Unpaid Mormon Leaders Get a Pretty Sweet Deal [So-called 'unpaid' bishops get $100,000 in benefits!]

Mormon Coffee ^ | Jan. 31, 2013 | Sharon Lindblum

[Colofornian]

Late last year (2012) a copy of the 2006 Mission President’s Handbook was posted on an individual’s blog site. This document, produced by the Mormon Church as a practical instruction manual for mission presidents, “contains basic policies and guidelines established by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to help you lead your missionaries and direct the work” (6). The book is not intended for general readership; “general” readers have found that it contains some things that are surprising in light of the public face that the Church puts forth.

PaycheckOne such surprise is found in Appendix B, Family Finances. It begins,

“While you are serving as mission president, the Church reimburses the necessary living expenses for you, your wife, and your dependent children. Dependent children are defined as those who are under age 26, have not been married, and are not employed full-time. Living expenses include food, clothing, household supplies, family activities, dry cleaning, personal long-distance calls to family, and modest gifts (for example, Christmas, birthdays, or anniversary).” (80)

Additional reimbursable or paid expenses are also listed including (but not limited to) medical expenses; support for children serving full-time missions; dance lessons (and the like) for elementary and secondary school-aged children as well as their school tuition, fees and books; undergraduate college tuition; a gardener; a housekeeper; internet and other utilities; babysitters; transportation expenses including the use of a car and all fuel and maintenance expenses; and personal health and life insurance premiums.

The handbook instructs,

“The amount of any funds reimbursed to you should be kept strictly confidential and should not be discussed with missionaries, other mission presidents, friends, or family members.” (80)

One can only speculate about the reasons for this confidentiality among friends and family. But the mission president is also instructed to keep mum about these financial benefits to the taxman.

“Because you are engaged in volunteer religious service, no employer-employee relationship exists between you and the Church. As a result, any funds reimbursed to you from the Church are not considered income for tax purposes; they are not reported to the government, and taxes are not withheld with regard to these funds…

“To avoid raising unnecessary tax questions, please follow these guidelines closely:

“Do not share information on funds you receive from the Church with those who help you with financial or tax matters. Any exceptions should be discussed with the Church Tax Division.

“Never represent in any way that you are paid for your service.

“If you are required to file an income-tax report for other purposes, do not list any funds you receive from the Church, regardless of where you serve or where you hold citizenship.” (82)

Eric Johnson and Bill McKeever did some calculations on a hypothetical mission president serving in the state of Utah. This imaginary Mormon Church leader ended up with benefits equaling $99,500 per year. Furthermore, Eric Johnson writes,

“It must be mentioned that tithing on these items are not supposed to be paid. Unlike other church members, this family can receive temple recommends without paying tithing on “income.” Hence, for the value of this compensation, which we list here at almost $100,000, the tithe amount would be at least $10,000. So, this particular mission president—who, remember, is considered a “volunteer”—is getting compensation for at least $110,000! Not bad for someone who is not supposedly getting a wage!”

Indeed.

[Elsie]

I’m nominally a Christian, but not a bible-beating bigot like some posters here.

If you want to move away from the 'nominal' category, and be a Christain that KNOWS what the bible teaches; then by golly - you've come to the right place!!

---

 

Acts 17:18-19
 18.  A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
 19.  Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

 

Acts 18:11
    So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

 

 

 

 

 

Romans 15:4
 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

 

 

Romans 16:17
   I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

 

 

1 Corinthians 4:17
   For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

 

 

1 Corinthians 11:2
 2.  I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings,  just as I passed them on to you.

 

 

Ephesians 4:14-15
 14.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
 15.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

 

 

2 Thessalonians 2:15
   So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings  we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

 

 

2 Thessalonians 3:6
  In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching  you received from us.

 

 

1 Timothy 1:3-4
 3.  As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer
 4.  nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith.

 

 

1 Timothy 1:7
  They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

 

 

1 Timothy 2:7
   And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.

 

 

1 Timothy 4:1-2
 1.  The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
 2.  Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

 

 

1 Timothy 4:6
   If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

 

 

1 Timothy 4:11
  Command and teach these things.

 

 

1 Timothy 6:3-5
 3.  If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching,
 4.  he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 
 5.  and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

 

 

2 Timothy 1:13
  What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

 

 

 2 Timothy 2:15-17
 15.  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
 16.  Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
 17.  Their teaching will spread like gangrene.

