Stewardship

A win-win-win

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When the Florida-Bahamas Synod decided to give $956,251 to ELCA churchwide ministries, the amount wasn’t arbitrary. It was a “tithe”—10%—of the proceeds from a sale of real estate that netted nearly $10 million. The synod gave the tithe as a “first fruits” offering. Tithing and first fruits offerings are biblical principles for giving. Though they aren’t always emphasized, these type of offerings may hold the key to both funding God’s work in the world and unlocking personal generosity.