General Authority salaries

[Sullyute]

They do not give up all of their personal business interests. They give up control of their personal business interests. The Church has an organization that is a repository of all the stocks and bonds of the brethren. They created it when members of the Q of 12 were going to be investigated by the Nevada Gaming Commission as people "profiting from gaming" that was potentially mob related.

Can you please give us a little more detail on this? So is the church its own broker dealer on the NYSE or are you saying that Ensign Peak Advisor manages (through Zions bank, I assume) all of the personal assets for the Brethern in some sort of blind trust? Does Ballard still own a car dealership?

[KillerDog]

Can you please give us a little more detail on this? So is the church its own broker dealer on the NYSE or are you saying that Ensign Peak Advisor manages (through Zions bank, I assume) all of the personal assets for the Brethern in some sort of blind trust? Does Ballard still own a car dealership?

I don't know the specifics of its operation. I know that it was created and why because the why involved my family (we've been in the casino industry a long time).

[Dwight Schr-ute]

Well. I guess this is a pretty strong inference on where the "Lay Leadership" ends.

[Goatnapper'96]

Well. I guess this is a pretty strong inference on where the "Lay Leadership" ends.

And for those that move on into the paid ministry it was likely after 20+ years of pretty intensive lay efforts. Huh...HuhHuhHuh.....

[TripletDaddy]

I find the woman on the right in both the stake and ward RS presidencies to be the most attractive.

[LA Ute]

Does anyone know the total number of full-time GAs? It must be a microscopically tiny percentage of all those area, stake, and ward leaders. Would people feel better if the church said "We have a 99.998% lay clergy?"

EDIT: I think there are 102 GAs (87 Seventies + 15 apostles; don't know if the Presiding Bishopric is counted among the Seventies, so there may be 3 more GAs.) There are about 9,000 men serving in stake presidencies and 86,000 who serve in bishoprics and branch presidencies worldwide. Assuming that all the GAs really do receive a salary from the church, my handy iPhone calculator utility says to total "paid clergy" is .0011% of the overall number. I'm leaving out all the high councils, quorum presidencies, stake/ward auxiliary leaders, temple workers, full-time missionaries, etc.

[Blueintheface]

Does anyone know the total number of full-time GAs? It must be a microscopically tiny percentage of all those area, stake, and ward leaders. Would people feel better if the church said "We have a 99.998% lay clergy?"

Statistically speaking they are the outliers but I think it might be relevant to note the drastic jump from no compensation for the vast majority to several hundred thousand for those few (if the numbers are to be trusted that is).

Also, what is the average ward annual ward budget? I think it might be interesting to compare how much money is being spent in a particular General Authority's area against his overall compensation.

[Sullyute]

Does anyone know the total number of full-time GAs? It must be a microscopically tiny percentage of all those area, stake, and ward leaders. Would people feel better if the church said "We have a 99.998% lay clergy?"

EDIT: I think there are 102 GAs (87 Seventies + 15 apostles; don't know if the Presiding Bishopric is counted among the Seventies, so there may be 3 more GAs.) There are about 9,000 men serving in stake presidencies and 86,000 who serve in bishoprics and branch presidencies worldwide. Assuming that all the GAs really do receive a salary from the church, my handy iPhone calculator utility says to total "paid clergy" is .0011% of the overall number. I'm leaving out all the high councils, quorum presidencies, stake/ward auxiliary leaders, temple workers, full-time missionaries, etc.

So then how is this any different from the vast majority of religions where 99% of the members are not compensated but 1% is? We simply have the compensation higher up the ladder instead on lower on the rungs than most churches.

[LA Ute]

So then how is this any different from the vast majority of religions where 99% of the members are not compensated but 1% is? We simply have the compensation higher up the ladder instead on lower on the rungs than most churches.

I don't think your numbers are correct. In most other churches the pastors, at least, are paid, aren't they? (That's an assumption on my part.) In any case, I'm just responding to the notion here that it is misleading or inaccurate for us to say we have a lay clergy. I don't think it is.

[creekster]

So then how is this any different from the vast majority of religions where 99% of the members are not compensated but 1% is? We simply have the compensation higher up the ladder instead on lower on the rungs than most churches.

As an example, I dont think the pope counts as a clergy to most catholics. But even if you count the pope and cardinals and so forth, the difference is that 99% of our simialrly situated group are unpaid volunteers, while 100% of theirs are paid.

This might get a little trickier in some protestant shuchrech run by elders and so forth.

[Northwestcoug]

Well. I guess this is a pretty strong inference on where the "Lay Leadership" ends.

OK, I've been a member for awhile. But this graphic made me wonder if I understand stake/ward organization. Way too busy.

By the way, that has to be the most fit high council I've ever seen. And all those female leaders with sharp business attire!

[Moliere]

OK, I've been a member for awhile. But this graphic made me wonder if I understand stake/ward organization. Way too busy.

By the way, that has to be the most fit high council I've ever seen. And all those female leaders with sharp business attire!

And what's with the short YMP?

[TripletDaddy]

I don't think your numbers are correct. In most other churches the pastors, at least, are paid, aren't they? (That's an assumption on my part.) In any case, I'm just responding to the notion here that it is misleading or inaccurate for us to say we have a lay clergy. I don't think it is.

Here is a wild idea. Rather than obfuscating or overstating, why not state something crazy....."our local leadership is not paid but national and global leadership receives compensation. The amount is unknown to the general membership of the Church."

[DU Ute]

I'm guessing about 80-90% of all GA's took a pay cut when they accepted their positions, some a pretty substantial one. I'm guessing most of them work just as hard, if not harder, than they had previously. People who make a big deal about this are being kind of silly, IMO.

[Flystripper]

we are talking about this AGAIN?