Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Unfortunately, he was in debt and had no money to make the move. Hoping to get his finances in order, Joseph went to town to settle some of his debts. While he was in a store making a payment, Martin Harris strode up to him. “Here, Mr. Smith, is fifty dollars,” he said. “I give it to you to do the Lord’s work.” Joseph was nervous about accepting the money and promised to repay it, but Martin said not to worry about it. The money was a gift, and he called on everyone in the room to witness that he had given it freely. Soon after, Joseph paid his debts and loaded his wagon.” Ch. 5

“This time, Grandin seemed more willing to take the project, but he wanted to be paid $3,000 to print and bind five thousand copies before he even started work. Martin had already promised to help pay for the printing, but to come up with that kind of money, he realized he might need to mortgage his farm. It was an enormous burden for Martin, but he knew none of Joseph’s other friends could help him with the money. Troubled, Martin began to question the wisdom of financing the Book of Mormon. He had one of the best farms in the area. If he mortgaged his land, he risked losing it. Wealth he had spent a lifetime accruing could be gone in an instant if the Book of Mormon did not sell well. Martin told Joseph his concerns and asked him to seek a revelation for him. In response, the Savior spoke of His sacrifice to do His Father’s will, regardless of the cost. He described His ultimate suffering while paying the price for sin so that all might repent and be forgiven. He then commanded Martin to sacrifice his own interests to bring about God’s plan. “Thou shalt not covet thine own property,” the Lord said, “but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon.” Ch. 8

“His payments to Emma’s father on the farm were already late, and if his crops failed, he would have to find another way to pay off his debt.” Ch. 9

“Back home, Joseph tried again to work on his farm, but the Lord gave him a new revelation on how he should spend his time. “Thou shalt devote all thy service in Zion,” the Lord declared. “In temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling.” Joseph was told to plant his fields and then set off to confirm the new members in New York. The revelation left much uncertainty in Emma’s life. How would they earn a living if Joseph devoted all his time to the Saints? And what would she do while he was away serving the church? Was she supposed to stay at home, or did the Lord want her to go with him? And if He did, what would be her role in the church? Knowing Emma’s desire for guidance, the Lord spoke to her in a revelation given through Joseph. He forgave her sins and called her an “elect lady.” He directed her to go with Joseph in his travels and promised, “Thou shalt be ordained under his hand to expound scriptures, and to exhort the church.” He also calmed her fears about their finances. “Thou needest not fear,” He assured her, “for thy husband shall support thee.” Ch. 9

“Later that summer, Joseph and Emma paid off their farm with the help of friends and moved to Fayette so Joseph could devote more time to the church.” Ch. 9

“Ohio was sparsely settled and hundreds of miles away. Most church members knew little about it. Many of them had also worked hard to improve their property and cultivate prosperous farms in New York. If they moved as a group to Ohio, they would have to sell their property quickly and would probably lose money. Some might even be ruined financially, especially if the land in Ohio proved less rich and fertile than their land in New York. Hoping to ease concerns about the gathering, Joseph met with the Saints and received a revelation. “I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise,” the Lord declared, “and I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts.” Ch. 10

“Rather than share common property, as the people on the Morleys’ farm did, they were to think of all their land and wealth as a sacred stewardship from God, given to them so they could care for their families, relieve the poor, and build Zion. 

Saints who chose to obey the law were to consecrate their property to the church by deeding it to the bishop. He would then return land and goods to them as an inheritance in Zion, according to the needs of their families. Saints who obtained inheritances were to act as God’s stewards, using the land and tools they had received and returning whatever was unused to help the needy and build Zion and the temple. The Lord urged the Saints to obey this law and continue seeking truth.” Ch. 11

“Before concluding His words, the Lord called a few church members to sell their property and go to Missouri.” Ch. 13

“As the Saints in Kirtland learned of Joseph’s grand vision of heaven, William Phelps was setting up the church’s printing office in Independence… William was sincere in his plan to focus the paper on the gospel, and he understood that his first priority as church printer was publishing the revelations.” Ch. 14

“The Lord had recently called Newel to serve as a bishop of the Saints in Ohio and directed him to consecrate surplus money from his profitable businesses to help support the store, printing office, and land purchases in Independence.” Ch.14

“The Lord wanted the three men to go to Missouri and covenant to cooperate economically with leaders in Zion to benefit the church and better care for the poor. He also wanted them to strengthen the Saints so they would not lose sight of their sacred responsibility to build the city of Zion. 

When they arrived in Independence, Joseph convened a council of church leaders and read a revelation that called on him, Edward Partridge, Newel Whitney, and other church leaders to covenant with each other to manage the church’s business concerns. 

“I give unto you this commandment, that ye bind yourselves by this covenant,” the Lord declared, “every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.” Bound thus together, they called themselves the United Firm.” Ch. 14

“He warned the Saints in Zion that if they did not sanctify themselves as the Lord instructed, He would choose others to build His temple.

“Hear the warning voice of God, lest Zion fall,” Joseph pleaded.” Ch. 15

“In the July 1833 issue of The Evening and the Morning Star, he published a letter to immigrating church members, counseling them to pay their debts before coming to Zion to avoid being a burden on the community.” Ch. 16

“In the meantime, Joseph urged, the Saints should trust in the promises the Lord had already given them. He counseled the Saints to be patient, rebuild the printing office and store, and seek legal ways to recover their losses. He also implored them not to abandon the promised land, and he sent them a more detailed plan for the city.

“It is the will of the Lord,” he wrote, “that not one foot of land purchased should be given to the enemies of God or sold to them.” Ch. 17

“The commandment had been part of the revelation Joseph received after he learned about the Saints’ expulsion from Zion. “Purchase all the lands,” it read, “which can be purchased in Jackson County, and the counties round about.” The funds were to come by donation. “Let all the churches gather together all their moneys,” the Lord directed, “and let honorable men be appointed, even wise men, and send them to purchase these lands.” Ch. 19

“All through the fall of 1834, Joseph and other church leaders slipped further and further behind in their payments on the temple land, and interest on the loans continued to accumulate.” Ch. 19

“In early December, the Tippets family arrived in Kirtland, and Harrison and John delivered their branch’s letter to the high council. With winter almost upon them, they asked the council if they should continue on to Missouri or spend the season in Kirtland. After some discussion, the high council recommended that the family stay in Ohio until the spring.

Desperate for funds, the council also asked the young men to loan the church some money, promising to repay it before their spring departure.” Ch. 19

“As a quorum, the twelve apostles were also to function as a traveling high council and minister to areas that fell outside the jurisdiction of the high councils in Ohio and Missouri. In this capacity, they could direct missionary work, oversee branches, and raise funds for Zion and the temple.” Ch. 19

“Meeting with Chandler the next day, Joseph asked how much he wanted for the scrolls. Chandler said he would only sell the scrolls and mummies together, for $2,400. 

The price was far more than Joseph could afford. The Saints were still struggling to finish the temple with limited funds, and few people in Kirtland had money to loan him. Yet Joseph believed the scrolls were worth the price, and he and others quickly raised enough money to buy the artifacts.” Ch. 20

“Lydia and Newel Knight also wanted to go west, but they needed money. Newel had spent most of his time in Kirtland working without pay on the temple, and Lydia had loaned almost all of her money to Joseph and the church when she first arrived in town. Neither regretted their sacrifice, but Lydia could not help thinking that the money she had loaned the church would have more than covered the cost of travel.” Ch. 21

“Parley Pratt stood on the outskirts of a town called Hamilton, in southern Canada. He was headed to Toronto, one of the largest cities in the province, to serve his first mission since receiving the endowment of power. He had no money, no friends in the area, and no idea how to accomplish what the Lord had sent him to do.

A few weeks earlier, as the Twelve and Seventy were leaving Kirtland to preach the gospel, Parley had planned to stay home with his family. Like many Saints in Kirtland, he was steeped in debt, having purchased land in the area and built a house on credit. Parley was also concerned about his wife, Thankful, who was sick and needed his care. As eager as he was to preach, a mission seemed out of the question. 

But then Heber Kimball had come to his house and given him a blessing as his friend and fellow apostle. “Go forth in the ministry, nothing doubting,” Heber had said. “Take no thoughts for your debts, nor the necessaries of life, for the Lord will supply you with abundant means for all things… You shall yet have riches, silver and gold,” Heber prophesied, “till you will loathe the counting thereof.” Ch. 22

“With the Saints in Missouri needing a new place to settle, Joseph felt even more pressure to raise money to buy lands. He decided to open a church store near Kirtland and borrowed more money to purchase goods to sell there. The store had some success, but many Saints took advantage of Joseph’s kindness and trust, knowing he would not refuse them credit at the store. Several of them also insisted on trading for what they needed, making it difficult to turn a cash profit on the goods.” Ch. 22

“Concern not yourselves about Zion, for I will deal mercifully with her.” 

The men all returned to Kirtland about a month later with church finances still weighing on their minds. But that fall Joseph and his counselors proposed a new project that just might raise the money they needed for Zion.” Ch. 22

“On July 8, Joseph and other church leaders prayed about these problems and received a flood of revelation. The Lord appointed a Saint named Oliver Granger to represent the First Presidency in paying off the church’s debts. The properties the Saints had given up in Kirtland were to be sold and applied toward the debt.” Ch. 27

“Saints in Illinois and Iowa composed statements detailing their harsh treatment in Missouri, as Joseph had instructed them to do when he was in jail. By the fall, church leaders had collected hundreds of these accounts and prepared a formal petition. In total, the Saints asked for more than two million dollars to compensate for lost homes, land, livestock, and other property. Joseph planned to deliver these claims personally to the president of the United States and to Congress.” Ch. 34

“After greeting the president, Joseph handed him the letters of introduction and waited. Van Buren read them and frowned. “Help you?” he said dismissively. “How can I help you?” 

Joseph did not know what to say. He had not expected the president to dismiss them so quickly. He and Elias urged the president to at least read about the Saints’ suffering before deciding to reject their pleas.

“I can do nothing for you, gentlemen,” the president insisted. “If I were for you, I should go against the whole state of Missouri.” Ch. 34

“The Lord also accepted the Saints’ past efforts to build Zion in Jackson County, but He commanded them now to build up Nauvoo, establish more stakes, and build a hotel called the Nauvoo House, which would provide visitors a place to rest and contemplate the word of God and the glory of Zion.” Ch. 35

“On January 5, 1842, Joseph opened a store in Nauvoo and cheerfully greeted his many customers. “I love to wait upon the Saints and be a servant to all,” he told a friend in a letter.” Ch. 37

“At the end of August 1843, the Smiths moved into a two-story home near the river. Called the Nauvoo Mansion, the new home was large enough to accommodate their four children, Joseph’s aging mother, and the people who worked for and boarded with them. Joseph planned to use much of the house as a hotel.” Ch. 41

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Like her father, Isaac, Emma worried about Joseph as a provider. The July revelation told her to “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.” But injunctions did not feed the household or provide for the future. An earlier revelation had said that Joseph’s support was to come from the Church. “In temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling.” He was to “continue in calling upon God in my name, and writing the things which shall be given thee by the Comforter; And expounding all scriptures unto the church.” Joseph was to derive his support like the itinerant Methodist preachers. “Thou shalt take no purse nor scrip, neither staves, neither two coats, for the church shall give unto thee in the very hour what thou needest for food and for raiment, and for shoes and for money, and for scrip.” Ch. 5

“The temple had left a debt of around $13,000, and in the summer of 1836, the Church faced the additional expense of establishing a new stake of Zion in Missouri. At the June trial of two brethren accused of insufficient generosity, Frederick Williams put it bluntly: “The church [is] poor, Zion [is] to be built and we have not means to do it unless the rich assist, & because the rich have not assisted, the heads of the church have to suffer and are now suffering under severe embarrassments and are much in debt.” In December 1836, elders in the branches were told to stop “sending their poor from among them, and moving them to this place, without the necessary means of subsistence.” Ch. 18

“Joseph opened a merchandise store, but the venture called for still more capital. The month after he returned from Salem, he borrowed $11,000 for land purchases and store inventory. John Corrill heard the store inventory eventually cost between $80,000 and $90,000. The borrowing went on through 1837 until Joseph had run up debts of over $100,000.” Ch. 18

“Joseph purchased three new suits in Washington.” Ch. 22

“Through the winter and spring of 1841, Joseph enthusiastically built the city. A revelation in mid-January gave detailed instructions for constructing a hotel called the Nauvoo House. “And let it be a delightful habitation for man, and a resting place for the weary traveller, that he may contemplate the glory of Zion, and the glory of this the corner stone thereof.” Joseph foresaw a stream of guests coming to view Nauvoo, and suitable accommodations were needed.” Ch. 23

“He decided not to institute the consecration of properties in Illinois. The system had had mixed success in Jackson County and Caldwell. Knowing the Saints would wonder about consecration—a command by revelation— he told an Iowa high council in early 1840 that “the Law of consecration could not be kept here, & that it was the will of the Lord that we should desist from trying to keep it.” He assured them that he himself “assumed the whole responsibility of not keeping it untill proposed by himself.” A year later, he told the Nauvoo Lyceum, “If we were eaquel in property at present, in six months we would be worse than Ever for there is too many Dishonest men amongst us.” Ch. 23

“He called on his listeners to show their zeal, to contribute labor or “their gold and their silver, their brass, and their iron, with the pine tree and box tree, to beautify the same”—a biblical flourish. Once again, the report projected an air of assurance and forward-looking optimism. Ch. 23

