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Tithing settlement is, no doubt, a busy time of year for not only the bishop but for the bishopric. Thousands of wards and branches around the world will all make it happen starting October 15 and so it would be helpful to share notes and find the best approach to tithing settlement. In this episode, bishops or bishopric members share how their ward approaches tithing settlement. They each share some great ideas that can improve you efficiency to tithing settlement this year. We will build on this episode and add additional tithing settlement ideas. If you would like to share your approach in order to help other wards better execute tithing settlement, please contact us and we will give you further details. One new option was shared by listener and application/web developer Jason Graves, who made some updates to the tear-off sheet and published it for use via Google Sheets. It’s easy to adjust. You just have to save your own copy in your own Google account, then enter the start date/time and the end date/time and select how long you want each appointment to last. Then it will build out the form for you. See the link below.
Links:
- How I Lead: Brandon Leavitt
- How I Lead: Mark Sieverkropp
- How I Lead: Nathan Waldron
- How I Lead: Marco Ferrini
- How I Lead: Aaron Chesley
- Tithing Settlement Tear-Off Schedule
- Adjustable Version of Tithing Settlement Tear-Off Schedule
- Tithing Settlement in 2 Days
Quotes about Tithing
A Prerequisite to Higher Ordinances
Tithing is one of the many standards that allows us to rreceive saving ordinances. Brigham Young wrote in an epistle of the Quorum of the Twelve: “Enter steadily and regularly upon a strict observance of the law of tithing … then come up to the House of the Lord, and be taught in his ways, and walk in his paths.” (History of the Church, 7:282.) Elder Taylor then taught: “It is our duty to pay our tithing, one-tenth of all we possess, and then one-tenth of our increase, and a man who has not paid his tithing is unfit to be baptized for his dead. … It is our duty to pay our tithing. If a man has not faith enough to attend to these little things, he has not faith enough to save himself and his friends.” (History of the Church, 7:292–93; italics added.)
The Lord’s Revenue System
Tithing is the Lord’s revenue system, and He requires it of the people, not because He is lacking in gold or silver, but because [we] need to pay it. … “The prime … purpose behind the establishment of the law of the tithe is the development of the soul of the tithe-payer, rather than the providing of revenue. The latter is an all-important purpose, for so far as money is needed for the carrying on of the work of the Church the Lord requires money that is sanctified by the faith of the giver; but blessings beyond estimate … are assured unto him who strictly conforms to the law of the tithe because the Lord hath so commanded.” (James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1924, pp. 528–29)
A Test of Faith
“I think when people say they haven’t money enough to pay tithing, they should say they haven’t faith enough to pay tithing. It is my conviction that we pay tithing with faith and not with money, because when a man has so much money that he has a large tithing, he can’t pay tithing. He has too much money and too little faith to pay tithing, and just feels he can’t afford it.” (Improvement Era, June 1953, pp. 435–36.) George Q Cannon
How Much Tithing to Pay?
The law of tithing was given to the whole Church. The First Presidency has written what the law of tithing is for us today: “The simplest statement we know of is the statement of the Lord himself, namely, that the members of the Church should pay ‘one tenth of all their interest annually,’ which is understood to mean income. No one is justified in making any other statement than this.” (First Presidency letter, 19 March 1970.)
Disposition of Tithing
Section 120 of the Doctrine and Covenants [D&C 120] was given the same day as the revelation on the law of tithing to the entire Church. In it the Lord clearly states that tithing should be “disposed of by a council, composed of the First Presidency of my Church, and of the bishop and his council [the Presiding Bishopric], and by my high council [the Quorum of the Twelve]; and by mine own voice unto them.” The Lord directs the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric in how to use the sacred tithes of the Saints. This council is called the Council on Disposition of the Tithes.
Share How You Do Tithing Settlement
Other leaders would benefit from knowing how you carry out tithing settlement. Prepare your answers to the following questions and then hit the record button below. The recorder will cut you off after 5 MINUTES.
- What is your name, calling, and where do you live?
- Feel free to mention if you have been interviewed in the past on Leading Saints
- How do you go about scheduling households in your ward to meet with the bishop for tithing settlement?
- Do you use any specific technology to organize this process?
- Is there anything unique that your bishopric does to leverage this time you meet with families?
- Other than tithing/fast offering records what else do you (or your bishop) discuss in your appointment with each member or family?
- Do you give a treat?
- Feel free to give a shout out to your mom or a loved one… or quickly state what you love about Leading Saints.
I think an important question that is surfacing nowadays is how much is 10% of your interest all about?
Is it 10% Gross, Net, Surplus?
Fro the longest time I was Net, went to Gross, switched back to Net, now I would like to be Surplus.
David,
I think you need to what feels best to you. Tithing is a tremendous responsibility and burden to all of us. I prefer the surplus model the best since it follows a “net profit approach.” Take your gross income minus all of your expenses minus taxes and then take 10% of that amount. I have known far too many members who cannot adequately save for retirement. Living on SS will not be enough and fear far too many members in the US who are lower and middle class will live in poverty during their retirement years.
This actually sounds much more reasonable while at the same time being generous. More stingy would be to apply it to NET which makes very little Surplus available to tithe from.
I like it, I might just use it before the end of the year to take advantage of the tax deductible refund which sadly isn’t available in most countries.
I’ve never heard of a surplus model before. I’ve definitely heard the debate between gross and net. (i.e. do you want “gross” blessings or “net” blessings?)
I personally do gross, because when I get my tax refund in April… it’s all MINE! I do not have to tithe on it, since I have already tithed on my total increase (the year before).
Tithing is a personal thing, for sure… however, let me offer that using a surplus model does not stretch the individual/family or test their faith as much. There is no incentive to budget properly, since… at the end of the month, if you break even, then you don’t have to pay your tithing. Tithing is all about faith… HF does not need the $, He can do whatever He wants… but he wants us to learn faith and sacrifice… oh, and along the way, we help build up the kingdom here on the earth.
Just my two ¢
The official statement is in the handbook that tithing should be paid on “income”, which does seem different than “surplus”, see below:
34.4.1.1
Definition of Tithing
The First Presidency has written: “The simplest statement we know of is the statement of the Lord himself, namely, that the members of the Church should pay ‘one-tenth of all their interest annually,’ which is understood to mean income. No one is justified in making any other statement than this” (First Presidency letter, Mar. 19, 1970; see also Doctrine and Covenants 119:4).
After reading Elder Talmage’s treatise on Tithing from 1914, I believe it means that it was on our increase; so much different than what is posted here. Taxes take almost 60% of our income when you figure in food, clothing, home mortgages, DMV taxes, etc. Some would say, ” Well you benefit from these, better roads, defense, etc. ” How often are we asked if we want the way our taxes are being spent? Not often. Then there are all of the insurance premiums for health, automobiles, and homes. Most of these are mandatory. So what’s left? Entertainment, which is something we can curtail, food, also something we can cut down if we are earning a decent living, and clothing. The old adage,” make due or do without,’ comes into play here. I think the way we pay tithing today is really up to the individual and we should not make people feel guilty by saying this is the only way to pay it and if you don’t you are wrong. The Lord didn’t just say we were robbing him of tithes, he also said offerings. That might be something more we should think about.