My Money Journey - Mark Mitchell
Mark Mitchell first came to faith at the age of 11, but it wasn’t until university that he began to understand what Christian stewardship truly meant. As a student in Leeds, he joined a lively Anglican church where the call to give intentionally and sacrificially was part of everyday discipleship.
“Being asked to give 10% of my student grant felt like a huge sacrifice,” he recalls. “In those days, it was the equivalent of a couple of Chinese takeaways a week and I love Chinese food! But I started tithing then, and I’ve carried on ever since. And I believe that God has honoured that.”
That theme of honour runs deeply through Mark’s life. When he became High Sheriff of Cheshire, his family was invited to choose a motto for their newly awarded coat of arms. His sons, James and Eliot, suggested a verse that shaped their home life: “Those who honour me, I will honour” (1 Samuel 2:30). For Mark and his wife, Anita this is the foundation not only of giving, but of his understanding of discipleship.
“It’s about more than money,” he says. “It’s about culture and values, how we treat people, how we make decisions about every aspect of our lives, and how we seek to honour God in the everyday.”
One practical expression of this has been the decision not to open their Cheshire Oaks car dealerships on Sundays. Another has been a longstanding commitment to give away ten percent of the company’s profits, an act of collective stewardship that has supported local, regional, and overseas projects through the Zoom Zoom Trust.
Mark’s approach to generosity is rooted not in wealth or success, but in gratitude. He speaks of God’s faithfulness over the years, and of the joy found in giving both personally and through the work of Mitchell Group. His story is a reminder that discipleship and money are never separate topics. How we handle our resources shapes the kind of people we are becoming. For Mark, tithing began as a ‘stretch’, continued as an act of obedience, and has grown into a way of honouring God in every sphere of life.
Canon Mark Mitchell is the Group
Managing Director of Mitchell Group
and a lifelong member of St Mary’s Church, Upton.
What’s your view on tithing?