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Latter-day Saint

Mormons and Money: Consecration

January 26, 2012 by James Faulconer

Continued from Page 2

The operations of this private welfare system are staffed mostly by volunteers. For example, my congregation has a responsibility to work at a local, church-owned cannery several times a year producing canned fruits and vegetables. I've lived in congregations that had responsibilities for church apple orchards and sugar beet farms. In fact, one of my favorite memories is when I was an undergraduate who had been a Mormon no more than eight or ten years, and I found myself hoeing beets next to the then-president of the university. Mormons are expected to donate money to the Church's welfare system and then also to donate time to it as volunteers.

Of course none of this works perfectly. We sometimes have difficulty getting enough people to fill a shift at the cannery or farm. Congregations don't always have enough fast offerings to meet their own needs and must rely on other congregations for help. Not nearly enough of us give any fast offering, much less a generous one. Bishops make mistakes in deciding when and how to offer assistance. The system does not yet reach as many church members as it ought to, so sometimes those in the most need have the least access to the fully-functioning church welfare system.

In spite of our shortcomings, the spirit of the law of consecration is an important part of Mormon culture. The canneries and the farms and the bishops' storehouses continue to function and to support many. The humanitarian aid projects continue to be staffed and functioning. Mormons, rich or not, continue to feel a moral obligation to assist those with less by giving time, talents, and money. Consecration is an important part of what it means to be a Mormon of any kind, but it is something the stereotype misses.

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1/26/2012 5:00:00 AM

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About James Faulconer

James Faulconer is a Richard L. Evans Professor of Religious Understanding at Brigham Young University, where he has taught philosophy since 1975.

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