LDS Freedom Forum

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a singular purpose: to invite all people to come unto Christ. The Church is not a financial or profit-making institution; it uses resources to carry out its divinely appointed mission. The Church is a steward of the tithes and generous donations provided by its members, and it practices the principles it teaches — avoiding debt, living within a budget and preparing for the future.

Following sound financial principles over an extended period of time, the Church has grown from meager beginnings into a worldwide organization able to support its divine mission. Its current relative prosperity only reflects the faith of its members in keeping the law of tithing and the accomplishment in their lives of the Lord’s often-repeated promise that “inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land” (Alma 9:13).

The Church uses its resources to pursue the Lord’s work by:

Sharing the message of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Building and maintaining places of worship to strengthen individuals and communities (stakes, districts, wards and branches).
Providing welfare, humanitarian assistance and emergency response to alleviate suffering and help people achieve self-reliance.
Promoting spiritual and secular learning through the Church Educational System (seminaries, institutes, universities and other higher education initiatives).
Building and operating temples and sustaining family history work to strengthen families.
Supporting general institutional administration.

Resources used to carry out this work come principally from the tithing donations of Church members. A small portion of funds comes from businesses maintained by the Church.

Budget and Expenditures

The Church’s Council on the Disposition of the Tithes is composed of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the Presiding Bishopric. Together, they establish and administer the specific policies and budgets guiding the use of Church resources (see D&C 120:1). Those policies embody the following principles:

Expenditures will not exceed forecasted revenue.
The budget for operating expenses will not increase at a more rapid rate than anticipated tithing contributions.

Budgets for the Church’s efforts are specifically approved and funds are appropriated by the Church’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, a subcommittee of the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes. Additionally, the Church Auditing Department, which is independent from all other Church departments, employs credentialed professionals to ensure that Church funds are administered and recorded in accordance with Church policies and standard accounting practices.

Church Reserves

Church members are taught to “gradually build a financial reserve by regularly saving [a portion of their income]” (Providing in the Lord’s Way: Summary of a Leader’s Guide to Welfare [booklet, 2009], 2). The Church applies this same principle in its own savings and investments. In addition to food and emergency supplies, the Church also sets aside funds each year for future needs. These funds are added to Church reserves, which include stocks and bonds, taxable businesses, agricultural interests and commercial and residential property. Investments can be accessed in times of hardship or to meet the emerging needs of a growing, global faith in its mission to preach the gospel to all nations and prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (see Gérald Caussé, “In the Lord’s Way: The Spiritual Foundations of Church Financial Self-Reliance,” Mormon Newsroom, Mar. 2, 2018).

Some investments serve a dual purpose. For example, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that “we have felt that good farms, over a long period, represent a safe investment where the assets of the Church may be preserved and enhanced, while at the same time they are available as an agricultural resource to feed people should there come a time of need” (“The State of the Church,” Ensign, May 1991, 54). Another example is the Church’s participation in the development of downtown Salt Lake City. With its investment in the City Creek Center (a mixed-use development that includes retail space, residential units, office space and parking), the Church enhanced the environs of Temple Square and underscored a commitment to Salt Lake City, Utah, where it is headquartered. The investment increased local economic activity during a financial downturn and attracted visitors and residents to Salt Lake City’s historic downtown.

The Church’s reserves are overseen by Church leaders and managed by professional advisers, consistent with wise and prudent stewardship and modern investment management principles. Ultimately, all funds earned by the Church’s investments go back to supporting its mission to invite souls to come unto Christ.

Commercial Businesses

While the vast majority of its financial resources comes from the tithes and offerings of Church members, the Church also holds business interests that help in accomplishing its mission.

“Essentially,” President Gordon B. Hinckley explained, “the business assets which the Church has today are an outgrowth of enterprises which were begun in the pioneer era of our history when we were isolated in the valleys of the mountains of western America.”

President Hinckley noted the sugar beet industry, the Hotel Utah, media and merchandising interests as examples of early Church enterprises. “The Church has maintained certain real estate holdings,” he continued, “particularly those contiguous to Temple Square, to help preserve the beauty and the integrity of the core of the city. All of these commercial properties are tax-paying entities.” He observed that “the combined income from all of these business interests is relatively small and would not keep the work going for longer than a very brief period” (“Questions and Answers,” Ensign, Nov. 1985, 49).

