 
 through their hands. 
 
 All sorts of applications come to a generous soul. 
 Among these are many from impostors. Many give 
 indiscriminately and do not take time to investigate, sc 
 that when real need comes they have but little to give. 
 I do not say that a Christian should not respond to any 
 of these appeals, but I do say, that as a Christian steward, 
 he should exercise care and be sure that he is not wast- 
 ing his Lord's money. One can waste the Lord's money 
 in this way just as much as by useless expenditure. We 
 are less liable to do this if we make our offerings through 
 the regular channels of the church. 
 
 The prayer that Andrew Murray gives in his little 
 tract on "Money Giving,'' should be offered by all. 
 'T)lessed Lord Jesus ! Teach and keep us, that, like Bar- 
 nabas, we may lay our money all at Thy feet, and hold it 
 all at Thy disposal. Teach and keep us, that, like Peter, 
 we may rejoice in the poverty that teaches us to prove 
 
16 The Better Way 
 
 our trust in the power of Thy Spirit. Teach and keep 
 us, lest, like Ananias, our profession of living entirely 
 for Thee be belied by our giving. Teach and keep us, 
 lest, like Simon, we think the gifts of God or power over 
 men can be obtained bv monev." 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 THE OFFICIAL BOARD 
 
 THE official board is the organization in the local 
 church to which we must look for the manage- 
 ment of the finances of the congregation. Upon this 
 body will rest largely her financial success or failure. 
 How to supply the necessary funds for the work of the 
 church is important and often perplexing. If the financial 
 work of the church is to be a success, her faithful 
 servants wall have a great amount of thankless labor to 
 perform. 
 
 Those most deeply interested are fully realizing that 
 the old haphazard ways of financing the church will not 
 meet the enlarged opportunities and responsibilities placed 
 upon her. Experience has taught that the church which 
 systematizes her activities is the most successful. Many 
 churches have awakened to this fact and are moving 
 along very encouragingly in other particulars, but are 
 found limping here. 
 
 Better Times. 
 
 There arc, however, better times just ahead for our 
 church officers, if they will but give a little time to inves- 
 tigate the system of finance that is now so successfully 
 taking the place of the old in many of our churches. 
 Churches everywhere have been compelled to grapple 
 with this problem. The elements that enter into the 
 
18 The Better Way 
 
 problem are mucli the same everywhere. It will devolve 
 upon the official board to create such conditions as will 
 help to solve the problem. Our financial failures have 
 led to the developing of various schemes and plans to 
 meet the conditions. Some of these have served for a 
 time, but have not solved the problem. We do not claim 
 to have a perfect system to recommend, but it is the 
 universal experience of churches which have carefully 
 worked it out, that there is none better or that comes 
 nearer to the scriptural idea than that which is recom- 
 mended in this little volume. 
 
 The method suggested is natural, simple, and feasible, 
 involving but slight expense and little machinery. It is 
 adaptable in a modified form to all classes and in every 
 church. Give it a trial and you will be sure to continue 
 it. You will in a very short time see its wholesome and 
 beneficial effects on your entire church life. This is the 
 testimony of churches that have been using if. 
 
 It Works. 
 
 We are not presenting to you a theory, but a system 
 that has been adopted in thousands of churches and 
 has proved very beneficial. Where carefully worked it is 
 relieving the officials of much anxiety and perplexity, and 
 is turning thousands of dollars to the treasury of the 
 church. Personally I know of a church of two hundred 
 members of very ordinary financial ability, who, for the 
 past five years by the using of the system here recom- 
 mended, have been able to pay their j^astor an average sal- 
 ary of $1,350, have provided for all their current expenses, 
 
In Church Finances 19 
 
 paid to the conference their assessments in full, and have 
 given for missions a Httle over $1,000 per year. In addi- 
 tion to this they liquidated a debt of $2,000 against their 
 church property, besides putting on it $500 in repairs. 
 This can be repeated in any church if the system of 
 finances recommended in this httle volume is adopted. 
 
 * Success in church work depends in a much larger 
 degree than many wish to allow on the method used. 
 John R. Mott says, "The reason so many churches 
 accomplish so little for the world's evangelization is be- 
 cause they have no adequate plan, and because they have 
 not enlisted the men combining business sense with mis- 
 sionary spirit." The reason we have so many struggling 
 churches is because we do not put the same business 
 principles into our church management that we employ in 
 our other affairs. Methods that succeed in the commer- 
 cial world are the result of well-thought-out plans. The 
 underlying principles are set before the church in the 
 Book that is to be her guide in every act and thought, 
 and they are simple, comprehensive, and practicable. 
 
 The Requisite for Success. 
 
 It is absolutely necessary that those who have charge 
 of the finances of the church fully comprehend that the 
 church, in order to accomplish her task, must have an 
 adequate income, the securing of which devolves largely 
 on the persons selected bv the church to do this work. 
 The ofiicials should fully realize that with the office to 
 which they have been elected go, not only the honor, but 
 
20 The Better Way 
 
 also the responsibility of the faithful discharge of the 
 duties of the office. Much of the failure of the work of 
 the church can be ascribed to the non-recognition of this 
 fact. Especially is this true of the financial work. 
 
 The officers of the church should see that the same 
 thoughtful care and workable business methods enter into 
 the management of the church as into their own business. 
 Until they see the importance of this and put it into 
 practice, their church finances will suffer. The officers 
 should interest themselves in the financial success of the 
 church. They should see that her financial interests are 
 presented to the people in a businesslike way, and that 
 systematic methods are used in procuring the necessary 
 funds for the work of* the church. The old haphazard 
 way of quarterly or annual payments will no longer do. 
 A more up-to-date plan is necessary. The plan that will 
 more nearly meet the demands of to-day is that of the 
 New Testament, of laying aside on the first day of the 
 week as the Lord has prospered us. 
 
 The members of the board themselves should, first of 
 all, adopt the method of giving which they desire to 
 recommend. It is time and energy wasted for any official 
 board to seek to introduce among the people a plan or 
 principle of giving which they do not themselves heartily 
 endorse by practice. 
 
 They should patiently plan, wait, and pray for the 
 success of the system recommended. No work of great 
 value was ever achieved in a day, especially a work that 
 has set over against it the combined opposition of our 
 individual prejudice, selfishness, and the arch-enemy of 
 
In Church Finances 21 
 
 the church, who well knows that when the church of 
 Jesus Christ comes to this orderly plan of giving, the 
 powers of darkness must give way. They should not be 
 discouraged if the plan at first meets with little favor. 
 It is not a plan of Satan's liking and will undoubtedly 
 meet with his opposition. 
 
 The Pastor and the Official Board. 
 
 The pastor's relation to the official board is a unique 
 one, and is more important to the financial welfare of the 
 congregation than many pastors and some official boards 
 are willing to admit. Especially is this true in the smaller 
 churches. In manv of the churches the officials are 
 changed so often that they are not acquainted with the 
 work in its entirety as they should be. Many are so full 
 of their own affairs that they give no time to planning 
 for the vrork of the church, and consequently when they 
 meet for business they lack ideas and methods for the 
 handling of the finances of the church and yet are ready 
 for some well-thought-out suggestions from a leader, even 
 if they are such as to lay some burden on them. The ma- 
 jority of the men of the church do not shrink from the 
 tasks put upon them if they are feasible. They hesitate 
 to go forward if it means futile effort. The first thing to 
 be done in many churches is to overcome the feeling of 
 hopelessness that is paralyzing those who are responsible 
 for the finances. They need to be encouraged by infor- 
 mation as to what other churches with similar or less 
 ability are doing. A yoimg pastor's experience is sug- 
 gestive. He says : 
 
22 The Better Way 
 
 "I accepted a church of three hundred members. 
 Before I reached my new charge, three of the richest 
 men died and the mainstay of the church moved to a 
 distant city. These men had for years been accustomed 
 to make up the deficit in the pastor's salary at the end^ 
 of the year. They had gone, and practically all their 
 financial support. A more discouraged ofhcial board 
 no pastor ever faced than I did a few nights after reach- 
 ing my new field of labor. When I was called they had 
 depended for liberal aid from the brother who subse- 
 ciuentl}^ decided to move from the city. There seemed to 
 be a settled conviction that a serious blunder had been 
 made, and that the church could not support a preacher 
 with a family. 
 
 " 'Brethren,' I said, 'there are still two hundred and 
 ninety-eight members in our church and there is not a 
 pauper among them. It is true that a large majority of 
 this number are women and children, but I have a plan 
 to propose that will enable the women and children to 
 support your pastor.' I outlined the envelope plan. 
 With a single exception the board was of the unanimous 
 opinion that, however well the plan might work elsewhere, 
 it would never work in this church. There was one 
 aggressive young business man on the board who saw 
 the point, caught my enthusiasm, and became an invalu- 
 able ally. The outcome of the matter was that they 
 consented under protest to adopt the plan, I agreeing to 
 bear all the expense incurred in securing the supplies. 
 That fifteen or twenty dollars paid the largest returns of 
 any investment I ever made. At the end of the most 
 
In Church Finances 23 
 
 successful year that church had ever known in its history, 
 the amount was paid back to me with compound interest." 
 
 The Stewards. 
 
 The duties of the stewards laid down in the Book of 
 Discipline are plain, but possibly do not cover the needs 
 of the system as it is now being worked. The duties 
 there outlined concern only the collecting of the funds. 
 There is work that must be attended to in advance of 
 this. In small churches it is possible that a wisely 
 selected class and general steward, with the pastor and 
 chairman of the missionary or benevolent committee, will 
 be all the solicitors need adequately to care for the 
 finances. 
 
 A Finance Committee. 
 
 In a large church it will be well to appoint a finance 
 committee. This committee should be wisely chosen, 
 making either the general steward or the church treas- 
 urer the chairman. The class stewards, the chairman of 
 the missionary committee of the local church, the chair- 
 man of the benevolent committee, the pastor, and 
 possibly a representative from each department of the 
 church should constitute this committee, and to them 
 should be assigned the entire charge of operating the 
 finances. They should arrange for the securing of the 
 Ijledges and the collecting of the same. This committee 
 stands between the official board and the membership, 
 and needs, first of all, to set the example of an enthu- 
 siastic interest in the work. Often the majority of the 
 
24 The Better Way 
 
 membership is indifferent because of the careless manner 
 in which the work is done. 
 
 Keep the Congregation Informed. 
 
 The membership must be kept informed if they are to 
 be enHsted heartily in the work of the church. The 
 treasurer can greatly help by giving to each member a 
 quarterly statement of his standing, as well as a financial 
 report of the congregation, showing receipts, disburse- 
 ments, deficit, or balance, as the case may be. This will 
 add much to the interest and enlist many who, ordinarily 
 do not pay any attention to the financial workings of the 
 church. 
 
 An interest can be awakened by having an occasional 
 congregational meeting at which the finances as well as 
 the financial plan for the year may be discussed. It will 
 be helpful and of great advantage if the plan is carefully 
 thought over and thoroughly canvassed by the official 
 board and by them adopted before bringing it to the 
 congregation. At the congregational meeting the entire 
 plan is submitted for the approval of the members, giving 
 ample opportunity for questions and discussion. Many 
 pastors from whom we have reports, who have been 
 succeeding in working better systems of finance, find that 
 this is the most helpful, practical way of enlisting^ the 
 people. Certainly nothing will be gained by keeping 
 from the people the financial condition of the church, or 
 a thorough knowledge of the system. Much information 
 may be given by sending to each member a carefully 
 prepared letter in which the financial plan and method 
 pf working it are well outlined. 
 
In Church Finances 25 
 
 Providing Against Deficiencies. 
 
 Many churches are embarrassed by a deficit at the end 
 of the year, the causes for which may be various. This 
 is one of the most perplexing problems of the official 
 l^oard. The old way of expecting the annual meeting to 
 ignore all obligationsYemaining will no longer work ; min- 
 isters, janitors, and others expect their promised salaries. 
 
 To obviate this deficiency, be sure to fix the budget 
 sufficiently large to cover the expenses of the church. 
 Do not stop until the entire expense is provided for. 
 
 The Official Board and Benevolences. 
 
 The official board should supervise the raising of the 
 benevolences. They should see to it that every member 
 of the church is given an opportunity to make a sub- 
 scription to the benevolent interests of the denomination 
 to be paid weekly, or monthly at least. The church can 
 not succeed by allowing these great interests of the king- 
 dom to depend on the amounts that individuals will feel 
 inclined to give in a single offering. It will be readily 
 seen that, should local conditions be unfavorable, or the 
 appointed day be stormy, many who are able and possibly 
 willing to aid, will not be at church at all. If the address 
 of the occasion should fail to ^tir or develop sympathy, 
 the great interest sufifers. If we should put the benev- 
 olences of the church on the Bible basis, our general 
 secretaries would not have to beg like little children for 
 money to carry on the work of the departments entrusted 
 to them. 
 
26 The Better Way 
 
 It is sadly true that while the church is increasing in 
 riches, it is not increasing in its gifts per capita to the 
 benevolences of the church. There may be many reasons 
 for this, but one or two that are prevalent may be men- 
 tioned : 
 
 First. Many ministers and officials are entirely 
 indifferent. 
 
 Second. Our methods for providing for these interests 
 are wrong and wholly inadequate for the expression of 
 the ability and willingness of the congregation. I per- 
 sonally know of one of our churches of one hundred 
 members which gave an average of seventy-five cents per 
 member under one pastor; another came, and they did 
 not give a single dollar. This would not have happened 
 if the official members had been interested in operating 
 the raising of the benevolences of the church. I have 
 in mind a church which gave $350 per year for mis- 
 sions under one pastor ; another pastor came who enlisted 
 the members of the board in the benevolent interests of 
 the denomination, and before six months passed they had 
 more than $2,500 subscribed for missions. We are con- 
 fident that if the official board of the church will join the 
 pastor they can organize the work so that it will result 
 in an increased interest and a better method on the part 
 of the church for the financing of these interests. By all 
 means let there be a system — it will be as valuable in 
 raising the benevolences of the church as in any other 
 work. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 THE ENVELOPE SYSTEM 
 
 THE snpportii^c: of the local church in many places is 
 a serious problem. The difficulty lies largely in the 
 method, or rather in the lack of method used in enlisting 
 the membership in paying. In many congregations the 
 majority do absolutely nothing, or pay so little that they 
 never feel it, nor become interested in the work of the 
 church. This is absolutely wrong. The method used has 
 permitted many to believe that they are under no obliga- 
 tion financially, although they expect to enjoy the advan- 
 tages and privileges of the church. These same persons 
 will join other organizations such as fraternities, where 
 they will have a good stiff admission fee to pay with large 
 monthly dues thereafter, and they respond cheerfully, 
 accepting the system in vogue. 
 
 Often we charge our people with a spirit of illiberality, 
 when it is not so much a question of liberality as of sys- 
 tem. There is lacking some workable system by which 
 their liberality may be expressed. 
 
 System in Giving. 
 
 By systematic giving is meant giving according to a 
 plan or system. The teachings of Paul clearly set this 
 forth as the New Testament plan of church support. In 
 I. Corinthians 9:7-14, the apostle mentions the method 
 
 27 
 
28 The Better Way 
 
 of ministerial support. He says, "Know ye not, that they 
 who minister about sacred things, eat of the things of 
 the temple, and they who wait upon the altar have their 
 portion with the altar? Even so did the Lord ordain that 
 the}- who proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel." 
 Those who are acquainted with the gifts of the altar 
 remember that they were the tithes and freewill offerings 
 of the people. Paul declares that Jesus taught that the 
 New Testament minister was to live from these same 
 offerings. The manner for providing for benevolences 
 is clearly set forth in I. Corinthians 16: 1, 2, where the 
 apostle says : "As I gave orders to the churches of 
 Galatia, so also do ye, Upon the first day of the week, 
 let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may 
 pro?]:)er, that no collections be made when I come." 
 
 The Plan Suggested. 
 
 The plan suggested is the carrying out of this simple 
 New Testament requirement of an offering week by 
 week. There are agencies which, if introduced, will 
 simplify and aid in doing this. The method which is giv- 
 ing the greatest satisfaction and is most effectual in car- 
 rying forward this New Testament standard of church 
 support, is that of the envelope system on the zveekly basis 
 plan. While in some sections of the church the use of 
 envelopes has proven unsatisfactory, it is because they 
 have not been adjusted to meet the needs of the system. 
 
 The Envelope Recommended. 
 
 The envelope system recommended for the financing 
 of the church is to provide each member with a package 
 
1)1 Church Finances 29 
 
 of fifty-two envelopes, numbered and dated to correspond 
 with each Sunday of the year. The following is a sample : 
 
 No. 45 FEB. 13, 1910 
 
 Church of the United Brethren in Christ 
 
 GREENSBURG, PA. 
 
 WEEKLY OFFERING. 
 
 For Current Expenses 
 Amount !5 
 
 For Missions 
 Home Foreign. 
 
 "Let each one of you (IndividuallyUay b.y him in store upon the first 
 day of the week (Systematically) as he may prosper." (Proportionately) 
 1 Cor. 16:2. 
 
 This is not an. untried scheme of restless, energetic lead- 
 ers in church affairs. It is the most practical, simple, and 
 successful plan that has yet been operated. It has been in 
 use long enough to have passed its experimental stage, 
 and has proven its real worth. This plan is easily under- 
 stood and worked, and is universally applicable in some 
 of its modified forms. 
 
 I do not wish to seem extravagant, but the envelope 
 system here recommended is so simple and practical that, 
 when properly worked, it meets all the requirements that 
 are known to exist for a successful financial system. It 
 is not to be expected that a mere system will convert 
 niggardliness into generosity, but it does all that can be 
 expected in facilitating the contributions of the congre- 
 
30 The Better Way 
 
 gation. This will be readily seen when we examine the 
 basis on which it rests. 
 
 Why Use the Envelot'e System ? 
 