“The Presidency urged people to come for a higher life, “for their prosperity and everlasting welfare, and for the carrying out the great and glorious purposes of our God.” Ch. 23

“This time Joseph added to the usual priesthood ceremonies the drills and splendor of civic life. Fourteen companies of the Nauvoo Legion mustered for review, and cannon boomed as Major General John C. Bennett and Lieutenant General Joseph Smith came in on horseback, resplendent in “rich and costly dresses” that “would have become a Bonaparte or a Washington.” Ch. 24

“The Saints donated ten percent of their time to work on the building and ten percent of their produce to meet the costs. Joseph said construction work was as important as missionary labors. Women made stockings and mittens for the workers. Letters to Church members everywhere requested donations, and bonded agents were dispatched to collect them.29 Eliza Snow contributed poetry on temple construction to the Times and Seasons: Come, and bring in your treasures—your wealth from abroad: Come, and build up the city and Temple of God: A stupendous foundation already is laid, And the work is progressing—withhold not your aid.” Ch. 24

“Joseph’s brother Don Carlos wrote that Joseph was “all the time (almost) in the narrows, straining the last link, as it were, to get out of this & that Pinch.” In August 1839, Joseph had signed two notes for $25,000 each plus fees, one due in ten years and the other in twenty. These constituted the principal payments which Joseph thought the Church would be able to pay when they came due. The more immediate pressure came from the interest payments of $3,000 that were due each year for twenty years beginning in August 1840. To raise the money, Hotchkiss (the lead partner) had urged Joseph to mobilize the Saints’ friends in Washington to support the Mormon petition for redress. If the petition were granted by Congress, reparations would supply the interest payments.” Ch. 24

“Joseph saw no way of meeting the payment schedule. As early as July 28, 1840, he wrote Hotchkiss to say poverty and sickness would prevent them from making the first payment on time.” Ch. 24

“For the future, the Church devised a scheme for paying without raising the cash. Church agents would persuade Saints in the East to exchange their properties for bills that would be good for payment on Nauvoo lands. When they arrived in Nauvoo, they could purchase new lands with these bills. The titles of the eastern lands, meanwhile, would be signed over to Hotchkiss, in effect funding the Nauvoo land purchase.” Ch. 24

“When informed that the fixed provisions actually prevailed, Joseph charged Hotchkiss with being hardhearted. What about our destitution after Missouri? he wondered, asking, “Have you no feelings of commiser[a]tion?” He complained that the part of the plat purchased was “a deathly sickly hole.” Then he issued the final challenge: either take back the property, or let us try to make the best of it. “Coersive measures,” he reminded Hotchkiss, “would kill us in the germ.” Ch. 24

“Joseph’s financial dealings took a strange turn in the spring of 1842, when he was informed that he was eligible to declare bankruptcy under a new federal law passed in 1841 by the Whig government.” Ch. 24

“Complications inevitably arose in evaluating a bundle of properties as complex as Joseph’s. Later, after John C. Bennett was expelled from the Church, he charged Joseph with fraudulently transferring personal property to himself as trustee-in-trust of the Church to escape personal liabilities.” Ch. 24

“With objections hanging over the proceedings, Joseph was never discharged from his debts under the federal bankruptcy law.64 Until the charges of fraud were settled, he could not be. But the imminent possibility of being discharged altered his relations with his creditors, who thought they were about to lose their legal hold on him.65 Joseph wrote Hotchkiss in May 1842 pleading his dire circumstances—the loss of property in Missouri and the pressure of unjust debts—as a reason for resorting to bankruptcy. He assured Hotchkiss that he was not insolvent: “There is property sufficient in the inventory to pay every debt and some to spare.” Ch. 24

“After 1842, Joseph Smith could not be brought down by his creditors. The bankruptcy proceedings stood in the way, and because of the defaults, his credit was good only among the Saints.” Ch. 24

“The temple and the Nauvoo House, two huge construction projects, remained to be completed.” Ch. 24

“The next day, he and Emma entertained over fifty invited guests at four long tables in his Nauvoo mansion.” Ch. 27

“They managed at the end of August to move into the new wing built on their house, enlarging it to seventeen or eighteen rooms, big enough to open a hotel. Joseph put up a sign outside advertising the “Nauvoo Mansion.” A month later they held an open house and dinner for a hundred couples to mark the occasion.” Ch. 27

“In the winter, Emma fulfilled her role as president’s wife to the utmost. On Christmas Day 1843, the Smiths entertained a large party at their house, spending the evening “in a most cheerful and friendly manner in Music, Dancing, &c.” Ch. 27

“The parties continued nonstop that winter. On New Year’s Eve, a company of fifty musicians and singers serenaded the Smiths under their window with William Phelps’s New Year hymn. On New Year’s Day, another large party had supper at the Smiths’ and “continued music and dancing till morning.” On January 18, 1844, a “Cotillion Party” at the Nauvoo Mansion marked Joseph and Emma’s wedding anniversary. Two weeks earlier, Joseph told Richards about Emma: “I was remarking to Bro[ther] Phelps what a kind, provident wife I had. That when I wanted a little bread and milk she would load the table with so many good things it would destroy my appetite.” Emma entered the room at that moment, and Phelps said to her, “You must do as Bonaparte did have a little table, just large enough for yourself and your order thereon.” Phelps pictured the two of them, Joseph and Emma, dining quietly together. Emma knew better. “Mr. Smith is a bigger man than Bonaparte,” came her retort, perhaps wistfully. “He can never eat without his friends.” Ch. 27

“In early October 1843, Emma and Joseph hosted a “luxurious feast for a pleasure party,” celebrating the opening of a hotel in their newly expanded house. One hundred couples dined at “a well spread board.” Ch. 28

“In Jackson County, families had given their property to the Church, receiving back a stewardship fitted to their needs and wants. Everyone was to receive an “inheritance,” with surplus income after the first redistribution deposited in the bishop’s storehouse for public use. The consecration of properties aimed to end poverty and establish equality.” Ch. 28

“Later he purchased a half interest in the sixty-ton steamboat Maid of Iowa and obtained a monopoly on the ferry business from Nauvoo to Montrose, on the Iowa side of the Mississippi. The addition to his house permitted him to advertise the Nauvoo Mansion and take in paying guests. In a still grander entrance into the hostelry business, a revelation authorized the formation of a joint stock corporation to erect the spacious Nauvoo House.” Ch. 28

“Rather than promising entrepreneurs great wealth, Joseph asked that “money be brought here to pay the poor for manufacturing.” Profits were secondary to creating jobs. He invited “all ye rich men of the Latter Day Saints from abroad . . . to bring up some of their money and give to the Temple.” Ch. 28

“Joseph was not a successful entrepreneur. He sold goods on credit to every customer who walked in, whether or not they could pay, knowing that if he tried to collect, he risked being labeled a false prophet. Within two years, when competition from a second business district on the bluff pressured the store, it folded. The Nauvoo Mansion hotel lasted only five months before Joseph leased the house to Ebenezer Robinson and confined his own family of six plus two servants to three rooms. After two years of operation, the Maid of Iowa was in debt $1,700. The Wisconsin pinery business was in debt $3,000 after its first year. Construction on the Nauvoo House was finally abandoned. None of these projects enriched Joseph, who invested too much money in land for the shiploads of new migrants. When he died, his estate was insolvent.” Ch. 28

“The full-time stonecutters and carpenters, all found among the Church membership, were paid with temple scrip that could be exchanged for meat, grain, and cheese that had been contributed as tithing to the temple storehouse. Mormon merchants accepted the scrip as payment on goods, though it required them to redeem the scrip for whatever the storehouse happened to hold.10 Little money changed hands, and yet the temple kept rising.” Ch. 28

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Publishing a book as long as the Book of Mormon would also not be cheap. Joseph’s finances had not improved since he started the translation, and all the money he made went toward providing for his family. The same was true for his parents, who were still poor farmers working land they did not own. Joseph’s only friend who could finance the project was Martin Harris. Joseph set to work quickly. Before he completed the translation, he had filed for the book’s copyright to protect the text from anyone who might steal or plagiarize it.” Ch. 8

“Soon after the Lord revealed His law in Kirtland, the Saints in New York made final preparations to gather to Ohio. They sold their land and property at great loss, packed their belongings in wagons, and said goodbye to family and friends.” Ch. 11

“Like Ezra Booth, Edward had expected to find a large branch of the church in the area. Instead, he and the Saints were to build Zion in a town where people were wary of them and not at all interested in the restored gospel.

As bishop of the church, he also understood that much of the responsibility for laying the foundation of Zion fell on his shoulders. To prepare the promised land for the Saints, he would have to buy as much of it as possible to distribute as inheritances to those who came to Zion and kept the law of consecration. This meant that he would have to stay in Missouri and move his family permanently to Zion.” Ch. 12

“William believed he could start over in Zion. He wanted to do it on his own terms, however. In the summer of 1832, he and his company moved to Missouri without a recommendation from church leaders, which the Lord required migrating Saints to obtain so that Zion would not grow too quickly and strain resources. When he arrived, he also did not go to Bishop Partridge to consecrate his property or receive an inheritance. Instead he bought two lots in Independence from the government. 

The arrival of William and the others overwhelmed Bishop Partridge and his counselors. Many of the newcomers were poor and had little to consecrate. The bishop did his best to get them settled, but it was a challenge to arrange homes, farms, and employment for them while Zion’s economy was still fragile.” Ch. 14

“The church in Ohio was thriving, despite opposition from former church members, but the church in Missouri struggled to maintain order as more people moved to the area without permission.” Ch. 15

“But the losses in and around Independence—the printing office, the store, and many acres of land—had hurt the Saints financially. Joseph, Sidney, and other church leaders had also gone deeply into debt, taking out heavy loans to purchase land for the Kirtland temple and finance the Camp of Israel. 

With church businesses stalled or struggling, and no reliable system for collecting donations from the Saints, the church could not pay for the temple. If Joseph and the other leaders fell behind on their payments, they could lose the sacred building to creditors.” Ch. 19

“The Saints’ enthusiasm for completing the temple encouraged Sidney, but the church’s debts were increasing by the day, and having signed his name to many of the heaviest loans, he knew he would be financially ruined if the church failed to repay them. When he saw the poverty of the Saints and the sacrifices they were making to finish the temple, Sidney also feared that they would never have the resources or resolve to complete it.” Ch. 19

“More loans and donations came to the church that winter, but Joseph knew they would still not be enough to cover the growing cost of the temple.” Ch. 19

“Joseph then recalled the revelation in which the Lord had asked the Saints to purchase all the lands in and around Jackson County. The Saints had already started purchasing some land in Clay County, but as always, the problem was finding the money to make more purchases.

In early April, Joseph met with members of the church’s printing firm to discuss church finances. The men believed they needed to contribute all their resources to the redemption of Zion, and they recommended that Joseph and Oliver lead fund-raising efforts to purchase more land in Missouri. 

Unfortunately, the church was already tens of thousands of dollars in debt from building the temple and from earlier land purchases, and money was still scarce in Kirtland, even with missionaries collecting donations. Much of the Saints’ wealth was in land, which meant few people could make cash donations. And without cash, the church could do little to pull itself out of debt or buy more land in Zion. 

Once again, Joseph had to find a way to finance the Lord’s work.” Ch. 22

“With the temple completed, more Saints were moving to Kirtland. There was plenty of land in the area, but much of it was undeveloped. The Saints hurried to construct more houses, often on credit because there was not much cash in the community. But they could not build fast enough to accommodate the new arrivals, so established families often opened their homes to these people or rented out spare rooms.” Ch. 22

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“The typical English convert was a dissatisfied Christian seeking religion along the margins of conventional church life. And, as Brigham Young said in a report to Joseph, “almost without exception it is the poor that receive the gospel.” Though poor men themselves, the apostles were appalled by the miserable living conditions they encountered.” Ch. 23

“He wanted to give land to the poor, especially to widows and orphans. To finance these free gifts, he wanted others to pay generously. The high council priced Nauvoo lots from $200 to $800, leaving room for negotiation. All these judgments required patience and wisdom and exposed Joseph to criticism for gouging and unfair treatment.” Ch. 24

“Nauvoo’s prosperity was tenuous at best. The site had no natural economic advantages, as its precipitous economic decline after the Mormons’ departure was to prove. Land sales and construction were the city’s chief industries, and the supply of land was inadequate for the burgeoning population. In Iowa the faulty titles to Isaac Galland’s Half-Breed Tract were about to be exposed, and in Illinois, Joseph had trouble making payments for the Hotchkiss purchase. The debt to the partners Horace Hotchkiss, John Gillett, and Smith Tuttle put terrible financial pressures on Joseph.” Ch. 24

“While the city rose before his eyes, Joseph could not escape debt, poverty, and ill health. The Nauvoo House and the university were never completed. The peninsula still suffered from fevers in the summer, and even the sick needed work. How was he to employ the thousands of minimally skilled working-class poor arriving from Liverpool? Many knew nothing of farming, the chief employment. Joseph wanted to help, but huge debts prevented him from simply giving away land. What could poor converts do?” Ch. 23

Lucy Mack Smith, The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations, Complete and Unabridged First Edition, Liverpool, 1853, Latter-day Saints Book Depot

“In the fall of 1836, a bank was established in Kirtland.” Ch. 45

“Joseph then went to Cleveland in order to transact some business pertaining to the bank.” Ch. 45

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Church leaders announced their plans to start the Kirtland Safety Society, a village bank designed to boost Kirtland’s struggling economy and raise money for the church. Like other small banks in the United States, it would provide loans to borrowers so they could purchase property and goods, helping the local economy grow. As borrowers paid these loans back with interest, the bank would turn a profit. 