Taxes

Latter-day Saints believe in “obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (Articles of Faith 1:12). Accordingly, the Church and its affiliated entities pay taxes and other governmental levies as required by the laws of each country in which the Church functions. In the United States, where churches and other nonprofit organizations are generally exempt from federal and state income tax, the Church pays taxes on any income it derives from revenue-producing activities that are regularly carried on and are not substantially related to its tax-exempt purposes. Church-affiliated entities that are organized as for-profit corporations pay regular federal and state corporate income taxes on their net income. The Church and its affiliated entities also pay property taxes on property that is not used for religious, educational, or charitable purposes, including taxes on undeveloped land and properties held for investment or commercial purposes. Government fees, levies and assessments are paid in connection with the development of Church property. The Church also pays federal and state employer taxes and withholds and remits employee payroll taxes. Where applicable, the Church and its affiliated entities pay state and local sales and use taxes.

Conclusion

Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé has said, “We are the Church of Jesus Christ, and this Church has no other objective than that which the Lord Himself assigned to it; namely, to invite all to ‘come unto Christ, and be perfected in him’ (Moroni 10:32), by ‘helping members to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, gathering Israel through missionary work, caring for the poor and needy, and enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances’” (“In the Lord’s Way: The Spiritual Foundations of Church Financial Self-Reliance,” Mormon Newsroom, Mar. 2, 2018).

The Fortune of the Mormon Church

By Lewis Willis

The Akron Beacon Journal (6-30-91), published an article about the Mormon Church. The article was based on an investigation by another newspaper, the Arizona Republic. The thrust of the investigation had to do with the finances of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Arizona Republic reported that the Mormon Church is "an $8 billion-a-year corporation, comparable with Union Carbide and Borden Products." If you should place them on the Fortune 500 list of industrial corporations, they would rank about 110th.

The "newspaper said that it was able to conclude that the Mormon Church controls at least 100 companies or businesses. . . Never borrows money to finance its acquisitions. It pays cash, using a portion of its members' contributions and its business income. . . Has become one of the nation's largest private landowners, with holdings in all 50 states . . . Has an investment portfolio of stocks and bonds in excess of $1 billion . . . Appoints spiritual leaders who can double as business leaders to oversee real estate, communications, tourism, insurance and education operations."

Two of its investments, ZCMI Department Stores and Beneficial Life Insurance Co., have grown into multimillion-dollar operations. They have amassed more than $1 billion in farm, ranch and other real estate holdings. Among these holdings are 315,000 acres near Orlando, Florida, said to be worth $250 million.

The newspaper said, "The diversified corporate organization built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is apparently free of financial fraud or personal wealth-building among top officials." Mormons are required by religious doctrine to tithe 10 percent of their gross income. About 1/3 of Mormon families are thought to do so. The majority of the church's money is spent for religious purposes: worship, missions and education, according to the newspaper.

"The newspaper said the figures (about the financial worth of the Mormon Church, LW) were conservative estimates based on an eight-month investigation. Accurately assessing the church's finances from the outside is impossible, however, because Mormon leaders in 1959 stopped releasing financial reports, even to their own members."

From these facts and figures, it is rather evident why the Mormon Church has such clout in our country. It is also obvious why the state of Utah bows to their wishes, since Salt Lake City is their headquarters and their members dominate the population. But, is all of this scriptural?

The New Testament Church is clearly different from such operations as the Mormon Church. If one knew nothing of the doctrines of the two churches, the difference between them would still be evident. The Mormon Church is either a church which has gone into business, or, a business which operates a church. The New Testament Church is content to be nothing but the church.

You can look through every page of the New Testament and you will be unable to find anything indicating that the First Century Church was also a business enterprise. There are no commands, approved apostolic examples or statements that necessarily infer that God intended the church to be in business. In other words, the Scriptures are silent on this matter.

Some think that they are authorized to act if the Scriptures are silent. Nothing could be farther from the Truth. In fact, the very opposite is the case. Does God's silence about mechanical instrumental music mean that it is alright to use it? I believe God was silent about using cornbread and buttermilk on the Lord's table. Does that mean that it is alright to use these elements, instead of the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine? God was silent about infant baptism. Does his silence constitute authority for us to start baptizing babies? He was silent about sprinkling as an acceptable form of baptism. Does his silence indicate consent?

The answer to all of the questions above is evident. God's silence is not consent. In fact, God's silence is a prohibition against action, because such action is unauthorized. The Lord's church recognizes such, and limits its action accordingly. Therefore, it does not own land, department stores, insurance companies, or stocks and bonds, etc. When a church is engaged in such business enterprises, that becomes one way of identifying that it is not the New Testament church.

The church of Christ will continue to teach its members that God said, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come" (1 Cor. 16:2). We will continue to exhort, "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7). We believe that such is sufficient to enable the church to do the work that God assigned to it: evangelism, benevolence and edification (Eph. 4:12). The commandments of the Lord shall remain in force in the church of Christ, thus distinguishing it from the churches of men, which set themselves up in business. And, we shall note the difference so that all can see.