 Because it is the best. Some years ago, the Church 
 Economist, under the direction of Mr. Henry R. Elliott, 
 made a thorough investigation of the various systems of 
 raising church finances. It found a number of good plans, 
 buj the one that gave the greatest satisfaction was that 
 of the envelope system here recommended. In the inves- 
 tigation a set of inquiries was sent out to the represen- 
 tative churches of all denominations in various parts of 
 the country, inquiring about the acceptability and effect 
 on receipts ; also, the rate of subscription to the member- 
 ship, etc. From the tabulated returns and extracts culled 
 from the remarks, one is readily convinced of the 
 efficiency of the system. The most recent returns we 
 have in this office from the churches in which it has had 
 a fair test, fully warrant the statement that it is the 
 best, and will work a complete transformation in the 
 finances of the church where it is given a fair trial. It 
 can hardly be said that the system has had a fair trial 
 with the church at large, as there are so few who have 
 worked it out in its details. 
 
 Mr. Elliott, in speaking of the system some six years 
 ago, said : 'The principle is sound and the results are 
 substantial. I had occasion some time ago to study its 
 operation in some two hundred churches. All gained in 
 receipts, and the lowest rate of increase in income, leav- 
 ing out a few abnormal cases, was about forty per cent. 
 
In Church Finances 31 
 
 In many cases the receipts were doubled ... In this 
 system giving is Hfted above spasms and whims, and is 
 independent of the weather, the seasons, and the state of 
 our health. It teaches one to deal in the large with 
 Christian stewardship, and soon inspires a wholesome 
 contempt for claptrap and trickery in church support. 
 ... It can be relied upon. As a rule, wherever tried 
 it succeeds, because it is based upon the almost universal 
 business scheme of small, regular payments at frequent 
 intervals. In the use of the system we are applying to 
 church finances the most familiar principles of secular 
 income. The wage-earner is insistent upon weekly pay- 
 ments. Commercial interests are adjusting their business 
 on this basis. Why should the support of the Gospel be 
 left to the passing emotions, or haphazard, do-as-you- 
 please methods?" 
 
 The Advantages of This System. 
 
 This is the ideal system, for it associates the oflfer- 
 ing of the individual with his worship, and if it is freely 
 stimulated an.d directed from the pulpit, it will relieve the 
 financing of the church from all semblance to a burden. 
 
 This system broadens the base of supply, it appeals to 
 the responsive heart. It gives a training in the habits of 
 systematic giving the results of which, in money, may 
 not be reckoned at once, but are sure to be marked. 
 It brings one in spirit to the fellowship and com- 
 munion of the apostolic method of church support. It 
 develops the church to such a standard that she will be 
 able to carry out the objectives of the various benevolent 
 
32 The Better Way 
 
 societies in the tasks they have undertaken in the work 
 of the kingdom. It will lead to a larger number of pro- 
 portionate givers. 
 
 It affords an excellent opportunity for the poor to give 
 their mite without having it held in contrast with the 
 gifts of those who have been able to give more gener- 
 ously. It will greatly add to the true spirit of giving, 
 for under this system, A will not give because B does, 
 or give to outdo C, or give that his name may be seen 
 at the head of the list to be seen of men ; Jesus said of 
 giving to be seen of men, that when men see the gift, 
 "verily they have their reward." 
 
 This system will gather and consecrate the small gifts 
 from the many and the large gifts from the few, and 
 will lead to a more fairly proportionate giving on the part 
 of the Christians of large means. It will cause all more 
 carefully to weigh their giving to the Lord's treasury. 
 Money for benevolences as well as current expenses 
 will be had when needed. The church will not be 
 embarrassed by debt. The pastor's salary will be paid 
 and increased to such an extent that many who turn 
 aside from the ministry because of the meager • support, 
 will be saved to the work of the ministry and the church ; 
 and, best of all, the spiritual life of the church will be 
 greatly strengthened. 
 
 This system gathers the small gifts from the many and 
 swells them into a large volume, for nine persons out of 
 every ten find it easier to give twenty-five cents a week 
 than to give thirteen dollars a year. It will be easier to 
 give one dollar every week than to give thirteen once a 
 
In Churcli Finances oZ 
 
 quarter, or fifty-two dollars at one time. By the present 
 system the few give and not the many. What the church 
 needs to-day is to keep the small rills of benevolences 
 flowing in order that tlie large stream may take on 
 larger proportions. The Roman Catholic Church builds 
 its large cathedrals and maintains its large charities 
 by the gifts of working men and servant girls. While 
 with them the demands are often oppressive, yet the 
 principle is correct. Those, who by a small gift week 
 by week would give a nice sum in a year, would shrink 
 from putting down their names for a small sum to be 
 paid at one collection. Under the iVew Testament system 
 every one is expected to give. The teachings of Jesus on 
 this subject are very plain. The parables of the talents 
 and the pounds were used by Jesus to show that God 
 expects from every one of us a direct and personal return 
 according to the amount of his property. I fear that 
 when we speak of devoting our "talents" to the Lord, 
 we do not take the literal meaning of the word. It means 
 money. There are so few professed Christians to-day 
 who have any plan in their givin<. 
 
 This system will save one from giving under impulse, 
 or under excitement, or when he n erely feels like it. The 
 apostle in his instructions to the ?hurches of Galatia and 
 Corinth commands the adoption of systematic, business- 
 like principles. Paley says, "I understand Paul to be here 
 recommending the very thing that is wanting in so many 
 men to-day — that of being charitable upon a plan." 
 
 It will afford an excellent opportunity for the develop- 
 ing of the true spirit of giving in children. Under this 
 
34 The Better Way 
 
 system of every member ^'iving' in place of the father 
 making the offering for the entire family, it will be 
 divided among the members, thereby developing in the 
 life of the boys and girls a habit which will be a blessing 
 in coming years. 
 
 Under this system contributors can and do give more 
 largely to the work of the church with the least possible 
 strain upon their purses. The children of this world 
 fully realize the advantages of this system. Industrial 
 insurance companies are protecting thousands of people 
 l)y the weekly or monthly payment plan, who could carry 
 no protection whatever if the entire policy had to be 
 paid in a single payment. Great house-furnishers have 
 adopted the policy of the weekly payment because they 
 have learned that many families can furnish their homes 
 on this basis who could not do so under any other plan. 
 
 It will save the congregation from that dreadful 
 
 "Agony Day." 
 
 -Most of the churches have special days. There is one 
 that rightly can be called ''Agony Day." It is the day 
 near the close of the year when the treasurer makes his 
 report showing an embarrassing deficiency, and when the 
 pastor or some other official gets out the blackboard, or 
 by some other agonizing scheme tries to get the people 
 to make up the deficiency. This I am sure the reader will 
 agree is no misnomer for this day, if you have ever passed 
 through the ordeal. One thing that adds to the outrage 
 of the occasion is, that the persons who have been faith- 
 
In Church Finances v35 
 
 ful and the most liberal in giving, are the ones who have 
 to meet the deficiency. Happy the church, indeed, which 
 does not know of such experiences. Happier still, the 
 pastor and otificial members who have been blessed with 
 a system that saved the treasurer and officials from these 
 days of agony when the bills come in and there are no 
 funds with which to meet them. What we are anxious 
 for is to introduce a system that will prevent Agony Sun- 
 day. This plan, if carried out, will not only relieve the 
 church of this miserable day, but will relieve the treas- 
 urer, stewards, and officials of oft-repeated embarrass- 
 ment because of the failure of the method now in vog^ue. 
 
 'fc>' 
 
 Quickened Life. 
 
 It will enable home mission churches to become self- 
 supporting, and the church more speedily to give the 
 whole Gospel to the whole world, and best of all, the 
 spiritual life of the church will be greatly quickened and 
 strengthened. There will be a consecration of possessions 
 to God for the service of the church and our fellows that 
 will lead many professed followers of Christ to a deeper 
 Christian experience. It will enable the church to apply 
 the principles of Christ's teachings to the social problems 
 of our day. Thousands of working men are standing 
 aloof from the church because they think that her mem- 
 bership is as selfish as others and will readily stoop to 
 questionable methods if it will only swell their fortunes. 
 
 It will bring us into such vital and frequent fellowship 
 with God that we shall see the work of the kingdom 
 through his eyes. We shall soon be so moved by the 
 
36 The Better Way 
 
 want and woe of niankind that we shall find it easy to 
 give, and correspondingly hard to keep from giving. By 
 this system of giving we shall soon find ourselves sharing 
 in the travail of the Son of God, and crying, "Lo, I come 
 to do thv will, O God." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WORKING THE PLAN 
 
 THE envelope swstem will not run itself. It will not 
 guarantee a full treasury, but it will keep the 
 treasury from being empty if it is worked. The first step 
 lo successful operation is 
 
 Organization. 
 
 Organization is putting new life into almost every 
 (le])artment of the aggressive church of to-day. The 
 '>xce])tion in the organization of her activities, if there be 
 any, is in the finances. Churches that are enterprising 
 in. other lines of activity are found limping here ! We ha-'l 
 with delight the revolution in the financial policies of 
 many of our local churches. Experience is teaching that 
 careful organization lends much to the success of the 
 proposed financial system. The persons through whom 
 this system is to be introduced are the regular officials 
 of the church, but they must organize and plan the work 
 if it is to be a success. The first step necessary after the 
 official board has settled upon a plan is the fixing of a 
 
 Budget. 
 
 The pastor and proper officials should meet and make 
 up a budget of all the expenses for the year, including 
 pastor's salary, presiding elder's salary, music, fuel, light, 
 
 37 
 
38 The Better Way 
 
 janitor's service, interest, repairs, and other items of 
 expense. To this should be added at least five per cent, 
 to cover any shrinkage in subscriptions. After the 
 budget is fixed it should be brought before the congre- 
 gation to be considered and adopted by formal action. 
 
 Many churches desire but a single budget for all their 
 financial interests. The local committee on home and 
 foreign missions should have their goal set and present 
 it to the finance committee or the official board at their 
 regular meeting. This committee or official board should 
 approve or amend this report, and with the other have 
 it submitted to the congregation for their approval. The 
 total budget is to be reduced to a weekly basis, and pro- 
 vision made for the same according to the plans that shall 
 be adopted by the financial board of the church. 
 
 Secure a Pledge. 
 
 There are a number of items that enter into the oper- 
 ation of a financial system that dare not be overlooked 
 or disregarded if the system, is to prove successful. 
 Among these I place first, the securing from each member 
 an annual pledge, on the weekly basis, of such an amoimt 
 as will be an equitable portion of his share of the budget 
 of the church. This is of vital importance for the suc- 
 cessful carrying out of this plan. If a member can give 
 but one penny a week, he should be led to cooperate in 
 the system. 
 
 The pledge is essential because there are so many indi- 
 viduals who will be very careless' unless their obligation 
 is emphasized. Each member should be made to feel that 
 
Iti Church Fin cm CCS 39 
 
 when he entered the church he obhgated himself to do 
 just what is now asked of him — to contribute to the sup- 
 port of the Gospel as the Lord has prospered him. 
 
 Ways That Win. 
 
 A plan that has worked with great success in some 
 places is for the pastor or general steward to invite ten or 
 more of the key men of the church to his home as a com- 
 mittee. This committee takes up the various causes which 
 the church is to support, fixes the amount of the budget, 
 then divides the membership of the church into as many 
 classes or groups as necessary, and at the beginning of the 
 year each one of the committee makes a canvass of every 
 member in his class, calling to his assistance one or more 
 helpers if necessary. One church says this plan has 
 resulted in the doubling of its benevolences in two years. 
 
 The following plan has proven a success : Give to each 
 of ten stewards of a church, say, of five hundred 
 members, a list of fifty persons for whom he is 
 responsible. Let each of these ten have five individual 
 subordinates; these may be men, women, or young people 
 who will each have nine peo]~)le for whom he is responsi- 
 ble. The general steward will do his work through his 
 captains of fifties, and the captains of fifties through their 
 lieutenants. In this way the entire membership will be 
 in close touch with the work. The same plan can be 
 followed out in a larger or smaller church by simply 
 increasing or decreasing the captains over fifties, or one 
 h.nndrcds if preferable. There will be a double advantage 
 in this — it will bring into close touch and keep inter- 
 
40 The Better Way 
 
 cstcd aiul cause to share in the responsibiHty of the 
 church a lart^e number of persons. It will aid, further, 
 in developing and bringing to the front individuals 
 for the management of these interests who otherwise 
 might have been allowed to lie dormant, and the church 
 thereby lose their tact and ability in this particular. 
 
 Another plan that has worked most admirably is the 
 following: The finance committee estimated the expense 
 for the year, then apportioned the amount among the 
 members, printed an apportionment-sheet explaining the 
 plan, giving a list of the members, and the amount of 
 the apportionment of each. On a certain day the lists 
 were distributed, the people were given time to read them 
 over, and then the meeting was turned into a round table 
 service, and it resulted in one of the best and most en- 
 thusiastic services of the year — not a dissenting voice was 
 raised to this apportioning and many good words were 
 spoken. This was followed up by a coniplete financial 
 statement once a quarter or as often as the board thought 
 necessary. The people are more and more pleased with 
 the system and would not think of going back to the ol 1 
 hit-or-miss plan. 
 
 A Pastor Who Led the Way. 
 
 A church in which the usual plan of quarterly 
 collections and settlements was in vogue was revo- 
 lutionized by a pastor who had a vision of the church's 
 possibilities. In this church the finances were in a deplor- 
 able condition. The pastor's salary was unpaid, janitor 
 fees, light and fuel bills were pressing, and everything 
 
In Church Finances 41 
 
 financial was out of joint and discouragement reigned. 
 This tactful pastor discovered that not more than one-half 
 of the membership whose names were on the roll were 
 contributing anything, and but a few of those who did 
 contribute, gave any stated sum. He determined 
 upon financial reform at once. With the approval of 
 the quarterly conference he visited every member whose 
 name was on the roll of the church — old and young, male 
 and female, rich and poor — and secured his or her vol- 
 untary pledge to contribute a fixed sum weekly to the 
 support of the church. Not a single member in the entire 
 congregation refused to pledge a larger or smaller 
 amount. Of course, the pastor used his kindly offices to 
 secure as large a pledge as the circumstances of each 
 case would justify. This canvass being completed, a 
 scries of envelopes for a full quarter were put into the 
 hands of every contributor. On the front of the envel- 
 opes was written his name, the amount of the weekly 
 pledge, and the date successively of the Sundays of the 
 quarter, with the instructions to enclose in each the 
 amount of the weekly offering and drop it into the con- 
 tribution box when the collection was taken. Of course 
 the series of envelopes must be renewed each quarter. 
 We would suggest the use of the envelope recommended 
 l)y the commission — sufticient in a carton for each Sun- 
 day in the year. 
 
 Another pastor tells how the finances in his church 
 were revolutionized. He says: "We prepared a carefully 
 worded card on which the board placed the name and the 
 amount they hoped the member would be able to con- 
 
42 The Better Way 
 
 tribute to the bncl^et, week by week, during the year; at 
 the same time stating that if the amount indicated was 
 not satisfactory, he should feel free to either increase or 
 diminish it. A coupon was attached to each card for that 
 purpose, silence -on the part of the member being regarded 
 as an acceptance of the apportionment." 
 
 *'When the board met to make the apportionment and 
 we came to the first family represented by its head, who 
 was on the board, there was a halt. 'Why, I always con- 
 tribute,' said the brother, 'for my wafe and children. 
 What is the use of assessing them?' Perhaps twenty 
 minutes w^ere spent as I presented my argument and 
 showed that the beauty of the system was that it 
 reached every member — that the children needed to be 
 trained in giving, as in other graces, etc. The appor- 
 tionment was made and so on through the list. I insisted 
 that the apportionment be made on a w^eekly basis. In- 
 stead of assessing a brother ten dollars a year, I made 
 it twenty cents a week. 'Why,' he said, 'I can pay more 
 than twenty cents a week.' Why, of course you can, and 
 vou will do it, too. How nuich shall we make it? 'Fifty 
 cents,' was the answer." 
 
 "With the apportionment card was sent a circular 
 letter setting forth the plan, emphasizing its scriptural- 
 ness, and urging the cooperation of every member. A 
 package of fifty-tw^o envelopes, numbered and dated for 
 each Sunday in the year, was supplied each member. 
 The immediate result was most gratifying. Not onlv did 
 a sum sufficient to meet all demands come in, but there 
 was a quickening of interest in all the work of the church. 
 
In Church Finances 43 
 
 There was a rapid growth of the con:^regation and in 
 five months we were in the midst of the most gracious 
 revival the church had known for forty years." 
 
 Doctor Strong says : ''Any church can do much if it 
 will do it. The thing that succeeds in one place and fails 
 in another is more because of the man than the plan." 
 
 Suggested Forms. 
 
 A letter something like the following will be found 
 helpful in introducing this system. 
 
 To the Members of U. B. Church : 
 
 We are anxious to introduce into our local church a 
 S3^stem of finance that will more adequately meet the 
 demands of our local congregation. Your board of 
 stewards and finance committee have been carefully con- 
 sidering systems that are in use and succeeding in various 
 churches. For our local needs we have decided that the 
 following will be the most practical, namely, that of 
 budgeting the entire expense of the local congregation 
 which is explained in the following statement: 
 
 After careful consideration we have concluded that the 
 
 expenses of our church will be about $ for the 
 
 year; divided as follows: Minister's salary, $ ; 
 
 music, $ : fuel, light, water, su])plies, $ ; 
 
 janitor, $ ; sundries, $ ; insurance, $ ; 
 
 total, $ 
 
 In the plan which we are seeking to introduce there 
 are many advantages which we are sure will meet with 
 your hearty approval. The system has this strong argu- 
 
44 The Better Way 
 
 v^v\\{ in its favor, it reaches every mcml^er and invites 
 In'ni to share the responsibiHty of our church support 
 :;n(l management. 
 
 We most earnestly solicit every member prayerfully 
 to consider the obligation of the church to the various 
 needs, and after prayerful, thoughtful consideration, 
 make a weekly pledge of such an amount as will be his 
 equitable share, according to his ability, of the entire 
 amount that is to be raised. The pledge is to be paid 
 weekly, if possible, through the envelopes furnished for 
 that purpose. 
 
 We have taken honest pride as a church in paying our 
 ])ills promptly, and it is important that we continue this 
 practice. This can be done only as the membership 
 responds to the plan outlined and suggested. We trust 
 that each one will bring his offering to the church, anrl 
 if for any reason he is unable to do so, will make up the 
 deficiency at the very earliest possible date. 
 
