Life After Ministry

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from a friend of mine that follows our blog asking me why the Church doesn’t divulge their financial statements. I responded that the Church hasn’t publicly released a financial statement for decades now.

Several days later she forwarded an e-mail to me that she received from the Church. She wrote asking them if she could see their financial statements since other Christian churches readily provide this information at the public’s asking and I’m posting their reply to her here. Needless to say my friend was taken aback at their response and I have to agree with her! Not sure why or even how they can do this if they’re a charity, nevertheless they do.

Michelle,

Here’s the reply to my question on LDS FINANCIAL STMT.
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You submitted a Question on September 20, 2013 at 9:33 PM:
I’ve done a search and looked at the links but I can’t see to locate your Financial Statement for 2012. All Christian churches have this but I am not locating yours. Pls send the link to the page or PDF referring-url:http://www.lds.org/search?q=financial+statement+for+2012&lang=eng&domains=manuals

The LDS Church responded on September 30, 2013 at 6:27 PM as follows:

As do many large corporations, the LDS Church engages an outside auditor for the purpose of determining that all transactions are accomplished in accordance with established accounting practices and principles.  The result of said audit is declared in General Cof=conference annually.. A specific detailed statement for public review is not available.

Thanks for writing.

That’s it. No answers to her enquiry and no reason why they don’t provide a financial statement. Now can you just imagine your church doing such a thing?

When Mormons leave the Church and accept Christ one of the first things I advise them to do is to find a biblically based Christian church in their area and start attending. I give them a few pointers of what to look for in a new church and one of those pointers is to ask for a financial statement from the previous year and a copy of the church’s constitution.

This gives the investigator a sense of taking control in where they choose to worship God and to see that as Christians we’re accountable to each other.

This example of what it’s like to experience freedom in the Lord isn’t what Mormons have at all and that was confirmed once again in the talk given by a Mormon apostle, David Bednar a few days ago.

In his General Conference speech, “The Windows of Heaven” he told members of the Church they would receive temporal blessings when they comply with the Law of Tithing.

Mormons are compelled to give ten percent of their gross earnings each year to receive the much coveted Temple Recommend. No Mormon is allowed to perform any ordinance in the temple without going through a yearly interview with their bishop and showing the Church they have indeed paid up.  With no temple attendance there is no true salvation for the Mormon.

In light of that I want to look at what Mr. Bednar said and compare his “inspired” words with what God says in His word.

The Mormon apostle mentioned he marveled “at the clarity and brevity…in comparison to the complicated financial guidelines and administrative procedures used in so many organizations and governments around the world.”

I can assure you with all the money the Church spends on business ventures, malls, and other investments, there’s nothing simple to the paperwork they go through.

He further went on to say that he knew this worked so well because “this is the Lord’s work”.

How would anyone know for sure if it’s the Lord’s work when the Church won’t release their financial statements?  By the Church’s own admission at this same conference another apostle (Dieter Uchtdorf) admitted past leaders have made mistakes.

Keeping this in mind Mr. Bednar told his audience “The leaders of the Lord’s restored Church feel a tremendous responsibility to care appropriately for the consecrated offerings of Church members. We are keenly aware of the sacred nature of the widow’s mite.”  Keenly aware?  Do they realize the context of Jesus’ message in Mark 12:41-44?

“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”

Jesus was referring to the heart of man or in this particular case, a widow. He wasn’t talking about what a church does with the money! He was talking about giving all you have to the Lord, monetarily and otherwise!

To further prove the words of these leaders aren’t from God is this man’s closing statement.

“The honest payment of tithing is much more than a duty; it is an important step in the process of personal sanctification. To those of you who pay your tithing, I commend you.

To those of you who presently are not obeying the law of tithing, I invite you to consider your ways and repent. I testify that by your obedience to this law of the Lord, the windows of heaven will be opened to you. Please do not procrastinate the day of your repentance.”

In other words pay up or you won’t go to heaven in the Celestial Kingdom which is where true salvation is for a Mormon. What about the words of Paul in Romans 10:4?

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.”

Paul’s words are very telling aren’t they in light of what this Mormon apostle has said.  Clearly the teachings of the Church reveal to us they don’t believe in Christ. Don’t get me wrong, as Christians we should tithe – it all belongs to the Lord anyway!

I find Bednar’s statements revealing as well. They’re asking people to come back to Mormonism. They’re asking people to give money and they’ve told people they’ve made mistakes.  This speaks volumes!  The overall tone to their message portrays a church in trouble, not the bragging claim of growth!  Furthermore, it’s not just the outsiders that are talking about their ways, all you have to do is open the Bible and you’ll discover the Lord has a lot to say about them as well.

While looking for financial stats on the Church I came across an interesting report about the Church’s wealth.  NBC reported in August 2012 the Church is earning 7 billion dollars a year. And no, that wasn’t a typo.  It’s $7,000,000,000,000 per year.  Now, does this sound like an organization that needs money?

 Why haven’t they apologized to the Christians for financing their missionaries when the LDS Church is asking their people to step up efforts to fund their 80,000 missionaries?

Journal of Discourses 16:44-45; “How much tithing do you pay? The professing Christians, apostates and others have a great deal to say about the Saints paying tithing. Now let us compare notes. The Elders of this Church travel and preach without purse or scrip…free of charge. Now take the Christians…Go to their meetings, in their churches, halls…and you have a box, a plate, or a hat put under your face, and it is, ‘Give me a sixpence, give me a sixpence, give me a sixpence!” – Brigham Young, Salt Lake City, May 18, 1873

The real issue here is how the Church tries to place blame on others to take the attention off them.  Up and until the Church produces a comprehensive financial statement they shouldn’t be asking for handouts in the name of God and even more importantly they should use scripture in context.

With Love in Christ;

Michelle

1 Cor 1:18