It is commonly accepted among Evangelicals that a Christian must pay tithes to his local church. I do not find this anywhere in the Bible. The Old Testament shows Abraham tithing to a priest, and Moses commanded Israel to pay tithes to priests, but in the New Testament, all Christians are priests. Jesus taught that giving to the poor or to "the least of these" is the same as giving to him, and, in fact, this principle is found throughout Scripture. Yes, there are a few New Testament instructions and examples concerning giving to churches, but it is never referred to as a regular ten per cent that is due.
My wife and I divide our ten per cent between a variety of ministries, with the bulk of it going here. The founders of this evangelistic charity are good friends of ours.
For more detailed dissertation about Christian giving, read this. I don't agree with all of his conclusions, but it's food for thought.