 In this system every member will be known bv a num- 
 ber. Your number on the church record will be the sam^^ 
 as the one on the carton of envelopes that will be handed 
 to you. You will therefore remember that to have credit 
 for your offering, it should be placed in the envelope 
 bearing 'your number. Money dropped in llie basket 
 loose will not be credited to any one. A quarterly state- 
 ment will be sent to each member showing his financial 
 standing as indicated on the treasurer's record. 
 
 Thanking you for your liberal cooperation in the past, 
 and trusting that this new system will meet with your 
 heartv approval, and that the year to come may surpass 
 
Ill ChnrcJi Finances 45 
 
 any former year in our church history in spiritual and 
 financial results, we are, 
 
 Faithfully, 
 
 Your Finance Committee, 
 
 Quarterly Statement, 
 
 We are very grateful for your cooperation in the 
 work of our beloved church, and are confident 
 you will be glad to know the following facts for 
 the quarter ending 
 
 Receipts. Expenditures. 
 
 Pledges $ Salaries $ 
 
 Collections . . . . $ Light and Fuel $ 
 
 Individual Gifts $ Repairs $ 
 
 Balance and Incidentals . . . . $ 
 
 Carried Over $ 
 
 Total, $ Total. $, 
 
 We now have a deficit of $ 
 
 W^e now have a balance of $ 
 
 Your pledge was. .- $ 
 
 You have paid this quarter $ 
 
 Total paid this year $ 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 Financial Secretary. 
 
 Prayer, 
 
 Rev. C. H. Yatman says, "Every church has as much 
 right to pray for gold as for grace," Two things at least 
 
46 The Better Way 
 
 are necessary to carry on Christian work, gold and grace, 
 and God will give both if you ask him in the right way. 
 To get grace we go direct to God and it is given us by 
 Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. This is the way 
 to get grace — with gold it is different. You go to God 
 for it, and he gives it by his providence and people. A 
 great many people never pray for gold in their Christian 
 work. This is wrong. Men think they own the purse 
 and hold the strings, but Haggai 2 : 8, says not so. A 
 spiritual church will never lack funds. Now, to raise the 
 money for any needed work you first find what the Bible 
 says about temporal blessings. Search out the promises 
 that bear that way. Mark the words of the Book which 
 speak about giving. (Prov. 2:24, 25; Ex. 25 and 35; 
 II. Cor. 9:6, 7; Luke 6: 38, and many more). See what 
 stress God lays upon provisions for the carrying on of 
 his work. Paul's great ''Resurrection Chapter," is fol- 
 lowed immediately by these words, *'Now, concerning the 
 collection." 
 
 If the congregation is to be thoroughly aroused and 
 developed in the Bible method of giving, and if we are 
 to have the Holy Spirit's direction in our church finances, 
 more time must be given to prayer for these interests. 
 Prayer as an essential in the financial management of the 
 church is all too frequently overlooked. In many cases 
 where a financial crisis is confronted, the church resorts 
 to schemes, and frequently to questionable methods 
 of raising money, but scarcely ever are the people called 
 upon to lay their needs before God. It would be well in 
 developing the church in the Bible method of finance to 
 
In Church Finances 47 
 
 have an occasional stewardship prayer-meeting, when the 
 entire membership of the church might call upon God 
 for his guidance in the financial department of the work. 
 If this were more frequently resorted to, our financial 
 difficulties would be much fewer. John R. ]\[ott says, 
 "If we made the obtaining of funds as much the subject 
 of prayer as we are in the habit of making it a subject 
 of discussion and planning, we would have all the money 
 we need for the carrying on of the work." If this state- 
 ment is true, we surely have the key to the situation in 
 our own hands. It is extremely important that the church 
 frequently call upon the Lord that she may be divinely 
 directed in her financial plans. To change the uncon- 
 scious selfishness in the many indifferent church mem- 
 bers, means a new conversion. To make genuine Chris- 
 tian stewards of men and women — stewards who will 
 work in partnership with God and pay as he prospers 
 them, and prayerfully use their snbstance for the advanc- 
 ing of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, implies a divine 
 transformation. This can never be effected by anything 
 but the Spirit of God. Much prayer will be necessary 
 on the part of those who have this work in hand. 
 
 R^.MixDixG Delinquents. 
 
 If the pled^^e is unpaid after a reasonable time of wait- 
 ing, the individvial should be visited by the committee 
 who has this in charge. The matter of plans that will 
 work without friction in this particular is difficult in the 
 extreme. All that some people need is to be reminded of 
 their pledges nnd they will pny them. Statements by mail 
 mpy serve this purpose. 
 
4cS The Better Way 
 
 A Successful Plan. 
 
 One gives the following plan which he says reduced the 
 unpaid pledges to about one and one-half i)er cent, of the 
 entire amount pledged. About twice a year a statement 
 of the financial condition of the church and of each mem- 
 ber was made. The name of each member was published, 
 and running side by side with the names were three col- 
 umns with headings : 
 
 Name. Wkly. Pledge. Amt.Pd. Amt.Due. 
 
 John Davis $0.25 $5.50 $1.00 
 
 Jane Smith 50 13.00 
 
 James Brown 10 2.60 
 
 It might be well for the first statement to put the num- 
 bers as they appear on the treasurer's book in place of 
 the names. With the statement a- report of the church 
 treasurer, showing receipts, disbursements, deficit or bal- 
 ance, should go without fail. ' This gives the membership 
 of the church the information they should have. These 
 statements could be sent by mail to each member. 
 
 A drastic reminder that the writer has known of is 
 to post the names of delinquents in the vestibule where 
 all who pass may read. Such a plan may be too severe 
 for most places, but the same plan can be carried out 1)y 
 putting the number of the contributor in place of the 
 name, although this may not be quite so effective. It 
 could be published in the church bulletin, or in a circu- 
 lar letter for distribution something after the form of the 
 f ollowinf2' : 
 
In ChurcJi Finances 49 
 
 Quarterly Financial Statement. 
 
 Quarter Endiii::^- 
 
 Amount due on pledi^es Sunday 
 
 No. 1 Amount due $0.50 
 
 No. 2 
 
 No. 3 5.00 
 
 No. 4 Overpaid 1.00 
 
 No. 5 i\mount due 10 
 
 No. 6 
 
 No. 7 55 
 
 The vestibule plan in a modified form was used quite 
 successfully in a church in Peru, Indiana, where the 
 pastor had prepared a chart with places to correspond to 
 the number of members in the church, and opposite each 
 number were fifty-two squares where a star was placed 
 indicatinc^ that the offering had been made for that Sun- 
 day by the individual represented by the number in the 
 first column. This readily shows how many are contrib- 
 utincf, also indicating to the individual bearing that num- 
 ber wh.ethcr his con'ri])utions are up to date. 
 
I 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 HOW IT WORKS WHEN WORKED 
 
 T may be difficult to outline a plan and give sugges- 
 tions that will meet the conditions that exist in every 
 locality. 1 here must be some plan and the one suggested 
 in some modified form will meet the requirements of anv 
 local church. 
 
 The purpose of this chapter is to give a glimpse of how 
 others see it, and the experiences of pastors from various 
 parts of the church, and the conditions of charges where 
 this system has been worked. 
 
 As Presiding Elders See it. 
 
 Rev. W. E. Snyder, Cory don, Indiana: 
 
 I used the weekly system the last two years of my 
 pastoral ^work and found it very successful. It took time 
 to get it started, but it would be harder for the church 
 now to go back to the old way. The new is scriptural, 
 dignified, and businesslike. It is the thing and should be 
 everlastingly insisted upon, though people generally will 
 have to grow up to it. 
 
 A. C. Siddell, Superintendent of Sandusky Conference, 
 
 Find! ay, Ohio: 
 
 Hicksville Circuit paid their pastor $300 and a par- 
 sonage. This year they paid their pastor $600 and a 
 parsonace, an^l I am informed that they paid the $600 
 
 50 
 
1)1 Church Finances 51 
 
 easier than the $300, because the}- adopted better methods. 
 Our ministers will receive almost $6,000 more this year 
 than last. 
 
 C. W. Kurtz, Snpcrinicndcnt of Miami Conference, 
 
 Day I on, Ohio: 
 
 My observation is that wherever the budget system is 
 used and worked, and weekly offerings are made unto 
 the Lord for all the interests of the church, the people 
 have a broader view of the church work, more money 
 can be secured, and a larger number of people can meet 
 their obligations promptly and easier than any other way. 
 
 Rev. J. A. F. King, Presiding Elder of Northern Illinois 
 
 Conference: 
 
 There is no method that has proved successful under 
 my observation save the Bible plan of tithing. That has 
 proved successful in every instance where it has been 
 practiced. 
 
 Doctor ll\uJiinger, Presidijig Elder of Pennsyhania 
 
 Conference: 
 
 The fields of labor reporting deficiencies of salaries, 
 conference assessments, benevolences, and those which 
 -find it difficult to keep up with the procession, are those 
 which have little or no system, or fail to perfect the sys- 
 tematic way of giving. I have observed that pastors who 
 urge their people to give for Christ's sake, and who 
 emphasize his rightful authority over the purses as well 
 as the hearts of the people, make good each year. The 
 divine rule intensely and strenuously practiced, as well 
 as the time and measure of giving, will prove the panacea 
 
52 The Better Way 
 
 for all our financial ills. I have learned in these years 
 that the divine plan for doing anything is infinitely the 
 best and safest plan for any church. 
 
 How It Worked Where Tried by Pastors. 
 
 Rev. M. K. Ricliardson, Second Cluirch, Indianapolis, 
 
 Indiana: 
 
 This small mission church last year gave their pastor 
 $212. In September I came, and at once introduced the 
 weekly system of giving. This year I am trying the 
 budget system on pastor's salary, presiding elder's salary, 
 and local expenses. I have had to make a house-to-house 
 canvass. Thus far eighteen members are giving, but some 
 of them only give to the pastor's salary. But on the 
 whole the system is working, for in four months they 
 liave paid me more money than they paid in twelve 
 months last year. I shall change the budget this fall and 
 include everything but the new church proposition. I 
 shall preach on each proposition separately. It is my 
 plan to put the envelopes in every home, and if any one 
 is absent for four Sundays, have a steward call on him 
 and get the money. 
 
 Rev. I. IV. Oiven, Baltimore, Maryland, writes: 
 
 We use the duplex system — budget and envelopes. In 
 one we put all the current expenses of the church ; in the 
 other, benevolences, including all free-will ofiferings, and 
 conference assessments. We make an estimate at the 
 beginning of the year as to how much we ought to give 
 to each interest. This is the second year the system has 
 
In ChurcJi finances 53 
 
 been used and it works like a charm. Last year was the 
 first the pastor received his salary in full before going to 
 conference, and left a balance in the treasury. This year 
 my salary is paid in full and in advance for the first five 
 months of the conference year. Last year we had some 
 who did not fall in line ; this year there are no kickers. 
 Some are giving under this system who gave nothing 
 before, and the results show that some are certainly giv- 
 ing more. 
 
 Rev. H. M. Miller, Pennbrook, Pcnnsyhania, zvrites: 
 
 We use the budget system and include everything and 
 find that it works very well. My people like it and are 
 raising more than twice as much money as previously. 
 They say they know now that when the pastor comes 
 to see them he is not coming for money. All our finances 
 are up to date. I introduced it by first presenting it to 
 the official board, and after they adopted it I presented 
 it to the congregation. We made up a budget and made 
 an estimate of how much each one was expected to pay, 
 and a committee saw^ every member. The stewards fol- 
 lowed up the work. We use the monthly system of giv- 
 ing, but next year we expect to adopt the weekly system. 
 
 Rev. G. W. Bonehrake, Danville, Illinois, has a broad con- 
 ception of this plan after two years' trial. He says : 
 We have two budgets. L All incidental expenses, 
 pastor's and presiding elder's salaries. 2. Missions. It 
 stimulates church finances on a religious basis. I think 
 one budget the ideal way, but we have not reached that 
 vet. We have worked it two \cars and it works like a 
 
54 The Better Way 
 
 charm. I took the matter up with my official board. We 
 prayed over it, and they were glad to adopt it. Our 
 stewards meet bi-monthly and look after the delinquents. 
 Our finances are better than they have ever been. The 
 people give more and a better spirit prevails. 
 
 Rev. M. O. McLaughlin, Omaha, Nebraska: 
 
 We include everything in the budget. All home claims 
 as home missions and all foreign claims as foreign mis- 
 sions. We have used this system since the organization 
 of the church May 24, 1908. It works well. Ours is a 
 mission church and we adopted it from the beginning. I 
 know of no other way to accomplish this purpose than to 
 educate and urge God's plan. A lady who knows the 
 inside workings of one of the largest churches in Omaha 
 said, when I told her how much our people contributed, 
 that there was not a member in their church who gave 
 as much. 
 
 Rev. R. R. Rhodes, IVornileysburg, Pennslyvania: 
 
 We use the budget system because of the splendid 
 results. We have used this system two years and it 
 works splendidly. We introduced it by a unanimous 
 adoption of the official board. We followed up the work 
 by regularly appointed stewards and a lively general 
 steward who follows up delinquents. Nearly all have 
 increased their contributions, and their gifts exceed 
 those of others of like financial circumstances. 
 
 Rev. G. W. Hamilton, Rosezvood, Ohio: 
 
 We have used the budget system for local interests for 
 about five vears, and for conference assessments about 
 
/// ChurcJi Finances 55 
 
 twenty-one years. It is by far the best plan 1 have 
 found. I introduced it through the official board and 
 then followed up the work by earnest personal efifort. 
 Those who use this system give more than formerly, and 
 they always give more than others of similar financial 
 circumstances. 
 
 Rcz'. L. l'\ Sanderson, Russell, Kansas: 
 
 I introduced the system first by preaching on Chris- 
 tian Stewardship, and God blessed us in this service. 
 Then our finance committee estimated the expense of our 
 church for the year and apportioned the amount among 
 the members. We printed a finance committee apportion- 
 ment-sheet explaining the plan, and giving the list of 
 names and the amount of apportionment to each. On 
 the day we distributed these lists we gave the people 
 time to read them over, and turned the meeting into a 
 round-table service, and it resulted in one of the best and 
 most enthusiastic services of the year. Not a dissenting 
 voice was raised, and many, many good words were spo- 
 ken. We follow this work up by a com])lete financial 
 statement once a quarter or as often as the board sees fit. 
 
 Rez'. W. Z. Roberts, Rnssell, Kaiisas: 
 
 We have used this system for one and one-half \ears 
 and it works splendidly. All the running expenses of the 
 church, including pastor's salary, presiding- cider's salary, 
 janitor's salarv, etc.. have been met in full to date, and 
 last ^Fonday nioht the treasurer reported $147.50 remain- 
 ing in the treasur\-. The system was introduced through 
 the official hoard, tlie board adopting it. Then we sent 
 
56 The Better Way 
 
 ■ out solicitors who secured pledges from members and 
 friends of the church, to be paid weekly, and placed in 
 each home where pledges were secured, fifty-two envel- 
 opes, one for each Sunday in the year. Some pay more 
 than formerly, and some who paid nothing are paying 
 ten and fifteen cents per week. Only a few have declined 
 to pay weekly, and those who pay quarterly are not pay- 
 ing as much according to their ability as those paying 
 weekly. 
 
 Rev. H. L. Snyder, Chaiiute, Kansas: 
 
 We include in the budget all current expenses, pastor's 
 and presiding elder's salary, and chart assessments. We 
 raise church erection and missionary money by free-will 
 offerings. Missions are provide^l for through the Sun- 
 day-school offering sometime during the year, and church 
 erection through an Easter oft'ering of the Sunday school 
 and a special offering after an address on the subject. 
 This is the second year w^e have used the budget system. 
 
 Rez'. IV. L. Perkins, Casey, Illinois, uses this system in 
 his Sunday school. He says : "We have two budgets — 
 one for all local expenses and one for benevolences. We 
 have worked the first budget three years and the other 
 only this year. They are both successful and educational. 
 They work well considering the time in vogue. I intro- 
 duced it first to the official board, then to the church, and 
 then to the Sunday school. T followed up th^ work by 
 personal solicitation of those not giving systematically. 
 Those using this system give more than formerly and at 
 lea^t rlouble the amount that others i^^ive. 
 
/// Church Finances 57 
 
 Sr.niniing up tlic results : 
 
 I'^vcry menilxr of the church is made a voluntary con- 
 irihutor. 
 
 It equalizes the financial burdens of the church. 
 
 It increases the general interest in the church and cre- 
 ates a sense of participation in church affairs, and co- 
 operation. 
 
 It serves to keep an exact record of the member's 
 financial standing with the church ; if for any cause he 
 should be absent from the service on a Sabbath the fact 
 is indicated by the date on his envelope, and tw^o 
 enclosures of the pledge amount is made on the next 
 Sunday. 
 
 In those families where there are several children, it 
 increases the family contribution by about one-half and 
 cases the burden because of the additional effort of the 
 }-oun'T:er members of the household to do their part. In 
 one instance a girl of only nine years, and the youngest of 
 a large family of children who had been received into 
 the church, pledged five cents a week and paid it faith- 
 fully, too, out of her own earnings during the week, and 
 gloried in doing it. 
 
 It reaches families who are accustomed to paying 
 nothing at all. In one instance a mother and two chil- 
 dren pledged five cents each per week, and paid it with 
 a relish, and thus nearly eight dollars a year was secured 
 from a family who formerly gave nothing. 
 
 It cultivates the habit of giving and a feeling of re- 
 sponsibility in the young and in all new converts. 
 
 It increases the attendance at the church services, 
 
58 The Better Way 
 
 l^romotes good feeling, relieves the church of financial 
 embarrassment, and opens the way to a larger and more 
 spiritual work. 
 
 Of course there will be delinquents, but they must be 
 promptly looked after at the end of each month. It is 
 not the exact form of this plan which works well, or any 
 other particular plan that we insist upon ; but the system, 
 whatever it is, shall include and enforce the responsibility 
 of every individual member of the church, whatever his 
 age or station, to bear his proportionate share in the 
 support of the church and God's cause. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HINTS TO STEWARDS AND SOLICITORS 
 
 THE success of any financial system depends very 
 largely on the persons who have the work in 
 charge. The success of the one recommended by General 
 Conference will depend very largely on the work of the 
 stewards and solicitors. 
 
