Since the Church has so much money, shouldn’t it do more to help the poor and alleviate suffering? Isn’t that following what Jesus taught in Matthew 19:21 and Luke 12:33?

The Mormon church began spending money on humanitarian aid in the 1980s but has helped to relieve the poor and suffering since its inception. In 2022, the Mormon Church reported that it spent $1.02 billion in humanitarian and welfare aid. Members of the LDS faith also spent 6.3 million hours volunteering and helping with 3,692 humanitarian projects in 190 countries and territories across the world. In 2023, the Mormon Church and its members gave $1.36 billion in aid, spent 6.2 million hours volunteering, and helped with 4,119 humanitarian aid projects in 191 countries around the world. Since the 1980s, the Mormon Church’s ability to offer humanitarian and financial aid has increased over the years. 

In addition to caring for the poor and alleviating suffering, Mormon Church finances are used for the church’s many other responsibilities, including supporting its missionary efforts, building and maintaining church meetinghouses and temples, investing in education through universities, online programs, and high school seminary programs, and supporting the administration of the church. The Mormon Church tries very hard to use all of its financial and material resources wisely (Matthew 25:14–30), by ensuring that it can fulfill its many obligations to the Lord, even in the event of a major financial crisis. 

Within LDS finances, no one in the church is personally profiting from expanding the church’s investments or reserve funds. These are set aside for the church, as a whole, and to help the poor and the needy.