Since this is in Religion, I guess it is not inappropriate to quote the Bible.
Leviticus 27
30 " 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD ; it is holy to the LORD .
A tithe is a tenth of your increase. Some say it should be a tenth of the amount before taxes, other say it should be what you actually receive as long as you give a tenth of your tax refund as well.
Mark 12:41-44
41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,[1] worth only a fraction of a penny.[2]
43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."
She gave more than a tenth. Others despised her gift, but God saw it and honored it by its very mention by Jesus.
Malachi 3:8-12
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse-the whole nation of you-because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
According to the Bible, God expects a tenth of ALL your increase. That is the minimum. You are to give free will or love offerings beyond that.
I know this seems very hard to do, but if you do not over extend yourselves, it becomes doable and the more you do it the easier it becomes and, remarkably, the more you seem to have just as God promised in the verses from Malachi 3 quoted above.
crabcake said:
... the average household salary is $45000 (which I'm thinking is pretty conservative), that's $675K a year!
OT - $45000 is very high; I think it is closer to $25000. ...
Regarding what the money is used for has many answers. Some churches (lower c) have extravagant buildings and the ministers have large salaries and a large staff and use it for expenses of the church and my give some of it to organizations with much of the money going back to the parent organization for who knows what. Some Churches (uppercase C for Christ) provide adequate salaries for the ministers and staff (which is Biblical and right), give much of it to needy people in the congregation, support other Churches that are just starting, support missionaries, and pay the expenses of the Church. Now there is nothing wrong with having a nice building, but layering one with gold and silver is over the top and those funds could go to much better use building God's Church. As a member of a church or Church, you have a right to know how the money is spent. If the church you are going to won't tell you, I would suggest that you find a Church.
Most of all, pray about what you should give. If you cannot tithe now, plan to and work towards that as you get raises. You will be amazed at the blessings you will receive if you honor God and His word.