Loans would be issued in the form of banknotes backed by the Safety Society’s limited reserve of silver and gold coins. To build up this reserve of hard money, the bank would sell shares of stock to investors, who committed to make payments on their shares over time. 

By early November, the Kirtland Safety Society had more than thirty stockholders, including Joseph and Sidney, who invested much of their own money in the bank. The stockholders elected Sidney as president of the institution and Joseph as cashier, making him responsible for the bank’s accounts.” Ch. 23

“As more Saints took out loans, often using their land as collateral, the notes began circulating around Kirtland and elsewhere.” Ch. 23

“Throughout the winter, the Saints in Kirtland continued to borrow large sums of money to purchase property and goods. Employers sometimes paid workers in banknotes, which could be used as currency or redeemed for hard money at the Kirtland Safety Society office.” Ch. 23

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“To make the Mormon market especially attractive, the Church could almost guarantee an ingathering of Saints eager to buy land. Developers all over the country were borrowing for land under less favorable circumstances. Assured by the Church’s prospects, lenders extended credit even as the debt rose. To raise more capital, Church leaders planned a bank.” Ch. 18

“In November 1836, Church leaders dispatched Cowdery to New York to purchase plates for printing currency, and Orson Hyde was sent to the state capitol in Columbus to apply for a charter.” Ch. 18

“On November 2, the Kirtland Safety Society bank was organized and began selling stock. As usual, Joseph thought big. Capital stock was set at $4 million, though the roughly 200 stock purchasers put up only about $21,000 in cash.31 Heber C. Kimball subscribed for $50,000 in shares for only $15. The rest of the issue was secured by land. In actuality, the Safety Society was a partial “land bank,” a device New Englanders had once resorted to in their cash-poor, land-rich society. Land bank notes, secured by the farms of participants, gave landowners liquidity to initiate commercial ventures when capital was lacking. Unfortunately, the hybrid Kirtland bank— based partly on land and partly on specie—set up expectations for redeeming notes in hard money.” Ch. 18

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“With plans for the bank in place, Oliver went east to purchase materials for printing banknotes, and Orson Hyde went to apply for a charter from the state legislature so they could operate the bank legally.” Ch. 23

“Concerned about the rising number of banks in Ohio, the state legislature had refused to grant Orson Hyde a charter. Without this approval, the Safety Society could not call itself a bank, but it could still take deposits and issue loans. Its success relied on stockholders making payments on their shares so the institution could maintain its reserves. Few stockholders had enough hard money to do that, however, and Grandison suspected the Safety Society’s reserves were too small to sustain it for long.” Ch. 23

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“The disappointments began almost immediately. Cowdery brought back the plates and printed notes, but Hyde failed to obtain the charter from the Ohio legislature, which knew the pitfalls of underfunded banks. Hard-money Democrats saw the weakness in the Kirtland operation immediately. The Mormons adjusted by organizing themselves into an “anti-banking” company and, spiting the legislature, stamped the word “anti” before the word “banking,” and began issuing notes.” Ch. 18

“A local mill owner, Grandison Newell, a longtime enemy of the Mormons, entered a suit against Joseph for issuing bills of credit illegally. The charterless Kirtland Safety Society fell under the ban of an 1816 Ohio law forbidding private companies to issue money. The case was heard in March 1837 and held over to October, when Joseph was fined $1,000, adding to his huge debt.” Ch. 18

Wilford Woodruff, “Wilford Woodruff Journal 1833 December-1838 January,” 6 January 1837, Church History Catalog, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“I visited the office of the Kirtland Safety Society & saw the first money that was issued by the treasurer or society it was given to Brother Bump (in exchange for other notes) who was the first to circulate it 

I also herd President Joseph Smith jr declare in the presence of F Williams, D Whitmer, B. Smith, W. Parrish, & others in the Deposit Office that he has received that morning the Word of the Lord upon the subject of the Kirtland Safety Society he was alone in a room by himself & he had not ownly the voice of the spirit upon the subject but even an audable voice 

He did not tell us at that time what the LORD said upon the subject but remarked that if we would give heed to the Commandments the Lord had given this morning all would be well. 

May the Lord bless Brother Jsoeph with all the Saints & support the above named institution & protect it so that every weapon formed against it may be broaken & come to nought while the Kirtland Safety Society shall become the greatest of all institutions on EARTH.”

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Joseph, meanwhile, urged all the Saints to invest in the Safety Society, quoting Old Testament scriptures that called on the ancient Israelites to bring their gold and silver to the Lord. 

Joseph felt that God approved of their efforts, and he promised that all would be well if the Saints heeded the Lord’s commandments.” Ch. 23

“On its first day, Joseph issued crisp banknotes, fresh from the printing press, with the institution’s name and his signature on the front.” Ch. 23

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“With time on his hands, Woodruff visited the Kirtland Safety Society office on January 6 to see the first notes issued to Jacob Bump. Joseph told them he had received a revelation about the society in “an audable voice,” not just by impressions of the Spirit. Joseph did not disclose the revelation but “remarked that if we would give heed to the Commandments the Lord had given this morning all would be well.” Woodruff entered his own small prayer asking that the society would “become the greatest of all institutions on EARTH.” Ch. 18

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Grandison traveled around the countryside purchasing Safety Society notes. He then brought his stack of notes to the Safety Society office and demanded cash in return. If the officers did not redeem them, he threatened, he would press charges. 

Cornered, Joseph and the Safety Society officers had no choice but to redeem the notes and pray for more investors.” Ch. 23

“By the end of January, however, the Safety Society was facing a crisis. While Grandison Newell was trying to wipe out its reserves, newspapers in the area were publishing articles that cast doubt on its legitimacy. Like others around the country, some Saints had also speculated in land and goods, hoping to get rich with little effort. Others neglected to make the required payments on their stock. Before long, many workers and businesses in and around Kirtland refused to accept Safety Society notes.

Fearing failure, Joseph and Sidney temporarily shut down the Safety Society and traveled to another city to try to partner with an established bank there.” Ch. 23

“By mid-April, Kirtland’s economy worsened as a financial crisis overwhelmed the nation. Years of excessive lending had weakened banks in England and the United States, causing widespread fear of economic collapse. Banks called in debts, and some stopped issuing loans altogether. Panic soon spread from town to town as banks closed, businesses failed, and unemployment soared. 

In this climate, a struggling institution like the Kirtland Safety Society stood little chance.” Ch. 23

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“The issue of about $100,000 made no claim that the bills were legal tender; the notes were the promissory notes of a private company. In an earlier day, they would have been called a “medium of trade,” replacing barter as a means of exchange, allowing farmers to buy and sell by paying cash, instead of working out more complicated exchanges. In a simpler and more isolated society, where mutual trust was high, the scheme might have worked. In Kirtland, the bank failed within a month. Business started on January 2, 1837. Three weeks later, the bank was floundering.” Ch. 18

“Customers presented their notes for redemption, and the bank’s pitiful supply of liquid capital was exhausted within days. On January 23, payment stopped. From then on, the value of the notes plummeted, falling to one-eighth of their face value by February. All the investors lost their capital, Joseph as much as anyone. He had bought more stock than eighty-five percent of the investors. As treasurer and secretary and signers of the notes, Joseph and Rigdon begged the note holders to keep them, promising that the economy would benefit. In June, faced with complete collapse, both resigned. In August, Joseph publicly disavowed the Kirtland notes in the Church newspaper. The bank staggered on until November, long since moribund.” Ch. 18

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Parley sent an angry letter to Joseph. “I have at length become fully convinced that the whole scene of speculation in which we have been engaged is of the devil,” he wrote, “which has given rise to lying, deceiving, and taking advantage of one’s neighbor.” Ch. 23

“But before the meeting closed, Warren stood up and denounced Joseph in front of the congregation.” Ch. 23

“The Safety Society’s poor start had shaken the faith of many Saints, leading them to question the prophet’s spiritual leadership that had spurred their investment. 

In the past, the Lord had revealed scripture through Joseph, making it easy for them to exercise faith that he was a prophet of God. But when Joseph’s statements about the Safety Society appeared to go unfulfilled, and their investments began to slip away, many Saints became uneasy and critical of Joseph.” Ch. 23

“As dissent mounted in Kirtland, Wilford remained one of Joseph’s staunchest allies. But Warren Parrish, who had worked side by side with Joseph for years, had begun criticizing the prophet for his role in the financial crisis and was quickly becoming a leader of the dissenters. 

Wilford prayed that the contentious spirit in the church would dissipate.” Ch. 23

“Preaching the gospel overseas was an important step in the Lord’s work, and as president of the quorum, Thomas wanted to assemble the apostles and plan the mission together.

He also worried about reports he had received of the dissent in Kirtland. Three of the dissenters—Luke and Lyman Johnson and John Boynton—were members of his quorum.” Ch.24

“Back in Ohio, Heber Kimball could see just how divided the Quorum of the Twelve had become since the Kirtland Safety Society had opened six months earlier. As Joseph’s efforts to pull the church out of debt failed, Orson Hyde, William McLellin, and Orson Pratt also began to grow angry with him. With Parley Pratt now speaking out against Joseph, Brigham Young and Heber were the only loyal apostles left in Kirtland.” Ch. 24

”But the financial panic had left few jobs in and around Kirtland—or anywhere else in the nation. As a result, the cost of goods rose and land values fell sharply. Few people in Kirtland had means to support themselves or workers. To pay church debts, Joseph had to mortgage the temple, putting it at risk of foreclosure.” Ch. 24

“At a meeting in the temple one morning, Parley Pratt called Joseph to repentance and declared that nearly all the church had departed from God.” Ch. 24

“As the only stake in the church, Kirtland was supposed to provide a gathering place for the Saints. But the town was struggling economically and spiritually—and the dissenters were turning vulnerable church members against him. For many people, Kirtland had ceased to be a place of peace and spiritual strength.” Ch. 25

“Frederick Williams had clashed with him over the management of the Kirtland Safety Society, and it had hurt their friendship. Oliver, meanwhile, had become uncomfortable with Joseph taking a more active role in local economics and politics. Both he and David Whitmer, the president of the church in Missouri, felt that Joseph was exerting too much influence over temporal matters in his role as prophet.” Ch. 25

“Warren Parrish, Luke Johnson, and John Boynton were meeting weekly with Grandison Newell and other enemies of the church to denounce the First Presidency. Former stalwarts like Martin Harris soon joined them, and by the end of the year, the leading dissenters had organized a church of their own.” Ch. 25

“Nothing seemed to temper the dissenters’ feelings. They claimed that Joseph and Sidney had mismanaged the Kirtland Safety Society and cheated the Saints.” Ch. 25

“Internal dissent had divided the church in Kirtland and left the temple in the hands of creditors.” Ch. 33

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Everyone who accepted Safety Society notes at face value suffered from the collapse. Losses are estimated at $40,000, about the cost of the Kirtland temple. Mormons, who invested in the bank and trusted the notes, suffered most. Jonathan Crosby lacked the money to invest in the bank, but he took the bills in payment for his work. When flour rose to $10 a barrel, Crosby could not purchase provisions. “I was then compelled to stop work, and spent a day running about town trying to buy some food with Kirtland money, but could get nothing for it.” Ch. 18

“The bank episode not only hurt the Saints financially, it tried their faith. The notes had their Prophet’s signature on the face. He had encouraged investment; his enthusiasm persuaded subscription.” Ch. 18

“By April 1837, when the bank was floundering, Joseph was still telling his people that “this place must be built up, and would be built up, and that every brother that would take hold and help secure and discharge those contracts that had been made, should be rich.” Ch. 18

“When the effects of the 1837 panic and the subsequent depression spread, any chance of Kirtland and its bank prospering was destroyed. Far from flourishing as their prophet had foretold, the Saints were caught in a downward spiral of personal losses and narrowing opportunities.” Ch. 18

“The volatility in prices, the pressure to collect debts, the implication of bad faith were too much for some of the sturdiest believers. The stalwarts Parley and Orson Pratt faltered for a few months.” Ch. 18

“One of the Prophet’s favorites, his clerk Warren Parrish, tried to depose him. Heber C. Kimball claimed that by June 1837 not twenty men in Kirtland believed Joseph was a prophet.” Ch. 18

“Complaints spread as the bank collapsed. The next Sunday, Sidney Rigdon “exhorted the Church to union that they might be prepared to meet every trial & difficulty that awates them.” Two days later, David Whitmer rebuked the seventies for their pride. “A scourge awates this stake of Zion even Kirtland if their is not great repentance.” Everyone knew this, Whitmer said, “esspecially the heads of the Church.” Ch. 18

“One Sunday, Parley Pratt preached that Joseph “had committed great sins.” After Rigdon defended the Prophet, Pratt left in protest. Mary Fielding stayed to hear Cowdery attempt a reconciliation, but when Orson Pratt attacked Joseph, she walked out too. Parrish, who had climbed into Joseph’s seat on the stand, spoke last, and the meeting broke up without the Lord’s Supper.” Ch. 18

“He had anticipated triumph and instead suffered defeat. Where was God during these setbacks? Only one revelation during the year was deemed worthy of inclusion in the later Doctrine and Covenants. Only one letter in Joseph’s voice went into the record. His usual inspiration seemed closed, or at least he chose to keep silent about it. Except for the bold stroke of the English mission, he seems to have lost his way. The bank, his great hope for Kirtland, had crashed, injuring and alienating his friends.” Ch. 18

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“A few days later, Sidney visited Parley and told him he had come to collect an overdue debt. Sometime earlier, Joseph had loaned Parley $2,000 to purchase some land in Kirtland. To relieve his own debts, Joseph had since sold Parley’s debt to the Safety Society, and Sidney was now collecting the money.

