The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released a statement and republished a video with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles following the recent unanimous ruling by the United States’ Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissing a lawsuit that challenged how Church funds and proceeds from investments were used for a Church project.
“Throughout the history of the Church, whether in times of financial scarcity or plenty, few things are of greater concern or given greater care by Church leaders than the use of consecrated tithing donations,” said the statement released Thursday, Feb. 27, and published on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. “How the Church of Jesus Christ, or any faith, administers its tithes and offerings is an important part of the freedoms afforded to religions as part of their sacred responsibilities.”
The statement was titled: “Stewardship of Tithing Funds: Recent Court Ruling Acknowledges Church Integrity.”
The Church also republished a Sept. 30, 2023, video interview with Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as he answered questions about Church finances at the Silicon Slopes Summit in the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
The statement acknowledged the rarity of unanimous decisions in such cases and that the judges sent “a clear message.” It also quoted the ruling — “No reasonable juror could conclude that the Church misrepresented the source of funds for the City Creek project.”
The statement said: In careful use of tithing funds, “prophets act knowing they are ultimately accountable to the highest judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, for how these sacred donations are used. That stewardship weighs most heavily.”
It also highlighted the biblical principle of tithing — giving 10% of one’s income to contribute to the Lord’s work through His Church — and cited the promise found in ancient and latter-day scriptures that God will “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).
“That promise is being fulfilled today,” the statement said. “The Church has been blessed with the resources needed from sacred tithing donations to support the worldwide spiritual and temporal work of helping people live the gospel of Jesus Christ, caring for those in need, inviting all to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ and uniting families for eternity.”
Mention was also included of the late President Gordon B. Hinckley, the 15th President of the Church, who kept a small coin — representing “the widow’s mite” — prominently displayed on his credenza. As he explained in an October 1996 general conference message, it served as “a reminder, a constant reminder, of the sanctity of the funds with which we have to deal. They come from the widow, they are her offering as well as the tithe of the rich man, and they are to be used with care and discretion for the purposes of the Lord.”
The statement concluded: “Wise stewardship of these funds — and deeper understanding of how they are cared for by the Church and protected by law — will ensure that the Lord’s great work continues to bless millions of people throughout the world.”
