Paid and unpaid Church leaders

Criticism

Critics claim that Mormonism prides itself in having unpaid clergy as one proof of the Church's truthfulness. They then point to the fact that some general authorities, mission presidents, and others do, in fact, receive a living stipend while serving the Church, and point to this as evidence of the “hypocrisy” of the Church.

Source(s) of the criticism

• Bill McKeever, "Mormonism's Paid Ministry," (accessed April 28, 2008).
  
• Sandra Tanner, "Do Mormon Leaders Receive Financial Support?" (accessed April 28, 2008).

Response

A modest living stipend

Some members of the Church are unaware that at least some general authorities do receive a modest living stipend. While it is true that some Church leaders receive a living allowance while they serve in a given position, it cannot be said that the Church has a professional ministry in the traditional sense.

A call to serve as a general authority usually comes later in life, and none of these men has depended upon their Church service for their "career" or "income." And, given the high calibre and accomplishment of those called to full-time service, it is unreasonable to expect that they couldn't make much more money (with less trouble) in some other field of endeavor.

The fact that this stipend exists has not been hidden. As President Hinckley noted in General Conference:

Merchandising interests are an outgrowth of the cooperative movement which existed among our people in pioneer times. The Church has maintained certain real estate holdings, particularly those contiguous to Temple Square, to help preserve the beauty and the integrity of the core of the city. All of these commercial properties are tax-paying entities.

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.

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.^[1]

No professional ministers

There can be no doubt that the Church does have an unpaid ministry. More precisely, it does not have a professional clergy. Consider:

• the vast majority of leadership positions in the Church are filled by those who receive absolutely no financial compensation. This includes bishops, stake presidents, area authority seventies, Relief Society presidents, priests, teachers, deacons, elders, missionaries, etc.
• the Church has no professional ministry — one does not "go into" the priesthood in Mormonism as a form of employment. The Church believes that "a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof."^[2] No one can enter Church ecclesiastical government or administration as a career.
• those few Church leaders who receive a living allowance have already served for many years in unpaid, volunteer positions of Church leadership, from which they derived no financial gain, and from which they could have had little expectation of making their livelihood by being elevated to high positions in Church administration
• the Book of Mormon makes provision for Church leaders to be supported by donations if they are in a position of financial need: "all their priests and teachers should labor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the grace of God."^[3]
• general authorities used sit on the board of directors of Church-owned businesses. This practice was discontinued in 1996.^[4]

Local Leadership (Ward and Stake)

Much of the day-to-day “ministering” that goes on in the Church takes place at the local, i.e., ward and/or stake level. That is, neither bishops, stake presidents, relief society presidents, elders quorum presidents, nor any other leader or auxiliary worker at the ward/stake level receives any kind of pay for the temporary, volunteer service they render. They likewise do not receive any kind of scholastic training to prepare them for their service. A bishop usually serves for a period of 5 years, for example, but he remains in his normal occupation (accountant, welder, business owner, etc.) while he serves as a bishop. Early morning or release-time seminary teachers are an exception, but they are considered employees of CES (Church Education System).

Mission Leadership

Mission presidents usually serve for a period of 3 years, and may sometimes receive a living allowance during their period of service, if it is required. Many mission presidents are financially able to take time out of work to support themselves during their service (and return to their vocations when their service is complete), and do not require a living allowance.

General Leadership

Some positions in the Church, namely a call to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or the First Quorum of the Seventy, are “for life” positions, meaning that the man chosen to fill the position serves until the end of his life. In such cases, if required, they are also given a modest living allowance. While many members of the Church are unaware of these allowances, that they exist and that they are comparatively modest was acknowledged in general conference by President Gordon B. Hinckley: “... 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.^[5] Calls to other quorums of the seventy do not require the same full-time commitment, therefore those who serve these positions do not receive a living allowance.

Conclusion

While a very few members of the Church seek full-time teaching positions within the Church Education System, no one in the Church can decide that they are going to be a bishop, stake president, or relief society president (or any other position in a ward or stake) as a career choice. It is somewhat hypocritical for critics of the Church to complain about the use of Church funds, to which they do not contribute, to help leaders, whom they do not sustain. No one who examines the schedule or workload of the general authorites can claim that these men are looking for an "easy buck." They live modestly, work tirelessly, keep grueling travel schedules, and continue doing so well past an age when others retire. They are also demonstrably men of education and accomplishment; one can hardly claim that they were unsuited for work in the world given their accomlishments prior to being called to full-time Church service. No tithing funds provide for stipends; such funds are drawn from business income earned by Church investments.

There are no colleges where one can go to train to be an LDS bishop, for example. Rather, we believe that these positions are filled through revelation and inspiration, and only for a given period of time. Article of Faith 5 states: "We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof."(A+of+F 1꞉5)

Latter-day Saints should not, however, use the "no paid ministry" card to argue the truthfulness of the Church. Many good people of other faiths desire to serve as clergy in their respective churches, and go through extensive training to do so, and we applaud their dedication and desire to serve. Most clergy get by on subsistance wages; the cliche of the corrupt, wealthy televangelist bilking old widows is an anomaly as troubling to other Christian ministers as he would be to Latter-day Saints.

The scriptures denounce preaching the gospel solely from a desire to make money and get rich, or to defraud people (see 1 Peter 5:2). The Book of Mormon likewise defines "priestcraft" as teaching for the sake of getting gain while not seeking "the welfare of Zion" (see 2 Nephi 26꞉29. Likewise, many members of other faiths devote time to their churches without any monetary compensation. Certainly they follow the teachings of Jesus by so doing, and accomplish much good thereby.

As with many things, this issue boils down to a question of the essentials—are the leaders of the Church called of God, by prophecy? Is their direction inspired? If one does not believe that they are inspired, then one must confront far more troubling issues than whether someone is receiving a living stipend.

Endnotes

1. [note]  Gordon B. Hinckley, "Questions and Answers," Ensign (November 1985): 49. (needs URL / links)
2. [note]  A+of+F 1:5
3. [note]  Mosiah 27꞉5
4. [note]  Lynn Arave, "LDS programs evolve over the years," Deseret Morning News (30 September 2006). off-site

Further reading

Printed material

• Gordon B. Hinckley, "Questions and Answers," Ensign (Nov. 1985): 49.
• R. Lloyd Smith, "Sharing the Gospel with Sensitivity," Ensign (Jun. 2002): 53.
• Maribeth Christensen, "Volunteerism," in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, (New York, Macmillan Publishing, 1992), :1539–1540.
• Paul H. Thompson, "Lay Participation and Leadership," in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, (New York, Macmillan Publishing, 1992), :814–816.