We don’t have tithing in the sense that many Protestant churches do. There’s no requirement to give exactly 10% of your income, no pledge cards tracked by the church office, no sermons threatening that you’re robbing God if you don’t hit that number. But that doesn’t mean we treat financial giving as optional or unimportant.
The Orthodox Church views giving as part of your spiritual life. It’s an ascetic discipline, like fasting or prayer. When you give sacrificially to the church, you’re training your heart to let go of possessions and trust God. You’re participating in the life of the parish as a community, not just consuming religious services. And you’re supporting the actual work of the church, paying clergy, maintaining the building, helping those in need.
Some Orthodox parishes do encourage tithing as a practical starting point. The Antiochian Archdiocese promotes what it calls “Christian Giving” through the Thanksgiving Project, which helps parishes order their finances through regular, faithful giving rather than constant crisis appeals. But even when tithing is encouraged, it’s presented as a minimum guide for generosity, not a legalistic requirement.
Jesus himself mentioned tithing. In Luke 11:42, he tells the Pharisees, “You tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” He’s not abolishing the tithe. He’s saying it’s good, but it can’t replace mercy and love. That’s the Orthodox approach in a nutshell.
The early Church Fathers wrote about tithing too. Third-century texts urge Christians to bring “first fruits and your tithes” to support clergy and help the poor. St. Paul tells the Corinthians that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from it. The practice didn’t disappear after the Old Testament. It just stopped being a legal requirement and became a voluntary expression of love.
Here’s what makes Orthodox giving different from the Protestant version you might’ve grown up with at First Baptist. We’re not trying to unlock God’s blessings through a financial transaction. We’re not sowing seed money to reap a harvest. We’re not even primarily focused on keeping the church budget balanced, though that matters. We’re focused on what giving does to your heart.
Sacrifice unsticks us. When you work a twelve-hour shift at the refinery and then write a check to the church, you’re saying that your money isn’t ultimately yours. When you give even though the mortgage is tight and the AC just went out, you’re practicing trust. That’s asceticism. It hurts a little, and that’s the point.
The widow’s mite matters more than the rich man’s surplus. Jesus talked about money more than almost any other topic because he knew how tightly we grip it. Orthodox teaching says to give proportionally, sacrificially, and cheerfully. If that’s 10% for you, great. If you’re in a season where it needs to be 5% or where it can be 20%, that’s between you and God and your priest if you want his guidance.
What we don’t do is treat giving as separate from the rest of Christian life. You can’t tithe your way out of being uncharitable to your neighbor. You can’t write a check and skip Liturgy. The whole person belongs to God, your time, your mercy, your presence, your money. All of it.
In practice, most Orthodox parishes run on the faithful giving of their members, just like any church. Buildings need roofs. Priests need salaries. Candles and wine and flour for prosphora cost money. Our archdiocese asks parishes to contribute 15% of their income to support wider church work. None of that happens without regular, generous giving from people in the pews.
If you’re coming from a background where tithing was heavily emphasized, you might find the Orthodox approach refreshing or unsettling. There’s more freedom, but also more responsibility. Nobody’s checking your giving record. You won’t get a letter if you skip a month. But you’re also called to examine your own heart and ask whether you’re truly giving sacrificially or just tossing in whatever’s convenient.
Talk to your priest if you want guidance on what faithful giving looks like for your situation. He’s not going to demand a percentage. He’s going to ask you to pray about it, to consider what sacrifice means in your life right now, and to give as an act of worship.