 Enthusiasm. 
 
 The work should be taken hold of enthusiastically. If 
 it is handled carelessh^ and indifferently by those to 
 whom it is committed, it goes without saying that those 
 on whom they depend for the support of the policy will 
 be indifferent. 
 
 Enlisting the Congregation. 
 
 One of the most essential elements to success in the 
 financial management of a congregation is the enlisting 
 of the congregation. If the church is to perform her full 
 duty in this particular, the entire body must be enlisted. 
 Every member should be made to feel that when he 
 entered the church he obligated himself to assist in bear- 
 ing the financial burden of the congregption. He prom- 
 ised, or pledged himself to God and the church, that he 
 would contribute to the support of the church as God 
 had prospered him. It will be necessary occasionally to 
 remind the membership of this covenant, and then show 
 
 59 
 
60 The Better Way 
 
 thcni how tlie\- may be able to meet their obHgations. 
 I'liere may be an occasional church which can succeed 
 without the entire membership being enlisted — a rich 
 member or two may pay most of the bills, but such a 
 ])olicy is very detrimental. The most successful church 
 in every way is the cooperative church — that is, the church 
 whose work is promoted by the small but regular gifts of 
 the greater number of its members. 
 
 This is Fundamental 
 
 The enlisting of the membership of a church in her 
 financi ;1 responsibilities is fundamental to the best inter- 
 ests of her work. The congregation should have their 
 responsibility made very plain to them, and be made to 
 realize that the prosperity of the church, spiritually and 
 financially, is waiting upon a more thorough and exten- 
 sive cooperation of every member in the financial system 
 which God has ordered in his Word. It should be plainly 
 shown that an ordinary congregation can easily support 
 the interests of the church by a hearty cooperation and 
 adoption of the New Testament system of giving. They 
 should be shown that this orderly system gets more 
 money and gets it easier, gets more people to give and 
 gets them easier, as well as brings greater blessing to 
 the giver and the cause given to, than any other method. 
 The church must be awakened to the fact that this sys- 
 tem is the only method by which we can hope adequately 
 to finance the church of Jesus Christ and carry forward 
 her work of giving tlie Gos])el to all the world. 
 
In ChurcJi Finances 61 
 
 Thorough Training. 
 
 I am persuaded that to enlist the congregation it will 
 be necessary to give a thorough course of teaching in tlie 
 fundamental principles of Christian stewardship. The 
 masses of our church members have not been awakened 
 to the fact that God is the absolute owner of everything, 
 and that they are but stewards, and that what they hold 
 is but a trust for which they will have to render an 
 account. They do not appreciate the responsibility rest- 
 ing upon them in this particular. They must be led to 
 see this before the true principle and system of giving 
 will grip them. The pastor will be responsible, tactfully 
 and lovingly, to give the needed information by preach- 
 ing on subjects that will lead to the awakening of the 
 church in this particular. Such subjects as "Love's Debt 
 to God," 'The Elements of a Growing Church," 'The 
 Grace of Giving," "Divine Ownership," and kindred 
 subjects. 
 
 Church Aroused. 
 
 A certain church was aroused by a thorough campaign 
 of education; this church advanced from $125 to $1,000 
 for benevolences with fine increase for current expenses. 
 This campaign, covering a period of six months, included 
 two sermons on giving (one by a neighboring minister), 
 a sermon on the financial support of the church, five ser- 
 mons and addresses on missions by visiting missionaries 
 and others, a "Church Official Day" (the climax), when 
 six officers used the morning service with well-thought- 
 
62 The Better Way 
 
 out talks. Also, the new plan was discussed in several 
 meetings of the official board, printed matter was dis- 
 tributed, and follow-up letters were sent to every 
 member. 
 
 There is no better way of awakening interest and 
 enlisting the church in her financial obligation than by 
 bringing to the membership intelligent, workable plans 
 for carrying forward this interest. The one system that 
 has proven most successful is that of the weekly offering 
 of every member both for current expenses and for gen- 
 eral benevolences. It has been an agreeable surprise to 
 many who are working this system, how the church re- 
 sponds and rallies to the call of her leaders. The results 
 that have been obtained in other churches can be realized 
 in yours, if you desire to introduce a workable plan. 
 
 A pastor says : '*We enlisted our people by showing: 
 them what they could do. We have a church of two 
 hundred members, and we enlisted one hundred and 
 twenty-five, who gave as follows : 
 
 5 members gave $1.00 per week or $260.00 per year. 
 20 members gave .50 per week or 520.00 per year. 
 25 members gave .25 per week or 325.00 per year. 
 20 members gave . 1 5 per week or 1 56 . 00 per year. 
 30 members gave .10 per week or 156.00 per year. 
 25 members gave .05 per week or 65.00 per year. 
 
 Thus 125 members gave annually $1,482.00 
 
 The Solicitors. 
 
 The solicitor should have a conscience in this matter, 
 anrl as it ^r\\^s him he will see it taking hold of those he 
 
In Church Finances 63 
 
 is to lead, and upon whose cooperation he must depend 
 for the success of the plan. The solicitors should not 
 complain or scold if the members do not do what they 
 think they should; take time to show them the privilege 
 of their partnership with God in the great task of world 
 winning. Hold up lofty ideals and deal gently with the 
 careless and indifferent. Never go whining among the 
 people about the apportionment from the various boards 
 being too high, or the current expenses being too heavy. 
 If any adjusting in this line is needed, do it at your board 
 meeting. 
 
 Secure a Pledge. 
 
 It is of greater importance to the success of the plan 
 than one may at first think, to have every member 
 indicate in advance by a distinct pledge or statement of 
 purpose, what he is willing to do toward bearing the 
 financial burden of the church. To accomplish this, 
 much will depend on the solicitors. We will venture a 
 few suggestions that may be of some help to those who 
 have this work to do. 
 
 Solicitors should pledge themselves. Do not ask others 
 to do so until you have set the example. One of the 
 largest collections mentioned in the Scriptures is spoken 
 of in I. Chronicles, twenty-ninth chapter. In this we get 
 the order of giving and the result of proper leadership. 
 
 In the solicitation no one should be omitted, active or 
 inactive, resident or non-resident, child or adult. An 
 effort should be made to have families divide their offer- 
 ings, something being subscribed in the name of each 
 
64 The Better Way 
 
 individual. The moral effect will be most hclpfnl, 1:>e the 
 offering ever so small. 
 
 The solicitor should state to every member on his list 
 the total amount per week required to meet the expenses 
 of the church. He should first seek to have each person 
 pledge an amount that he thinks would be an equitable 
 share to pay week by week. If the amount suggested is 
 such that the solicitor feels it would not be a proper 
 share, he should state at this time what, in the judgment 
 of the finance committee, would be a reasonable an.iount, 
 and seek to have them assume the same. When appor- 
 tionments are made, the committee should, use care and 
 tact when the apportioning to each individual is done; 
 they should seek for all the necessary information, always 
 taking into account the income, circumstances, and the 
 general financial ability of the family or individual. 
 
 The most successful way of securing pledges is by 
 personal visitation by tactful, consecrated solicitors. 
 Many people do not take kindly to solicitations sent 
 through the mail. This is especially true in country dis- 
 tricts where people are on very familiar terms with one 
 another. 
 
 The personal solicitation plan is preferable because 
 when objections or questions arise they can be more 
 easily met and answered. This may seem like a very 
 great task in a large church, but the labor can be divided 
 and systematized so that it will not become a burden to 
 the workers. 
 
 Division of Labor. 
 Great care should be exercised in dividing up the 
 membership among the solicitors that the best results 
 
In Church Finances 65 
 
 may be obtained. There are several plans that might be 
 successfully followed. One is to divide the church geo- 
 graphically ; another is to divide the membership alpha- 
 betically; and still another is to have the solicitor choose 
 from among the names those from whom he is likely to 
 secure the best results. 
 
 Meeting Objections to Pledging. 
 
 The question of pledging with many conscientious 
 Christians becomes a serious one. Some are thought- 
 fully considering whether it is right for Christians to 
 make pledges in advance of their gifts, even for the sup- 
 port of the church and the cause of missions. Many 
 contend that they should give only of that which they 
 actually have, and in no way make provision for this in 
 their planning and getting. 
 
 Have we any scriptural authority for our pledge sys- 
 tem ? It seems to me to be clear, from Paul's instruction 
 to the Corinthians in his chapter on giving, that such 
 principles and plans were arranged for. "And herein I 
 give mv judgment; for this is expedient for you, who 
 were first to make a beginning a year ago, not only to 
 do, but also to will." (TI. Corinthians 8: 10.) It is evi- 
 dent that these believers had made arrangements for their 
 giving in advance. Here the apostle shows that a pledge 
 had been taken ; now he is exhorting them that they per- 
 form the doing of that wliich they were willing to under- 
 take. Also, in II. Corinthians 9: 5, he teaches us that he 
 "thought it necessary that he exhort the brethren that 
 they would go before unto you and make up the bounty 
 whereof you have had notice before," or as the margin 
 
66 The Better Way 
 
 expresses it, "which has been so much spoken of before." 
 It is evident from these Scriptures that there had been 
 much planning and preparation for these offerings in 
 advance. It is seen that some eminent brother had gone 
 before to lay the matter upon their hearts and make full 
 preparation for the offering. They had purposed for a 
 whole year to make this offering, and now he calls them 
 to make good their purpose. 
 
 The purpose of the pledge system is to lay upon the 
 hearts and consciences of the people the needs and claims 
 of Christ, and then have every disciple plan his getting and 
 expenditures so that he will have an equitable share in the 
 work of the kingdom. By obligating oneself in advance it 
 will help us to keep ever before us in our business and labor 
 that Christ is a sharer. It will give proper incentive to our 
 entire business life. It will help to make our daily call- 
 ing one of sacredness. It will cause that more prayer 
 and holy thoughtfulness be given to the secular 
 affairs of life. I think that such a motive and purpose 
 will lift our daily vocation from common drudgery and 
 make it a calling of such sacredness as no language 
 can express. Our business will no longer be a selfish 
 struggle for existence, but a holy partnership with God 
 for the advancement of the kingdom and the spread of 
 the Gospel. I am sure with such a pledge before us, we 
 can pray more definitely *and with greater assurance for 
 God's blessing on our investments and business. 
 
 Paying Pledges. 
 
 We are reminded in these scriptures that the obligation 
 of paying these pledges is just as sacred as making them. 
 
In Church Finances 67 
 
 The apostle says, ''Now, therefore, perform the doing of 
 it, that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be 
 a performance also out of that which we have." In this 
 teaching the apostle has the most considerate tenderness 
 for those who have been unable to fulfill their well-meant 
 pledges. He saved all those who did their best, from 
 humiliation, by showing that God does not press us for 
 that w^hich we are unable to do, and as our offerings are 
 to be made unto him, he is the one we are to consider in 
 the entire transaction. The apostle clearly declares that 
 "If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according 
 to that which a man hath, and next according to that 
 which he hath not." While this indicates that God 
 accepts the will for the deed, it must be clearly under- 
 stood that it was meant for those who failed to fulfill 
 their well-meant pledges because of inability. Many who 
 pledge to-day wholly disregard such an obligation. Many 
 of those who fail to regard their obligations are living 
 luxurious lives — extravagant in home, dress, and living. 
 The apostle gave no comfort to those of this class who 
 fail, but his words of condemnation are severe. It is 
 possible to bring upon ourselves and the church the curse 
 of God because of this sinful disregard of the obligations 
 of the church of our Lord. 
 
CHAPTER VIL 
 THE RURAL CHURCH 
 
 THE problem of finances in the rural church is in 
 some particulars different from that of the city or 
 large town, where the greater part of the membership 
 have a fixed regular income. The prosperity of the 
 country church is of such importance to us as a denom- 
 ination as to demand special attention. We owe much 
 to the little church on the hill where the Holy Spirit 
 touched the hearts of many of those of the past and 
 present who have made our denomination what it is. 
 These churches have in their membership and community 
 young lives w^ho will be as valuable to the future life of 
 the denomination as were those of the past. 
 
 There are facts and conditions that the people of the 
 rural church must face, and among them the most seri- 
 ous, possibly, is that the offerings to the Lord through 
 these churches have not kept pace with their increase of 
 wealth. Many are giving but little more to-day than 
 they did years ago when their financial resources were 
 stringent. The primary reason for this is lack of edu- 
 cation along lines of aggressive church life. 
 
 The want of an adequate system of finance has much 
 to do with the condition of many of these struggling 
 churches. Many are using the same financial plans their 
 grandfathers used. The voluntary quarterly or annual pay- 
 ment plan may have been all that was needed in that day 
 
 68 
 
In Church Finances 69 
 
 when the majority of preachers turned aside during the 
 week to the farm or some other secular pursuit. The 
 preachers of that type are not satisfactory to the 
 majority of these churches to-day. The average country 
 church has among her membership as large a per cent, 
 of young people who have graduated from the high 
 schools or colleges as the city church. They demand a 
 trained ministry. To have ministers of this kind in the 
 rural churches is impossible unless they are properly 
 remunerated. 
 
 The Remedy. 
 
 The people of these churches must adjust their finan- 
 cial methods to meet the demands of the times. It is just 
 as necessary for the rural church to adopt system and 
 meet the changing situation as it is for the city church. 
 The church of the city could not survive if the same 
 financial plans w^ere follow^ed that are used in most of 
 the rural churches. 
 
 Many in our rural churches think that the system 
 recommended by the General Conference is not adaptable 
 and cannot be operated in the country church. To admit 
 this would be to admit that the teachings of the New 
 Testament cannot be adapted to the rural church. The 
 plan advocated is based on I. Corinthians 16: 1, 2, which 
 is a restating of the Old Testament plan. (Deuteronomy 
 16: 16, 17.) From the very beginning the worshiper was 
 taught to brhig his offering to the place of worship when 
 he approached God. Jesus himself practiced and en- 
 dorsed this same principle. The use of the envelope is 
 
70 The Better Way 
 
 an adjunct, merely to make the system practicable in 
 our present order of worship. 
 
 As an example, consider a country charge of three 
 appointments having an aggregate membership of two 
 hundred and eighty. The charge has agreed to pay the 
 pastor a salary of $800. The salary is apportioned 
 according to the strength of the different churches. The 
 charge is also to raise $240 for benevolences, includin;^ 
 ten cents per member for church extension. The churches 
 vary in numerical strength and ability. Deal first with 
 the stronger church of, say, one hundred and forty mem- 
 bers. This class has to meet $500 of the pastor's salary, 
 at least $150 of the benevolences; to this must be added 
 perhaps $130 for the current expenses, which makes 
 their entire budget $780. This should be provided for at 
 the beginning of the conference year by taking pledges 
 from every member of the class, in so far as possible, on 
 the weekly basis, using the following card : 
 
 AS A PERSONAL OFP^'ERING TO THE LORD 
 
 — and — 
 
 FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH 
 
 I promise to pay weekly 
 
 To the current expense budget $ 
 
 To missions 
 
 Name 
 
 Address 
 
 No Date 
 
In Church Finances 71 
 
 Assume that twenty- four persons cannot be reached for 
 any sum. In any ordinary church it should be reasonably 
 expected that 
 1 person would contribute $1.00 a week or $ 52.00aycar 
 5 persons would contribute .50 a week or 130.00 a year 
 30 persons would contribute .25 a week or 390.00 a year 
 40 persons would contribute .10 a week or 208.00ayear 
 30 persons would contribute .05 a week or 78.00 a year 
 10 persons would contribute .02 a week or 10.40ayear 
 
 Total $868.40 
 
 This would give a surplus of $88. This done, provide 
 each member with a package of fifty-two envelopes, 
 numbered and dated. (See sample, page 29.) 
 
 The missionary and benevolent interests should be 
 provided for by an every-member canvass, securing a 
 pledge on the weekly basis — payable weekly, monthly, or 
 quarterly. Use the envelope indicated above, having it 
 duplex, either of the two-pocket variety, or printed on 
 the front like the sample: one side for the current ex- 
 pense budget, and the other for missions. If the officials 
 of the church decide that it is better to accept some 
 standard suggested by the Mission Boards as their mis- 
 sionary obligation, this should be included in the budget. 
 Suppose the minimum standard was adopted : The 
 amount for home missions would be $35 ; the amount for 
 foreign missions, $70, making the total budget $885. In 
 the event of adopting this policy, be sure to have the 
 pledges cover the entire amount. Have the treasurer 
 instructed to divide the offerings on the proportionate 
 
72 The Better Way 
 
 basis. You will see that the figures above provide for 
 this standard. 
 
 To have this system succeed, a quarterly statement 
 should be placed in the hands of every member at the 
 end of each quarter. (See Form of Statement, page 45.) 
 If members will pay nothing, make out this statement 
 indicating the fact. All members should be treated alike. 
 These statements can be delivered either through the 
 mail or in person. 
 
 Then the weaker churches must be dealt with on the 
 same basis. The making of the offering may be a little 
 more difficult, inasmuch as these churches have a service 
 only every two weeks. In this event the same envelopes 
 may be used, giving Brother Jones, of Zion Class, the 
 envelopes from package number one, that are numbered 
 and dated for the Sundays on which services will be held 
 in Zion Church; and to Brother Brown, of Beulah Class, 
 the envelopes from this same package that are numbered 
 and dated for the Sundays on which services are to be 
 held in Beulah Church ; or you can secure packages of 
 twenty-six numbered envelopes, with the space for the 
 date left blank. This system can be worked if some one 
 will get it on his heart and take the trouble to work it. 
 The results will revolutionize your church. 
 
 How IT Works Where Introduced. 
 
