Other "Thinking Drafts" and writing by Keith Drury --
http://www.indwes.edu/tuesday .Multi-level Tithing
The stewardship committee at my church has hatched a brilliant plan to end all our financial problems. I hope you'll join us, for it could make you personally rich, too. We think the Lord must have given us this plan, because it is a win-win situation... our church gets all the money it needs, while, at the same time, our members get rich.
We call our new system the *Give-and-it-shall-be-given-unto-you* campaign. It is simple and beautiful. You've heard of the idea of 'Tithing' I'm sure. It's the notion of giving 10% of your net income to the church. Sure, that sounds high at first, but what if you could get more than ten times that amount back -- and keep getting it for years in the future? Sounds too good to be true, but think of all the things your family could use. That's where multi-level tithing comes in.
Here's how it works. Besides tithing yourself, our stewardship committee is prepared to pay you a premium of 1% of net income from every tither you personally recruit. And, we'll keep paying that 1% as long as they keep tithing. That could produce a reliable revenue stream for your family for decades!
For instance, if you recruit a tither who makes $50,000 a year, he or she will tithe $5,000, which means you get $500 as your 1% 'Finder's fee' -- and you keep on getting that 1% every year your recruit keeps tithing! And when your recruit raises his or her giving (including mission pledges) you get a raise too. (See how this will add up to big buck$ over the next decade?)
But it doesn't stop here. It is a *multi-level* system, meaning you also get a cut of the tithe from all those your recruits recruit too! This