Ever heard that ten-percent of the people carry ninety-percent of the church? Around ten-percent are the tithers. Ten-percent are the mission-minded. Ten-percent are the leaders, the teachers, the servants. Many preachers lament that if everyone in the church tithed, the church could take care of all the needs of the church and have far more ministries. “Everyone in the church.” Unfortunately, “everyone” is never going to do that. Not everyone is going to tithe and not everyone is going to serve.
Why should we be surprised? It’s nothing new. Remember when Jesus healed the ten lepers? He asked the one who returned to thank Him, “Where are the others? Did I not heal 10?” Ten people were healed and more than likely all ten people were thankful. It’s just that one of the ten was more thankful than the others. He returned to show his gratitude. He set aside his own celebration to acknowledge his benefactor.
That’s about how it is in churches today. Ten percent or so do all the work, lead all the committees, teach all of the classes, do all of the visitation, and do most of the praying. Even with all the disciples had seen, with all they knew about the Savior, they failed to wait and pray with Jesus in His greatest hour of need in Gethsemane. Out of the thousands of “Hosannas” raised upon Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem, a tiny fraction huddled in an upper room wondering how this [crucifixion] could have happened to their leader. Had they all sat and worried about the many who did not live up to the call to “go into all the world”, we would be lost without a prayer.
Does make one wonder how much more could be done if the ten-percent factor was reversed. Can you imagine? We could help so many people with healthcare, food supply, home repair, clothing. There’s no telling how many more churches we could plant and support…how many more missionaries we could send. And all it would take is getting the majority of the folks who attend our churches to understand how much their generosity could take us. Are we naive to hope for such involvement? Am I naive for praying for such?