Learn how the Church uses tithing and other offerings to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, care for the poor, and strengthen members’ faith in Jesus Christ.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are commanded to pay tithing. We consider tithing to be ten percent of our income.
An article from the Mormon Newsroom teaches that tithing is a voluntary act. No one forces members to pay, and for many, giving up ten percent can be an immense sacrifice.
What motivates a person to give so willingly? It is an act of obedience and faith—and gratitude to the Lord for his blessings.
Paying tithing can be an enriching and uplifting experience when we understand that we are directly helping others. Through our offerings, we are able to give back a small portion of what the Lord has given us to help our brothers and sisters in need.
Tithing is given to our local bishop, who sends the money to Church headquarters. There it is disbursed among the Church’s many educational, missionary, building, welfare, and humanitarian programs.
In addition to paying tithing, many members fast, or forego two meals per month. We donate fast offerings, the money we would have spent on these meals, to support our local congregation’s poor and needy. According to the Mormon Newsroom article, these “funds are allocated confidentially by our local bishop, who is close enough to his members’ circumstances to understand needs.”
By understanding how tithing and fast offerings are used, you can strengthen your testimony of how charitable donations bless the lives of people in your own neighborhood and around the world.
Read the full Mormon Newsroom article “Tithing and Charitable Donations.”
Source: Mormon Newsroom
—Amber Dalton, Mormon Insights
I loved President Eyring’s talk this General Conference about fast offering. It’s amazing that our money can help people close to us and far away.
I love paying my tithing. It gives me a good feeling to give to people in need and to the Church , not to mention the blessings I receive.