The biblical command to give is one that is very clear, but not always the easiest one to start. If you didn’t grow up with a tradition of giving a tithe (10% of your income), it may seem an impossibility to get started. But there is a great way to move slowly towards a tithe level of giving through a gradual plan. The plan outlined below is a great way to start small and, over the course of 2 years, grow to a full 10% level of giving.
Graduated plan towards a tithe
- Determine a starting amount – This can be your current level of giving or a new amount. A good starting point could be .1% of your Adjusted Gross Income from your latest tax year per month.
e.g. – If your adjusted gross income from last year was $100,000, you would start with $100 a month. (100,000 x .001 = 100)
- Using that starting amount, add 10% to that amount each month.
e.g. – Starting at $100 in January, you would give $110 in February (100 x 1.1 = 110), then $121 in March, $133.10 in April, $146.41. You can round to the nearest dollar if you’d like.
- Continue this monthly increase until you reach your tithe goal (10% of income). If you start at the example starting point in step 1, this should take roughly 2 years.
- After you reach your tithe, you can determine if you want to stay at that level of giving or continue to gradually increase your giving to a higher level.