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A swimming coach explained to me how an average joe swimmer becomes an extraordinary athlete. He didn’t give much credit to natural talent, physical ability, or even great coaching. Simply put, he said what matters most was the individual’s determination to consistently get into the pool every day and always striving towards getting a little better.

His advice was no less on point for great swimmers as it has been for me in my efforts to lose weight. Dropping the gym membership, purchasing a used treadmill on Craigslist, and consistently walking for sixty-minutes each day is really paying off. Some might expect twenty-one pounds to have required a more complex strategy when, in fact, all it’s taken is being consistent and always working towards getting a little better.

The coach explained that there are always days when his students don’t want to get into the pool; and, for me, there are certainly days when I would rather skip the treadmill. But, without a doubt, extraordinary results come from being consistent on both our good days and our bad.

I believe giving works the same way.

I am not a big fan of expecting people to tithe when their previous giving experience has usually been limited to a red kettle or a coin box at the McDonald's cash register. I prefer to see people begin giving just as I began getting on the treadmill and just like the swimmers practicing in the pool- with the determination to be consistent regardless of our circumstances and always striving towards getting a little better.

So do we accept less than the tithe? Like it or not, we already do. We are fooling ourselves if we think people can simply go from putting next to nothing in the offering plate to giving a tenth of their income. Give me a break. The tithe is certainly a great benchmark, but it’s not the best place to start and it’s certainly not the place to indefinitely end up.

I suggest that we ask our members to first commit to an amount that is comfortable, yes, I said comfortable -- something they might not even miss -- in order that they might simply become consistent. I believe their determination at any level will lead to extraordinary returns regardless of where they choose to start. Then we should also ask that they strive towards getting a little better -- this might be each week, each month, or each year, as long as the consistency is there and the desire to improve follows.

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Jason Lewis leads the fundraising, marketing, and recruitment efforts at Logos Academy; an intercultural, Gospel-centered school located in York Pennsylvania. In addition to his full-time work, Jason routinely speaks to groups about whole-life stewardship, generous living, and effective ministry advancement. You can learn more at The Generous Life.