Missions and Money

While reading the final chapters of John Piper's book, Don't Waste Your Life, I came across this sad statement about giving in the church...



"In 1916, Protestants were giving 2.9% of their incomes to their
churches. In 1933, the depth of the Great Depression, it was 3.2%. In
1955, just after affluence began spreading through our culture, it was
still 3.2%. By 2000, when Americans were over 450% richer, after taxes
and inflation, than in the Great Depression, Protestants were giving
2.6% of their incomes to their churches.

Moreover, "If members of historically Christian churches in the
United States were giving an average of 10% in 2000, there would have
been an additional $139 billion a year going through church channels."
Now add to that the really shocking fact that of the money given to
the church, less than 6% goes to foreign missions, and of that amount,
about 1% goes to fund breakthroughs to unreached peoples. This is not
to say we should pull back on any front. The point is, there is plenty
for all the breakthroughs if we live to show that Christ is our
Treasure."

Just the fact that we are doing so little of what we are capable of accomplishing if we had our priorities in order made my head hurt. Literally for a second or two. I knew as a nation we were going downhill from what we used to be in regards to financial priorities, but to see the hard numbers put in into perspective. Piper gives the references for these numbers, let me know if you'd like me to post them.