Parley told Sidney he did not have the $2,000 but offered to return the land as payment. Sidney told him he would have to give up his house as well as the land to satisfy the debt. 

Parley was outraged. When Joseph first sold him the land, he had told Parley that he would not be hurt in the deal. And what of Heber Kimball’s blessing promising him countless riches and freedom from debt? Now Parley felt like Joseph and Sidney were taking away everything he had. If he lost his land and home, what would he and his family do?” Ch. 23

“The national economic crisis continued into the summer of 1837. With no money and little food, Jonathan Crosby quit work on his house to join a crew building a house for Joseph and Emma. But Joseph could only pay the workmen with Safety Society banknotes, which fewer and fewer businesses in Kirtland were accepting as payment. Soon the notes would be almost worthless.” Ch. 24

“When Joseph returned to Kirtland a few weeks later and learned what had happened, he convened an emergency conference of the Saints and called for a sustaining vote of each leader in the church. The Saints sustained him and the First Presidency but rejected John Boynton, Luke Johnson, and Lyman Johnson as members of the Quorum of the Twelve.” Ch. 25

“Before leaving Kirtland, Joseph asked his brother Hyrum and Thomas Marsh to go to Far West ahead of him to warn the faithful Saints about the growing rift between him and these men.” Ch. 25

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Overly optimistic, Joseph started construction on a new house. Other brethren went heavily into debt expecting to profit in the predicted boom.” Ch. 18

“David Patten, a leading apostle, raised so many insulting questions Joseph “slaped him in the face & kicked him out of the yard.” Joseph’s counselor Frederick G. Williams was alienated and removed from office.” Ch. 18

“The bank failure, suspicions about Joseph’s morals, and economic stress combined to bring on the apostasies of 1837.  When Joseph, battered by creditors, tried to collect payment for three city lots he had sold Parley Pratt in the inflationary delirium a few months earlier, Pratt exploded in rage and frustration: “If you are still determined to pursue this wicked course, until yourself and the church shall sink down to hell, I beseech you at least, to have mercy on me and my family.” His brother Orson and Lyman Johnson brought charges against Joseph for lying, extortion, and “speaking disrespectfully, against his brethren behind their backs.” It took months for the Pratts to recover their composure and return to the fold.” Ch. 18

“In retaliation, charges were brought against the complainers. At a May 29 high council meeting, five brethren accused Parrish, Parley P. Pratt, David Whitmer, Frederick G. Williams, and Lyman Johnson—all high Church officers—of following a course that “has been injurious to the Church of God.” For once the council system was unequal to the occasion. Whitmer and Williams denied the high council’s jurisdiction because a revelation had said that presidents were to be tried by a bishop’s court. Pratt objected to Rigdon and Joseph’s sitting on the case since they had previously spoken against him; Cowdery admitted that he had too. Rigdon and Cowdery then withdrew from the council, both claiming Pratt was guilty. Williams said he could not preside because he had been accused. The council “then dispersed in confusion.” Ch. 18

“Grandison Newell, who had gone after Joseph Smith for breaking the banking laws, brought a suit against Joseph on June 3, 1837, for plotting Newell’s assassination… In the 1837 suit, Newell’s star witness was an excommunicated Mormon named Solomon Denton, once a helper in the Smith household, who testified that Joseph had approached him to assassinate Newell. Orson Hyde testified for the prosecution that Joseph had said in January or February 1837 that Newell “should be put out of the way, or where the crows could not find him.” Ch. 18

“To promote the work and probably to escape trouble, on July 26, 1837, Joseph left Kirtland with Hyrum, Rigdon, David Patten, and Thomas Marsh, headed for Canada. He had gone north once before when Hurlbut was pursuing him. This time vexatious lawsuits in Painesville delayed him for a day, but by taking circuitous routes, he eluded his creditors and reached a port on Lake Erie.” Ch. 18

“Joseph did not seem to worry about his position in the Church. At the September conference, he announced that Oliver Cowdery was in transgression, and soon after chastised John Whitmer and William Phelps in Missouri, with a warning to David Whitmer. Joseph was not concerned that criticism of these longtime leaders might weaken his own authority.” Ch. 18

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Yet old problems nagged at him. Much of the church’s debt was still unpaid, and many Saints had been left destitute by ongoing persecution, the national economic problems, the financial collapse in Kirtland, and the costly move to Missouri. Furthermore, the Lord had forbidden the First Presidency to borrow more money. The church needed funds but still had no reliable system for collecting them.

Recently, the bishops of the church, Edward Partridge and Newel Whitney, had proposed tithing as a way to obey the law of consecration. Joseph knew the Saints should consecrate their property, but he was unsure how much of it the Lord required as a tithe.” Ch. 27

“The Lord then answered Joseph’s questions about tithing. “I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church in Zion,” He declared, “for the building of mine house, and for the laying of the foundation of Zion.” After offering what they could spare, the Lord continued, the Saints were to pay a tenth of their increase from year to year.

“If my people observe not this law, to keep it holy,” the Lord declared, “it shall not be a land of Zion unto you.” Ch. 27

Church History Topics, “Tithing,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“In the early years of the Church, leaders sought to fund important projects such as the publication of scriptures and the construction of the Kirtland Temple through donations, business ventures, and other fundraising efforts. By July 1838, questions arose about the best way to meet the Church’s financial needs and the role donated funds should play. On July 8, Church leaders in Far West met together and petitioned the Lord to “show unto thy servants how much thou requirest of the properties of thy people for a tithing.” Joseph Smith received two revelations about how much would be required and how the funds should be administered.

Before this time, the words tithe and tithing as used in the Church referred to any voluntary offering, regardless of the amount.”

“In the July 8, 1838, revelation, the Lord answered the Saints’ question with these instructions: first, the Saints should make a one-time donation of all their surplus property; “and after that,” the revelation said, “those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually.”

“In the early 1840s, Church leaders emphasized the payment of tithing to help build the Nauvoo Temple and made tithing a requirement for access to the temple. This requirement was renewed in the 1880s when temples were dedicated in Utah.”

“President Lorenzo Snow received a divine manifestation during a sermon in the tabernacle in St. George, Utah, prompting him to emphasize obedience to the law of tithing. “The time has now come,” he declared, “for every Latter-day Saint, who calculates to be prepared for the future and to hold his feet strong upon a proper foundation, to do the will of the Lord and pay his tithing in full.”

He traveled to settlements throughout Utah, pleading with members to pay an honest tithe and promising both spiritual and temporal blessings. President Snow’s efforts led to increased commitment, and within just a few years his successor, Joseph F. Smith, was able to pay off the Church’s debts.”

Church Newsroom, “Church Updates Temple Recommend Interview Questions”, Ensign, January 2020

“Are you a full-tithe payer?”

Topics and Questions, “Tithing,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

“The Bible indicates that God’s people followed the law of tithing anciently; through modern prophets, God restored this law once again to bless His children. To fulfill this commandment, Church members give one-tenth of their income to the Lord through His Church.”

“One of the blessings of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the privilege of paying tithing. This privilege is a double blessing. By paying tithing, Church members show their gratitude to God for their blessings and their resolve to trust in the Lord rather than in material things.”

Gospel Study Guide, “Tithing,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

“Today, we do not literally give all that we have when we pay tithing to help build the kingdom of God. He asks for only 10 percent of our income. But we can learn a lot from the sacrifice of the widow. No matter the size of our 10 percent, we can make tithing a matter of faith and consecrate what we have for the Lord even when it is not an easy sacrifice to make.”

“Tithing is the consecration of a tenth of our income to the Lord through the Church. Giving this offering to God is one way we can “put the Lord first in our lives, above our own cares and interest.”

“The Lord commands Latter-day Saints to live the law of tithing, regardless of their current economic circumstances.”

“Tithing is a commandment from God.”

“Paying tithing can help strengthen our own desire to build the kingdom of God.”

“Living the law of tithing provides both temporal and spiritual blessings.”

“Paying tithing is a matter of faith.”

“We receive many blessings from the Lord when we live the law of tithing.”

Bible Dictionary, “Tithe,” Study Helps, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The word denotes a tenth part, given for the service of God.”

“Failure to pay an honest tithe is a form of robbery.”

Doctrine and Covenants 119:3-4

“And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people.

And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord.”

Lorenzo Snow, “In Conference Report,” October 1899, p. 28

“I plead with you in the name of the Lord, and I pray that every man, woman and child who has means shall pay one-tenth of their income as a tithing.”

Heber J. Grant, General Conference, April 1898, p. 16

“I want to say to you, if you will be honest with the Lord, paying your tithing and keeping His commandments, He will not only bless you with the light and inspiration of His Holy Spirit, but you will be blessed in dollars and cents; you will be enabled to pay your debts, and the Lord will pour out temporal blessings upon you in great abundance.”

Joseph F. Smith, General Conference, April 1907, p. 7

“I want to say to you, we may not be able to reach it right away, but we expect to see the day when we will not have to ask you for one dollar of donation for any purpose, except that which you volunteer to give of your own accord, because we will have tithes sufficient in the storehouse of the Lord to pay everything that is needful for the advancement of the kingdom of God. I want to live to see that day, if the Lord will spare my life. It does not make any difference, though, so far as that is concerned, whether I live or not. That is the true policy, the true purpose of the Lord in the management of the affairs of His Church.”

Spencer W. Kimball, “President Kimball Speaks Out on Tithing,” New Era, April 1981, p. 6

“The Lord herein makes clear that tithing is his law and is required of all his followers. It is our honor and privilege, our safety and promise, our great blessing to live this law of God. To fail to meet this obligation in full is to deny ourselves the promises and is to omit a weighty matter. It is a transgression, not an inconsequential oversight.”

Marion G. Romney, “The Blessings of an Honest Tithe,” New Era, February 1982

“The payment of tithing is worthwhile as fire insurance. Through his prophets the Lord has told us that incident to his second coming, which we are now anticipating, there will be a great conflagration. Malachi thus refers to it in connection with his pronouncement about tithes and offerings.”

“If you believe this, you will pay your tithing.”

James E. Faust, “Opening the Windows of Heaven,” General Conference, October 1998

“Some may feel that they cannot afford to pay tithing, but the Lord has promised that He would prepare a way for us to keep all of His commandments. To pay tithing takes a leap of faith.”

Jeffrey R. Holland, “Like a Watered Garden,” General Conference, October 2001

“All of us, rich or poor, longtime member or newest convert, should faithfully pay our tithes and offerings.”

“After she lost her husband in the martyrdom at Nauvoo and made her way west with five fatherless children, Mary Fielding Smith continued in her poverty to pay tithing. When someone at the tithing office inappropriately suggested one day that she should not contribute a tenth of the only potatoes she had been able to raise that year, she cried out to the man, “William, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Would you deny me a blessing? If I did not pay my tithing, I should expect the Lord to withhold His blessings from me. I pay my tithing, not only because it is a law of God, but because I expect a blessing by doing it. [I need a blessing.] By keeping this and other laws, I expect … to be able to provide for my family.”

“Pay your tithes and offerings out of honesty and integrity because they are God’s rightful due.”

“Paying tithing is not a token gift we are somehow charitably bestowing upon God. Paying tithing is discharging a debt.”

“We should pay them as a personal expression of love to a generous and merciful Father in Heaven.”

Lynn G. Robbins, “Tithing - a Commandment Even for the Destitute,” General Conference, April 2005

“But how can you ask someone who is starving to eat less? Is there a level of poverty so low that sacrifice should not be expected or a family so destitute that paying tithing should cease to be required?”

“The story of the widow of Zarephath is an example of extreme poverty used to teach the doctrine that mercy cannot rob sacrifice any more than it can rob justice.”

“Faith isn’t tested so much when the cupboard is full as when it is bare. In these defining moments, the crisis doesn’t create one’s character—it reveals it. The crisis is the test.”

“One reason the Lord illustrates doctrines with the most extreme circumstances is to eliminate excuses. If the Lord expects even the poorest widow to pay her mite, where does that leave all others who find that it is not convenient or easy to sacrifice?

No bishop, no missionary should ever hesitate or lack the faith to teach the law of tithing to the poor. The sentiment of “They can’t afford to” needs to be replaced with “They can’t afford not to.”

One of the first things a bishop must do to help the needy is ask them to pay their tithing. Like the widow, if a destitute family is faced with the decision of paying their tithing or eating, they should pay their tithing.”

Gordon B. Hinckley, “In the Arms of His Love,” General Conference, October 2006

“As a young man recently returned from his mission, he found the girl he wanted to marry. They were happy, but very poor.

Then came a particularly difficult time when their food and money ran out. It was a Saturday, and the cupboard was literally bare. Rene felt distraught that his young wife was hungry. He decided he had no other choice than to use their tithing money and go purchase food.

As he was leaving the house, his wife stopped him and asked him where he was going. He told her he was going to buy food. She asked him where he got the money. He told her that it was the tithing money. She said, “That is the Lord’s money—you will not use that to buy food.” Her faith was stronger than his. He put the money back, and they went to bed hungry that night.

The next morning they had no breakfast, and they went to church fasting. Rene gave the tithing money to the bishop.”

Daniel L. Johnson, “The Law of Tithing,” General Conference, October 2006

“There are many reasons that are used to not pay tithing, such as medical emergencies, debts, car or home repairs, educational expenses, and insurance. These reasons and others like them are very real and are lived and dealt with every day by many, if not most, of us. These tax our limited financial resources and, if we are not wise stewards of these resources, may result in the inability to meet our tithing obligation to the Lord. A lack of compliance with this eternal law is not to be taken lightly and can not only seriously impair our spiritual growth and development, but it can also limit the physical and temporal blessings that we could otherwise enjoy.”

