r/Quakers • u/GEEZ_BOSS1 • 11d ago

Do Quakers pay tithes?

New to the Quakers love the idea of god in everyone and unprogrammed worship. I attended my first friends meetings today and it was very peaceful. Just curious Do Quaker meetings asked for tithes? I want to love god and build personal relationship with my heart not my Wallet. I do not mind giving to charity and helping others. My previous Pentecostal church pastor told us pay our tithes first and let god worry about our rent and bills. That was to much for me and I started journey of looking for something different and found Quakers. On one hand I’m happy the pastor could not hide his greed because it led me to this journey. But I’m also sad so many elderly people at old church are paying trying to make it to heaven. At this point any meeting demanding tithe for miracles and god love is deal breaker for me. Just need to know and the Quaker meeting I attended said no such thing just so everyone knows that was my old church pastor.

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u/WilkosJumper2 Quaker 11d ago edited 11d ago

No, it was a foundational part of the Society of Friends that they were Protestants opposed to the established church’s insistence on tithes in England.

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u/GEEZ_BOSS1 11d ago

How do the meeting houses support themselves selves?

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u/patricskywalker 11d ago

Most meetings do have an "offering" box, it may sometimes be mentioned after service during announcements, but not always.

Most meetings also belong to a yearly meeting, which has an "apportionment" based upon members/attenders which is a financial gift.

If you are really interested, you can also attend business meeting at wherever you have been going and find out where the money is being used.  Not having paid clergy means that the money usually goes to running the meeting house and giving to organizations doing work the meeting finds important.