 This system is practical and can be introduced and 
 worked in a country church. Like aerial navigation, it 
 is no longer a mere possibility — it is being done. The fol- 
 lowing statement from Roy Nelson, the steward of Lib- 
 
In Church Finances 73 
 
 erty Class Battle Ground Charge St. Joseph Conference, 
 fully confirms this statement. He says : "The finances of 
 our church were in a very unsatisfactory state, and we 
 were unable to meet the demands of our class. We had 
 seventy-two members, only two of whom were land-own- 
 ers. After much prayer and many words of encourage- 
 ment from my pastor, I decided that I would make a can- 
 vass of the membership of our church myself, and secure 
 a pledge to cover our pastor's salary, local expenses, and 
 presiding elder's salary. [This year, 1910, they have put 
 in their conference assessments.] It required a great deal 
 of hard work the first year, but it resulted in securing 
 fifty-seven weekly pledges out of the seventy-two, as fol- 
 lows : One person gave two dollars per week, five gave 
 seventy cents, two gave forty cents, six gave thirty cents, 
 five gave twenty-five cents, three gave twenty cents, 
 twenty-three gave ten cents, five gave five cents, two gave 
 four cents, one gave eight cents, and five gave two cents. 
 The Ladies' Aid Society subscribed $100, and the Sunday 
 school made a pledge of $52, making the total offering 
 for this first year, $815.62. The church paid this easier 
 than they paid $250 the previous year. It gave new life 
 to every department, of the work. The average attend- 
 ance of the Sunday school increased from forty to eighty- 
 five, and the oft'erings from forty or fifty cents to from 
 $1.50 to $5 a Sunday." 
 
 Rev. L. O. Blake, pastor of a village church at Dale- 
 ville, Indiana, gives a striking example of what the 
 system recommended will do when properly introduced 
 and worked. Pie says : ''This charge formerly used the 
 
74 The Better Way 
 
 quarterly and annual payment plan and raised for all 
 purposes $350 per year. Under this system we now raise 
 $1,200. My people like it and those who use it give 
 double and some of them sextuple the amount they 
 formerly gave, and do it more cheerfully and easier. 
 Nearly all give more than under the old system. We use 
 the dated, numbered envelopes for our local budget 
 which includes pastor's salary, local expenses, and all 
 conference assessments, except home and foreign mis- 
 sions." 
 
 "This system was introduced by telling and demon- 
 strating to the official board how it worked elsewhere, 
 also showing that it is scriptural and feasible. We then 
 secured a pledge on the weekly basis from as large a 
 number of the membership as it was possible. All were 
 furnished with a carton of envelopes of the kind indi- 
 cated. This system has been in use now for nine months 
 and it works finely." 
 
 Rev. L. T. Taylor, Chisney, Indiana, pastor of a cir- 
 cuit, says : 'T use the budget system in all my churches. 
 In two of them expenses for the year along all lines of 
 work are included. In this we are having success — money 
 is easy to raise. At the other churches we include only 
 conference assessments in the budget. I have used this 
 system since last conference and have never had more 
 success in raising conference money than I am having 
 now. Next year I will introduce the system at once. I 
 will total all expenses and use the expense card. This 
 plan is meeting with success on my charge ; one church 
 has paid the salary in advance and all are in good shape." 
 
In Church Finances 75 
 
 I think that we need not hesitate to introduce this sys- 
 tem in these locaHties, for financing the church according 
 to the New Testament method is not a matter of loca- 
 tion. The scriptural method of church financing and 
 giving is just as binding on the farmer or individual with 
 an irregular income as it is on the individual with the 
 fixed regular income. It may be that the amount to be 
 laid aside for the Lord week by week will not, or cannot 
 be, measured by the same regularity as the one who has 
 a stated income, but his giving can be just as regular. 
 
 Giving is not to be governed by location, but every one 
 is to give as the Lord prospers him. It is an individual 
 matter based on the individual's income. There may be 
 more difficulties to overcome by some individuals or 
 classes than others, but the demand of the Scriptures 
 remains the same. 
 
 The present method in most of the rural churches has 
 much to condemn it, other than the fact that it is not 
 warranted by Scripture. Children and young people are 
 neglected; their training in the grace of giving is 
 entirely overlooked. Our fathers and church leaders in 
 the past failed in this particular, and now we are reap- 
 ing the results. Many churches are committing the 
 same blunder to-day. Unless the habit of Christian 
 beneficence is developed in early life, it will be almost 
 impossible to develop it when old. A distinguished 
 capitalist in New York City said, "Do not expect much 
 benevolence from a man after he has become a million- 
 aire." The love of money becomes such a passion as 
 one accumulates, that, unless he has formed the habit of 
 
76 The Better Way 
 
 giving in earlier life, it shrivels all benevolent impulses. 
 I personally know of a man who became very rich; he 
 had the habit of accumulating, but not of giving. On 
 one occasion he listened to a pitiful story of suffering 
 and destitution until he was moved to tears, and when 
 the offering was taken he put two cents in the fund, 
 when he might have given ten or one hundred dollars 
 and suffered no hardship or self-denial by such a gift. 
 Most of the large givers started in life in poor circum- 
 stances. They made their own money and always kept 
 up the practice of giving. Others have inherited their 
 wealth but not the spirit of beneficence. This spirit is 
 probably no more characteristic of the rural church- 
 member than of others, but observation has shown it to 
 be one of the difficulties in the rural church. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 THE BENEVOLENCES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 OXE of the niost perplexing problems that many of 
 our churches have to deal with is, providing 
 for the benevolences of the denomination. I do not 
 think that failure in this is due so much to lack of in- 
 terest on the part of the pastor and people, as to lack of 
 information. In the Congregational body only eighteen 
 per cent, of the churches in the entire country gave to 
 all six of their benevolent societies. The failure with 
 them as with us is due largely to the system, and the 
 lack of information needed to create interest. It is evi- 
 dent that adequately to finance the different boards we 
 dare not depend on the fervent and frequent appeals to 
 the congregation. 
 
 Wrong System. 
 
 This system is inadequate and detrimental. It has 
 been worked until many complain that they cannot 
 afford to go to church because of the constant begging 
 there. This plan has brought forth a general protest 
 from pulpit and pew against the numerous collections 
 that are crowded into our services. There are no 
 criticisms as to the need or the worthiness of the cause. 
 The faithful see that they are worthy and find it hard 
 to refuse, but they are becoming a deplorable burden. 
 These frequent appeals cause antagonism that is detri- 
 
 77 
 
7^ The Better Way 
 
 mental to the best financial interests of the church. 
 Recently a lady was heard to say, ''A person cannot 
 turn around in our church without being asked for 
 money." This was not provoked from any desire to 
 avoid giving, but was the result of a method. In many 
 churches a free rein is given to every society. It is 
 common for solicitors to be placed in the vestibule of 
 the church to besiege people as they pass in and out, 
 and this possibly following a passionate appeal made 
 from the pulpit. All this leaves an unfortunate impres- 
 sion on the people in general. The effect on strangers, 
 especially if they happen to be poor, will be such that 
 they will steer clear of such a church. 
 
 This method is vexing many of the faithful, and militat- 
 ing against reaching and interesting the non-attendants, 
 for it is becoming an excuse for non-attendance at the 
 means of grace. It is a very common thing for pastors to 
 hear as an excuse for not attending church, 'T cannot af- 
 ford it." It is also failing to provide the necessary funds. 
 
 We are not contending that we have too many inter- 
 ests, or are called upon to give too much ; we should 
 and must give more to these great and worthy interests 
 of the church, but the haphazard way we have been 
 having for raising the funds is the fault. The interests 
 represented are too important to allow them to be pro- 
 vided for in such a careless, unsystematic manner. 
 
 If the people are carefully taught that Christianity 
 has a universal mission and is not limited by locality, it 
 will go a long way toward abating this custom which to 
 many is so trying. It must be remembered that this 
 
In Church Finances 79 
 
 method which is considered so obnoxious cannot, or will 
 not be abated, until the church in its system of finance 
 provides for its benevolences. 
 
 The plan that will succeed is that in which regular 
 and systematic emphasis is placed, in the pulpit and in 
 private, upon all the interests to be served. But in con- 
 nection there should be a system of collecting for these 
 interests that wnll bring in the money, and at the same 
 time relieve the preacher and the congregation of the 
 agony of a begging scene every Sunday or two. 
 
 Deal With the Individual. 
 
 The fault lies largely in the fact that w^e have in the 
 benevolent interests dealt with the church as a whole ; 
 we have thought only of a gift from the church to the 
 various boards. 
 
 To have the interests of the church developed to the 
 point that these interests demand for the extension 
 of the kingdom, there will have to be a radical 
 change in the raising of these funds. We will have to 
 follow the plans that have proven successful in other 
 lines — break up the masses and deal with the individual. 
 We will have to adopt such plans as will draw each 
 individual into living sympathy with these great inter- 
 ests. It is not sufficient that any church give liberally, 
 it must respond individually. Unless I give, I cannot 
 glory in wdiat my church does. 
 
 Organize the Benevolences. 
 
 It is of the utmost importance that every church 
 organize its benevolences. God demands it ; Paul plainly 
 
80 The Better Way 
 
 taught it, and I am sure that the various benevolent 
 societies need it. The people, when once they under- 
 stand it, will greatly enjoy it and increase their offerings. 
 The first thing to be done is to get a live committee 
 who will look after every interest of every board 
 supported by the benevolences of the church. This 
 committee should be constituted of the individuals rep- 
 resenting the various interests of thq church. It should 
 have as a member the general steward, together with 
 representatives of the various mission boards and educa- 
 tional societies. The size of the committee may vary 
 according to the size of the church. If this is done, the 
 various organizations will be able to do their work with- 
 out overlapping or confusion. Under this plan there 
 will be a correlation of the interests and the giving will 
 be done in a more systematic and adequate manner. To 
 reach the individual and obviate the public appeals and 
 the embarrassments growing therefrom, many pastors 
 and church officials have been grappling with this prob- 
 lem. Various plans have been thought out. The most 
 feasible and easily worked in the large, well-organized 
 church is found to be the 
 
 Single Budget. 
 
 In the working out of this plan the various interests 
 are considered by their proper representatives. Let the 
 missionary committee of the congregation meet with the 
 pastor and the finance committee and fix the amount to 
 be raised for missions by the congregation. Then let the 
 other benevolent interests that have been apportioned to 
 
In Church Finances 81 
 
 the church be discussed, and added to the amount for 
 missions, and this, with the current expenses of the con- 
 gregation, will form the budget for the year. For 
 example, suppose a local church is to raise for all pur- 
 poses, $2,300. The pastor's salary is $1,000; the pre- 
 siding elder's, $50; light, heat, music, janitor, insurance, 
 and all the current expenses, $450 — that would be $1,500 
 for all current expenses. For foreign missions, $300 ; 
 for home missions, $300 ; church erection, $30, and all 
 other conference assessments, $170 — total for benevo- 
 lences, $800 — or a budget of $2,300 to be raised by a 
 congregation of three hundred members. This would 
 mean but $45 per week, or an average of fifteen cents 
 per week for each member. This would be paid weekly 
 in an envelope recommended for this purpose in a pre- 
 vious chapter, the treasurer making a division each week 
 on the basis of 65 per cent, to the current expenses, and 
 35 per cent, to the benevolent fund. This can be easily 
 done in almost any church. It would be the tithe of a 
 weekly income of $450 from three hundred members. 
 
 There is much in favor of this system. By this plan 
 a definite sum is fixed and sought to be obtained for all 
 interests. These amounts are fixed by the pastor and a 
 most representative committee of the church, no doubt 
 having in its membership those who are most interested 
 in the various departments. The members of this com- 
 mittee will be in the closest possible touch with the various 
 boards and will make up estimates with the needs and ob- 
 jects of these interests before them. In this way the actu- 
 al need of each board will be most carefullv considered bv 
 
82 The Better Way 
 
 the committee and by them presented to the church. 
 This method goes about the matter very much as the 
 trustees of a college and the manager of a business con- 
 cern does in arranging for the annual expense. 
 
 Under this system, when once the full amount is 
 provided for, the congregation is immune from other 
 solicitations. It is only under extraordinary conditions 
 that any appeal may be made, and that by the consent 
 of the congregation. This does not mean that indi- 
 viduals of means and those interested are not to be 
 approached and solicited for any special help, but for 
 the regular benevolences no appeal or canvass is to be 
 made from the church. 
 
 A system of this kind will give to the pastor an oppor- 
 tunity to invite to his church missionaries whose hearts 
 are burning with a message, and who can present the 
 conditions from a viewpoint not possible from other 
 agencies. Secretaries and representatives of the various 
 benevolent boards will be heard quite differently when 
 the people understand that the address is not to be fol- 
 lowed by an appeal for money. A campaign of education 
 can be made more effective if it is not accompanied by a 
 direct appeal for aid for the societies it represents. 
 
 Another system, and one possibly more in keeping 
 with the condition of the majority of our churches, and 
 the policies of the boards, is the double budget plan ; that 
 is, the fixing of a budget of the current expenses of the 
 congregation, and adding to this the stated apportionment 
 of the church for the benevolences, exclusive of missions, 
 and possibly church erection. This budget is to be pro- 
 
In Church Finances 83 
 
 vicled for by the stewards or finance committee of the 
 local church in the manner previously recommended. The 
 interests of missions, home and foreign, are to be looked 
 after by the missionary committee of the church who 
 will visit every member and secure from all a weekly 
 pledge for missions to be divided as the donor may 
 indicate. A convenient card for this purpose will be 
 something after the following: 
 
 To enable our denomination adequately to provide 
 for the five millions abroad, and to develop the 
 church in the home land, and do our full share for 
 the Christianizing of America, I joyfully express my 
 
 purpose to contribute $ per week, to be divided 
 
 thus : $ for foreign missions, and $ 
 
 for home missions. 
 
 Name 
 
 Date 
 
 For operating this plan the following suggestions are 
 made : Give as before recommended to each contributor a 
 package of envelopes, numbered and dated. If the two- 
 pocket variety is adopted, place in one pocket the weekly 
 offering for current expenses and in the other the weekly 
 ofifering for missions. These envelopes are opened by 
 two members of the finance committee, one representing 
 the current expense budget, and the other a member of 
 the missionary committee, who will keep a record in a 
 
84 The Better Way 
 
 book arranged and provided for that purpose, and then 
 turn over to the church treasurer the entire amount. 
 Another envelope, and one which is recommended by 
 the commission, is the single pocket envelope with the 
 double budget indication printed on the face. (See 
 sample, page 29.) The wording and printing on the 
 face of the envelope can be suited to the local needs. 
 This envelope is preferable for two reasons: First, it 
 obviates the inconvenience of not having the right 
 change which the two-pocket envelope calls for; second, 
 they are much cheaper, costing but a trifle over half as 
 much as the other. 
 
 The advantage of the duplex system, that of making 
 your offerings week by week in the same envelope, will 
 keep constantly in the mind of the worshiper that the 
 obligation of the individual is to p/ovide for the services 
 of his own church, and at the same time to care for the 
 needs of the kingdom beyond his own parish. By plac- 
 ing these needs side by side every Sunday, it will at once 
 suggest that they are two sides of one problem, and 
 that they are mutually related and must be solved 
 together. 
 
 K third system and one that is strongly recommended 
 by the leaders in foreign missions is to divide the work 
 into three groups — local, home missions (in this embrac- 
 ing all the interests of the home field), and foreign 
 missions. It is recommended that a separate every-mem- 
 ber subscription campaign be made at a suitable season 
 of the year for the various interests. For the local 
 budget, the best and logical time is at the close of the 
 
In Church Finances 85 
 
 year, and if not dune then it slumld. witliout fail, be tlone 
 at the opening of the conference year. A logical time 
 for home missions would be at Thanksgiving time, and 
 for foreign missions at Easter. Should this method be 
 adopted, either the two-pocket, or the single-pocket 
 envelope with the duplex oiTering indicated can be used. 
 None of these systems will be elTective or bring the 
 desired results until they are properly worked. To 
 introduce any of these systems it will be necessary to 
 give to the church and especially to those to whom you 
 look for assistance in introducing the plan, a thorough 
 explanation. The system should be explained thoroughly 
 from the pulpit. Due importance should be given every 
 interest and the reasonableness of the demands of these 
 departments should be shown. It might be well to fix 
 a date at which time the canvass of the church is to be 
 made, the pastor introducing the work by a sermon in 
 which he should intelligently and enthusiastically present 
 the benevolent interests of the church. The canvass 
 should be made in an intelligent and enthusiastic manner, 
 having the canvassers to go in a company of at least 
 two. Some one has said that a single canvasser going 
 alone may get something, two going together will be 
 sure to get something, but three will get what they 
 want. 
 
 How A Church Succeeded. 
 
 One church introduced her benevolences by having 
 what they called ''Benevolent Sunday," at which time the 
 pastor preached a stirring sermon on the subject. The 
 
86 The Better Way 
 
 people were previously given information on the needs 
 and the plan. At this service the people v^ere called 
 upon to make pledges, and then the pledges were taken 
 up by the ushers and given to the pastor, wdio read the 
 amounts of each pledge from the pulpit (mentioning no 
 names), while a competent secretary kept the record. It 
 worked most admirably. Many pledges were added the 
 following Sunday. This w^as followed by a personal 
 solicitation of the membership who did not respond. 
 
 Whatever method may be adopted in introducing 
 this system, there should be no letting up until every 
 member is given an opportunity to assume his full share 
 of the benevolences of the church. When our church 
 will adopt some systematic business method of enlisting 
 individually the membership, the work of the church of 
 Jesus Christ will go forward in leaps and bounds. 
 
E 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 THE TITHE 
 
 VERY institution has some foundation for its exist- 
 ence, and in matters of religion especially it is 
 vital to recognize the fundamental principle. We can 
 feel quite sure that every law laid down touching the 
 moral and religious obligation of man is a moral 
 necessity. 
 
 If God has definitely set forth any institution in which 
 man is definitely obligated to his Maker, it can be no 
 less than a moral institution, resting on moral grounds, 
 and adapted for all ages to the moral ends for which it 
 was instituted, and cannot be abrogated without destroy- 
 ing the moral principles upon which it is based. Has the 
 tithe any such basis? 
 
 The Tithe has its Moral Grounds. 
 