“What a marvelous law! He who has not only the power and the means to bless His children temporally and spiritually, but also the desire to do so, has provided to us the key to those blessings that we both need and desire. This key is the law of tithing.”

“I invite you to pay your tithing to the Lord first, before you meet any other financial obligations.”

Yoshihiko Kikuchi, “Will a Man Rob God?” General Conference, April 2007

“Consider, for example, ten apples. Now, all ten of these apples actually belong to the Lord, but He asks us to return to Him only one-tenth, or one apple.

Are you offering only a small bite of that apple and keeping 90 percent? Are you willing to offer the Lord such a small portion?

Are you ashamed, or do you try to patch up and hide the bitten portion of the apple and then offer that to the Lord?

We want our offerings to be full and clean.”

“It is a matter of commitment. The earth belongs to the Lord, and this includes our own lives. He allows us to use everything on this earth. He only asks us to return one-tenth. Tithing is a token of gratitude, obedience, and thanksgiving—a token of our willingness and dedication. Paying tithing, willingly, develops an honest and pure heart. Paying tithing increases our love for the Lord.”

Sheldon F. Child, “The Best Investment,” General Conference, April 2008

“I remember Dad coming home that night and dropping 20 silver dollars into my hands. Money was hard to come by, and I thought I had all the money in the world. I counted, admired, and polished each coin carefully. When Sunday came, I reluctantly put two shiny coins into my pocket to pay my tithing. As hard as it was to surrender my precious silver dollars to the bishop, I still remember now how good I felt being obedient to the Lord.

On the way home from church, my mother told me how proud she was of me. Then she said, “Your grandfather always told us children that if we would faithfully pay an honest tithing, the Lord would bless us and it would be the best investment that we could ever make.”

“Tithing is a commandment from God, and when we obey His law, He is bound to bless us. Even as a seven-year-old boy, that was something I could understand.”

“The Lord asked Israel to prove Him, to test Him, to have faith in Him so that He would be able to keep His promise to them. That same commandment and that same promise are in effect today. When we keep the law of the tithe, the Lord’s promise is sure: blessings will come to us both temporally and spiritually, according to the wisdom and timing of the Lord.”

“I remember a faithful father in the Philippines telling of paying his meager tithing to the bishop one Sunday and then leading his children home from church, knowing full well that there was no food for them. As they were walking along, a huge breadfruit dropped from a tree right in front of them. He immediately looked up and thanked God for opening the windows of heaven and sending him a breadfruit to feed his children.”

“We are living in challenging economic times. However, if we look back over the past years, we find there have been, and will continue to be, times of relative prosperity and times of financial uncertainty. But regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, if we first pay our obligation to the Lord and then use wisdom and good judgment, the Lord will help us manage the resources He has given us.”

“A mother in West Africa shared her testimony about tithing. She was a trader in a marketplace. Every day she would come home, count out her tithing, and put it in a special place. Then on Sunday she would faithfully take it to her bishop. She shared with us how her business had grown and how her family had been blessed with health and strength and enough food to eat.”

Russell M. Nelson, “Face the Future with Faith,” General Conference, April 2011

“To develop enduring faith, an enduring commitment to be a full-tithe payer is essential. Initially it takes faith to tithe. Then the tithe payer develops more faith to the point that tithing becomes a precious privilege. Tithing is an ancient law from God.”

“Not only that, tithing will keep your name enrolled among the people of God and protect you in “the day of vengeance and burning.”

Carl B. Pratt, “The Lord’s Richest Blessings,” General Conference, April 2011

“My grandparents paid tithing regardless of the poor condition of their family finances. They knew the Lord’s commandment; they likened the scriptures unto themselves and obeyed the law. This is what the Lord expects of all His people. He expects us to pay tithing not from our abundance nor from the “leftovers” of the family budget but, as He commanded anciently, from the “firstlings” of our income, be it scarce or abounding.”

“It has been my personal experience that the surest way to pay tithing faithfully is to pay it as soon as I receive any income. In fact, I’ve found it to be the only way.”

“Tithing is not a matter of money, really; it is a matter of faith—faith in the Lord.”

“Let us show our faith in the Lord by paying our tithing. Pay it first; pay it honestly. Let us teach our children to pay tithing even on their allowance or other income, and then take them with us to tithing settlement so they know of our example and our love for the Lord.”

David A. Bednar, “The Windows of Heaven,” General Conference, October 2013

“Aas we live the law of tithing, we often receive significant but subtle blessings that are not always what we expect and easily can be overlooked. The family had not received any sudden or obvious additions to the household income. Instead, a loving Heavenly Father had bestowed simple blessings in seemingly ordinary ways.”

“We might want and expect a job offer, but the blessing that comes to us through heavenly windows may be greater capacity to act and change our own circumstances rather than expecting our circumstances to be changed by someone or something else.”

“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.”

Russell M. Nelson, “‘Dowry is not the Lord’s way’: In Kenya, LDS President Nelson says Tithing Breaks Poverty Cycle,” 16 April 2018, Deseret News

“We preach tithing to the poor people of the world because the poor people of the world have had cycles of poverty, generation after generation.”

“That same poverty continues from one generation to another, until people pay their tithing.”

David A. Bednar, “Elder David A. Bednar Answers Questions at The National Press Club,” 26 May 2022, Church Newsroom, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The pathway out of poverty is keeping the commandments of God, including tithing. The church doesn’t need the money, but those people need the blessings that come from obeying God’s commandments.”

Russell M. Nelson, “Think Celestial!” General Conference, October 2023

“As you think celestial, your faith will increase. When I was a young intern, my income was $15 a month. One night, my wife Dantzel asked if I was paying tithing on that meager stipend. I was not. I quickly repented and began paying the additional $1.50 in monthly tithing.

Was the Church any different because we increased our tithing? Of course not. However, becoming a full-tithe payer changed me. That is when I learned that paying tithing is all about faith, not money. As I became a full-tithe payer, the windows of heaven began to open for me. I attribute several subsequent professional opportunities to our faithful payment of tithes.

Paying tithing requires faith, and it also builds faith in God and His Beloved Son.”

Neil L. Andersen, “Tithing: Opening the Windows of Heaven,” General Conference, October 2023

“Through one very dark night riots were everywhere. My only concern was for the safety of my beloved wife and children.

At dawn I went to our bakery. Sadly, every nearby food business had been destroyed by looters, but to my great astonishment, our bakery was intact. Nothing had been destroyed. I humbly thanked my Heavenly Father.

Arriving home, I told my family of God’s blessing and protection.

They were all so grateful.

My oldest son, Rogelio, only 12 years old, said, ‘Papa! I know why our store was protected. You and Mama always pay your tithes.’”

Brother Parra concluded: “The words of Malachi came into my mind. ‘I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground’ [Malachi 3:11]. We knelt down and gratefully thanked our Heavenly Father for His miracle.”

“All that we have and all that we are comes from God. As disciples of Christ, we willingly share with those around us.

With all the Lord gives to us, He has asked us to return to Him and His kingdom on earth 10 percent of our increase.”

“The only permanent solution to the poverty of this world is the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

“While living in very humble circumstances, expecting her first child and not attending church, Martha Williams made the decision to start sending her tithing check to the bishop. Later in her life, when asked why, she said that she remembered something the missionaries had taught her about tithing and God’s blessings: “We desperately needed God’s blessings in our lives, and so I began sending our tithing check to the bishop.” Martha and Bernard Williams returned to the Church.” Footnote 8

“The world speaks of tithing in terms of our money, but the sacred law of tithing is principally a matter of our faith. Being honest in our tithes is one way we show our willingness to put the Lord first in our lives, above our own cares and interest. I promise you that as you trust in the Lord, the blessings of heaven will follow.”

“I met 12-year-old Charlotte Hlimi near Carcassonne, France, in 1990 while serving as a mission president. The Hlimis were a faithful family living in an apartment with eight children. They had a picture of the Savior and of the prophet on the wall. In the interview for her patriarchal blessing, I asked Charlotte if she paid an honest tithe. She responded, “Yes, President Andersen. My mother has taught me that there are temporal blessings and spiritual blessings that come from paying our tithing. My mother taught me that if we always pay our tithing, we will want for nothing. And President Andersen, we want for nothing.”

“Twenty-five years ago, just days before my mother-in-law, Martha Williams, died of cancer, she received a small check in the mail. She immediately asked my wife, Kathy, for her checkbook to pay her tithing. As her mother was so weakened that she could scarcely write, Kathy asked if she could write the check for her. Her mother responded, “No, Kathy. I want to do it myself.” And then she quietly added, “I want to be right before the Lord.” One of the final things Kathy did for her mother was to hand her tithing envelope to her bishop.”

Old Testament, Leviticus 27:30-32

“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.

And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.

And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.”

Old Testament, Deuteronomy 14:22

“Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.”

Old Testament, 2 Chronicles 31:5

“And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.”

New Testament, Hebrews 7:2

“To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 13:15

“And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes; yea, even our father Abraham paid tithes of one-tenth part of all he possessed.”

Doctrine and Covenants 64:23-24

“For he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.

For after today cometh the burning—this is speaking after the manner of the Lord—for verily I say, tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts; and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon.”

Topics and Questions, “Tithing,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“These funds are used to build up the Church and further the work of the Lord throughout the world.”

“Church members give their tithing donations to local leaders. These local leaders transmit tithing funds directly to the headquarters of the Church, where a council determines specific ways to use the sacred funds. This council is comprised of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Bishopric. Acting according to revelation, they make decisions as they are directed by the Lord.”

“Tithing funds are always used for the Lord’s purposes—to build and maintain temples and meetinghouses, to sustain missionary work, to educate Church members, and to carry on the work of the Lord throughout the world.”

Gospel Study Guide, “Tithing,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

“Tithes help build the kingdom of God on the earth. They are used for many purposes, such as constructing and maintaining temples and meetinghouses, supporting missionary work, and sponsoring Church-run educational institutions.”

“Tithing is used to bless God’s children temporally and also spiritually as the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is spread throughout the world. This is made possible as members donate tithes to the Church.”

“Church leaders seek the Lord’s will and make decisions regarding tithing according to direction they receive from Him. Over the years, these leaders have set aside a portion of annual tithing donations into a fund that is invested for future use.”

“The Lord’s chosen servants are stewards over tithing donations.”

“Many of the blessings we enjoy in the Church are because of tithing donations that are used to build God’s kingdom around the world.”

Church History Topics, “Tithing,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Today, tithing funds are used, among other things, to build temples and meetinghouses, support family history research, share the gospel with others, and provide humanitarian service.”

Church History Topics, “Tithing,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

“An additional revelation given that day directed Church leaders to establish a council that would be tasked with deciding how to use these consecrated resources. This council originally included the members of the First Presidency, the bishop’s council, and the Far West high council. Today, the council is composed of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve, and Presiding Bishopric and is called the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes.”

Doctrine and Covenants 120:1

“Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, July 8, 1838, making known the disposition of the properties tithed as named in the preceding revelation, section 119.

Verily, thus saith the Lord, the time is now come, that it shall be disposed of by a council, composed of the First Presidency of my Church, and of the bishop and his council, and by my high council; and by mine own voice unto them, saith the Lord. Even so. Amen.”

Doctrine and Covenants 97:11-12

“Yea, let it be built speedily, by the tithing of my people.

Behold, this is the tithing and the sacrifice which I, the Lord, require at their hands, that there may be a house built unto me for the salvation of Zion.”

Gordon B. Hinckley, “Rise to a Larger Vision of the Work,” General Conference, April 1990

“I raised a question with my father, who was my stake president, concerning the expenditure of Church funds. He reminded me that mine is the God-given obligation to pay my tithes and offerings. When I do so, that which I give is no longer mine. It belongs to the Lord to whom I consecrate it. What the authorities of the Church do with it need not concern me. They are answerable to the Lord, who will require an accounting at their hands.”

Gordon B. Hinckley, “Latter-day Saints in Very Deed,” Ensign, November 1997

““The money the Church receives from faithful members is consecrated. It is the Lord’s purse.”

“The funds for which we are responsible involve a sacred trust to be handled with absolute honesty and integrity, and with great prudence as the dedicated consecrations of the people.”

“We feel a tremendous responsibility to you who make these contributions. We feel an even greater responsibility to the Lord whose money this is.”

Church Newsroom, “The Church and Its Financial Independence,” 12 July 2012, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Nowhere else in America today is the principle of tithing so widely and faithfully followed as among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The vast majority of the income used to manage the Church comes from tithing, not from businesses or investments.”

“The key to understanding Church finances is to understand that they are a means to an end. They allow the Church to carry out its religious mission across the world.

Does the Church own for-profit businesses? Yes.”

“Today, the Church’s business assets support the Church’s mission and principles by serving as a rainy day fund. Agricultural holdings now operated as for-profit enterprises can be converted into welfare farms in the event of a global food crisis. Companies such as KSL Television and the Deseret News provide strategically valuable communication tools.

Tithing funds are used to support five key areas of activity:

Providing buildings or places of worship for members around the world. We have thousands of such buildings and continue to open more, sometimes several in a week.

Providing education programs, including support for our universities and our seminary and institute programs.

Supporting the Church’s worldwide missionary program.

Building and operating nearly 140 temples around the world and the administration of the world’s largest family history program.

