John Mathews is using his dog to help educate young people about a topic that he says can often seem boring: tithing.

“Stewardship Jack,” his five-year-old Golden Doodle – half Golden Retriever and half Poodle – is the star of a new children’s book that teaches tithing principles through the eyes of a canine. The book, “Jack Gives Back,” was a top seller on this year’s campmeeting circuit.

Jack offers such musings as, “God’s tithe is one out of 10; your offering shows your thanks to Him.” On several pages he points to 10 dog bone treats.

Mathews, Stewardship Ministries director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, is enlisting the help of Jack to get new generations excited about supporting the mission of the church.

The book, authored by his wife Janice, is the first in a series of books based on the life of “Stewardship Jack” and was published in June by Review and Herald. The series is geared to children ages 3 to 7, but Mathews admits his target audience is wider.

“I’m really interested in helping their parents, who are the Millennial generation – kids of baby boomers,” Mathews said in an interview.

Currently, about 90 percent of donations to religious charities are from Baby Boomers, he said, describing those born within about 10 years after World War II.

“We’ve got to get the Millennials to financially support the mission of the church through tithes and offerings,” he said.

Tithe for the Adventist Church in North America has mostly mirrored the economy. A steadily increasing annual rate of giving toped out in 2007 at $897 million before dipping in 2008 and bottoming out in 2009 at $878 million. Giving rates have since grown, and a record was set in 2011 with more than $923 million in tithe returned, though the year had one extra Sabbath.

Church finance officials anticipate a similar giving rate for 2012.

“Tithing is a spiritual matter that has to do with your relationship with the Lord,” said Tom Evans, treasurer for the North American Division. “Teaching this to young kids is a good thing, and we need to keep teaching this to our older members, too.

Debra Brill, a division vice president, said she first met Jack when Mathews brought him to a finance meeting to propose the book. She admits the introduction helped move the project.

“We were enamored with him,” Brill said. “It’s exciting to give the opportunity for parents of new generations to learn tithing principles with their children.”

Plans are in the works to have the book translated into other languages. The “Stewardship Jack” series continues, with the latest book, published last month, “Jack and the 10 Rules,” a book about the 10 commandments.

For more information, see stewardshipjack.com.