Trans Pacific Union Mission (TPUM) pastors and treasurers have received important training to help them get a clearer understanding of biblical stewardship.
TPUM tithe auditor Eparama Drou travelled around the Mission for four months, accompanied by the CFO in each country, conducting workshops on local church bookkeeping processes, including clear and simple biblical teaching on tithes and offerings.
The training was prompted by a number of issues at the local church level due to the late reporting of tithes and offerings, making the auditing process arduous. In some churches there had also been a shift away from the biblical teaching of freewill offerings to members being pressured into allocating a large percentage of their income to offerings, leaving little for their families.
Mr Drou spent time building relationships with the pastors and treasurers, and providing them with simple and clear processes to follow. He also equipped them with resources, including new reporting books and copies of the God First edition of Dynamic Steward.
South Pacific Division Discipleship Ministries Team stewardship leader Christina Hawkins has supported the initiative and provided resources. She said it has brought clarity and fresh respect for the Church’s tithe and offerings system.
Already there has been an encouraging upward shift in TPUM tithe payments, with the latest figures showing a 10 per cent rise at the end of January. Reporting, too, is happening more promptly.
“They are very receptive to the training, the messages are really positive,” Mrs Hawkins said. “It brings clarity, it builds trust. The tithe and offering process is simplified. It liberates them.”
