Elder Bednar & Ryan Smith Discuss the Church's $100 Billion Fund

Understanding Church Finances

• 💡 The purpose of Church funds is to prepare the Earth for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, not to accumulate wealth for luxury.
• 🎯 Church assets are primarily income-consuming, not income-producing, covering fixed costs for a global ministry.
• 🔑 Funds support four core responsibilities: learning/living Christ's teachings, sharing the message globally, strengthening families, and caring for the poor and needy.

Significant Operational Costs

• ✅ The Church maintains 20,000 meeting houses and facilities, covering their payment, utilities, and maintenance.
• 📚 It also operates 315 temples (in various stages of operation, announcement, design, renovation, or construction) and four major institutions of higher education.
• 💰 All these expenses are covered by member tithes paid worldwide, with no local collections or passing of plates.

The Role of Financial Reserves

• 🧠 Maintaining a financial reserve is considered prudent and wise, drawing an analogy to Joseph in Egypt preparing for famine.
• ✨ Beyond the financial aspect, reserves are seen as a way of preserving a type of living, people, mindset, and belief, fostering spiritual growth.
• 🚀 Annually, the Church spends a billion dollars assisting the poor and needy globally and another billion dollars on education.

Spiritual Stewardship and Sacrifice

• 🙏 The focus is on helping people change from the inside out through gospel principles, contrasting with the world's