Non-Tithers are Excommunicated?

[Orthodoxy]

Today I was in the foyer of a conservative Missionary Baptist Church. On the bulletin board in the foyer was an open letter from the pastor to the congregation.

In the letter, the pastor stated that he had been very lenient in the past regarding his members and tithing. He then said that he was very disappointed at the lack of tithing among his congregants. He apologized for his former leniency, and said that things were going to change. From now on, every member of his church was required to tithe. He would give them a grace period of 30 days, but after that, if a church member failed to tithe, they would be excommunicated.

Now look, I understand that the concept of sacrificial giving is Biblical. I believe that every true Christian will have the desire to give of his finances to the Kingdom. Truth be told, tithing should probably be the bare minimum of our giving. It's a disgrace that we in America give so little, considering our wealth.

But I cannot say that tithing is a requirement for church membership. Where is this in the Bible? Furthermore, I've never heard a pastor say that he would excommunicate any member who did not tithe. Has anyone else heard anything like this?