What exactly are Christians’ prevailing views on matters of stewardship and generosity? And how is the local church shaping them?

While pastors today note the tithe as being central both to their church’s funding and its practice of generosity, new data uncovered in Revisiting the Tithe & Offering—the latest release in The State of Generosity series, produced in partnership with Generis and Gloo—suggests a traditional tithe is not widely understood or practiced today.

Two in Five Practicing Christians Give At Least 10% of Their Annual Income as a Tithe When it comes to generosity within the local church, just 21 percent of Christians set their church giving at 10 percent or more of their income. Typically, their giving varies (37%), while one-quarter (25%) doesn’t give to their church at all. Practicing Christians are much more likely to set their giving to at least the customary 10 percent tithe (42%), though that means the majority of practicing Christians is still giving in lower or less predictable amounts.

It’s not just that the tithe isn’t always intentionally set aside; the tithe is also not well understood by U.S. adults or even Christians in particular (and, we might assume, is not well taught through churches).

43% of Christians Say They Know What the Term “Tithe” Means When U.S. adults are asked if they are familiar with the term “tithe,” about two in five (39%) indicate they are familiar and are able to provide a definition. The same percentage (39%), however, indicates they are unfamiliar with the term, and one-fifth (22%) says they are familiar with the word but cannot recall its meaning.