Tithing Rewards Both Spiritual and Financial

"The hook that this ministry is promoting is that you must give a lot to receive a lot. You put money in, you get money out. Almost like an investment, whereas the principle of tithing is that you should give to be obedient to God."

Such an emphasis on individual enrichment and empowerment, as described by Dallas minister T.D. Jakes, has allowed the church to abandon its emphasis on community and political advocacy, some ministers say. Others worry that the perception of clergy growing rich on the proceeds of their ministry could alienate churchgoers.

Hudson said prosperity ministry has been painted with a negative brush because some people associate it with greed. Instead, he cited such Bible verses as Deuteronomy 28: 1-4, which promise that those who obey God will be made rich and prosperous.

Hudson said about 40 percent of the 900 members of Matthews Memorial tithe, but his goal is for 100 percent of the churchgoers to contribute at least 12 percent of their income -- what he called "sacrificial giving."

"Tithing is about giving in obedience, so you don't get any kudos for that. It's what you are supposed to do as a Christian," he said. "When we talk about sacrificial giving, that is about giving towards our vision, our dream as a church."

That dream includes a school and community development corporation funded with donations from churchgoers.

Deloris Walker of Southeast Washington gives her 10 percent at Hudson's church.

Walker, a Department of Agriculture secretary, said tithing proved a hardship initially, but she was determined to make the sacrifice.

"I never made enough money to tithe, but my blessings became more abundant when I started," she said. "Things just seemed to happen in a positive way. Since I started tithing, my financial situation is much better, and I have been blessed even more."

Her daughter, Carla Brooks, said she enjoys tithing at the Soul Factory church in Forestville because her pastor, Derron Cloud, runs a service-oriented ministry. Among the Soul Factory's recent projects was collecting three truckloads of provisions for Hurricane Katrina victims and traveling to the storm-ravaged area to assist people in need.

LaVonne Snowden, an account executive for an office furniture dealer in Largo, said she appreciates tithing for the way it makes her feel.

For a while, she had stopped giving regularly. Now, she and husband Bernard, a Prince George's police lieutenant, both give 10 percent. So do their children, who put a weekly donation into the offering plate at Kettering Baptist Church.

"When I started up again, I noticed how good I felt about myself," she said. "I sat up higher in the pew because I felt that I was being really obedient to God. Inside, it made me feel proud of myself. . . . It wasn't about giving something to get something. It was about doing what I am supposed to do."

Staff writer Hamil R. Harris and staff researcher Derek Willis contributed to this report.