Question
Hi, Gramps!
Should I pay tithing on my mission fund? I’ve heard missionaries don’t pay tithing, but they also aren’t earning while on their mission. Since the money I am earning now is going 100% towards the Lord’s work on my mission, should I still pay 10% tithing on it? I leave within the next few months, and my goal is to pay for my mission on my own!
Ken
Answer
Ken,
These are great questions and through questions the Lord can instruct us toward the right path. I would recommend that you read “Tithing” from the Church’s website. This is one paragraph from the Church’s website,
“One of the blessings of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the privilege of paying tithing. This privilege is a double blessing. By paying tithing, Church members show their gratitude to God for their blessings and their resolve to trust in the Lord rather than in material things. They also help further the work of the Lord in the earth, blessing others of God’s children with the opportunity to learn of Him and grow in the gospel.”
As we think about missionaries not paying tithing we must remember where a missionary’s income on their missions stems from. Parents pay the Church a standard allotment every month for their children’s support. The Church also supplements areas so that missionaries rent, utilities, and other aspects are paid for. The majority, if not all, comes from monies which have already been tithed.
We are counseled to pay 10% of our annual income, our annual earnings. I, personally, would find it difficult to teach people to pay their tithes when I didn’t.
Gramps
