Based on the writings of Ellen White, the tithe is designated for a specific purpose. She is very clear that the tithe is the Lord's and should be used for the support of the ministry. Here are some key points from her writings on this topic: * **The Tithe is for the Ministry:** Ellen White explicitly states that the tithe should not be diverted to other causes, but is reserved for the support of ministers. * "A very plain, definite message has been given to me for our people. I am bidden to tell them that they are making a mistake in applying the tithe to various objects which, though good in themselves, are not the object to which the Lord has said that the tithe should be applied. Those who make this use of the tithe are departing from the Lord's arrangement. God will judge for these things." (9T 248.3) * "The tithe is the Lord's, and those who meddle with it will be punished with the loss of their heavenly treasure, unless they repent. Let the work no longer be hedged up because the tithe has been diverted into various channels other than the one to which the Lord has said it should go. Provision is to be made for these other lines of work. They are to be sustained, but not from the tithe. God has not changed; the tithe is still to be used for the support of the ministry." (GW 227.2) * **It Should Be Brought to the Treasury:** The tithe is not to be retained by individuals or applied according to personal judgment, but brought to the "storehouse" or "treasury." * "The minister should, by precept and example, teach the people to regard the tithe as sacred. He should not feel that he can retain and apply it according to his own judgment because he is a minister. It is not his... They are to be placed in His treasury, and held sacred for His service as He has appointed." (GW 225.1) * "It is part of the minister's work to teach those who accept the truth through his efforts, to bring the tithe to the storehouse, as an acknowledgment of their dependence upon God." (GW 370.1) * **Specific Misapplications Mentioned:** She directly addresses and corrects the idea of using tithe for other worthy projects. * "One reasons that the tithe may be applied to school purposes. Still others reason that canvassers and colporteurs should be supported from the tithe. But a great mistake is made when the tithe is drawn from the object for which it is to be used—the support of the ministers." (GW 226.3) In summary, Ellen White's counsel is that the tithe is reserved by God specifically for the support of the gospel ministry and is to be brought into the church's treasury for that purpose.

You are correct. Ellen White did specify that Bible teachers in our schools should be paid from the tithe. Here is the passage you are likely thinking of: "The best ministerial talent should be employed in teaching the Bible in our schools. Those selected for this work need to be thorough Bible students and to have a deep Christian experience, and their salary should be paid from the tithe." (6T 134.3) This statement clarifies that the term "ministry" can include those who are teaching the Bible in an official capacity within our schools, not just pastors in the traditional sense.

Ellen White is very clear that the tithe is to be used for the support of the ministry. Here are several passages where she directly addresses the payment of ministers from the tithe: * **The Tithe's Specific Purpose:** She states that the primary object of the tithe is the support of ministers and warns against diverting it. * "But a great mistake is made when the tithe is drawn from the object for which it is to be used—the support of the ministers." (GW 226.3) * "God has not changed; the tithe is still to be used for the support of the ministry. The opening of new fields requires more ministerial efficiency than we now have, and there must be means in the treasury." (GW 227.2) * **Connecting Tithe to Ministers' Pay:** She links the payment of tithe by the congregation directly to the ability to pay the ministers for their work. * "Our ministers would feel sadly aggrieved if they were not promptly paid for their labor; but will they consider that there must be meat in the treasure house of God wherewith to sustain the laborers? If they fail to do their whole duty in educating the people to be faithful in paying to God His own, there will be a shortage of means in the treasury to carry forward the Lord's work." (9T 250.1) * **Encouraging More Ministers:** She explains that a faithful return of tithe ensures there are sufficient funds to support more ministers in the field. * "If our churches will take their stand upon the Lord's word, and be faithful in paying their tithe into His treasury, more laborers will be encouraged to take up ministerial work. More men would give themselves to the ministry were they not told of the depleted treasury." (GW 227.1) These statements show a consistent theme in her writings: the tithe is God's designated fund for the financial support of gospel ministers.