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Should I Pledge to My Church? (This is from the "StewardBuilders" newsletter, Stewardship Advisors, Birmingham MI.) Life is full of examples of the pledges that we make. We make pledges to pay our house and car payments. We pledge to make timely payments to our utility suppliers and our newspaper carriers. In our marriage vows, we pledge our commitments to our spouses. Our way of life depends on our willingness to pledge. As God’s children, we should have an even greater willingness to honor our pledges for the financial support of God’s Kingdom through our churches than we do for the pledges we make outside of the church. Many Christians find no obstacles in their decision to commit to a pledge. Others struggle and to those few who find themselves in this category, let me share the following thought as to why I recommend to people that they pledge: 1. When we pledge, we give careful thought to our giving. A pledge commits us to a predetermined amount of weekly giving rather than make weekly giving decisions in haste. 2. Pledging tends to safeguard our decision against letting our love of money overcome our love for the Lord. The commitment of the pledge helps us overcome the temptation of giving less when the finances get a little tough. 3. Pledging is an affirmation that we will do it God’s way. It says that we are taking a definite stand on the side of God. To make such an affirmation in word and deed is part of living the new life we have in Christ. 4. We pledge because it follows in the tradition and spirit of many Biblical examples. For example, Jacob (Genesis 28:22) pledged to give the Lord a tithe of all his resources. In Acts 18:18, Paul kept a vow that he had made to have his hair cut. Pledging is part of the life of a Christian. 5. Our pledge is based on the blessings God will entrust to us. The pledge is not a contract that can’t be changed. As our blessings change, so will the pledged amount that we will give. 6. A pledge each year to the work of the Lord through our churches is a statement of faith. As we approach the time this fall that we will be asked to make our faith commitments for 2005, perhaps these thoughts will be helpful to you. May God’s blessings remain with you as you continue the faithful stewardship of the many blessings entrusted to your care.
In
Christ,
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