 

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17
 16.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
 17.  so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

 

 2 Timothy 4:3-4
  3.  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
  4.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

 

 

Titus 1:11
   They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach--and that for the sake of dishonest gain.

 

 

Titus 2:1
  You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.

 

 

Titus 2:15
  These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

 

 

 Hebrews 13:9
 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.

 

 

 2 Peter 2:1-3
 1.  But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.
 2.  Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
 3.  In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

 

 

2 John 1:10
  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.

[Elsie]

OK, bigots like you have made me an agnostic. Happy?

You really need to 'know' that agnostic means 'without knowledge'.

NO one can MAKE you that way; you have to CHOOSE to remain ignorant; but refusing to seek knowledge.

Note that IGNORANT is NOT a permenant condition, but can be remedied with KNOWLEDGE.

[Elsie]

I am sorry, ozzy, it is not possible to be a “nominal Christian”.

Perhaps he meant that he knew very little about Christianity's teachings; other than he is trusting in Jesus (of the bible) to assure his salvation.

[Elsie]

I’m done here.

Oh... you'll be back.

We've sicced the Hound of Heaven onto you...

[ravenwolf]

What do you think tithes are for?

The reason the OT people tithed was so that the priests did not have to worry about the daily expenses.

---

Right, and several other reasons but this is not Israel and neither the state nor church gives any thing to the Levites.

[Elsie]

I will be more than happy to steer clear of the Religion Forum forever.

I predict that your happiness will diminish;
and your nights long and sleep free.

[ravenwolf]

Christians don’t actually care if someone is getting paid but it is really bad form to get pay and then call it volunteer work.

---

I can see your point, but it is hard for me to understand how any one can say they are sacraficing for the Lord when in many cases they are getting paid very good compared to the average worker and love their job at the same time.

[Elsie]

I can see your point, but it is hard for me to understand how any one can say they are sacraficing for the Lord when in many cases they are getting paid very good compared to the average worker and love their job at the same time.

Perhaps I can introduce you to my wife; who has the Junior Church ministry, is the church treasurer and check writer and does various other functions, such as being responsible for the annual VBS function.

I'm a slacker - merely running the video infomation display and computer work for the church.

The church board said we were doing such a good job; that our wages will be tripled next year!

;^)

[Sacajaweau]

I went to an all girl Catholic High School. We were taught that the Catholic Church was the one true church. If you wanted to marry a Protestant, you had to agree to raise them Catholic. (I believe this still exists.)

Jews were considered taboo because they were not baptized. We were warned not to bring a Protestant or Jew to the Senior Prom. 1961

[Sacajaweau]

Previous post: Should read - you had to agree to raise your children as Catholics....

[ravenwolf]

Well good luck, mayby i will start thinking of sacraficing my life to the Lord also if it pays that good.

[svcw]

JTT, my uncle was not on welfare, he was and in fact still is quite wealthy.

WR I did not say he was paid, I said he received (so called) stipends. Not really going to say, “hey uncle would you please go through all our records from the early to mid ‘70. to show you received a “stipend” while you were bishop”.
Sorry, WR that is not going to happen.

I do find it amusing however, that when people who have had experiences with mormonISM relate these experiences (mine go back to 1962) and they do not fit the paradime of current practitioners of momrmoISM, we are called liars.

It’s ok, beleive what you want about me and my experiences with mormonISM, and I will continue to relate them as well as quoting directly from mormonISM’s sources.

[svcw]

This is the pdf for the book mentioned in article, read appendix B.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/116284222/LDS-Mission-President-Handbook-2006

[Colofornian]

Has he ever asked why some Mormon lay leaders get these benefits -- and he doesn't?

Why all presiding bishoprics get financial salaries -- and he & other bishops have only rec'd smaller stipends + certain expenses paid?

(All bishops used to get stipends; some now only get certain expenses paid)

[svcw]

Your sonIL may want to read this (book quoted in the article), especially appendix B.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/116284222/LDS-Mission-President-Handbook-2006