Currently, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints does not disclose any of its financial records to members or to the public. Members annually donate millions of dollars without knowing how the money is spent; meanwhile, members of the public are left to form their own -- potentially negative -- idea of how the Church uses its wealth. Failure to disclose is a missed opportunity for the Church to raise its profile, set the record straight, and show how it is using Church funds to bless lives. This petition was written to enable members of the Church to contact Church authorities on this issue.
We, the undersigned members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, believe the Church should annually disclose its financial records for the reasons outlined below.
1) Disclosure just makes sense. This is a matter of sound accounting practiced by other churches, businesses, non-profits, and government institutions. Members, who collectively donate millions of tithing dollars annually, should know how their dollars are spent.
2) Disclosure is a missionary tool. Without disclosure, people are prone to extrapolate the Church budget from scant and shady resources. Unflattering financial portraits of the Church abound on the internet and, in the absence of disclosure, are allowed to take root. Disclosure will allow the Church to clear the air and publicly declare that all Church funds are spent on worthy causes.
3) Disclosure is faith-promoting. As members of the Church, we are taught that the Quorum of the Twelve prayerfully considers how tithing dollars will be spent. If church financial records were disclosed, then people could share in this revelation and understand -- in financial terms -- exactly how Zion is unfolding in our day for the spiritual and physical betterment of mankind.
Thank You.
