These may come off as disconnected, random thoughts but hopefully the total will be meaningful.... P.S.: I didn't realize this would be as long as it is but it's from the heart!
1. Ultimately, tithing is between the Lord and YOU...concerning percentage, placement, etc.
2. Both the percentage and placement matters in that you can support your actions by the Word of God, for YOURSELF...because you have to answer to the Lord for what YOU DO, not what the PASTOR does....
3. While I believe that tithing can happen across MULTIPLE placements, e.g., local church, charity, etc. (at the SAME TIME), I also believe tithing should be DIRECTLY LINKED to the SOURCE that is serving to provide YOUR SPIRITUAL NEED.... Kind of like going to a restaurant to eat. If you ate at McDonald's, you wouldn't pay (give your tithes and offerings) at Burger King, if you will....
4. Because the tithe is between the Lord and you, once you RELEASE that tithe into GOD'S hand (via the local church, IMHO), then 1) you have done what you were supposed to do and 2) you have to TRUST that those resources are going where they are supposed to go.
4a. This is why it DOES MATTER what church a person goes to...a church where you feel that the leadership can be trusted to obey the Lord and serve in integrity. And should a situation or pattern of activity comes along that doesn't sit well with you, well, IMHO, you have three options: 1) get up and leave ON YOUR OWN; 2) ask the Lord whether you should stay or go; 3) stay and pray for that leader. It's takes REAL FAITH to stay and pray if the Lord says to stay and pray.
5. Per your concern about the church's involvement to the community: serving the community is a noble cause, a needed cause. And this is going to sound harsh but it's the truth: SHOULD THE LORD LEAD YOU TO START YOUR OWN CHURCH, THEN YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH IT.... and this applies across the board: how one chooses to live, raise their children, run their household, etc. The Lord is not CONFUSED as to whom He appointed as the leader of that church (presuming that your pastor is appointed by the Lord and not himself). So what you think the church should be doing may not be what the Lord has told that leader to do.
With regard to the...how can I say...seeming IMBALANCE between some pastors and congregations: I'm aware that it exists... and I'm not here to defend it blindly...but I will say that I have a majority role in the decisions I make in terms of what I have. What my pastor drives has nothing to do with what I drive. One is not contingent upon the other. Plus, I can say for my pastor since I've been at the church for close to two decades, I've seen first-hand his OBEDIENCE to the Lord...and when you obey the Word, the Lord honors that....
It is my understanding that in biblical times, the tithe went, in part to the Levites whose assignment was to tend to the house of God because they (the Levites) were not permitted to have their own income-generating entities. And just like in the Bible days until now, the Body of Christ is mandated to tend to the poor, widows, and orphans. Allow me to explore this in my own mind for a second in terms of why this seems to be an issue today:
it's easy to identify a widow or an orphan. I think the issue comes in as to how to identify someone who is POOR, esp. in America. For discussion, let's look at the federal poverty guidelines:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/07poverty.shtml
2007 HHS Poverty Guidelines
1 person: $10,210
2 people: 13,690
3 people: 17,170
4 people: 20,650
additional numbers at the link above.
SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 15, January 24, 2007, pp. 3147–3148
I think that we don't know how to tell who is really poor. What's really a need and what's really a want? And when where's the line between HELP and ENABLING SOMEONE'S IRRESPONSIBILITY/RECKLESSNESS?
In my closing
, I think the megachurch label has gotten a bad rap. In biblical times, the church/synagogue/temple was the center of the community. The megachurch can do this...it just needs to figure out how to do so.... Other faiths have done it, e.g., Judaism, Roman Catholicism (Vatican!?!?), so I'm saying big isn't necessarily bad....
It's long, I know...but it's worth it!