Church Finances
Critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sometimes referred to as Anti-Mormons, often use the Church's wealth to accuse it of being a greedy business entity that preys on the poor. But to make that accusation, they must completely ignore the billions of dollars annually the church spends to bless people's lives, including those not of our faith. Please don't fall for their misrepresentations. There is wisdom and prudence in keeping a reserve set aside so the Church can continue to bless the lives of millions during difficult times ahead.
The Purpose of Significant Financial Reserves
What LDS Critics DON'T Tell You About Church Finances
LDS Critics are so laser-focused on the Church keeping their funds private (all churches, by design, are not required by the government to disclose their funds, and most don't), that they completely miss everything the church does that has been well-known for decades.
Every week, members (and non-members) who are struggling financially meet with their Bishop, who, using church funds, pays their rent, medical bills, utilities, or any number of other things that create an unimaginable burden for those people. That happens in every ward in every stake across the world. The church doesn't publish that total amount, but it must be staggering.
Every week, almost every Bishop writes out food orders for people - including those not of our faith, who can't afford to buy food, to go to the Bishop's storehouse and pick up groceries without paying a penny. Those groceries are funded by the church. This is a huge blessing to those people who might otherwise go hungry.
The church funds welfare square that produces goods that go to help victims of natural disasters across the world that seem to happen with more and more frequency. This service is available to members and non-members alike but is a massive blessing to help them get back on their feet.
Every week, most Bishops meet with members of their ward who are struggling with some sort of addiction. Alcohol, drugs, pornography. They also meet with people who have emotional challenges like bipolar, depression, and on and on. In those cases, the Bishop typically sends those people to a trained professional counselor, either within the church or without, to get them help. If needed, the church completely pays for that counseling, which many couldn't afford otherwise. A huge blessing for them.
The church works with many different entities like Catholic Food/Charity Services providing goods and money to help those not of our faith. A huge blessing to those people.
The church builds and funds Employment Centers to help anyone experiencing unemployment find suitable jobs by providing interviewing classes, resume classes, and even a bank of computers so the unemployed person has online access to job postings. The church pays for these buildings, and the resources provided within them... a huge blessing to those people needing employment.
The church provides Chapels, Temples, and Schools wherein millions of people are blessed by being able to attend and worship every week. The amount of money for building and maintaining those things is likely staggering.
The church owns welfare farms where they grow innumerable amounts of crops to help feed the hungry.
The church owns and operates dairy farms where they produce milk, cheese, and other dairy products to help feed those in need.
The church donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to dozens of different causes, including the World Food Program, the Global Nutrition Program, the American Red Cross, Ukrainian refugees, storm victims, and victims of civil conflict all over the world.
The church's humanitarian arm spends nearly 1 billion a year helping people (outlined below) and is a huge blessing for them.
I challenge any LDS Critic organization to provide a list like this (even on a smaller scale) of any help they provide wherein they expect nothing in return. According to their own IRS reporting, they provide NO humanitarian or charitable aid to anyone. They only provide services designed to earn them more money.
2023 Summary - $1.36 Billion to Care for Those in Need
