This week I am preaching at Lutheran Church in the Foothills. I am preaching on Stewardship and the spiritual disciplines. We are entering the time in our church were we talk about about pledging and tithing–I hate that.
There was a church in San Diego that I visited, that never did that. In fact people pledged a certain amount of money, but it was never seen by anyone. The congregation would bring their pledges to the altar and as part of the service, the Pastor would seal them in an huge envelope. The projected budget was never based on pledges because they were never looked at. They trusted that God would provide for them.