Stats and Quotes on Giving from “The Hole in Our Gospel”

Been reading through the giving and statistics in The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. Need to put these in the cloud:

The total annual income of American churchgoers- $5.2 trillion

American Christians make up 5% of worldwide Christians, but control 1/2 half of the Christian wealth.

It would take only 1% of the annual wealth of American Christians to lift the poorest 1 billion of the world’s population out of extreme poverty.

Only 5% of American households give 10% of their income towards ministries. 9% of born again Christians tithe. 24% of Evangelical Christians tithe.

In 2005 the average American churchgoer gave 2.58% of their finances. During the Great Depression, that number was 3.3%.

2% of money given in American churches is directed towards overseas mission efforts. If we are giving 2% of our income, and churches are giving 2% overseas, then 2% of 2% is going towards some of the world’s most significant issues, with is five ten-thousandths of our income. 6 cents per person, per day is being given to the rest of the world.

If we gave the remaining 7.5% of the tithe as an American Christian people, and that money went to overseas efforts it would equate to $168 billion. One year of faithful giving and distribution would change the world.

It would only take $65 billion (less than 40% of $168 Billion) to:
– eliminate the most extreme poverty on the planet for more than 1 billion people
– provide universal primary education for children ($6 Billion)
– bring clean water to most of the world’s poor ($9 Billion)
– provide basic health care and nutrition for everyone in the world ($13 Billion)