Col. Flagg wrote: ↑May 22nd, 2018, 9:56 pm This just came out today...

https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/ ... t=9yTqffkF

-snip-

Doctrine and Covenant 78:14 That through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world;

jsk wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 11:41 am So what is the point of these posts? That the First Presidency and 12 Apostles are corrupt? Give me a break already! I have infinitely more faith that those men are led by the Lord concerning the affairs of his Kingdom than I do in some faithless Monday Morning Quarterbacks. And if they are wrong in some things they can take it up with the Lord. My job is to pay my tithing and fast offering and beyond that I really don't care...it isn't my stewardship.

MormonNewsroom.org wrote: ↑May 22nd, 2018, 9:56 pm https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/ ... t=9yTqffkF

Its current relative prosperity only reflects the faith of its members in keeping the law of tithing and the accomplishment in their lives of the Lord’s often-repeated promise that “inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land” (Alma 9:13).

EmmaLee wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 12:53 pm

MormonNewsroom.org wrote: ↑May 22nd, 2018, 9:56 pm https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/ ... t=9yTqffkF

Its current relative prosperity only reflects the faith of its members in keeping the law of tithing and the accomplishment in their lives of the Lord’s often-repeated promise that “inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land” (Alma 9:13).

In this scripture above, "prosper" does not refer to monetary or material wealth, so I'm surprised the Church misstates it this way in this news release. "Prosper", in this scripture, refers to having the spirit of the Lord with you.

This is from an article that explains it well -

"While prosperity is commonly associated with riches in today’s world, as it is at times in both the Book of Mormon (Mosiah 27:7; Alma 1:30–31) and Bible (Psalms 73:12), this is not what is meant by “prosper in the land.” The promise is structured as an antithetical parallelism wherein two parallel phrases express opposite meanings. Thus, comparing the two conditions side-by-side provides an important clue to what Lehi meant by the word “prosper”:

Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments,
ye shall prosper in the land;

but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments,
ye shall be cut off from my presence.

The parallel expressions “prosper in the land” and “cut off from [the Lord’s] presence” are clearly set up as opposites to each other. This indicates that prospering in the land is equivalent to having the Lord’s presence. That the Nephite record keepers understood this equivalence is shown by the way Amaron substitutes “ye shall be cut off from my presence” with “ye shall not prosper in the land” (Omni 1:6)."

Full article here - https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/ ... d%E2%80%9D

14 Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives.

15 And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger;

16 And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.

sushi_chef wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 4:27 pm so, about that revelation, says,

"14 Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal, and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld.
"(dc 70)

so, important thing would be all-things-in-common nature/related, not that prospering stuff(in church statement definition) as the result of applying collected tithing money perhaps...

so, probably some future time church leaders might face the conseq.... urr, never mind...

Hie'ing to Kolob wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 12:43 pm I think that if the Church were to be transparent (truly transparent) it would relieve a lot of this concern. I guess the calculation is that more people would leave with full transparency than leave with no transparency.

I have always paid a full tithe (10% of income). I feel that if Im going to participate in the church with my family, we shouldn't be free-loaders and need to pay the entrance fee. I do have some concerns over how that money is used vs how I could use it in my community, but ultimately I give, and I think the condemnation is on the heads of those in charge if it is misused.

The idea that the church takes tithing and puts it in a bank account only to be withdrawn for buildings, temples, and maybe the needy, is certainly not reality.

The Church is a very sophisticated multinational corporation. The guys running the Church finances are extraordinarily talented money managers. I believe the Church is fanastically wealthy by any measurement compared to religious institutions and most corporations. This doesn't bother me. I have complete confidence that the Church is maximizing my tithing investment and it isnt being wasted.

Make no mistake about it, the assets the Church holds whether City Creek, tv stations, hotels or a chunk of Florida are a direct result of tithing contributions. Maybe not yours directly, but probably your grandpa, great-grandpa, etc.

BTH&T wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 10:32 pm

Hie'ing to Kolob wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 12:43 pm I think that if the Church were to be transparent (truly transparent) it would relieve a lot of this concern. I guess the calculation is that more people would leave with full transparency than leave with no transparency.

I have always paid a full tithe (10% of income). I feel that if Im going to participate in the church with my family, we shouldn't be free-loaders and need to pay the entrance fee. I do have some concerns over how that money is used vs how I could use it in my community, but ultimately I give, and I think the condemnation is on the heads of those in charge if it is misused.

