DANIEL - I have came upon a scripture which has me a bit confused about the Church's stance on paid clergy. From my studies, listening to conference talks, etc., I have always known that the Church does not pay its leaders. Well this scripture in D&C 42:71-73 has me perplexed.

JOEL - Here are the scriptures in question:
"And the elders or high priests who are appointed to assist the bishop as counselors in all things, are to have their families supported out of the property which is consecrated to the bishop, for the good of the poor, and for other purposes, as before mentioned; Or they are to receive a just remuneration for all their services, either a stewardship or otherwise, as may be thought best or decided by the counselors and bishop. And the bishop, also, shall receive his support, or a just remuneration for all his services in the church." (D&C 42:71-73)

Any member who dedicates his life to serving in the church to the degree that they have no time to earn a living in some kind of profession, have always been granted some kind of living allowance from the church to provide for their needs if it is required. This has been called the law of remuneration. They are not paid a salary, like a hired employee for their services(such as is the case with ministers in other faiths); but they have been given what they need to sustain life while they serve. In the early days of the church this included the Bishops and their assistants, because back then they truly gave all their time and personal resources to serve the saints and the community, with no time to provide for themselves or their own families. Members were spread out over larger distances, so it took a lot of time and personal effort to minister to them all.
Today, for the same reason, this includes a few of the General Authorities of the Church and mission Presidents, who receive a modest living allowance from interest on investments the church has made in the past. But this is not what you would call a salary and nobody could get rich from it.
Nowadays the organization of the church has developed to the point where Bishops, who now live closer to their members, can delegate many responsibilities to others, such as home and visiting teachers; thereby giving them the oportunity to make a living.

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