I don't understand a required or suggested tithe. All the directives toward a tenth are from the old testament and no where in the new testament is 10% mentioned. The Jewish faith considers tithing as commanded by the old testament a sin.
If Christians are under the "new covenant" which does not require or suggest tithing, and the Jewish faith that still abides by the law of Moses "the old covenant" (aka old testament) considers tithing a sin; then how do Christian churches justify the tithe?
Right, and in my post I referenced the 10%, but that's just thrown out there as a guideline because in the absence of specific instruction we're forced to confront the uncomfortable possibility that Jesus wants us to own nothing.
For those outside the church wondering why the church needs the money, there are some legitimate expenses.
First off, you have a building that sits empty for much of the day, aside from a small office area in which the pastor/priest and the church staff take care of daily business. This building tends to be rather large, and the reality is you have to provide some conditioning, to stave off mildew in the South and Freezing in the North. The electricity/heat bill for churches is a huge expense, usually the largest.
The second highest expense is usually a deferred maintenance type budget. Churches need new roofs too, there's plumbing, equipment for HVAC, etc.
Cleaning is a large line item, right after services everybody poops (unless you're Catholic, then nobody poops but you).
There's printing costs, supplies, coffee, etc. Many larger churches also operate a bookstore which will typically operate at a minor loss.
Equipment purchases: tables and chairs for sunday school/bible study/aa meetings wear out and have to be replaced.
So you have all the same expenses associated with any large entertainment complex, but without the 7 day/wk revenue stream. The comments here about the salary for the pastor are missing the forest for the trees. No church budget I've ever seen pays the pastor anywhere close to as much as even one of the above costs I've mentioned, and it's arguably the most critical piece of the whole organization to get right.
Not to say there's no hypocrisy, and not to say it couldn't be done better.
An MMM church, for example, would meet in a park. The "church" would be a van that can hold some audio/visual equipment. The printing costs would be zero, because everything would be organized online via our church app. After big church, the various bible study groups would walk/bike to each other's houses. Every position with the church would be volunteer, on a rotating basis. Everyone would put money in a hat to cover maintenance/gas for the van.
That's probably what Jesus intended.
From a practical standpoint, for a church you currently attend and enjoy, if you aren't donating money you are literally stealing from everyone else who is. It'd be like not paying your taxes. Now, everyone there is cool with you doing that, it's sort of the whole point. But part of growing as a person and becoming an adult is recognizing that things have to paid for, and church is no different. You can't build a 20,000 sq. ft. building in downtown anywhere, keep it at 70 degrees and staffed with friendly smiling people for free. Not in this world, not in any world.
But as someone who from time to time attends church and donates my time/money to it, if you are massively in debt/having trouble saving please don't try and give money to the church. We've got it covered, get your shit together, you can help so many more people once you yourself are set.
It's that whole thing with breakage. At a 10% profit margin, how many extra products do I have to sell to make up for even one that breaks? Ten. You tithing when you can't afford it, and ending up broken, will require ten people who have their shit together to cover.