How are the Church's finances managed? And what are the principles that govern the decisions Church leaders make? Bishop Gérald Caussé spoke about this topic at a keynote address.
"Some people occasionally describe today’s church as a powerful and prosperous institution," he said. "This may be true, but the strength of the church cannot be measured merely by the number or beauty of its buildings or by its financial and real estate holdings."
Bishop Caussé shared insights into LDS Church finances and the way church programs operate during the keynote address of the final day of a two-day conference, "Financing Faith: The Intersection of Business and Religion" in the Little Theater at the LDS Conference Center.
The church does not disclose how much members donate annually, but it uses tithing funds to translate, produce and distribute church publications and to operate five universities and colleges, 159 temples, thousands of meetinghouses, a worldwide program of seminaries and institutes and more.
The Presiding Bishopric manages these temporal affairs, Bishop Caussé said. Therefore, its daily routine resembles those of executive boards of international firms.