Supporting the Church’s welfare programs and humanitarian aid, which serve people around the world — both members of the Church as well as those who are not members.”

“The Church exists to improve the lives of people across the world by bringing them closer to Jesus Christ. The assets of the Church are used in ways to support that mission.”

“Those who attempt to define the Church as an institution devoted to amassing monetary wealth miss the entire point: the Church’s purpose is to bring people to Christ and to follow His example by lifting the burdens of those who are struggling. The key to understanding the Church is to see it not as a worldwide corporation, but as millions of faithful members in thousands of congregations across the world following Christ and caring for each other and their neighbors.”

David A. Bednar, “The Windows of Heaven,” General Conference, October 2013

“These sacred funds are used in a rapidly growing church to spiritually bless individuals and families by constructing and maintaining temples and houses of worship, supporting missionary work, translating and publishing scriptures, fostering family history research, funding schools and religious education, and accomplishing many other Church purposes as directed by the Lord’s ordained servants.”

“In the financial operations of the Church, two basic and fixed principles are observed. First, the Church lives within its means and does not spend more than it receives. Second, a portion of the annual income is set aside as a reserve for contingencies and unanticipated needs. For decades the Church has taught its membership the principle of setting aside additional food, fuel, and money to take care of emergencies that might arise. The Church as an institution simply follows the same principles that are taught repeatedly to the members.”

“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.”

Gérald Caussé, “The Spiritual Foundations of Church Financial Self-Reliance,” Ensign, July 2018

“This abundance of temporal blessings is built upon God’s often-repeated promise that “inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land.”

“Most notably, temporal prosperity originates in the faithful observance of a few guiding principles that were revealed by the Lord through His prophets and have become part of the daily life and culture of Latter-day Saints.”

“As these temporal principles have been taught to members, Church leaders have also implemented them on a larger scale for the entire Church. In its finance and investment policies, the Church simply practices the doctrine and precepts that it teaches to its members.”

“By policy, sacred tithing funds are approved and appropriated to support the spiritual and religious mission of the Church. They are spent in support of six major areas: (1) providing and maintaining places of worship for more than 30,000 congregations around the world; (2) administering the Church’s welfare and humanitarian aid programs, including more than 2,700 projects in 2017; (3) providing education programs, including Church schools, universities, and seminary and institute programs; (4) supporting our worldwide missionary operations, including 420 missions and the resources needed by approximately 70,000 missionaries; (5) building and operating nearly 160 temples around the world, with many more to come, and administering an expansive family history and records preservation program; and (6) supporting the general administration of the Church.”

“The Church also methodically follows the practice of setting aside a portion of its resources each year to prepare for any possible future needs.

The moneys set aside are then added to the investment reserves of the Church. They are invested in stocks and bonds; majority interests in taxable businesses (some of which date to the Church’s early Utah history); commercial, industrial, and residential property; and agricultural interests. The Church’s reserves are managed by a professional group of employees and outside advisers. Risks are diversified, consistent with wise and prudent stewardship and modern investment management principles.”

“Ultimately our decisions are made in the spirit of prayer and the constant seeking of revelation as to the Lord’s will. While we consider such things as macro-economic indicators and financial analyses, our ultimate goal is to fulfill our responsibilities in a manner that will carry out the designs of the Lord and sacred mission of the Church to invite all to come unto Christ. This goal can only be achieved and implemented through inspiration and the power of His priesthood. Given the directive to do things in the Lord’s own way, this calling fills me with humility each and every day.”

First Presidency, “First Presidency Statement on Church Finances,” 17 December 2019, Official Statement, Church Newsroom, Salt Lake City

“We take seriously the responsibility to care for the tithes and donations received from members. The vast majority of these funds are used immediately to meet the needs of the growing Church including more meetinghouses, temples, education, humanitarian work and missionary efforts throughout the world. Over many years, a portion is methodically safeguarded through wise financial management and the building of a prudent reserve for the future. This is a sound doctrinal and financial principle taught by the Savior in the Parable of the Talents and lived by the Church and its members. All Church funds exist for no other reason than to support the Church’s divinely appointed mission.”

Neil L. Andersen, “Tithing: Opening the Windows of Heaven,” General Conference, October 2023

“These sacred funds do not belong to the leaders of the Church. They belong to the Lord. His servants are painstakingly aware of the sacred nature of their stewardship.”

“Tithing and Other Offerings,” as of 2025, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“All donations to the Church are free-will offerings and become the Church’s property. In furtherance of its overall mission, the Church may shift donations from any designated use to other uses, at its sole discretion.”

General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“With the help of the Lord, members seek to provide for themselves and their families. Extended families are encouraged to help as needed. When members need additional assistance, they may turn to other sources. These may include:

Government and community resources (see 22.12).

Church assistance through fast offerings or bishops’ orders for food and other basic goods (see 22.3.2).

Church assistance is intended to help members develop independence, not dependence. Any assistance given should strengthen members in their efforts to become self-reliant.”

“Before providing Church assistance, the bishop (or another leader or member he assigns) reviews with members what resources they are using to meet their own needs. This person may suggest other resources for the members to consider, including resources in the government or community (see 22.12).”

“Fast-offering assistance is generally used to pay for essential items, such as food and clothing. However, it may also be used to pay for housing, utilities, or personal services such as counseling, medical care, or short-term skills training.”

“Bishops should exercise good judgment and seek spiritual direction when considering the amount and duration of the assistance given. They should be compassionate and generous while not creating dependence.”

“If possible, the bishop should avoid giving cash. Instead, he should use fast offerings or bishops’ orders to provide members with groceries or services. Members can then use their own money to pay for other needs.”

“Bishops invite those who receive assistance to work or provide service to the extent of their ability. This helps members maintain a sense of dignity. It also increases their ability to be self-reliant.”

“Persons who are not members of the Church are usually referred to local community resources for assistance.”

Book of Mormon, Jacob 2:19

“And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.”

New Testament, 1 Corinthians 9:18

“What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.”

New Testament, 2 Thessalonians, 3:8

“Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you.”

New Testament, 1 Peter 5:2

“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.”

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 18: 26

“And the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the knowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 1:26

“And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength.”

Boyd K. Packer, “Follow the Brethren,” Liahona, September 1979

“In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there is no paid ministry, no professional clergy, as is common in other churches.”

Gordon B. Hinckley, “Questions and Answers,” General Conference, October 1985

“I should like to add, parenthetically for your information, that the living allowances given the General Authorities, which are very modest in comparison with executive compensation in industry and the professions, come from this business income and not from the tithing of the people.”

“Record of Payroll or Allowance for Henry B Eyring,” 30 April 1999

“Pay Period 04/17/99 - 04/30/99”

“Reimb ST - 5,442.00

Child Allw - 76.92

Living Alw - 2,211.53

Parsonage - 730.77”

Thomas S. Monson, “Our Sacred Priesthood Trust,” Ensign, May 2006

“I explained also that our Church has no paid ministry.”

M. Russell Ballard, “O Be Wise,” General Conference, October 2006

“The Lord in His infinite wisdom has designed His Church to operate with a lay ministry.”

Dallin H. Oaks, “Sacrifice,” General Conference, April 2012

“We have no professionally trained and salaried clergy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

Gary B. Porter to Bruce D. Porter, “Living Allowance Increase Letter,” 2014

“In accordance with approved procedures, the annual General Authority base living allowance has been increased from $116,400 to $120,000. This will begin with your paycheck issued on January 10, 2014 (pay period 1).”

“Learn More About the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” as of 2025, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Do General Authorities get paid?

General Authorities leave their careers when they are called into full time Church service. When they do so, they are given a living allowance which enables them to focus all of their time on serving in the Church. This practice allows for far more church members on a worldwide basis to be considered for a calling to serve as a General Authority, rather than limiting considerations to only those who may be financially independent. The living allowance is uniform for all General Authorities. None of the funds for this living allowance come from the tithing of Church members, but instead from proceeds of the Church's financial investments.”

Larry Y. Wilson, “Why Mormons Make Good Neighbors,” Newsroom, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Because there is no paid ministry, almost every churchgoer has a responsibility.”

Topic, “Lay Leadership: Volunteer Ministry of the Church,” Newsroom, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints functions in large measure because of the unpaid volunteer ministry of its members. In fact, this lay ministry is one of the Church’s most defining characteristics.”

Gordon B. Hinckley, “Questions and Answers,” General Conference, October 1985

“The Church does have substantial assets, for which we are grateful. These assets are primarily in buildings in more than eighty nations.”

“But it should be recognized that all of these are money-consuming assets and not money-producing assets. They are expensive to build and maintain. They do not produce financial wealth, but they do help to produce and strengthen Latter-day Saints.”

“We have a few income-producing business properties, but the return from these would keep the Church going only for a very short time. Tithing is the Lord’s law of finance. There is no other financial law like it.”

“I repeat, 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.”

Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Condition of the Church,” General Conference, April 2003

“Faith in the payment of tithes and offerings increases despite the straitened economic circumstances in which we find ourselves. We are able to go forward with the building of meetinghouses and temples, with our vast education program, with the very many activities which are conditioned upon the tithing income of the Church. I promise you that we will not put the Church in debt. We will strictly tailor the program to the tithing income and use these sacred funds for the purposes designated by the Lord.

I call attention to that which has received much notice in the local press. This is our decision to purchase the shopping mall property immediately to the south of Temple Square.

We feel that we have a compelling responsibility to protect the environment of the Salt Lake Temple. The Church owns most of the ground on which this mall stands. The owners of the buildings have expressed a desire to sell. The property needs very extensive and expensive renovation. We have felt it imperative to do something to revitalize this area. But I wish to give the entire Church the assurance that tithing funds have not and will not be used to acquire this property. Nor will they be used in developing it for commercial purposes.

Funds for this have come and will come from the commercial entities owned by the Church. These resources, together with the earnings of invested reserve funds, will accommodate this program.”

“Suffice it to say, the Church is in good condition. I believe its affairs are prudently handled.”

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “SEC Charges The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Its Investment Management Company for Disclosure Failures and Misstated Filings,” 21 February 2023, Press Release, Washington D.C.

“The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against Ensign Peak Advisers Inc., a non-profit entity operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to manage the Church’s investments, for failing to file forms that would have disclosed the Church’s equity investments, and for instead filing forms for shell companies that obscured the Church’s portfolio and misstated Ensign Peak’s control over the Church’s investment decisions. The SEC also announced charges against the Church for causing these violations. To settle the charges, Ensign Peak agreed to pay a $4 million penalty and the Church agreed to pay a $1 million penalty.

The SEC’s order finds that, from 1997 through 2019, Ensign Peak failed to file Forms 13F, the forms on which investment managers are required to disclose the value of certain securities they manage. According to the order, the Church was concerned that disclosure of its portfolio, which by 2018 grew to approximately $32 billion, would lead to negative consequences. To obscure the amount of the Church’s portfolio, and with the Church’s knowledge and approval, Ensign Peak created thirteen shell LLCs, ostensibly with locations throughout the U.S., and filed Forms 13F in the names of these LLCs rather than in Ensign Peak’s name. The order finds that Ensign Peak maintained investment discretion over all relevant securities, that it controlled the shell companies, and that it directed nominee “business managers,” most of whom were employed by the Church, to sign the Commission filings. The shell LLCs’ Forms 13F misstated, among other things, that the LLCs had sole investment and voting discretion over the securities. In reality, the SEC’s order finds, Ensign Peak retained control over all investment and voting decisions.

“We allege that the LDS Church’s investment manager, with the Church’s knowledge, went to great lengths to avoid disclosing the Church’s investments, depriving the Commission and the investing public of accurate market information,” said Gurbir S. Grewal, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “The requirement to file timely and accurate information on Forms 13F applies to all institutional investment managers, including non-profit and charitable organizations.”

Ensign Peak agreed to settle the SEC’s allegation that it violated Section 13(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 13f-1 thereunder by failing to file Forms 13F and for misstating information in these forms. The Church agreed to settle the SEC’s allegation that it caused Ensign Peak’s violations through its knowledge and approval of Ensign Peak’s use of the shell LLCs.”

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Administrative Proceeding, In the Matter of Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” 21 February 2023, File No. 3-21306, Release No. 96951

“The Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) deems it appropriate that cease-and-desist proceedings be, and hereby are, instituted pursuant to Section 21C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), against Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Respondents”).”

“Ensign Peak developed its approach to filing Forms 13F in the names of these LLCs with the knowledge and approval of the Church, which sought to avoid disclosure of the amount and nature of its assets. Through their institutionalized use of this approach for almost twenty years, Ensign Peak’s significant role in the securities markets as an institutional investment manager was not disclosed to the Commission, the markets, and the investing public as required by Section 13(f) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13f-1 thereunder.”

“Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. is a Utah nonprofit corporation headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ensign Peak is responsible for investing and managing the reserves of the Church. Ensign Peak is governed by a Board of Trustees, consisting of members of the Church’s Presiding Bishopric and the Managing Director of Ensign Peak. Ensign Peak’s Managing Director is appointed by the Church’s First Presidency and reports to the senior leadership of the Church. Ensign Peak is exempt from registration as an investment adviser with the Commission under Section 203(b)(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, which exempts investment advisers that are charitable organizations that also solely advise other charitable organizations.”

“The Church created Ensign Peak in 1997 as an integrated auxiliary of the Church to manage the Church’s investment securities. Ensign Peak has no shareholders or members. The securities portfolio managed by Ensign Peak consists of what the Church calls “reserve funds” or “reserves,” which include U.S. equity and debt securities purchased with excess tithing, income and returns generated by Ensign Peak, and the assets of other Church integrated auxiliaries. Ensign Peak does not charge the Church management fees.”

