At Lighthouse, we have tried to honour God and His Word in the principles of giving and to be open with all members in our financial management. So it’s important for all our members to understand our values as a church and the role that each person plays.
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Firstly, our budget is made up entirely from the tithes and giving from the membership. We receive no outside funding and so all our income is from these offerings. Much of the budget goes towards ongoing operational costs, the rest towards ministry and we aim towards 25% of our budget to be towards mission, including our tithe.
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Secondly, all financial matters are regulated and conducted with wisdom, faith and transparency. No one person has access to the accounts, all financial requests have to be approved, and the church membership is informed of the budget which they will then vote on, meaning that the members participate in the process.
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Thirdly, we believe in being generous because our Father is generous towards us. With that as a value, we don’t believe in giving out of guilt or coercion, so we never put any pressure on our members, rather we invite all of us to participate in this grace of giving ( 2 Cor 8:7 ) and we know the Lord honours our hearts and provides for all our needs.
To sum up, our guiding Scriptures give us clarity on giving:
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Malachi 3:10-11 speaks very clearly about the importance of tithing and the blessing that God wants to bring into our lives as we give. So it’s not seen as a burden under the law, but rather an opportunity to engage with God in faith.
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Matthew 23:23. To those that argue that you don’t find any reference to tithing in the New Testament, Jesus interestingly mentions it in this passage. Clearly, Jesus did not see the need to do away with tithing.
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2 Corinthians 9:7. Here, Paul speaks of the person with a Kingdom heart of giving….To be led by the Spirit and to do so cheerfully. That is what we aim for.
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Our banking details are as follows:
Lighthouse Family Church
First National Bank
Account No: 62044380046
Branch Code: 261050