Monthly Offering Call Video—Campbell Church Answers Malachi’s Challenge and Tithes Rise

CAMPBELL, Calif. — When Campbell Church’s pastor accepted a new assignment earlier this year, some members wondered how the congregation would keep moving forward. They rallied instead around a study of Malachi and a renewed mission focus—and the tithe still climbed.

“The Lord kept leading me to Malachi,” First Elder Daniel Lin told the congregation. “I had been drafting a sermon on divorce, but He kept urging, ‘Try Me.’”

As members dug into the book, they noticed sobering parallels between ancient Israel and today’s church. Malachi links marital infidelity to withholding the tithe, underscoring both the weight of unfaithfulness and God’s promise of blessing for obedience.

Modern reasons for skipping the tithe abound—tight budgets, disagreement with church leadership, or frustration with conference administration. Yet Malachi 3 urges returning the whole tithe to the storehouse even after cataloging the priests’ failures in the previous chapters.

The results were immediate. March giving rose 20 percent year over year; April increased another 8 percent—remarkable gains during tax season.

“I can’t say preaching alone did this,” Lin said. “But over the past year, we’ve leaned harder into mission. Every other week, members head to the community for outreach. More projects are on the calendar.”

That outward focus deepened unity. When leaders called for a church-clean-up day, 30 to 40 volunteers showed up. “I just remember God’s promise—‘Try Me,’” Lin added.

The study surfaced another insight: Malachi’s seven core messages parallel the seven churches of Revelation. The warning on tithing mirrors Sardis—depicted as spiritually dead. To keep complacency at bay, leaders distributed Thom Rainer’s Autopsy of a Deceased Church, inviting everyone to examine how congregations stay vibrant.

“It has to start with me, my family, my church, and my conference,” Lin said. “Because God still says, ‘Try Me.’”

Campbell Church’s experience shows that during pastoral transitions, doubling down on God’s promises and active mission can revive both spiritual life and financial faithfulness.

Written by Justin Kim