Since conception, Relational Tithe has sought to eliminate economic isolation. We believe that relationships deeply matter when helping one another in our time of need.
What is Relational Tithe?
Relational Tithe believes God has created an economy of abundance and intends for people to care for one another. This is not benevolence or charity or even philanthropy; it is a call to friendship. What started out as an experiment amongst a small group of friends five years ago has grown exponentially over the years.
Following the 2002 Jubilee Celebration in New York, Darin Petersen and Shane Claiborne began asking how the daily practice of collaborative giving would look. Relational Tithe, Inc was launched in January 2005 as an experiment among people desiring to live a more adventurous, relational and passionate faith. What began as an experiment among 17 people within the US has grown to include people over the globe with a hunger to participate.
Since 2005 Relational Tithe has consisted of a handful of groups totaling fewer than 100 participants. However, we have touched the lives of over 1000 families and individuals in over 15 countries and over $600,000 has been given directly to people in need.
Despite the quantitative figures, the emphasis of Relational Tithe’s work has always been the depth of relationships created as members journey together with people in need. Countless philanthropic and charity organizations “serve the common good” by distributing goods and services to the poor, though few take the time and energy to actually get to know the poor. It has been through these relationships that, not only a deep sense of care has been given to people in need, but also a deeply transformative process has taken place among leadership and users of Relational Tithe by understanding first-hand the causes of struggle, poverty, pain and injustice.
In 2011, Relational Tithe began development on Common Change as the new “cloud-based” application, a web-tool to facilitate collaborative giving amongst other groups.The spark has caught and now we are finally launching the platform that helps make collaborative giving accessible to YOU!
Timeline: Our History
Projects
Contact Us
484 Lake Park Ave #665 Oakland CA 94610
+1 (510) 323-2349 | Support@CommonChange.com