I'm loaded. It's official.

Based on my annual income, I found out I'm in the top 3% percent of the most wealthy people in the world [Global Rich List].  Oops.  How did that happen?  I always thought I was "middle class", middle of the road, doing okay...

The Global Rich list provides perspective.

It is easy to find ways of making money disappear, then to assume that we don’t have much.  It's to easy to compare myself to the 3% of the people in the world that have more than I do.  But, as Scotiabank's tagline says, "You are richer than you think."  [Banks will say that sort of thing so that you borrow and spend more – good for them, not so much for you.  But you are most likely richer than you think].  Just because you don't have any money in the bank account doesn't mean you aren't rich.  It might just mean you spend too much, or don't make good financial decisions.

You want to know something crazy (besides me being in the top 3% of the wealthiest people on earth)?  Research has shown that the wealthier I am, the less money I am likely to give in proportion to my income[1] (likely connected to the problem of comparing myself to the 3% that have more, not recognizing how wealthy I am).


I wonder if a early step towards being generous requires accepting that I have more income that 97% of the world.  Looks like its official: I'm loaded.

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I just read a recent stat that claims Canadians give 0.73% of our income.  Less than one percent?

I think it is time that we start giving.  For real.  I am going to pick a random number that feels like it is achievable, reasonable, and biblical.  Let's say 10%.  What would it look like if Christians in Canada gave 10% of their incomes.  Well, in fact, it would look like many, many, many billion dollars.

What would it look like if Mennonites (MWC members) gave 10%?  There are about 135,000 of us in Canada.  Multiply that by 10% of the per capita Canadian income of $43,000 and you get $580,500,000.  That is more than half a billion dollars.  To put that into context, If Canadian Mennonites gave 10% of their income, they could support the worldwide ministry of Mennonite Central Committee 7 times over. [Don't quote me or pay too much attention to the exact numbers here, this wasn't a scientific study...this was only to make a point].

How rich are you?  Find out at http://www.globalrichlist.com/.

How close are you to giving 10%?

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[1] Sider, Ronald.  The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience.  2005. Page 20.  The research was focused on giving patterns of church members in the US over a 30 year period.