A majority of people don't. About 73 percent of Assemblies of God members told Hoge's team they tithe, and 44 percent of Baptists said they do. After, that the numbers fall off dramatically with just 4 percent of Catholics, for instance, saying they tithe. Hoge and his colleagues also found five overarching motivations for church giving of any kind. While evangelicals typically give more to their churches than other denominations, they rank behind Catholic, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches in gifts to other charities, according to Hoge.
Many pastors say charitable giving of any kind can be considered a part of someone's tithe.
Others say anything less than 10 percent, for the church, is not a true tithe. I recognize some people, some pastors and teachers who might say, 'That is not tithing at all. I would not find fault. Each person has to determine that within his or her own heart. The way we relate to God and the way we relate to money, those two things are interrelated.