Ted E. Davis, “The Church Audit Committee Report,” General Conference, April 1998

“The Church Audit Committee has reviewed the financial policies and procedures that provide controls over contributions and expenditures of Church funds and that safeguard assets of the Church. We have also reviewed budgeting, accounting and reporting, and auditing systems for the year ended 31 December 1997. Expenditures of Church funds for 1997 were authorized by the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes according to written policies. The Council is composed of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Bishopric, as prescribed under revelation. Administration of approved budgets is controlled through the Budget Department under the direction of the Appropriations and Budget Committees.

Church-affiliated businesses are managed by professionals who report to independent boards of directors. These businesses maintain their own accounting and reporting systems in compliance with accepted business practices and are audited by the Church Auditing Department and/or independent public accounting firms.”

“Based upon our review of financial, budgeting, and other control policies and procedures, and our review of all audit reports issued in 1997 and responses thereto, the Church Audit Committee is of the opinion that, in all material respects, Church contributions received and expended during the year ended 31 December 1997 have been managed in accordance with revelation and established Church policies and procedures.”

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Administrative Proceeding, In the Matter of Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” 21 February 2023, File No. 3-21306, Release No. 96951

“Throughout its history, the securities portfolio Ensign Peak managed for the Church contained a wide range of equity and fixed income assets. At its inception, Ensign Peak managed approximately $7 billion of Church assets, a significant percentage of which consisted of Section 13(f) Securities. The portion of Section 13(f) Securities in the portfolio grew to approximately $37.8 billion by 2020.”

“By at least 1998, senior management at Ensign Peak was aware of Ensign Peak’s requirement to file Forms 13F and communicated this requirement to senior leadership of the Church.”

“To prevent disclosure of the securities portfolio managed by Ensign Peak, the Church approved Ensign Peak’s plan of using other entities, instead of Ensign Peak, to file Forms 13F. The Church was concerned that disclosure of the assets in the name of Ensign Peak, a known Church affiliate, would lead to negative consequences in light of the size of the Church’s portfolio. Ensign Peak did not have the authority to implement this approach without the approval of the Church’s First Presidency.”

“In 2001, at Ensign Peak’s recommendation, the Church created a trust, and a separate LLC under the ownership of the trust, to file Forms 13F. The Church designated Ensign Peak’s Managing Director as the trustee. Ensign Peak filed the first Form 13F identifying the Church’s Section 13(f) Securities in the name of the trust’s LLC. Senior leadership of the Church approved the creation of the first LLC to file Forms 13F.”

Wesley L. Jones, “Church Auditing Department Report,” General Conference, April 2002

“Expenditures of Church funds in 2001 were authorized by the Council on the Disposition of Tithes. This council is composed of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Bishopric, as prescribed by revelation. Expenditures are controlled through the Budget and Finance Departments under direction of the Appropriation and Budget Committees. Administration of approved budgets was audited and reported.

Based upon performance of our audits, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received and funds expended during the year ended December 31, 2001, have been managed in accordance with approved budget guidelines and established Church policies and procedures.

The financial activities of Church-affiliated organizations, which are operated separately from the Church, were not audited by the Church Auditing Department in 2001. These organizations include Deseret Management Corporation and its subsidiaries and Brigham Young University and other institutions of higher education. However, financial activities in these organizations were audited by independent public accounting firms. In addition, the Church Auditing Department did verify that appropriate reporting of these audit results occurred with each organization’s audit committee.”

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Administrative Proceeding, In the Matter of Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” 21 February 2023, File No. 3-21306, Release No. 96951

“Ensign Peak signed an investment management agreement (“IMA”) with the LLC, and certain of Ensign Peak’s employees were assigned to be investment managers for the LLC. However, notwithstanding the IMA, Ensign Peak failed to transfer investment discretion to the LLC. Ensign Peak filed the first Form 13F in the name of this LLC on February 26, 2003, for the year ended December 31, 2002.”

Wesley L. Jones, “Church Auditing Department Report for 2003,” General Conference, April 2004

“The Council on the Disposition of the Tithes is responsible for, and for the year 2003 authorized, the expenditure of Church funds. This council is composed of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Bishopric, as prescribed by revelation. Under direction of this council, accountability for contributions, expenditures, and Church resources is controlled through each department’s management and through the Church’s Budget and Finance Departments. Administration of funds by these management, budget, and finance groups is audited and reported.

Based upon our audits, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and Church resources used during the year 2003 have been administered in accordance with approved budget guidelines and established Church policies and procedures.

Financial activities of Church-affiliated organizations, which are operated separately from the Church, were not audited by the Church Auditing Department in 2003. Independent public accounting firms audited the financial statements and corresponding controls in these organizations. These organizations include, among others, Deseret Management Corporation and its subsidiaries and the Church’s institutions of higher education, including Brigham Young University. Nevertheless, the Church Auditing Department did verify that appropriate reporting of these public accounting firms’ audit results occurred with each organization’s audit committee.”

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Administrative Proceeding, In the Matter of Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” 21 February 2023, File No. 3-21306, Release No. 96951

“On March 15, 2005, the Church became aware that the public might link this first LLC to the Church because the person signing the Forms 13F was listed in a public directory as a Church employee. To address this issue, on March 21, 2005, the senior leadership of the Church approved a new reporting entity to be created with “better care being taken to ensure that neither the ‘Street’ nor the media [could] connect the new entity to Ensign Peak.”

“On December 1, 2005, Ensign Peak formed a second LLC as a Delaware nonprofit corporation, located in Wilmington, and named Ensign Peak’s Managing Director as its general manager. Ensign Peak then filed Forms 13F in the name of this new LLC.“

Robert W. Cantwell, “Church Auditing Department Report, 2005,” General Conference, April 2006

“The Church Auditing Department is independent of all other Church departments and operations, and the staff consists of certified public accountants, certified internal auditors, certified information systems auditors, and other credentialed professionals.

Based upon audits performed, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the Church for the year 2005 have been recorded and administered in accordance with appropriate accounting practices, approved budgets, and Church policies and procedures.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Our Sacred Priesthood Trust,” Ensign, May 2006

“I answered that the Church is not wealthy but that we follow the ancient biblical principle of tithing, which principle is reemphasized in our modern scripture.”

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Administrative Proceeding, In the Matter of Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” 21 February 2023, File No. 3-21306, Release No. 96951

“Several years later, in 2011, Ensign Peak became concerned that its portfolio had become so large that the Form 13F filings it made using the name of the second LLC might attract unwanted attention and sought the Church’s approval to form additional LLCs to file Forms 13F. On May 19, 2011, the Church’s senior leadership approved Ensign Peak’s recommendation to “clone” the second LLC to create new Form 13F filers.“

“After obtaining Church approval, Ensign Peak formed new Clone LLCs for the purposes of filing Forms 13F. Five new entities were formed and given Delaware addresses, although none conducted business in Delaware.”

Robert W. Cantwell, “Church Auditing Department Report, 2011,” General Conference, April 2012

“Based upon audits performed, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the Church for the year 2011 have been recorded and administered in accordance with appropriate accounting practices, approved budgets, and Church policies and procedures.”

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Administrative Proceeding, In the Matter of Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” 21 February 2023, File No. 3-21306, Release No. 96951

“In 2015, Ensign Peak became aware that a third party appeared to have connected the holdings of various LLCs back to Ensign Peak. Ensign Peak brought this issue to the attention of the Church. The senior leadership of the Church approved Ensign Peak’s recommendation to “gradually and carefully adapt Ensign Peak’s corporate structure to strengthen the portfolio’s confidentiality.”

“On November 6, 2015, the senior leadership of the Church approved Ensign Peak’s plan for the creation of additional Clone LLCs to further prevent disclosure of the Church’s holdings managed by Ensign Peak. Ensign Peak formed six additional Clone LLCs, bringing the total to twelve.”

Kevin R. Jergensen, “Church Auditing Department Report, 2015,” General Conference, April 2016

“Based upon audits performed, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the Church for the year 2015 have been recorded and administered in accordance with approved Church budgets, policies, and accounting practices. The Church follows the practices taught to its members of living within a budget, avoiding debt, and saving against a time of need.”

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Administrative Proceeding, In the Matter of Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” 21 February 2023, File No. 3-21306, Release No. 96951

“Ensign Peak had authority over all of the LLCs throughout their existence. The Church also had indirect authority over all of these LLCs since the Church controlled Ensign Peak and approved the approach of using the LLCs to file Forms 13F (the “LLC Structure”).

“Despite the provisions in the IMAs stating that the Clone LLCs would have management authority, the Clone LLCs never exercised investment discretion over the Church’s assets. Although Ensign Peak designated several of its own investment managers to serve as investment managers for each Clone LLC, these investment managers continued to manage the Section 13(f) Securities on behalf of Ensign Peak. They did not know which assets were allocated to the Clone LLCs and performed no functions for the LLCs outside of their existing responsibilities for Ensign Peak.”

“Ensign Peak was responsible for designating the Clone LLCs’ Business Managers, many of whom were Church employees. Business Managers were selected because they had common names and a limited presence on social media, and were therefore less likely to be publicly connected to Ensign Peak or the Church. Ensign Peak provided the Business Managers very limited information about the Clone LLCs or why they were created.”

“Each Clone LLC was given an address outside of Utah although none of them conducted any business at those locations other than the receipt of mail. Ensign Peak chose multiple locations across the country for these purported offices to create the impression that the Clone LLCs conducted business operations throughout the U.S., making it more difficult to trace the Clone LLCs back to Ensign Peak or the Church.”

“Each Clone LLC was also assigned a local phone number that would go directly to voicemail. An Ensign Peak senior manager instructed a Business Manager of one of the Clone LLCs to notify him of all voicemails from regulatory agencies to any of the Clone LLCs, but to delete all others.”

“Each Form 13F filed in the name of a Clone LLC misstated that the LLC had sole investment discretion for the securities listed, that there were no other managers for these securities, and that the Clone LLC had sole voting discretion over these securities. Even though the IMAs stated that Ensign Peak had delegated investment discretion, Ensign Peak continued to manage the entire portfolio and at all times maintained investment and voting discretion over all the securities listed in the Forms 13F.”

“Each Form 13F was signed by the designated Business Manager. The signature page stated, “The institutional investment manager filing this report and the person by whom it is signed hereby represent . . . that all information contained herein is true, correct and complete[.]” However, Ensign Peak provided the Business Managers with insufficient information about the Clone LLCs or the securities assigned to them that would enable the Business Managers to make this representation. When Ensign Peak obtained the Business Managers’ signatures for the Forms 13F, Ensign Peak gave the Business Managers only the signature pages of the Forms 13F and not the complete documents.”

“The Church and Ensign Peak understood that Ensign Peak continued to make investment and voting decisions relating to the portfolio, and that the LLC Structure was created for the sole purpose of filing Forms 13F.“

“Throughout its history, at least once each year, Ensign Peak’s Managing Director met with the senior leadership of the Church to discuss Ensign Peak’s activities, including at times the LLC Structure. Unanimous approval from the senior leadership of the Church was required before Ensign Peak could deviate from the LLC Structure and file Forms 13F in Ensign Peak’s own name.”

“The Church and Ensign Peak continued to take the same approach to filing Forms 13F through the Clone LLCs despite two Church Audit Department (“CAD”) internal audits of Ensign Peak – one in 2014 and one in 2017—that reviewed the LLC Structure. In discussions with Ensign Peak’s senior management, although CAD did not recommend specific changes to the LLC Structure, CAD highlighted the risk that the SEC might disagree with the approach.”

Kevin R. Jergensen, “Church Auditing Department Report, 2014,” General Conference, April 2015

“Based upon audits performed, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the Church for the year 2014 have been recorded and administered in accordance with approved Church budgets, policies, and accounting practices. The Church follows the practices taught to its members of living within a budget, avoiding debt, and saving against a time of need.”

Kevin R. Jergensen, “Church Auditing Department Report, 2017,” General Conference, April 2018

“Based upon audits performed, Church Auditing is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the Church for the year 2017 have been recorded and administered in accordance with approved Church budgets, policies, and accounting practices. The Church follows the practices taught to its members of living within a budget, avoiding debt, and saving against a time of need.”

Gérald Caussé, “The Spiritual Foundations of Church Financial Self-Reliance,” Ensign, July 2018

“In our time, these instructions contained in section 120 of the Doctrine and Covenants continue to be meticulously applied. Every first Friday of December, the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Bishopric meet together to examine and approve the allocation of the Church’s sacred funds from estimated tithes and offerings for the following year. Holding such a council ensures that decisions are made in a spirit of counseling together, revelation, and unanimity.

As leaders of the Church, we continually feel our great responsibility to use the sacred tithes and offerings in a manner that is appropriate and pleasing to the Lord.”

“We are not a financial institution or a commercial corporation.”

Just as wise budgeting at home enables individual members and families to maintain independence, prudent financial management is key to the Church’s ability to act independently. This follows the divine injunction given through Joseph Smith that “through [the Lord’s] providence, … the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world.”

“Policies of financial management have been determined by Church leaders and are carefully applied in building the annual budget and allocating expenditures.”

“Paul warned the Saints of Corinth that their “faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” I came to better understand the importance of this principle when I was called to serve in the Presiding Bishopric of the Church.”

“While we consider such things as macro-economic indicators and financial analyses, our ultimate goal is to fulfill our responsibilities in a manner that will carry out the designs of the Lord and sacred mission of the Church to invite all to come unto Christ. This goal can only be achieved and implemented through inspiration and the power of His priesthood. Given the directive to do things in the Lord’s own way, this calling fills me with humility each and every day.”

