A minister encouraged the members of a church into tithing by giving them a challenge.

According to The Christian Post (CP), Robert Morris, pastor of the Gateway Church in Texas, was a guest preacher at Willow Creek Community Church (WCCC) in Illinois on Feb. 20. The minister reportedly preached on "The Principle of First," addressing the falling revenues that the church is experiencing due to the coronavirus pandemic. WCCC is being led by Senior Pastor David Dummitt.

"When I started giving the first 10% to God it changed everything. And here's what I'd like to do. I'd like to just challenge you. I've done this with our church. I've told our church on multiple occasions, I've said to them, if you'll try it for one year, if you are not fully satisfied, at the end of that year, I'll give you your money back. With 22 years in the church, no one's ever asked for their money back," Morris told the congregants.

"You know what? I'm so confident, I'll say it here. You tithe for one year, if you're not fully satisfied, Dave will give you your money back," he added.

In the video clip released by The Roys Report (TRR), Dummitt agreed with Morris and accepted the challenge.

"I'll just go ahead and say yes. Just like the Lord said, test me in this. I think I'll go ahead and be bold and say if you do this for the year and you are not fully satisfied, we'll give the money back. I like that challenge," he said.

But when CP asked WCCC about the matter, the church replied that it is still "exploring the program."

WCCC Executive Pastor Tim Stevens told the TRR that Morris' challenge is not a "prosperity gospel" but about the miraculous provision of God, as he himself experienced in his own family.

"Any time that my wife and I have stretched in our giving, God has out-given us in return," Stevens revealed.

Tithing and the pandemic

ABC News shared that the attendance limitation imposed during the pandemic has impacted the churches financially. Church leaders told the news outlet that people are more likely to donate when they are attending the services physically.

Due to the threat of COVID-19 virus, many churches have decided to continue meeting virtually. However, the decline in attendance and its impact on the church's revenues have forced some churches to permanently close.

In addition to the financial issue, the churches are also facing a number of other concerns just to keep their doors open, such as debates on the appropriate health safety protocols. These exhausted many of the church leaders, which even drove some to quit.

The Israelites were commanded to give their tithes to the church as early as the time of Moses. In the last book of the Old Testament, God continued to urge the people to give the ten percent of their income, so that "there may be food in [His] house." He declared that not doing so equates to robbing Him. He then promised that if they would follow this command, He would bless them abundantly, even beyond they could handle.

 Though tithing was not mentioned in the New Testament, giving is encouraged by Jesus Himself, as stated in Luke 6:38. In 1 Corinthians 9:13-14, Paul reiterated the commandment of God "that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel." 2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds, however, that a person should give according to what he has decided in his heart and "not reluctantly or under compulsion."