 Man has an innate sense of indebtedness to deity. 
 This is a record of secular as well as sacred history ages 
 prior to the written law. Though sin had defaced the 
 moral image in man and rendered him indifferent to 
 many sacred principles, there has ever been a cry in the 
 soul of humanity, ''What shall I render unto God for all 
 his benefits toward me?" In all ages among all nations, 
 the cry of the soul of the searcher after God has been, 
 
 87 
 
88 The Better Way 
 
 "How much owcst thou to thy Lord ?" Has God given 
 to this question of the soul any law which is to govern 
 the actions of men? Do we find anywhere an answer 
 that this innate sense requires? Is there a law desig- 
 nating a definite portion of every one's income, or are 
 we left to answer this question according to our own 
 ideas? The law of the tithe is such an expression. 
 
 vStudents of great research like Rev. Henry Lansdell, 
 D. D., Chaplain of Modern College, Blackheath, Eng~ 
 land, says, '*We do not find in all antiquity a nation 
 devoted to any deity and withholding a tenth." Was 
 this universal principle by which every nation came to 
 recognize the tithe as a duty an accident, or would it be 
 more reasonable to believe that it w^as a standard of obli- 
 gation which God has given to the race? It must be the 
 latter. Doctor Kinicutt says, "Such a custom must be 
 derived from some revelation, and this revelation must 
 be antecedent to the dispersion at Babylon." I hold that 
 it was given to Adam, by him to his sons, and so on 
 down to Noah and his family, and by the dispersion 
 carried to all the world. 
 
 It was stated that "the sons of Japheth" settled the vast 
 regions of Western Asia and Middle and Northern 
 Europe. They built their temples and shrines to false 
 gods. They tithed their articles of commerce, industry, 
 and art, and just as Camillus. vowed the tenth of the 
 spoils of war to Apollo, so did these tribes pay tithes of 
 the spoils of war with each other, to false gods. The 
 bloodthirsty Scythian paid his tithe tribute of booty and 
 pillage to Thor and Oden, his hero deities in the far-off 
 
In Church Finances 89 
 
 North. And so it was with the ancient inhabitants of 
 Greece and Italy ; they laid their tithes from the profits 
 iii peace and war upon the altar of idolatry. The ancient 
 1 Triton also, in his ancient isle, left his tithe of increase 
 or confiscation at the shrine of his Druidical deity ; while 
 the Hindoos, Chinese, and, in fact, all nations, peoples, 
 and tribes of earth have dedicated their tenth to what- 
 ever gods they were wont to w^orship. \Ve are told that 
 to the pious heathen, it was the greatest sacrilege and 
 sin to touch any portion of one's increase until the tenth 
 had been offered to the gods. I conclude that it w^ould 
 be improbable for people of every nation, language, and 
 religion, to come to the same conclusion without some 
 guiding star. 
 
 Every obligation that God has placed upon man he 
 has clearly and explicitly stated. When he appointed the 
 Sabbath, he very definitely demanded the seventh of our 
 time. In the appointment of marriage did he not clearly 
 define the bounds and limits of lawful matrimony? When 
 we read. "The tithe is the Lord's." we must believe that 
 it. no less tb.an the Sabbath, is a law morally binding 
 on all. 
 
 TiTK AfosAic Law^ of the Tithe. 
 
 There is an erroneous idea that the tithe w^as a law of 
 the JGw^s for the sustaining -and propagating of their 
 religious and comn.iimistic life. There is sufficient evi- 
 dence in the Word and in history to show that God gave 
 the law long before the INIosaic legislation. Like the law 
 of the Sabbath, it antedated the giving of the law to 
 
90 The Better Way 
 
 Moses. The evidence is conclusive that it existed from 
 the beginning. 
 
 The giving of the law to Moses was not the beginning 
 of Divine legislation. As Doctor Ripley says, 'Tt was a 
 more direct and systematic dedication of moral principles 
 which are a necessity to man's nature." In the written law 
 of Moses we find the primeval laws, such as the Sabbath, 
 marriage, sacrifice, and the tithe incorporated. The 
 existence of the tithe at this time is evidence of its ex- 
 istence before. Doctor Constable, in ''Gold and the 
 Gospel," says, ''It is only agreeable with all we are told 
 of the moral law that this (the tithe), as every other 
 part of it, came not first into force when it fell from the 
 lips of Moses, but had its previous sanction of the Divine 
 command, and its previous claim to man's obedience." 
 
 The evidence is quite clear that it was taught to all 
 the earlier people. A comparison of the Septuagint 
 Version of Genesis 4 : 6, with Hebrews 9 : 4, would indi- 
 cate that this law was known and observed by theiu 
 When in Leviticus 27 : 30, the obligation of tithe paying 
 is restated, it is expressed as being already holy unto the 
 Lord. It is set forth there as a need of man's nature; 
 if so, it will always remain so in all ages until man's 
 nature changes. Paul says in Galatians 3:17, "A cove- 
 nant confirmed beforehand by God, the law which came 
 four hundred and thirty years after doth not annul, so 
 as to make the promise of none effect." That, under 
 Moses, other tithes were added, and laws governing the 
 use of all is quite evident, but the moral principle of 
 man's obligation to pay the sacred tenth never changed. 
 
Ill Church Finances 91 
 
 The New Testament Teaching of the Tithe. 
 
 Many good, conscientious people have been led to 
 believe that the law of the tithe is no lon^^er in force 
 under the dispensation of grace. They claim that the 
 New Testament is silent on the subject, and that the 
 tithe was for a distant nation and religion, that it is 
 strictly Jewish, and is awkward and mechanical, and is 
 not in keeping with the New Testament principles. A 
 more careful survey of the entire tithe subject and 
 principle will lead to a different conclusion. If it was a 
 moral necessity, a principle, expressing man's obligation 
 to his Creator, it is still in force. The changing of dis- 
 pensations never abrogated moral principles. Every 
 moral principle that God gave to the primeval race — 
 patriarchs and prophets — is still in force. It should be 
 remembered that if the tithe was the Lord's, and holy 
 unto him before the giving of the law and during the 
 administration of the law, it cannot be less holy under 
 this dispensation. 
 
 The argument that we are under grace and not under 
 law ; that the principle that governs is that of love and 
 not necessity; that all our possessions and not a frac- 
 tion belong to God, and that no part is more sacredly 
 his than another, does not meet the demands of reason 
 or the proper exegesis of the Word. Jesus teaches that 
 he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill. He no- 
 where revoked a single moral principle or obligation. 
 The law relating to our time is unchanged, the laws 
 relating to marriage, honesty, purity, covetousness, all 
 go unchanged — why change the one relating to the tith- 
 
92 The Better Way 
 
 ? Then, as to all beinj^- his, and no 
 part more sacrcdl) so than another, did not the earth 
 and the fnlness thereof always belong to him? Have 
 not the gold and silver always been his? Have not the 
 cattle npon a thousand hills always belonged to him? or, 
 in other words, did not man's possessions, on the same 
 basis, always belong to him? Yet to the infant race he 
 gave a law making the tithe sacredly his and to be used 
 f(jr the sup])ort of the worship due him. 
 
 The Sanction of Jesus. 
 
 Jesus gave his full sanction to the tithe principle in 
 Matthew 23 : 2v3. He says, ''This ought ye to have 
 
 done " Who dare deny the ought when the 
 
 great Lawgiver, himself, declares it? The position of the 
 opposer of the tithe law being binding upon the New 
 Testament church is, that he to whom Jesus spoke was 
 a Jew, and that Jesus only commended him for keeping 
 a Jewish law. That he was a Jew we do not deny, but 
 as a Jew he was to accept Jesus as his long-promised 
 Messiah, and was to follow him in practice and in faith. 
 While Jesus commended him for his fidelity to the law 
 of the tithe, he also declared that he should follow him 
 in the principles of the new kingdom. On another occa- 
 sion when the Pharisees sought to entangle him as to 
 the paying of tribute to Caesar, Jesus asked to see the 
 tribute money, and holding it up so as to reveal the 
 image of Caesar, he fixed the principles of the new king- 
 dom — "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, 
 and unto God the things that are God's." In this single 
 
In Church Finayices 93 
 
 sentence he strikes the keynote of the New Testament 
 church as to tithe paying, for God definitely declares in 
 Leviticus 27 : 30, "The tithe is Jehovah's, it is holy unto 
 Jehovah." Nowhere in the utterances of Jesus do we 
 find a single sentence that would indicate the revoking 
 of the tithe law, but now and again do his utterances 
 commend it. Why should one look for the Gospel to 
 cancel this special law of God which gave direction to 
 the use of the substance? If such a law was ever needed, 
 it is needed now. Diflferent dispensations may require 
 different rites and ordinances of worship, but God has 
 surely but one law to govern the conduct of his moral 
 creatures, and concerning the law the Lord himself 
 says, 'Till heaven and earth shall pass away, one jot or 
 one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law until all be 
 fulfilled." Jewish rites and laws which were made for 
 the nation and people were fulfilled in Christ ; but laws 
 defining duty to God rest upon the ground of moral 
 obligation and can be fulfilled only as man renders obe- 
 dience to God. We dare not divorce the moral require- 
 ments of the law from the Gospel. Doctor Carson says, 
 ''Such a doctrine reflects upon God himself, for having 
 given a law under one dispensation that is at variance 
 with a gospel given under another ; it strikes at the root 
 of all personal religion and opens the flood-gates of 
 iniquity." So we contend that the moral requirements 
 set forth in the Old Testament are continued in the New 
 Testament. Hence the tithe law remains in force just 
 as sacredlv as "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not 
 kill." or "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 
 
94 The Better Way 
 
 The New Testament teaching is that if a man smite 
 thee on one cheek turn to him the other also; if he take 
 thy coat, give him thy cloak also ; if he compel thee to 
 go one mile, go the second also. Under this larger con- 
 ception of obligation and justice, can we think that any- 
 thing less than the law's requirement of the tithe will 
 suffice? The one-tenth of a Christian's income is the 
 least amount he should think of paying to meet his moral 
 obligation of the use of his temporal income. 
 
 Paul's Teaching on the Tithe. 
 
 In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul says, 
 "Know ye not that they who minister about sacred 
 things, eat of the things of the temple, and they who 
 wait upon the altar have their portion with the altar? 
 Even so did the Lord ordain that they who proclaim the 
 gospel should live of the gospel" (I. Corinthians 9: 13, 
 14). See Deuteronomy 18:8-20, as to what the things 
 of the temple and altar are. They are the first-fruits, 
 which is the sacred tenth. Again in Hebrews 7:1-10, 
 he shows how Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. It 
 is an example of our duty and when practiced is an ex- 
 pression of our loyalty to Christ. 
 
 Paul's further teachings on our monetary obligations 
 are worthy of careful attention. In his orders to the 
 churches of Galatia and Corinth, there are four things 
 that should not be overlooked. First, he declared that 
 every one should give. Second, their gifts were to be 
 stored beforehand. Third, their giving was to be in 
 proportion to their income. (Here, no doubt, the tithe 
 
In Church Finances 95 
 
 principle was in mind.) Fourth, giving was to be exer- 
 cised on each Lord's day. This system, if carried out 
 by the churches of our day, would soon furnish suf- 
 ficient funds to evangelize the world. In a book 
 recently published by Mr. Thomas Urquhart, of Toronto, 
 Canada, entitled 'The Resources of Canadian Churches," 
 he says the aggregate income of the four leading 
 Protestant churches of the Dominion, namely, the 
 Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist, is 
 $500,000,000. He grants that these figures are below 
 rather than above the facts. Here alone, if the whole 
 titlie were brought into the treasury of the Lord, these 
 fom- religious bodies would have $50,000,000 per year 
 for the Lord's work. How easily could they give the 
 $4,500,000 allotted to them for the world's evangeliza- 
 tion. If our own denomination would bring her whole 
 tithe into the treasury of the Lord, we should have no 
 less than $6,000,000 instead of $2,500,000 for our church 
 activities. Can we expect that he who closed the win- 
 dows of heaven against his children of old for robbing 
 him will deal more leniently with us for the same sin? 
 
 The Apostolic Church on Tithing. 
 
 That the apostolic church recognized this principle 
 there is no doubt. The devotion of these early disciples 
 to the new religion was such that not only did they bring 
 their tithes, but they brought their all for his service. 
 The Christians at Jerusalem speaking to Paul said, 
 ''Thou scest, brother, how many thousands there are 
 among the Jews of them that believe, and they are all 
 
96 The Better Way^ 
 
 zealous of the law" (Acts 21:20). Through this wc 
 observe that the early Christians adhered to the law. 
 This no doubt included the giving of tithes which at that 
 time was in force among the Jews. 
 
 The Tithe as a Law for To-Day. 
 
 It is deeply to be regretted that this law of the tithe, so 
 clearly taught in the Scriptures, so universally practiced 
 by the Jews and the nations of antiquity, and observed 
 by every heathen nation of to-day, is violated by those 
 who call themselves Christians. That a law so practical, 
 so easy in its operations, so beneficent in its results, should 
 ever have been allowed to lapse into disuse, is hard to 
 understand. 
 
 There is no more practical, equitable, and righteous 
 method for the maintenance of the institutions of religion 
 and for meeting the very pressing claims of the religion 
 of Jesus Christ. Every reason that existed in ancient 
 times for the giving of the tenth to God, exists with in- 
 creased obligation to-day. Every claim for the tithe 
 which could be pressed on the Jews, can be pressed with 
 much greater emphasis on the Christians, and every mo- 
 tive of love and fidelity which prompted the devout He- 
 brew to bring all his tithe into the divine store house, 
 presses with increased force on the Christian Gentile. 
 
 The gospel of the Son of God has more definitely 
 brought the entire race into a common brotherhood. 
 Human nature is still the same and needs the refining, 
 elevating influence of the gospel and religious worship 
 and fellowship. The great obligation to send the mass 
 
1)1 Church Finances 97 
 
 sage of salvation to all mankind rests upon us to-day as 
 it never rested upon the Jewish church. The clear rev- 
 elation of the Father's infinite love, the rich heritage of 
 the life of fellowship, and the spiritual privileges come to 
 us to-day as never before, and should prompt us in this 
 last dispensation to consecrate to him our material wealth. 
 I am prepared to say that a universal, conscientious paying 
 of the tithe of our incomes for the objects for which 
 Christ died and rose again, would lend such stimulus to 
 the work of the church as "to make the desert blossom 
 as the rose." A revival of tithe-paying by Christians 
 would mean new life to the church itself, and new vigor 
 to all its agencies. No reform in the church of our day 
 will produce more beneficial results or open vaster possi- 
 bilities of service than systematically laying by for the 
 church God's sacred tenth. Doctor Horace Bushnell 
 says : "One more revival, only one, is needed, the revival 
 of Christian stewardship, the consecration of the money 
 power of the church to God, and when that revival 
 comes the kingdom of God will come in a day. You can 
 no more prevent it than you can hold back the tides of 
 the ocean." 
 
I 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 THE TITHE AND TITHERS 
 
 N our modern social and ecclesiastical life the using of 
 God's tenth is a question of great importance and 
 responsibility. Personally, I hold that the tithe should 
 be set aside sacredly for the sustaining and propagating 
 of the worship of Jehovah. Charities and other philan- 
 thropic interests should be supported by the freewill 
 ofiferings of the people. 
 
 The Use of the Tithe. 
 
 The Scriptures clearly enjoin, ''bring ye the whole 
 tithe into the store house." It is held by many that the 
 store house is the local church, but under the present 
 conditions of the organized body of Christ, the local 
 church and denomination are only fragments of the 
 Church of Christ. Inasmuch as the work done by the 
 local churches represents only a part of the Lord's work 
 I cannot see how we can make the local fragment repre- 
 sent the store house. If we could recognize the local 
 organization as the ordained store house, I would unhes- 
 itatingly emphasize bringing the whole tithe into its treas- 
 ury. Under the Jewish system every individual brought a 
 tithe of the first-fruits to the store house, but only a 
 small per cent, of the membership of any local church 
 sets aside a tithe of their incomes for the Lord's work, 
 
 98 
 
In Church Finances 99 
 
 consequently to make the local church the store house 
 has its difficulties. 
 
 One difficulty arises from the fact that there are so 
 many members of our local churches who will contribute 
 only so long as the local needs are pressing, and when 
 these are met, no further giving can be secured from 
 them. In the church I served some years ago a young 
 man was lead strictly to tithe the receipts of his business. 
 He became prosperous. The first year, after bearing an 
 equitable share of the current expenses of the church, 
 he gave me fifty dollars for missions. This was the 
 amount the entire church was assessed. I raised the 
 assessment from the congregation as formerly, and had 
 this for a surplus. A successor found the assessment to 
 be sixty dollars. This young man again gave fifty 
 dollars, and the pastor raised the other ten from the 
 congregation. This was repeated for a few years, when 
 finally this faithful steward withdrew his offering en- 
 tirely and gave it elsewhere on the ground that he was 
 giving of the Lord's money, not to Him, but to the 
 unfaithful, unresponsive members of the local church. 
 There are hundreds of pastors and churches that would 
 put forth no effort to have the entire membership meet 
 their individual share of the financial obligation of the 
 church if necessity did not demand it. 
 
 Another difficulty is, that bringing the whole tithe 
 into the local church treasury relieves the tither of the 
 entire responsibility of disposing of that which has been 
 entrusted to his stewardship — a service which quite often 
 brings more joy than the giving of money. One ardent 
 
100 The Better Way 
 
 advocate of the local store-house plan was heard to say 
 when he brought his weekly tithe to the church treasury, 
 ''There, my responsibility ceases so far as that is con- 
 cerned." This case may be exceptional, but the tendency 
 will be in that direction. 
 
 To obviate this difficulty, the tithers of a local church 
 might form an association having their own treasurer, and 
 the tithes of the association would be disposed of by the 
 members. At the beginning of the church year they 
 could agree as to what per cent, of their tithes should go 
 to the current expenses of the church ; what per cent, for 
 Christian education, missions, and other benevolent 
 claims of the church, at the same time setting aside a 
 per cent, of each individual's tithe to be used as he might 
 decide. Also, a per cent, of the whole tithe might be 
 held to be used for other Christian work at the option of 
 the association. 
 
 The Tithe Covenant Plan. 
 
 Whatever difficulties we may find in making the 
 local church the store house, it has much in its favor. 
 Wherever it is worked, it works great good to the local 
 congregation, and accomplishes much for the benevolent 
 work of the church. 
 
