Thank God I’m an atheist. It sounds like it saves me about eight grand a year! Plus my Sundays are my own and I don’t have to sit through boring sermons!
My belief is that all that we have belongs to God in the first place. We are called to be good stewards of what is entrusted to us, including our income and possessions. If what you are giving back to him in the form of a contribution to the Church, is not done freely and from the heart, then you are better off not giving anything at all. While you percieve your contribution as payment for religious education services performed by the church, similar to country club dues, I don’t think that was what God intended.
I willingly tithe on wages earned. God has blessed my path, and I figure it is the least that I can do. Any contributions to other causes are not offset by a reduction in the tithe. I made a promise to God that when I got my first “real” job, I would tithe. I now have that job, due to a direct answer to prayer, and I am glad to keep my word.
Even at that time when I was making less than $25,000/year (and carrying debt–I had student loans coming out of school, and a bunch of credit card debt), I didn’t find tithing to be a overbearing hardship. Sure, it’s not easy, but once I realized how much money I was spending on non-necessities, I could hardly justify not tithing.
To actually make a stab of answering the OP, I asked my minister last year what this particular church/denomination’s position on tithing was. He said there was no hard and fast rule for the amount a member had to pay; that it was a matter of individual conscience. He said it averages about 2%. How he derived that figure, I do not know.
I echo what Wilbo523 said. If one has the mentality that paying money to a church is little more than dues to be a member of a club or social group, that (to me) is a case of misplaced focus. Giving back to God a portion of what He has graced you with is not the same thing as feeling compelled to join a club or outdo your neighbor.
I tithe 10% of my personal gross to my church. Squid is not a member (he’s agnostic) so I tithe only on my income because, even though I handle the household bookeeping, it does not seem right to pay tithing on money that he earned. I am teaching all the Squidlets to pay tithing on their admittedly limited income.
I have never found tithing a hardship (and sometimes I have been the only income source for the family), but I view it as returning part of what has been given me through the Lord’s blessings. Everything I have comes from him, and 10 cents on the dollar is very little to return.
I want to add that I actually find tithing a bit liberating. I write out my tithing check first, before my other bills, and in some mental way it helps me put away my personal avarice for monetary pleasures. I reduce the importance of money in my life, and overall I beleive I have reduced the importance of our posessions in our lives. We have often lived on the edge of our remaining income, but I have never run out of money for the things we really needed.
Off to IMHO. Don’t forget to tithe slythe!
Manny, my buddy will be in tomorrow. In the past he has shown me such comparison stats. Being lazy, I’ll wait for him, instead of digging myself.
Mrs. D. and I give nowhere near 10%. But the monthly check has what I consider a respectable number on it. We also contribute in many non-monetary ways.
Moreover, our church posts the budget, as well as various sources of income (tho not individual pledges). So you are able to look at the numbers, including church membership, and decide whether you feel you are giving an appropriate amount.
I remember a guy telling me when he went to a new (Pres.) church, they were up front about how people at different stages in their lives can contribute to the church in different ways and different amounts. Makes sense to me. When the kids are grown, the house paid for, I would appreciate being able to, say, contribute to the endowment fund. Maybe I never will. We’ll see.
For those of you who give 10%. You have my respect for the discipline that requires and devotion that signifies. Just curious - do you believe that level of giving is the norm in your congregation? In our church, if everyone gave 10%, man, would we be rolling in dough!
Jess, I don’t have the site handy, but the last report I remember seeing that I think was a national average had it at 3% for whatever the group was. It might have just been my denomination but not sure. As to the pledge, as a former member of a pastorial advisory board dealing with finances, the use of the pledge merely allows the church to better plan the budget for the coming year. It is useful in determining the salary of the paid church workers, the amount the church can commit to sponsored missionaries, and especially if the church has ANY kind of a building program that requires interaction with financial institutions or higher governing church bodies that extend credit in this area.
It is indeed a highly personal choice, but the bible states in many places that the cheerful giver will be blessed beyond measure. 
Good luck on your decision.
Well God gives us 100%. He asks us to give 10% back to Him. He wants us to do it cheerfully, with love for His generosity. I have been tithing 10% plus an offering. God has blessed me with a good job and a great salary.
I’ve got the money in an envelope sitting right on my desk. I don’t trust the USPS with that much cash, so as soon as God can come on over… 
Just checked with my buddy. All his materials of this sort are packed up for his move next month. Sorry.
My church is just completing building a new building to house all the children’s ministries and as a part of the fund raising some consultants were brought in to give advice on obtaining loans, dealing with contractors, fund raising, etc… Basically they said what was mentioned above ‘pledge cards’ help give the banks some idea of the ability to raise funds / pay off debt and help with the overall budgeting purposes. In addition, they also mentioned that in their experience that 10% of a congregation gives 90% of the funds so that overall figure of 3% sounds reasonable. BTW my church doesn’t support the ‘give more at different stages of your life’, 10% of a little is the same as 10% of a lot, its still just 10%.
I do tithe on my net income. But I’m there all the time, so I get my money’s worth :).
My church does have some good givers (I’m an offering counter), but most of us are as poor as church mice. I understand, however, that given how small a church we are, we do quite well.
Well Jess, I read your OP and as you have probably seen already there ARE folks who give 10%, and give it cheerfully. They have explained why, and they seem to be a group that have their heads screwed on tight. All I can do is second their comments. I do give 10% pre-tax, about half to my own congregation and half to other causes. In my church we are not told how much to give, our contributions are not published, and if we can’t meet what we pledged, we are not dunned for the remaindered.
Thanks for the responses, everyone! I was surprised to see that 10% is indeed the rule. Kevin and I thought about it – in fact, Kevin actually claims to have prayed about it – and decided to go with $100 a month. I think this meets my requirement that we ‘do the right thing’ in terms of paying for the church resources – the whole ‘paying God back’ thing not being an issue for me. It also meets Kevin’s constant desire to be by the book – $100 a month matches our charitable giving and the two together equal about 10% of our discretionary funds. We’ll also give extra amounts (of money and time) for specific projects as needed. Thanks again!