The idea that the church takes tithing and puts it in a bank account only to be withdrawn for buildings, temples, and maybe the needy, is certainly not reality.

The Church is a very sophisticated multinational corporation. The guys running the Church finances are extraordinarily talented money managers. I believe the Church is fanastically wealthy by any measurement compared to religious institutions and most corporations. This doesn't bother me. I have complete confidence that the Church is maximizing my tithing investment and it isnt being wasted.

Make no mistake about it, the assets the Church holds whether City Creek, tv stations, hotels or a chunk of Florida are a direct result of tithing contributions. Maybe not yours directly, but probably your grandpa, great-grandpa, etc.

Not even close to truth!

I'm grateful for the blessings that the Church has gained and how there are windows and doors open to the gifts of God.

Separate the "Church" from "The Corporation of the President" two distinct entities. Two distinct purposes and resources.
It's the Lords Church and His money, to do with as He sees fit. Those that are called, Serve and sacrifice, it's not a money thing. But there are those that want to sow seeds of doubt.

People who have so little faith that they twist and try to bring down others faith by spewing things such as these half truths are those that have chosen to kick against the pricks in my opinion.
Try lifting others up instead of trying to find fault and bring others down!

Hie'ing to Kolob wrote: ↑May 24th, 2018, 9:02 am

BTH&T wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 10:32 pm

Hie'ing to Kolob wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 12:43 pm I think that if the Church were to be transparent (truly transparent) it would relieve a lot of this concern. I guess the calculation is that more people would leave with full transparency than leave with no transparency.

I have always paid a full tithe (10% of income). I feel that if Im going to participate in the church with my family, we shouldn't be free-loaders and need to pay the entrance fee. I do have some concerns over how that money is used vs how I could use it in my community, but ultimately I give, and I think the condemnation is on the heads of those in charge if it is misused.

The idea that the church takes tithing and puts it in a bank account only to be withdrawn for buildings, temples, and maybe the needy, is certainly not reality.

The Church is a very sophisticated multinational corporation. The guys running the Church finances are extraordinarily talented money managers. I believe the Church is fanastically wealthy by any measurement compared to religious institutions and most corporations. This doesn't bother me. I have complete confidence that the Church is maximizing my tithing investment and it isnt being wasted.

Make no mistake about it, the assets the Church holds whether City Creek, tv stations, hotels or a chunk of Florida are a direct result of tithing contributions. Maybe not yours directly, but probably your grandpa, great-grandpa, etc.

Not even close to truth!

I'm grateful for the blessings that the Church has gained and how there are windows and doors open to the gifts of God.

Separate the "Church" from "The Corporation of the President" two distinct entities. Two distinct purposes and resources.
It's the Lords Church and His money, to do with as He sees fit. Those that are called, Serve and sacrifice, it's not a money thing. But there are those that want to sow seeds of doubt.

People who have so little faith that they twist and try to bring down others faith by spewing things such as these half truths are those that have chosen to kick against the pricks in my opinion.
Try lifting others up instead of trying to find fault and bring others down!

I think you are misinformed my friend. "The Church" is not a legal entity. There are actually a handful of corporations that make up what you refer to as "The Church." To a much larger point, why is that viewed as an attack on your faith?

Why is my praising the Church's professional management of tithing funds a threat to your paradigm? The Church is truly excellent at managing these funds and I wouldn't want it any other way. Would you? Do you prefer unsophisticated methods for managing billions of dollars?

In the face of obvious truth, should I have faith that the Church isn't organized into various corporations? Also, did I accuse anyone as personally becoming wealthy from the Church "not a money thing"? No, I don't believe people are getting rich off of the Church, but the Church itself is quite wealthy.

Is is that I said the Church's assets are all a result of contributions of members, albeit most of the Church's for profit enterprises are from way back?

I'm surprised that folks come to the LDS Freedom forum so vehemently opposed to freedom of thought.

Truth and the Church don't need to be opposing forces.

jsk wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 11:41 am So what is the point of these posts? That the First Presidency and 12 Apostles are corrupt? Give me a break already! I have infinitely more faith that those men are led by the Lord concerning the affairs of his Kingdom than I do in some faithless Monday Morning Quarterbacks. And if they are wrong in some things they can take it up with the Lord. My job is to pay my tithing and fast offering and beyond that I really don't care...it isn't my stewardship.

sunfly wrote: ↑May 24th, 2018, 8:42 pm
In my opinion, those that make this a constant issue, either like stirring controversy, or lack faith that this is the Lords kingdom.

Last I checked, no one forces anyone to donate. If you don’t like it, don’t donate, if you do, donate ungrudgingly.