THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BEGIN
God has called us to bring in the whole tithe to the church (Malachi 3:10). He has also said that He will rain down more blessings than what we are able to contain if we will do so. At CrossRoads, we want you to experience all of God's power and blessing and this is one way that we can open the floodgates of Heaven or close them up. So the Tithing Challenge is our attempt to help you begin to tithe.
The first thing that you need to understand is that a tithe is 10% of your gross income. It is not less than 10%. The word tithe literally means 10%. It is 10% of your gross income, not your net. Your net income is after you have given to Caesar what is Caesar's (Matthew 22:21). But before the government took out that money, it was your income. Taxes are just pre-paid bills, but just as we don't give 10% after taking out our electric and water bills, we don't give 10% after paying our tax bill.
The second thing to understand is that this is not about CrossRoads. Our need to tithe is a personal act of worship to God. If CrossRoads did not exist, we would still worship God. But we must worship the way He instructs us in the Scripture. Tithing is a form of worship. It is an offering of thanks for Him providing for you. If there is ever anything that we as a church ask for in a special circumstance such as helping kids get to camp, this is always above your tithe. The Bible would consider that an offering, but the tithe is never designated for anything specifically.
The third thing is that we here at CrossRoads love you no matter what. This is something between you and God and this is our little way of trying to help you, but if you decide you can't or don't want to do it and you request a refund, there will be absolutely no judgment from anyone. In fact, only two people in the church will even know about this and that is Pastor Lee and our bookkeeper, Tracy Salas. No one else will even be notified if you begin this process. No, if you request a refund, then two more people will find out because they are the ones who sign the checks and they will need to know what the check is for before they will sign it.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The Tithing Challenge allows you to test God (Malachi 3:10) in this. Once you sign up for the Tithing Challenge, you will commit to increasing your giving to 10% of your gross income over a period of time. At the end of this time, if you do not feel that God has been faithful to you, then you can request a refund. We, at CrossRoads, are so confident of God's faithfulness, we have no problem offering this refund to you. And as stated, there will only be two people who know that you have signed up and only two more people will know if you request a refund and you will receive no condemnation or judgment from anyone. This is a good thing to try, but it may not work for you and that is ok.
There are some guidelines to help make sure that everyone is on the same page. These are at the bottom of the form and you will need to place a check mark next to each item in order to be entered into the Tithing Challenge. There are also some restrictions we have put in place to protect the church. This is important because the Devil will always send wolves in sheep's clothing to hurt the church and without these restrictions, the church would be vulnerable. We are glad to offer this to people whose intentions are good, but we must protect the church from people whose intentions are bad.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
First, fill out the form below and wait for a confirmation email. Then make sure to follow the instructions until the end of the period. Your Tithing Challenge Period begins with your first offering after submitting the form as long as the offering is marked "Tithing Challenge." If you desire to give to something on top of your tithe, mark your checks appropriately. Should you desire a refund at the end of the period, email Pastor Lee and request this refund. May the Lord bless you and we believe He will as you take this next step of faith.