Tithing & Stewardship

According to the scriptures, "The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives." (Deuteronomy 14:23).  Tithing derives from a Hebrew word that means "a tenth;" it is the spiritual discipline of giving ten percent of what you gain to the Lord. 

Tithing is a reminder that God is the supplier of everything we have.  It is also God's personal invitation to participate in his mission in the world.  When we give the first 10% of our income to the church, it is an act of putting God first in our lives.  Tithing is an act of worship that expresses our gratitude, faith, and love for others.

Getting Started with Online & Automated Giving

At Hillendale, the best way to give is by automating your giving.  When you give online you are given the option to set the frequency of your gift via debit/credit or direct bank transfer (electronic check).  It's real simple.

Benefits of Giving Online

There are great benefits to online giving for both you and our church...

• Faithfully honoring God - When you sign up to give online you are deciding in advance to faithfully give. God always blesses that kind of faith! The Bible teaches that we are to honor God with the “First Fruits” of our labor (Proverbs 3:9). By setting up a recurring contribution that is scheduled to come out of your account on the day you specify, you can ensure that your First Fruits are faithfully given back to God.

• Simplicity - You won't have to remember whether you gave this month or send in an offering by mail when you’re on a trip. Plus, you can easily track and adjust your giving at any time.

• Security - We utilize an encrypted and secure website for your online records. Online giving is more secure than giving with a check or cash because an electronic gift can’t be lost or stolen.

• Focus - Instead of having to worry about writing a check and filling out an envelope during the service, you can be fully focused on the worship service, knowing that you have already given your offering.

• Helping Hillendale - Online giving is more cost effective for our church to process, and it makes our record keeping much easier.

A Note about Credit Cards

While we allow the use of credit cards for tithes and offerings for your convenience, we still strongly encourage the use of electronic funds transfer rather than credit card for two primary reasons:

• Although many pay off their credit cards each month, many also do not. We do not want to encourage someone to go into debt and pay interest on gifts given to the church.

• With electronic transfer, 99% of your gift goes to the church (there is only a 1% processing fee that we pay). When using a credit card, as much as 3% of your gift can go to the credit card company from processing fees we pay.