Do I have to tip the church?

By Alexandra Fil | FāVS News Columnist

Greek Orthodox churches throughout the United States often host an annual event known as “The Greek Festival.” Depending on the venue, this festival will primarily consist of some of the best homemade food you’ll ever eat, as well as dancing and church tours.

It’s a nice event and functions as a significant fundraiser for the church. In exchange for a small donation, you can receive both the delicious reward of hot lamb chops and the satisfaction of having donated to a non-taxable entity. These funds then go to the care and maintenance of the church, which serves as both a religious and cultural hub for local Greeks (and occasionally other Eastern Orthodox devotees).

When the festival was first initiated, it was a cash-only event. However, with the advent of new technologies, specifically those designed to take the guesswork out of using a cash register, any volunteer can quickly learn to scan a credit card. Cash has become so obsolete that some festival booths no longer accept it. In exchange is the Square POS Systems, which, after each purchase, shows a familiar question:

15% 20% 25%

No tip

Custom

The ethics of gratuity

Tipping culture and “tipflation” are common topics of conversation in my social circles. The history behind tipping is fascinating, although it has troubling origins in the United States. The practice of tipping allowed businesses to hire Black Americans and drastically underpay them. The practice of hiring workers, underpaying them and then expecting their salaries to be supplemented by tips is unfortunately still commonplace today.

Despite recent legislation promising a tax cut to individuals who make tips (as long as the amount is below $25,000 and they generate enough income to benefit from the deduction), living on tips remains a challenging feat. This then begs the question: Whose responsibility is it to adequately pay an employee? The place that hired them, or the customer?

On a personal note, one of my favorite restaurants in the Inland Northwest is Maialaina in Moscow, Idaho. This Italian-inspired pizzeria boasted a wonderful menu, and it also proudly paid its employees a high enough wage that tipping was not required. That single, ethical choice was enough to convince me to return multiple times.

The PBS series “Two Cents” is an educational finance show that featured an informative video on the subject, and it settled one matter for me. The recommendation from the video was to ask the person manning the register how the tips would be distributed. Usually, I ask, but even if I don’t know who the suggested tip is technically for, I would rather pay it than accidentally leave a worker without payment.

Following the money

Whenever I see the option to tip, I naturally assume that those few dollars are for the benefit of the hardworking employees. Although it may seem like a minor issue, as we currently live in a society where the phrase “vote with your dollar” is regularly said as a reminder of the political power held by the common person, it matters to me that I “vote” by supporting small businesses and the people who work there. Even if I visit a chain restaurant, which is far from a small business, it still matters to me that the tip I leave supports the people working there.

I took tipping a little further while at the Greek Festival. In addition to the entrance fee and food costs, I mindlessly tipped on every purchase I made. While there were no “waiters” at the Greek Festival (it’s more of a pick up your food yourself and find a table), there are still many people who work at the festival to make it a success. 

Chefs, cleaners and baristas collaborate to create a positive event experience. In my past experience, most of these people are church volunteers. However, as years passed, occasionally additional people outside of the church would need to be hired for a few days to help with the high volume of festival attendees.

It was with my last purchase, a small piece of chicken souvlaki for my dad, that cost well over $10, that finally made me ask, “Who are the tips intended for?”

“Everything is for the church,” the woman who took my money said. “We’re all volunteers.”

This made me pause. I knew that most of the proceeds from this event were to help the church. It was why I did not complain about some of the steeper prices, such as the loukamades, which became more expensive with each passing year. However, the entire reason I had tipped hadn’t changed. I wanted that money to go to the workers.

Before I proceed, I should clarify that at any point during the day, I could have asked where these tips were going. I was not required to tip to complete my transactions. And no one was holding a gun to my head, forcing me to buy an additional slice of buttery tiropita.

The Greek Festival is a fundraiser, and a significant portion of the money raised at this event is intended to cover the operational costs of the church, as is common for most nonprofits. Except that, unlike nonprofits, which are required to file a Form 990 and can be accessed by anyone interested, churches rarely have that same level of financial transparency. 

While it is possible that an infographic existed detailing how the funds raised at this event were to be used by the church, I couldn’t help but wonder what all the money I had spent would be used for.

Staff salaries, building maintenance and utilities are one obvious expense, but what about its programs and missions? A quick Google search revealed that some of the programs associated with Greek Orthodox churches include traditional charitable works, social networking events and culturally relevant programming, such as Greek school and folk dance lessons. 

I am on board with supporting all of these costs, especially considering how the church often plays a huge focal point in a Greek person’s life. However, my search for this specific church’s financial documents was less fruitful, yielding only the minutes from an outdated budget meeting, the details of which seemed kosher.

Transparency vs. tradition

All of the money I spend at the Greek Festival objectively goes to a good cause. What I wish to be mindful of, going forward, is that I don’t inadvertently subsidize programs or costs with which I disagree. I very much disagree with Prosperity Theology, or the idea that God will reward his most faithful parishioners with financial blessings and physical well-being. In a country where over 36 million people live below the poverty line, I find the concept of megachurches and wealthy pastors distasteful. If I see a priest boarding a private jet, sporting a Rolex or living in an expensive house, it makes me think twice about the church’s “charitable works.”

In Corinthians 9:18, Paul says regarding his preaching, “What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.”

The church has every right to raise money to cover its expenses. It can also charge however much it feels is appropriate. Just as I have every right to be concerned about what my money supports. 

An easy solution to my concerns would be to make annual financial reports available to parishioners and to post signage around the festival explaining the programs the church provides. Because in the future, a little financial transparency on the church’s end would make me feel more inclined to add that 20% tip to my spanikopita.

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.

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