Bottom line is that the Old Testament talks about ithing. The New talks about giving. And don’t tell your church this, but most of your giving can be to those other than the church and you are still obeying God, if you are doing it prayerfully. The the New Testament clearly teaches that the worker deserves his wages.
My church gets really ticked (maybe it's the pastor mostly) if members give other places and call it "tithe." Personally I'm having issues with two things:
1) We are personally really strapped for money. There is no extra any more. I work two days every other week. What is worse/better: going into debt and still pay tithes? or get out of debt and NOT pay tithe? Don't want to give God the leftovers. My husband is very hung up on the ten percent thing. 2)Where the tithe/giving goes in our church. It seems to mostly go, like government programs, for administrative costs---not for curriculum for the kids, or Sunday School, or those in need. IMHO, that's how most evangelical churches are, and it bothers me. Giving to the church is NOT necessarily giving to God.
To be frank, I consider my income tax to be a sort of “tithe”. It is “helping” a lot of poor people. Food stamps, welfare, education, section 8 housing.
And my sales tax is just barely under 10%. Same goes there.
I’m saying that tongue in cheek of course, but only sort of.
I believe in paying my church in a Luke 10:1-8 sort of way. The rest goes to helping the poor, widows, friends, etc. And in this economy, more and more it is friends.