 Doctor F. O. Ballard, of Indianapolis, Indiana, says 
 that tithing began in his church (Memorial Presbyterian) 
 in 1898, when they had fifty-five tithers. There was no 
 organization and no covenant. The church derived only 
 a small benefit from the practice, for each tither dis- 
 bursed his tithe as it seemed good in his own eyes. In 
 
In Church Finances 101 
 
 1901, a band of seven began tithing and brought the 
 whole tithe into the store house. By the end of 1901 
 there were twenty-seven who tithed in this manner. 
 They deposited their tithe anonymously in a white 
 envelope bearing this inscription, "The Lord's Tenth." 
 At the end of six months it was found that the white 
 envelopes had brought in as much money, lacking $85, 
 as the rest of the church of over six hundred members. 
 The smallest amount ever paid in a white envelope was 
 two cents, and the largest $57.50. After the annual 
 meeting there was an increase in the number of tithers 
 until at the close of 1903 they had seventy-five. The 
 quarterly offering of the tithe had increased in this 
 church from $319:52 for the first quarter of 1901, to 
 $1,259.59 for the last quarter of 1903. 
 
 A Methodist church at Morencia, ^lichigan, has fol- 
 lowed this plan with some modifications for some time. 
 11icir plan is that the membership of the association 
 Yn-'m^ into the church treasury three-fourths of their 
 tithe, holding one-fourth to distribute themselves. 
 Twenty-five of a mem.bership of one hundred and eighty- 
 five adopted this plan, and at the end of the first year the 
 tithers contributed $571, against $955 given by the other 
 one hundred and sixty members. The treasurer, Mr. V. 
 E. Baldwin, says : 'Tt will be seen that less than one- 
 seventh of the members by tithing have been able to pay 
 more than one-third of all the money raised by the 
 church, and raised two-thirds of all the benevolences, 
 placing the church for the first time in many years where 
 it should be in this respect." 
 
102 The Better Way 
 
 The Third United Presbyterian Church, of Chicago, 
 has a membership of one hundred and ninety, of which 
 forty-six follow this system. This band of one-fourth 
 of the membership gives three-fourths of the regular 
 offerings of the church, and about five-sixths of the mis- 
 sionary offerings. The following is a sample of the 
 covenant of this church : 
 
 **We, the members of the Third United Presbyterian 
 Church, hereby agree, in the presence of God and with 
 one another — 
 
 "First. That we will tithe our incomes for one year 
 beginning 
 
 ''Second. That, at the end of each week, we will count 
 out one-tenth of our income from our wages, salary, 
 profits, rents, interests, or other resources ; balance oui 
 private tithe book ; enclose the money in an envelope 
 without inscribing thereon our name or amount, and 
 place it on the plate when the regular offering is taken 
 at the Sabbath service. In case of illness or other dis- 
 ability the money will be sent to the church or reserved 
 until we are able to attend. 
 
 "Third. That this money shall be apportioned by the 
 officers of the church, as follows : Seventy-two per cent, 
 to the Ordinance Fund, which includes pastor's salary, 
 janitor, heat, light, repairs. Sabbath school, and miscel- 
 laneous expenses. Twenty per cent, to the Mission 
 Boards of the church, to be distributed according to the 
 General Assembly's schedule. One per cent, to the 
 Young People's Christian Union. Two per cent, to the 
 Woman's Missionary Society. Five per cent, to benev- 
 
In Church Finances 103 
 
 olences. This increase in per cent, for benevolences is to 
 help meet the appropriation made by a vote of the con- 
 gregation for the following worthy organizations which 
 hereafter are to have a regular appropriation from our 
 church : Hyde Park Protective Association, the Pacific 
 Garden Mission, the Cook County Sunday School Asso- 
 ciation, and the Chicago Tract Society. 
 
 ''Fourth. That having entered into this covenant we 
 will not be under obligation or expected to sign any 
 other subscription or pledge of any kind for any church 
 work or benevolence. 
 
 ''Fifth. That in case we desire to make additional 
 contributions, they will be in the nature of freewill offer- 
 ings, thank offerings, or other special gifts. For this 
 purpose the church treasurer will keep a separate 
 account so that members desiring to make additional 
 oft'erings for specific objects may do so and have the 
 privilege of directing how the money shall be used. 
 
 "Sixth. That in matters not herein provided for, the 
 officers are empowered to act for the best interests of 
 the church." 
 
 This covenant could be varied to meet conditions in 
 any local congregation. The per cent, for missions, 
 education, and church extension in our church should be 
 liberal. 
 
 The Advantages. 
 
 Some of the advantages are : 
 
 First. It exalts the church and not the individual ; it 
 f)uts credit where it belongs. The money is the Lord's, 
 
104 The Better Way 
 
 and when the various recipients receive the aid it draws 
 their thought and admiration to the church and not the 
 individual. \Mien charities and the poor are aided, it 
 will bring them into an attitude of grateful acknowledg- 
 ment of the benefaction, and will aid in breaking down 
 the barrier that many are trying to place between the 
 church and the masses. 
 
 This is the principle which fraternal organizations 
 w^ork upon. The membership pay their dues to the com- 
 mon treasurer, and the aid is administered in the name 
 of the society, and the fraternity receives the applause 
 and approval of the beneficiary and the public. If all 
 the members of the church do for the poor, in ways 
 temporal and spiritual, were done in the name of the 
 church, she would soon be recognized as the great warm- 
 hearted friend of the needy and those in distress. 
 
 Second. It will enable the church to stand upon her 
 rightful plane in the community, and not be looked upon 
 as a beggar, dependent upon the charity of the people. 
 If this plan were followed, sufficient funds for the carry- 
 ing on of the work of the church would come into her 
 treasury, making it unnecessary to resort to unworthy 
 or Cjuestionable methods of raising money. The char- 
 itably inclined and the business men of the community 
 would not be annoyed and dogged for donations and the 
 buying of tickets. 
 
 Third. This covenant system of the ''Lord's Tenth 
 Envelope," places rich and poor on an equality. Both put 
 their money into an envelope of the same sort and each 
 has the same standing before God, for each has brought 
 the Lord's money as he has been prospered. 
 
In Church Finances 105 
 
 Four til. By this system every department of the 
 church gets its full share, week by week, for the 
 treasurer places the per cent, of the day's offering to the 
 fund to which it belongs. Missions are not put off until 
 the last of the year to be cared for as the impulse may 
 strike the congregation or the individual. The benev- 
 olences, which usually suffer for lack of attention, will 
 week by week receive their due share of attention and 
 the great interests dependent upon them will be fully 
 provided for. 
 
 Fifth. It gives the pastor an op])ortunity to give 
 proper information and instruction on the subject of the 
 stewardship of money without spoiling the effect by hav- 
 ing to make an appeal for some interest. 
 
 Sixth. It greatly simplifies the work of the treasurer. 
 Instead of keeping a personal ledger, having an account 
 with each individual, he has only to take a per cent, of 
 the whole and credit each interest to which the associa- 
 tion is making an off'ering. 
 
 I am inclined to think that this plan is most in accord 
 with the teaching of Scripture, and if carefully guarded 
 by the persons interested, can and will overcome all the 
 objections that may be brought against it. It, no doubt, 
 will bring the individual into a fuller realization of his 
 stewardship. It has met the approval of the Lord and 
 has worked most successfully in every church where it 
 has been faithfully tried. 
 
 Frequently those who are not members of the church 
 stay away because of the constant pressure that is being 
 made publicly for money. They fear that if they man- 
 
106 The Better Way 
 
 if est any interest in the church they will be victims of 
 her struggle for money. 
 
 Experiences of Churches. 
 
 Tithing adequately provides for the various interests of 
 the church, as the following show. The annual report of 
 the East Avenue Baptist Church, Charlotte, North Caro- 
 lina, says : "We closed the year with fifty-eight tithers who 
 contributed to the current expenses, $2,944.26, or $50.76 
 per capita; the other one hundred and thirty-six contrib- 
 uting meiaibers paid $1,666.69, or $8.67 per capita. The 
 missionary offering was $665.84; forty of the tithers 
 contributed $527.04; the non-tithers, $138.80." In the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, of East Connellsville, Indi- 
 ana, we have an illustration of what tithing does for a 
 small church of eighty-five members, twenty-five of whom 
 are tithers. These tithers gave $470, or an average of 
 $18 each, while the sixty non-tithers gave $340, or an 
 average of $5.67. A marked example is that of the 
 Dublin, Georgia, Baptist Church. The treasurer of this 
 church says : "We have seventy-three tithers, twenty- 
 nine are men, twelve of the seventy-three are under age ; 
 these tithers contributed last year, $4,439.43 ; during the 
 same time the other five hundred and fifteen members of 
 the church contributed $3,020.96." From this we see 
 that the tithers gave an average of $52.23, while the non- 
 tithers gave an average of $5.86; the tithers contributed 
 practically ten times as much as the non-tithers. In the 
 Methodist Church in Dundee, Ontario, composed of one 
 
In Church Finances 107 
 
 hundred and ninety members, thirty-six of whom were 
 tithers, the tithers gave an average of $53.13 per mem- 
 ber, or $1,912.79; while one hundred and fifty-four non- 
 tithers gave $1,567.71. A mission church in Wonson, 
 Korea, with fifteen members and twelve adherents, sup- 
 port their own missionary in China. The average gift 
 of the native Christian in Korea is fifteen cents; the 
 average of this church, of which all members and ad- 
 herents are tithers, is $1.33. 
 
 Organize. 
 
 There must be some one who will get this matter on 
 his heart and be willing to deny self and push the work. 
 It should be the pastor, for the Bible plainly teaches that 
 right relations with our finances are the greatest assurance 
 of victory in the spiritual, evangelistic, and temporal 
 welfare of the church. If the pastor does not lead off, 
 let some one call together for prayer and counsel those 
 who recognize God's claim on them as stewards and 
 those who are in sympathy with the movement. 
 
 The next step naturally would be to call a meet- 
 ing of the congregation ; urge all who are interested in 
 the bettering of the financial condition of the church to 
 be present. Be sure to have your local finance commit- 
 tee, stewards, and other officers present. If the pastor 
 is in line with the movement, have him to give a talk or 
 Bible study on the subject. If the pastor is not available, 
 secure some one else, if you have to send for a 
 speaker. Have all who have had any experience in 
 tithing there to give a testimony. In advance of this 
 
lOS The Better Way 
 
 meeting, secure the names of all the congregation who 
 tithe. After the address, have a wise, careful person 
 present the matter and secure the names. If there. are 
 those who cannot come out fully, get their pledge for 
 three months, or, if nothing more, secure their promise 
 to join in the study of the subject. 
 
 Effect an organization by electing a president and 
 secretary. Also have a committee on membership, and 
 one on literature, and any other interests that local con- 
 ditions may demand. Through this organization you can 
 keep the matter before your church. Provide a fund 
 from which you can secure proper literature. 
 
 In some places tithers become obnoxious by a thought- 
 less and Pharisaical allusion to the subject. There is no 
 more need of boasting of this than of any other duty in 
 which we live in humble obedience to the plain require- 
 ments of the Word. The tither is at liberty, when the 
 occasion permits, to bear testimony to the joy of sucli 
 obedience, or the blessings that come to him spiritually 
 and temporally as a result. 
 
 The tithers of a congregation can be of great help in 
 the developing of the church finances. People to-day 
 want results and the tithers by organization can bring 
 them to pass. If the tithe principle is to be advanced in 
 our churches I would suggest a simple organization in 
 every congregation for the developing of the principle. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 TITHES AND GOD'S BLESSING 
 
 IT has ever been the plan of God that his people 
 conform their lives and practices to his will as a 
 condition of blessing. ]\Iuch of our effort for the pro- 
 moting of the kingdom among men is lost because we 
 are not conforming our lives and practices to his order- 
 ing. Many pastors and churches are calling on the 
 people for self-examination and correction of their lives 
 in order that the Lord might manifest his power in the 
 reviving of the church and the salvation of the sinful 
 and rebellious. The church is overlooking some of the 
 things that are important in securing the favor and help 
 of God. Malachi made a startling arraignment of the 
 church in his day when he charged her with being the 
 cause of God withholding his presence and power. He 
 charged the people with being formal and self-satisfied, 
 denouncing their profanity, sacrilege, greed, weariness 
 in service, treason against him, robbery, and with failing 
 to fulfill their part of the covenant with him. He assures 
 them that, if they will hearken and obey, God will make 
 good in their lives and nation his promises. He showed 
 them that the cause of his withholding was that they had 
 forgotten his love, and degraded the sacred things of the 
 sanctuary ; that they had chosen their own way both as 
 to the kind and proportion of their offerings, and because 
 of this they were cursed with barrenness in land and 
 
 109 
 
110 The Better Way 
 
 flock, life and spirit. God's challenge is, ''Bring ye the 
 whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food 
 in mine house, and prove me now, herewith, saith 
 Jehovah of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of 
 heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not 
 be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the de- 
 vourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits 
 of your ground, neither shall your vine cast its fruit be- 
 fore the time in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts." His 
 appeal is, you answer my love with your obedience, and 
 see if I will not fulfill my covenant. 
 
 The Key in our Hands. 
 
 The prophet plainly shows us that the key to the door 
 of prosperity is in our own hands. He says that if we 
 will, we can lock or unlock the windows of heaven to- 
 wards ourselves and the church. Doctor O. P. Gifford 
 very forcefully says : "The church is on her knees before 
 God, begging him to open the windows of heaven and 
 pour out his blessing. She pleads, she agonizes, she 
 begs, and the voice of God answers, Ts not the key in 
 your pocket? Bring the whole tithe into the store- 
 house.' " Many are reaching up and pleading for God's 
 blessing when the surest way of obtaining it is by reach- 
 ing down. The closed purse is closing the windows of 
 heaven and withholding the showers of blessings for 
 which so many are pleading. God has very forcefully 
 presented in his Word the relation between tithes and 
 blessings upon his church in spiritual and temporal 
 afiPairs. 
 
In Church Finances 111 
 
 The Tithe and God's Promises of Spiritual 
 Blessings. 
 
 Great spiritual enlargement is sure to come when our 
 giving is according to God's plan. Too many are mak- 
 ing their rule of giving to correspond with their spiritual 
 blessings. God puts it the other way, and makes our 
 spiritual blessings to depend on the right use of our 
 money. He says, 'The liberal soul shall be made fat, 
 and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.^' 
 ''Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, 
 pressed down," etc. In the light of these and many other 
 passages of Scripture, we can unhesitatingly say that 
 where these conditions are met these promises are ful- 
 filled over and over. 
 
 As we trace Israel's decline, the first step to the wrong 
 was universally withholding tithes and offerings ; then 
 the forsaking of the true God for the gods of the nations 
 around them. From the teachings of the church fathers 
 we are inclined to believe that the sins that caused the 
 declining faith in the early church were the same — the 
 withholding from God his portion. Doctor Sylvanus 
 Stall, in an article on "The Broken Law," says, "About 
 three centuries before the Reformation, the apostate 
 Church of Rome assailed the doctrine of the Divine right 
 of the tithe. She taught that tithes not being of Divine 
 right, they might be alienated from the support of the 
 priests and be used for the aggrandizement of the 
 church. To justify corrupt practices it was necessary 
 to supplant Divine laws by corrupt doctrines. This the 
 'Man of Sin' did not hesitate to do, but substituted the 
 
112 The Better Way 
 
 doctrine of Competent Maintenance for the Divine Law 
 of the Tithe. The state was not slow to learn the lesson. 
 If tithes did not belong to God, and God's ministers 
 were entitled only to a competent maintenance, why 
 was not the state as justly entitled to the tithes of the peo- 
 ple as the Pope? and why should not the state appro- 
 priate the tithe and dole out to the clergy a competent 
 maintenance as well as the Pope ? Thus, in the sixteenth 
 century we have the state, under the protection of this 
 corrupt doctrine, wresting from the church those tithes 
 which God had devoted to her support. As every stu- 
 dent of history knows, the eflfects were as disastrous as 
 the doctrine was delusive." 
 
 Tithes and Revivals. 
 
 Under the reign of the prophets the people were 
 plainly taught that before they could look for God's 
 pleasure and have his blessing, they would have to get 
 right in this respect. The great awakening under Heze- 
 kiah came as a result of Hezekiah's turning and walking 
 in the ways of David, his father. It is evident that in 
 the days of David the people ofifered willingly unto the 
 Lord. In I. Chronicles 29: 17, David says, 'As for me, 
 in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered 
 these things, and now I see with joy the people that are 
 present here, willingly offering unto thee." Before the 
 spiritual awakening came in the days of this great and 
 good king, the people had to put away the evil of their 
 doing, and destroy the idols that were in their midst, and 
 
Ill Church Phiances 113 
 
 bring in the tithes and offerings. The people responded 
 to the teachings of this man of faith and brought in 
 abundance the firstfruits of grain — ''and tithes of all 
 things brought they in abundantly." And as a result, 
 "since the people began to bring in the obligations, . . . 
 Jehovah has blessed the people." 
 
 In the days of Nehemiah the same conditions were 
 required. (Nehemiah 10:38, 39; 13: 11, 12.) When 
 Malachi was called as the prophet of God, he at once 
 began to review Israel's condition and found that one 
 cause of her spiritual bondage was the sin of robbing 
 God of tithes and offerings. He assures them that if 
 thev repent and bring all the tithes into the storehouse, 
 God will turn with favor on them and pour out blessings. 
 What was true in the days of Aialachi, is true in ours. 
 Hundreds of testimonies from pastors and church officials 
 could be given to bear out this statement, but to the 
 inquiring soul God's Word is sufficient. 
 
 TiTF. Tithe the Kp:y to Temporal Blessings. 
 
 "Honor the Lord with thy substance and with the 
 firstfruits of all thine increase ; so shall thy barns be 
 filled with plenty and thy presses burst with new wine." 
 
 God has seen fit to manifest his approval of the 
 observance of his law of giving by great temporal bless- 
 ings. If the law of the tithe is a moral obligation upon 
 man, and it surely is, then all the blessings, spiritual and 
 temporal, vouchsafed to the people to whom it was first 
 given stand for all time. The promises of blessings to all 
 those who would be ogedient to this law are many. 
 
114 The Better Way 
 
 God has not left us without witness as to his bestow- 
 ing temporal blessings on those who honor him with 
 their substance. 
 
