There is no immediate crisis. The church currently sends out nearly 12,000 monthly benefit checks. There are many more additions to the plan than deletions. We must avoid this potential problem. One is tithe.
Data suggest, however, that more members are giving less tithe per member.
Over a recent five-year period, tithe per capita rose only 5.88 percent while disposable personal income rose 18.59 percent, according to F. Donald Yost, General Conference director of Archives and Statistics. In 1993, tithes increased 1.7 percent over 1992 much below the Consumer Price Index, or cost increase, of 3 percent. While North American Division membership grew by nearly 300,000, nearly doubling, from 1975 to 1993, tithe did not increase proportionately. Either not all the new members pay tithe or some of the old timers have decreased their giving. It may be unwise to expect future tithe to maintain or shore up the fund.