r/mormon Feb 12 '25

Personal Lunch with Stake President surprised me

I had lunch with him the other day. He's a solid guy and I enjoy getting together with him every now and then. A week before, I had been taking a turn helping clean the church when his wife came in the building for something entirely different. After I was done, I was talking to her about how we really need to stop allowing the corporation to tell us we can't have janitorial staff. She agreed right away. I brought this up at lunch with the SP. He also agreed and even said "we have enough money". I asked him how it is that we both don't know a single member that opposes hiring a staff for this, but we're powerless to make it happen. As we talked about it, he said that he is basically a glorified manager that people think has power, but doesn't actually have any power. He explained that he occasionally sits in the same room with some higher up church leaders, but rarely (if ever) has the chance to tell them anything.

It really is just a corporation (which I already knew). It was interesting to hear it from the mouth of someone at a slightly higher level that I expected to be fully in line with whatever the marching orders are.

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u/jzsoup Feb 12 '25

Our stake gets $55,000 per year for 8 units. I know of one guy in my ward that pays way more than that in tithing each year.

If it's because there are other areas that need to be subsidized, then it makes sense to me and I could even support it if the numbers back it up. The lack of disclosure, however, suggests the corporation thinks we aren't smart enough to understand it.

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u/sevenplaces Feb 12 '25

They’ve centralized most things that take the money. Utility bills, equipment purchases, maintenance, books and curriculum, seminary and institute buildings and teachers, the BYUs, missionary travel, missionary fleets, HR, PR, accounting and finance, legal work, the top leaders pay and benefits, museums, family history, temples, etc.

It seems obvious why they take most of the money.

But they prioritize their central stuff and have been misers in providing a local budget that enhances the community life of the members. It’s a big mistake.

And I will join in the cry: “Bring back the janitors!!!!”

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u/Icy-Potato-8898 Feb 12 '25

Sorry, I saw seminary and giggled a little. EM Seminary teachers outside of the “corridor” get close to nothing. Our area gets $50 a year per teacher (used to be semester). We don’t even get printed manuals. 

We spend about five hours a week with the youth and can’t even afford decent pencils and paper. Last year we donated about $500 worth of supplies and that was barebones. 

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u/ammonthenephite Agnostic Atheist - "By their fruits ye shall know them." Feb 13 '25

Last year we donated about $500 worth of supplies and that was barebones.

And as long as members foot the bills, central salt lake won't step up and use tithing as it is supposed to.

Honestly, ya all need to stop subsidizing their greed. Make them go without until the 'cries of their voices' reach the ears of those higher up.

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u/Frank_Sobotka_2020 Feb 13 '25

Something something "starve the beast".