Question: Bob, our church teaches that the entire tithe should go to the local church. What does the Bible say? Response: In the book of Old Testament book of Malachi we’re told that God wants us to direct our entire tithe into the storehouse. So I believe it’s necessary that we compare the Old Testament storehouse to the New Testament church. The Old Testament storehouse had four functions: (1) Feed the tribe of Levi and the priests of Aaron. This would seem to be equivalent to our pastors and church staff members today. (2) Feed the prophets. A prophet in the Old Testament was not necessarily somebody who could “forthtell” the future but someone who could “forthtell” the truth. Today this would point to our missionaries and evangelists. (3) Feed the Hebrew widows and orphans living within the city. Today this would be roughly equivalent to the widows, orphans, and invalids in our local churches. (4) In addition a special tithe was taken every third year to feed the widows and orphans of the Gentiles living in and around the Hebrew city. This would seem to equate to the unsaved folks surrounding our local churches. Here’s the point: Many churches serve the fourfold function of the OT storehouse, and others do not. Does yours? Do you know? If you don’t know, I suggest you prayerfully and humbly ask. Your decision must be based on your church’s obedience to God’s Word. If a local church doesn’t accept the responsibility of being the storehouse, then believers must help ensure that the fourfold function is accomplished through other means.