Pledging and Tithing
What's It All About?
At St. David’s, we know that financial stewardship is an important component of a balanced spiritual life. Returning to God from that which God has given us is a tangible way to express our faith. When each of us gives as we are able, together we fund ministry within our parish and to the Austin community and the world.
WHAT IS A PLEDGE?
A pledge is an estimate of giving; some call it a statement of intent. Your pledge amount may be changed, increased or decreased during the year, at any time as your financial circumstances change.
WHY SHOULD I PLEDGE?
Pledging allows you to make intentional decisions about your financial giving. When you plan ahead for your giving, you make conscious choices about spending your money in ways that reflect your faith and values.
Receiving your pledge allows our Vestry, the church’s governing board, to do for our parish community what you do for your household: plan wisely for the use our resources in support of the mission and ministry to which God has called us. The Vestry sets a budget based on the total amount pledged to the church. While regular giving that is not pledged is important to the parish, your pledge lets the Vestry plan more accurately for the ministry we can accomplish.
HOW DO I PLEDGE?
Annual giving pledges at St. David’s are made each year. While our annual giving campaign is held in the fall, pledges may be made at any time.
HOW DO I PAY MY PLEDGE?
Paying your pledge is a matter of your personal preference. You may pay weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly via cash, checks, credit card, or electronic fund transfer (EFT). You may initiate your own credit card payments via Paypal or if you wish the church will charge your credit card. You may also pay your pledge with a donation of stock. Many companies have matching funds for charitable donations. Please check to see if your company has such a plan, and let us know.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I PLEDGE?
Determining the amount of your annual pledge is between you and God. The church does offer some guidelines to assist you as you make this important decision.
WHAT IS PROPORTIONATE GIVING?
Proportionate giving is basing your pledge amount on a percentage of your income.
WHAT IS A TITHE?
A tithe is 10% of your income. At its General Convention since 1982, the Episcopal Church has affirmed the tithe is the minimum standard for giving and encourages its members to tithe or be working toward a tithe. St. David’s Vestry has also passed a resolution in support of tithing (see page 2). Both resolutions recognize that many persons choose to divide their tithe among the church and other worthy organizations.
A tithe may sound like an unattainable goal to begin with, but if you start with a certain proportion of your income and increase the percentage each year, you will be tithing in a short time. You could start with 5%, a half tithe. Another option is 2½%, which is equivalent to pledging the first hour’s pay of a 40-hour work week.
JUST DO IT!
Where you start or whether you tithe on your annual or gross income is not nearly as important as simply making your first pledge. As the folks at Nike say, “Just do it!”
QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about financial stewardship or tithing, your clergy are happy to talk with you. Please call for an appointment, 610-3500.