Niel L. Andersen, “Elder Andersen meets with Zimbabwe's Vice President Mohadi, Pledges Support,” 9 December 2018, Harare, Zimbabwe, News Release, Newsroom, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“We are not a wealthy people but we are good people, and we share what we have.”

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Administrative Proceeding, In the Matter of Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” 21 February 2023, File No. 3-21306, Release No. 96951

“In May 2018, a public website reported that various entities that appeared to have ties to the Church had filed Forms 13F revealing holdings of approximately $32 billion. The website referenced evidence indicating that these entities’ domain names were all registered to an entity tasked with overseeing and protecting the intellectual property of the Church, and that each of the LLCs identified listed a Business Manager whose name matched that of a Church employee.”

“After the website reported this information, two Business Managers resigned their roles, voicing concerns about what they had been asked to do. Rather than changing the LLC Structure, two new Business Managers were assigned to replace the two who resigned.”

Kevin R. Jergensen, “Church Auditing Department Report, 2018,” General Conference, April 2019

“Based upon audits performed, Church Auditing is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the Church for the year 2018 have been recorded and administered in accordance with approved Church budgets, policies, and accounting practices. The Church follows the practices taught to its members of living within a budget, avoiding debt, and saving against a time of need.”

First Presidency, “First Presidency Statement on Church Finances,” 17 December 2019, Official Statement, Church Newsroom, Salt Lake City

“Claims being currently circulated are based on a narrow perspective and limited information. The Church complies with all applicable law governing our donations, investments, taxes, and reserves. We continue to welcome the opportunity to work with officials to address questions they may have.”

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Administrative Proceeding, In the Matter of Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” 21 February 2023, File No. 3-21306, Release No. 96951

“Ensign Peak continued to file Forms 13F through the Clone LLCs until February 14, 2020, when Ensign Peak filed a consolidated Form 13F for the quarter ended December 31, 2019. Ensign Peak’s Form 13F consolidated securities previously listed on the various Forms 13F filed in the names of the Clone LLCs. Ensign Peak’s first Form 13F disclosed its management of 1,659 Section 13(f) Securities valued at approximately $37.8 billion.”

“As a result of the conduct described above, Ensign Peak violated Section 13(f)(1) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13f-1 thereunder by failing to file Forms 13F in Ensign Peak’s name. Ensign Peak also violated Section 13(f)(1) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13f-1 thereunder by filing misstated Forms 13F in the names of LLCs created for the sole purpose of filing Forms 13F.”

“As a result of the conduct described above, the Church caused Ensign Peak’s violations of Section 13(f)(1) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13f-1 thereunder.”

“Pursuant to Section 21C of the Exchange Act, Respondent Ensign Peak shall cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 13(f) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13f-1 promulgated thereunder.”

“Pursuant to Section 21C of the Exchange Act, Respondent the Church shall cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 13(f) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13f-1 promulgated thereunder.”

“Ensign Peak shall, within 10 days of the entry of this Order, pay a civil money penalty in the amount of $4,000,000 to the Securities and Exchange Commission for transfer to the general fund of the United States Treasury, subject to Exchange Act Section 21F(g)(3). If timely payment is not made, additional interest shall accrue pursuant to 31 U.S.C. §3717.

The Church shall, within 10 days of the entry of this Order, pay a civil money penalty in the amount of $1,000,000 to the Securities and Exchange Commission for transfer to the general fund of the United States Treasury, subject to Exchange Act Section 21F(g)(3). If timely payment is not made, additional interest shall accrue pursuant to 31 U.S.C. §3717.”

Newsroom, “21 February 2023 - Salt Lake City Official Statement Church Issues Statement on SEC Settlement,” 21 February 2023, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its affiliated investment manager, Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc., have settled a matter with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Investment managers who oversee a portfolio of public equities above a certain threshold are required to file Forms 13F with the SEC quarterly. These forms publicly disclose the names of the securities and their values.

Since 2000, Ensign Peak received and relied upon legal counsel regarding how to comply with its reporting obligations while attempting to maintain the privacy of the portfolio. As a result, Ensign Peak established separate companies (LLCs) that each filed Forms 13F instead of a single aggregated filing.”

“This settlement relates to how the forms were filed previously. Ensign Peak and the Church have cooperated with the government over a period of time as we sought resolution.

We affirm our commitment to comply with the law, regret mistakes made, and now consider this matter closed.”

“Q: Who is Ensign Peak Advisors? 

A: It is the affiliated investment manager for the Church.”

“Q: Did the Church know about the practices at Ensign Peak described in the order?

A: The Church’s senior leadership received and relied upon legal counsel when it approved of the use of the external companies to make the filings. Ensign Peak handled the mechanics of the filing process. The Church’s senior leadership never prepared or filed the specific reports at issue.”

“Q: Did Ensign Peak fail to comply with SEC regulations?

A: We reached resolution with the SEC. We affirm our commitment to comply with the law, regret mistakes made, and now consider this matter closed.”

“Q: Where does the $5 million come from to satisfy the settlement?

A: The investment returns of the Church will be used to pay the settlement.

Q: How are the Church’s reserves invested?

A: Following the principle of preparing for the future, both near- and long-term, the Church maintains diversified reserves, including stocks, bonds, commercial and residential real estate, and agricultural properties. All funds are invested solely to support the Church’s mission.

Q: Will this settlement impact Ensign Peak’s ability to continue to make investments?

A: No. With the announcement of the order, the matter is closed.”

Sharyn Alfonsi, “Mormon Who Left Wall St. to Work for Charity Blows Whistle on What He Says is His Church's "Clandestine Hedge Fund," 14 May 2023, 60 Minutes, Newsmakers, CBS News

“Every religion has its mysteries. One of the closest guarded secrets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been its wealth. In this report, you will hear for the first time about its remarkable size from a former manager at the church's investment firm. David Nielsen says that during his nine years managing money at the church firm, the value of its investments ballooned past $100 billion. That would make it the largest treasure held by any religious fund in America. But instead of spending that money to do good, David Nielsen alleges it was used in ways that bent the law.”

“David Nielsen: I thought I was gonna work for a charity. I thought that's what my skills were gonna do…was help build the charity and do good with things. And the funds were never used for that. It was really a clandestine hedge fund.

Sharyn Alfonsi: A clandestine hedge fund. How so?

David Nielsen: Those funds weren't used the way they were appropriated to be used.

Sharyn Alfonsi: So how were they being used?

David Nielsen: Well, once the money went in, it didn't go out.

David Nielsen was a senior portfolio manager for the investment arm of the church, called Ensign Peak Advisors. 

In 2009, Nielsen, who says he was a devout Mormon, was recruited away from a lucrative job on Wall Street to work for the firm, a block from church headquarters in Salt Lake City.”

“But Nielsen says he grew troubled by what he saw at Ensign Peak. He says the firm used false records and statements to masquerade as a charity, stockpiling money and misleading church members.

Every year, the church collects an estimated $7 billion in contributions from its 17 million members.”

“David Nielsen: Tithing is what's used to build buildings, it's what's used to pay light bills. Tithing is what's used to— operate some of the church's programs.

Whatever is left over — about a billion dollars a year — is put into a reserve fund at Ensign Peak and invested. Because Ensign Peak is registered as a nonprofit, it all grows tax-free.

David Nielsen says since it was created in 1997, the reserve fund has swelled beyond $100 billion — twice the size of Harvard's endowment or the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”

“Sharyn Alfonsi: Did any of your former bosses explain how the money was gonna be used one day?

David Nielsen: The answer was always, "The second coming." And it's a bit tongue in cheek. But deep down, I think a lot of the employees really did believe that.

Publicly, church leaders called it a rainy day fund. But in 2013, Nielsen says one of his bosses shared this  document at a meeting that showed $1.4 billion from the fund went to a mall being built on land owned by the church and $600 million was used to prop up a for-profit church-owned insurance company called Beneficial Life.

David Nielsen: Look, I'm not an expert on charities. But I'd been around the block enough to know that charitable organizations can't bail out for-profit businesses and maintain their charitable status.”

“David Nielsen says he hit his breaking point in 2018 after a website called "Mormonleaks" linked church members to companies that existed only on paper. Those shell companies held billions of dollars in stocks and bonds.

What nobody knew outside church leadership was those assets were actually controlled by Ensign Peak. Nielsen says the firm called an emergency meeting.

Sharyn Alfonsi: What was the explanation?

David Nielsen: "These entities were to hide the assets from the members." The chief investment officer said that if we were to change and start reporting these securities in our own name, it would bring undue attention to the firm. And that that attention would be potentially damaging. And after the meeting I went and confronted him. "What do you mean potentially damaging?" And he said "Dave, we are gonna lose our tax-exempt status." I knew in that moment that I was in the wrong place.

He resigned in 2019 and filed a 74-page whistleblower complaint with the Internal Revenue Service alleging that Ensign Peak violated its tax-exempt status by moving money to for-profit businesses.”

“Waddell is one of three church bishops who oversees finances.”

“Sharyn Alfonsi: David Nielsen alleged that Ensign Peak violated its tax-exempt status by directing money to church businesses. How would you characterize how that money was used?

Christopher Waddell: The Church actually owned Beneficial Life. And— and fortunately the church had the resources to bail out Beneficial Life during the Financial Crisis, 2008, 2009.

Sharyn Alfonsi: And the mall?

Christopher Waddell: The mall was not a bailout. The mall was an investment.

Sharyn Alfonsi: And you are receiving returns on that investment?

Christopher Waddell: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. It was an investment.”

“Waddell says the insurance company has paid back most of the bailout money. But the church would not disclose the details of that deal or the mall investment. Unlike other nonprofits, religious organizations don't have to fully disclose all financial information to the IRS.

Sharyn Alfonsi: What is the value right now of Ensign Peak's assets?

Christopher Waddell: Yeah…that's something I can't share with you right now. I know there've been— there've been reports on— on approximates and that kind of thing, and— and that's as far as we can go right now.

Sharyn Alfonsi: It's been estimated at $150 billion. Does that sound correct?

Christopher Waddell: That's an estimate that some have made.

Sharyn Alfonsi: Are we in the ballpark or no?

Christopher Waddell: We have significant resources.

Sharyn Alfonsi: Give us a sense of what percentage is going out the door of the money under management. 

Christopher Waddell: To be honest, we— we've never looked at it as a percentage.”

“To protect market fairness and transparency, any firm with more than $100 million in securities must file accurate reports on its holdings with the SEC.

But in February, the SEC announced the Church of Latter-day Saints and Ensign Peak failed to do that.

SEC investigators found the church "went to great lengths" to hide $32 billion in securities over nearly 20 years. It created 13 shell companies that were "...assigned a local phone number that would go directly to voicemail" in case regulators checked in. 

David Nielsen: Here they had these back-office accountants, who had never bought a bond or sold stock a day in their life, signing signatory pages for a portfolio that didn't exist.

The SEC fined the church and Ensign Peak a total of $5 million. Bishop Christopher Waddell told us it was the church's lawyers who advised them to create the shell companies.

Sharyn Alfonsi: What about, you know, the idea that secrecy builds mistrust?

Christopher Waddell: Well, we don't feel it's being secret. We feel it's being confidential.

Sharyn Alfonsi: What's the difference?

Christopher Waddell: The difference is-— I guess it's a point of view… it's confidential in order to maintain the focus on what our purpose is and what the mission of the church is, rather than the church has X amount of money.

Sharyn Alfonsi: But don't you agree this would be a non-issue if there was more transparency?

Christopher Waddell: No, because then everyone would be telling us what they wanted us to do with the money.”

“Phil Hackney worked in the Office of Chief Counsel of the IRS and teaches tax law.”

“Sharyn Alfonsi: But how do you know if they're spending 2% or 3% of assets if we don't know what the assets are?

Phil Hackney: We have to rely on them behaving well.

Sharyn Alfonsi: They said they bailed out this insurance company. That's the words they used. Is that a problem?

Phil Hackney: It is a problem in my opinion if they have moved money from the nonprofit to a for-profit. 

Sharyn Alfonsi: So how likely do you think it would be that the IRS would ever investigate this?

Phil Hackney: Slim. The political risk is so great that it comes with real danger. At the same time, there's a real risk to the rule of law if the IRS doesn't come in and enforce those rules.”

“Sharyn Alfonsi: Why are you speaking now?

David Nielsen: It's time, Sharyn. We gave the IRS and the SEC all the professional courtesy. This is just too important to fall through the cracks.

Sharyn Alfonsi: It's possible that you were dead wrong?

David Nielsen: No. I know what I saw. I know what I know.”

Old Testament, Jeremiah 7:11

“Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.”

Old Testament, Malachi 2:1-2, 3:8-10

“And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.”

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me.”

New Testament, Matthew 21:13

“And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

New Testament, 1 Timothy 6:10

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 26:29-31

“He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.

Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.

But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.”

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 28:12-13

“Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up.

They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 1:16

“This did not put an end to the spreading of priestcraft through the land; for there were many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor.”

Book of Mormon, Helaman 13:27-29

“Ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet.

Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh flattering words unto you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.

O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light?”

Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 30:1-2

“Hearken, O ye Gentiles, and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, which he hath commanded me that I should speak concerning you, for, behold he commandeth me that I should write, saying:

Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations.”

Book of Mormon, Mormon 8:37, 40

“For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.”

“Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain?”

Doctrine and Covenants 33:4

“And my vineyard has become corrupted every whit; and there is none which doeth good save it be a few; and they err in many instances because of priestcrafts, all having corrupt minds.”