 Whenever Israel paid her tithes the blessings of heaven 
 rested upon her according to the promise ; but when she 
 failed in this obligation, she was cursed with a curse. 
 The door of prosperity was opened or closed as Israel 
 obeyed or disobeyed the law. The soil was made barren 
 or fertile as she' gave or withheld the tenth of her in- 
 crease. In Malachi 3 : 10, we are taught that from the 
 windows of heaven were poured blessings or blight in 
 proportion as Israel brought or failed to bring her tithes 
 and offerings into the storehouse. When Israel with- 
 held, God visited the people with want and calamity, and 
 when she returned with her tithe, he again blessed her 
 with prosperity and plenty. Prophet after prophet shows 
 Israel suft'ering captivity and calamity because of the 
 neglect of this duty. (Haggai 1:9, 10; Malachi 3:8,9.) 
 The temporal prosperity under Hezekiah and Nehemiah 
 was preceded by the people bringing their tithe offerings 
 into the house of the Lord. (Chronicles, chapter 31; 
 Nehemiah, chapter 12.) 
 
 We can go back to an early period of temporal pros- 
 perity in the time of God's servant, Jacob. (Genesis 30: 
 27-44.) While in the house of Laban, he was living and 
 laboring under the covenant made at Bethel. (Genesis 
 28: 20-22.) When he entered Laban's house he had but 
 little, but after twenty years he had flocks and herds in 
 abundance. Because of this, I.aban was stirred with 
 jealously and sought to reduce Jacob's prosperity, but 
 
In Church Finances 115 
 
 it mattered not how he changed conditions or the 
 terms of division, Jacob's portion was always greater. 
 God plainly revealed to him that he prospered be- 
 cause he had taken him as a partner. Is it not reason- 
 able to suppose that God will give added success to the 
 business in which he has a definite interest? 
 
 In the reformation under Hezekiah, they had to bring 
 their tithes into the house of the Lord (II. Chronicles 
 31 : 4-31) ; the results were : 
 
 Firt. That -the needs of the house of the Lord were 
 abundantly provided for ; all who worked about the 
 temple and depended on the offerings of the people for 
 their livelihood received their portion. There was no 
 lack of means to carry on their system of worship, which 
 at that time was very elaborate and expensive. 
 
 Second. God blessed the people with great material 
 ])rosperity ; they had great stores for themselves and an 
 abundance for the cause of the Lord, without resorting 
 to unscriptural methods of raising money for the work 
 of the Lord. They did not have to resort to bazaars, 
 tea-parties, concerts, lectures, neck-tie parties, dumb 
 socials, masquerades, and other tricks and devices. No 
 church would ever need to do any of these things if the 
 membership would honor God with their substance in 
 adhering to the law of the tithes. 
 
 Individual Testimonies as to God's Faithfulness. 
 
 We are not left without witness in our day of those 
 who have prospered temporally and spiritually by observ- 
 ing the law. Thousands are willing to bear testimony 
 
116 The Better Way 
 
 that God's promises are just as sure to-day as they were 
 to Israel of old. We give Irere the testimony of a few 
 who have tested God as to this promise. 
 
 A brother says: ''From the day of my conversion I 
 began to give one-tenth to the cause of God, and during 
 the following eleven years I gave more than I was worth 
 when I was converted. The Lord had prospered me so 
 that, after eleven years of giving, I was worth ten times 
 more than before." Truly, this is a fulfillment of ''Give, 
 and it shall be given unto you." 
 
 Two teachers, who were themselves taught of the 
 Spirit, give the following testimony : "It is now about 
 seven years since we were induced to set aside a certain 
 portion of our income for the cause of God. We were 
 then in straightened circumstances and we made up our 
 minds to give one-tenth, and now God has placed us in 
 a position of prosperity that we never enjoyed before, 
 and we are now able to give one-fourth of our income." 
 
 Hear the testimony of one, who like many, was fearful 
 of duty because of pressing debts. He says : "I was in 
 doubt a long time as to whether I ought to give largely 
 to benevolences while in debt. I began to doubt, how- 
 ever, after a long and unsuccessful struggle to get out 
 of debt, that I should ever succeed. At length I was 
 persuaded that I was robbing God to pay other creditors. 
 My wife and I consulted over the matter and decided to 
 pay a tenth, which we have done, and God has prospered 
 us beyond any previous expectation." Why not expect 
 it? He says, "He will make all grace abound toward 
 you; he will multiply your seed sown." 
 
In Church Finances 117 
 
 A man in business and in debt makes a covenant to 
 give one-tenth of all his increase, and for the encourage- 
 ment of others in like circumstances he gives this expe- 
 rience : "I gave all my affairs into his hands asking him 
 to give or withhold as would be best for his glory. From 
 that time my business increased, 1 had all I could attend 
 to and all seemed to turn to money. In a short time I 
 was out of debt and kept on giving one-tenth of all I 
 received, and never lacked means. I have known others 
 who have done this and all have prospered. It is not so 
 much the money we give as the joy of giving.'^ 
 
 Another testifying to the faithfulness of God says: "I 
 commenced tithing my income seventeen years ago, when 
 it was very small. For at least twelve years I had not 
 given a cent, but I was able to pay out of my one-tenth 
 fund no less than $2,500. I know that my prosperity 
 which still continues is practically due to my recognition 
 of my heavenly Father as my other partner in my busi- 
 ness. He furnishes the capital, I get my nine-tenths of 
 the profits, and enjoy the giving away of his tenth as 
 much as I do the possessing of what is left." 
 
 Here is a rich testimony for young men, especially for 
 voung men entering business, as to the faithfulness of 
 God in the fulfilling of his promises. Early in life a 
 well-known Eastern merchant took Jacob's pledge — "Of 
 all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth 
 unto thee." He directed his clerk to open an account 
 with O. P. J. (Old Patriarch Jacob), and to credit to it 
 one-tenth of all the profits of the concern. His success 
 was one of the wonders of the land and O. P. J.'s account 
 
118 T^e Better Way 
 
 amounted to tens of thousands of dollars, and when he 
 was asked how he could give such large sums, he replied, 
 "I do not give anything, it is the Lord's money." 
 
 Giving is a wide channel of blessing. The promise 
 (II. Corinthians 9:8), "God is able to make all grace 
 abound unto you," is found in connection with the apos- 
 tolic teaching on liberal giving. Our Lord is waiting 
 with hands ladened with blessings to reward our obedi- 
 ence in e^ivins:. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 THE GRACE OF GIVING 
 
 THE subject of Christian beneficence can have only 
 a depressing influence on an unconsecrated indi- 
 vidual. It requires a yielded and Spirit-filled life to hear 
 with joy the obligation of spending and being spent for 
 Him whom we profess to love. While it is placed among 
 the graces of the Spirit, it is, nevertheless, difficult for 
 many good and thoughtful believers to understand how 
 giving can be a means of grace. It should be enough 
 when his omniscience declares that liberality is a grace, 
 and that by exercising therein it does lead to the devel- 
 opment of the believer. To have it so, it cannot be 
 held as a mere duty, but of glad and heartfelt choice 
 and even delight. 
 
 In the study of the teachings of Paul, see how careful 
 he is in bringing everything that might be helpful in the 
 developing of the Christian character to the attention of 
 those to whom the Holy Spirit directed his writings. 
 The subjects he especially emphasized were, the separated 
 life, fellowship with the W^ord, the communion of saints, 
 the assembling of believers, the life of prayer, and the 
 grace of giving. In his letters to the church at Corinth, 
 among the graces in which they were to abound he placed 
 liberality. 
 
 I fear in dealing with this subject in the church of 
 to-day, we fail to give it its rightful place. We have 
 
 119 
 
120 The Better Way 
 
 allowed our people to believe that their giving was a 
 matter of caprice and not an obligation or an act of wor- 
 ship. 
 
 As w^e look upon the victories of the church of the 
 apostles and see how they gave themselves and their 
 gifts under the leadership and guidance of the Holy 
 Spirit, we are persuaded that what the church needs 
 to-day to enable her to give in a measure commensurate 
 with her ability is an indwelling of the Divine Spirit. 
 
 To have our giving become a means of grace to us, 
 it must be given in such a manner that the gift and the 
 giver will be in accord with the teachings of the New 
 Testament. The believer must ever keep in mind that 
 the Holy Spirit has a very definite oversight in this par- 
 ticular. The church or the individual that grows and 
 prospers and is to be blessed of God in things temporal 
 and spiritual, must follow the teachings of the Spirit as 
 it relates to his getting and giving. 
 
 How CAN GIVI^x. be a Grace? 
 
 The question will naturally arise in the mind of the 
 reader — how can giving become a grace? This will be 
 easily understood if we but notice what liberality will do 
 for the individual. With Paul it was a joy so great that 
 it overflowed in Divine enthusiasm and hallelujahs of 
 praise. It is evident that the spirit of sefishness which 
 dw^arfs the soul and grieves the Holy Spirit will be 
 destroyed. It will also lead to self-denial, thereby devel- 
 oping one of the fundamental principles of discipleship 
 
In Church Finances 121 
 
 with Jesus. It will develop love, for where our treasures 
 arc there will our love be also. 
 
 Give Oursi^lves. 
 
 To have our i^ivini;- a grace, we must first give our- 
 selves, as Paul says in II. Corinthians 8:5 — "This they 
 did, not as we hoped, but first gave themselves to the 
 Lord and unto us by the will of God." The giver is of 
 more value to God than any gift he might ofifer. Some 
 one has said, "Personal consecration must come before 
 purse consecration ; self-consecration before wealth con- 
 secration." It was not the gold that sanctified the temple, 
 but the temple that sanctified the gold. We too often 
 pull at the wrong strings to get money from our people. 
 The heart-strings should be loosened before we attempt 
 to loosen the purse-strings. We must ever keep before 
 our churches, if we want God's blessing upon them and 
 upon the lives of our people, that the giving of money, 
 however liberal their ofiferings may be, will never be 
 accepted by God as a substitute for themselves. Many 
 think that God will be satisfied with the gift, when his 
 call is for the giver. We are more to him than all our 
 gifts. God's principle is, first ourselves and then our 
 gifts. Such consecration of self will lead to a giving that 
 will be adequate for the needs of the kingdom. Doctor 
 Cook says, "He who gives himself, and not his property, 
 is dangerously near becoming a follower of Ananias." 
 
 Giving on this principle will also take into an account 
 the giving of our whole lives. I fear God's reckoning 
 for the stewardship of my time more than I do that of 
 
122 The Better Way 
 
 my money. The majority can much more easily defraud 
 and rob our Lord in this way than in any other. Then, 
 there is our talent, our opportunity, our influence, that 
 we have to render an account for. 
 
 Love is Essential. 
 
 Another element that must enter into our giving to 
 make it a grace is love. The subject of the stewardship 
 of money is one that should call forth the thoughtful 
 study of every disciple of Jesus, for what will it profit 
 a man if he should give millions and not have the true 
 spirit of giving? Paul in that remarkable love chapter 
 in First Corinthians, says, "Though I give my goods to 
 feed the poor and my body to be burned and have not 
 love, it profiteth me nothing." We are impressed that 
 in God's sight it is far more important how we give than 
 what we give. I am sure that much of the giving of this 
 day is at fault. Very frequently it is a positive injury; 
 hence, it is all important that we discover the Bible 
 method of giving in order that our giving may become 
 a means of grace and a source of blessing. Love is the 
 underlying principle of the whole idea of giving. Giving 
 had its origin in God, and "God is love." It was love 
 that caused him to make the gift of his Son. "For God 
 so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son," 
 etc., hence to give out of a heart of love is godlike. To 
 give without the heart of love robs the gift of its cheer 
 and blessing. A sister of great poverty was dependent 
 on one of her sisters in the flesh for the necessaries of 
 life. While her sister was of large means, she gave in 
 
/n Church Finances 123 
 
 such a spirit that her dependent one was heard to say, 
 **I would rather go hungry and cold than to have her 
 gifts; she always makes me feel so badly." Paul urged 
 the Corinthian Christians to give that he might thereby 
 prove the sincerity of their love. How we shall abound 
 in this grace when the love of God fills our hearts! It 
 was this principle that was the secret of Paul's giving. 
 He declares that it was the love of Christ ''that con- 
 strained him" to give his life for such strenuous service. 
 How easy it is for Christians to give when their hearts 
 are burning with his love. The mother in whose heart 
 love reigns, never finds it hard to give for her child ; she 
 will practice almost any self-denial for it. 
 
 Giving Should be Intelligent. 
 
 To have our giving a grace it should be intelligent. 
 How thoughtless many are in their giving. This should 
 not be. The steward should inform himself of the needs 
 of the work to w^hich his gifts are made. If this were 
 faithfully carried out there would be far different results 
 in the work of the church, and the giving to her benev- 
 olences, for we respond only to appeals that deeply move 
 us. I contend that as we become informed, our hearts 
 will be moved with tenderness toward these interests, 
 and we will not only give, but we will pray and be filled 
 with inspiration. 
 
 As we become informed of the needs of the great 
 centers of population and the expanding frontier, as 
 well as of the millions in heathen lands, we will give more 
 largely to these departments. The individuals who keep 
 
124 The Better Way 
 
 tlK-niselvos in touch with the great interests of the 
 church, are the ones who give most largely to thege 
 interests. It is necessary that a vigorous campaign of 
 education by these various interests of the church accom- 
 pany the campaign for Christian stewardship awakening, 
 or the object desired will not be obtained. The past four 
 years in our church have demonstrated the fact that a 
 campaign of education that will give proper information 
 will lead to inspiration, and cause greater investment to 
 be made in the various interests of the kingdom of God. 
 
 Self-Denial. 
 
 To have our giving a grace it should have in it the 
 elements of self-denial. There is not much self-sacrific- 
 ing in the giving of to-day. We make our gifts out of 
 our affluence. If we could but grasp the spirit of Christ, 
 and at times give until we feel it or even suffer because 
 of it, I am sure that great blessing would flow into our 
 souls. 
 
 Self-denial is the foundation principle of the Christian 
 faith, and whenever our giving will incorporate this 
 principle, it will add much to the giver in the way of 
 blessing. To illustrate: A man and his wife. Germans, 
 who were converted in Brooklyn, on the day that they 
 were welcomed into the church placed in the hand of the 
 pastor $375 to be applied to the liquidation of the church 
 debt. They had been saving money through many years 
 of their wedded life, hoping to take a trip to their father- 
 land. They denied themselves that pleasure and said, 
 ''The love of Christ so constrains us that we will be glad 
 
In Church Finances 125 
 
 to lay it all on his altar for him." Where self-sacrifice 
 is absent, love is absent. A love that will not lead to 
 self-sacrifice is not true love. 
 
 Must be Liberal. 
 
 To have our giving a grace it must be liberal. Liber- 
 ality, is the tap root of the grace as expounded by Paul, 
 and if this root dies, as it does sometimes, other graces 
 will usually die with it. There is no life so irresponsive 
 to the appeal of the noble as that of the miser or the 
 stingy professor of religion. The liberal giver will be a 
 cheerful giver, and cheerful giving will, like a refreshing 
 spring in the desert, spread life all around it. The use 
 we make of money soon shows in our character ; as 
 Doctor Cuyler so truthfully says, "What a man earns by 
 day goes into his pocket, and what he spends by night 
 goes into his character." This is very evident, for he 
 who hoards his wealth soon becomes like the miser, 
 selfish and shriveled in character; but if he contributes 
 to the necessity of the saints, or if he be given to hospi- 
 tality, he will be like the palm planted by the rivers of 
 water — green and flourishing. 
 
 Liberal giving has many strong and striking promises. 
 The Lord assured Peter that no man who left aught for 
 his sake but would be rewarded many fold in the present 
 life, and in the world to come would have evrlasting life. 
 Surely our Lord means what he says and would have us 
 prove him. 
 
126 The Better Way 
 
 Giving Should be a Part of Our Worship. 
 
 Devotional methods of making the contribution need 
 to be sustained in order to make giving a grace. Con- 
 tributions are too often treated as a necessary evil in our 
 church life. Frequently we hear apologies and depreca- 
 tions on the part of the minister for the receiving of the 
 offering. Quite often the opportunity of giving is slipped 
 in somewhere and covered up as much as possible. Fre- 
 quently singing and other devices are used to divert the 
 mind from the painful process. This should never be 
 unless the service diverts the mind to the true spirit of 
 the offering. This part of the service should be made 
 as devotional as possible. Portions of the Word of God 
 bearing on the subject of giving or worshiping the Lord 
 with our substance might be quoted or read. 
 
 People should be lead to feel that giving is an act of 
 worship and is as much a part of the devotional service 
 as prayer or the reading of the Word. They should 
 remember that it is an offering unto the Lord, and not 
 the taking of a collection which might be pennies or 
 buttons. If it is made an offering unto the Lord it will 
 carry with it, first, something choice ; and, second, a 
 presenting of it to the Lord. The Scriptural standard 
 was, "Give unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name; 
 bring an offering and come into his courts." 
 
 This part of the service should be such that it will 
 lead the mind of the offerer to the true spirit of giving, 
 rather than lead it away from it. Our giving will only 
 be a grace when the deepest fountains of our hearts are 
 opened thereby. 
 
In Church Finances 127 
 
 Giving Must be a Joy. 
 
 That giving may be a grace the people should be lead 
 to experience the real joy of giving as well as the duty. 
 The absence of pleasure in giving is the secret of much 
 of the niggardliness that characterizes much of the giv- 
 ing of to-day. When it hurts one to give, he will not 
 give much. If the Bible system of giving be adopted, it 
 will soon lead to a cheerful, joyful response, and the 
 gifts we bring will be lovingly laid upon the altar. Many 
 are claiming freedom from the fixed law of the Word 
 because they claim that it destroys the love and joy of 
 o-iving:. Love does not free one from the observance of 
 the law. Love to God does not free one from the 
 observance of the Sabbath. If a man marries a woman 
 he loves, he is not free from the marriage law because 
 he loves her. If we can learn to give day by day as God 
 requires, it will help to bring heaven nearer to us and will 
 bring us nearer to heaven. Remember that the Christ 
 who sat over against the treasury and watched how they 
 gave, watches our gifts. What is given in the spirit of 
 whole-hearted devotion and love, he accepts. If we de- 
 sire, he will teach us how to give, and how much to give, 
 so that our giving may be a grace.