LDS Audit

how does the church spend titihing surplus

LDS Perspective

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints approaches its financial stewardship with the same principles of self-reliance, budgeting, and preparing for the future that it teaches to its members. Each year, the Church operates within its means and sets aside a portion of its tithing revenue to build a financial reserve. This surplus or reserve is overseen directly by the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes, which is composed of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Bishopric, in accordance with modern revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 120. These surplus funds are placed into diversified reserves, which include common stocks, bonds, interests in taxable businesses, commercial and residential real estate, and agricultural properties.

Historical Perspective

Historically, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) transitioned from a state of severe debt in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to a position of immense financial surplus through a series of structural overhauls. Under early twentieth-century leaders with business backgrounds, such as Heber J. Grant and Charles W. Nibley, the Church began stabilizing its commercial