I used to be a part of a church that refused to teach on tithing because the pastor believed it was Old Testament legalism, but at the same time he took the view that everyone, without exception, must do the members course before becoming a member of the church.
I have always been perplexed by this, because one of these is a biblical principle whilst the other really is legalism, which has no scriptural basis.
At The Gathering we don't have a members course, our members know in their hearts if they're part of us. We do however teach on giving and tithing. We believe that the principle of tithing pre-dates the law, so whilst the law enshrined it as a Godly OT principle, the law didn't get there first.
We also acknowledge that for some people the word tithe is unhelpful so we like to focus more on giving and the NT principles of giving. We also believe that Grace begins where the law ends so if the law demanded a tenth, then you can figure out your starting point under grace.
2 Corinthians 9:7 is a great starting point for giving: "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
So, in a nutshell, that's our view on giving, seek God and follow his leading but above all honour him in your finances.
We bank with Standard Bank and our account details are:
Account Name: Gathering Community Church NPC
Account Number: 10194512329
Branch Code: 051001
Swift Code: SBZAZAJJ
