Thomas S. Monson is the President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The role of the Prophet is one of the few full-time religious positions available to Mormons. (There are, of course, ordinary jobs such as secretaries to do administrative-type work.)
Only the Prophet and Apostles, among all the church’s religious leadership, work full-time. The remainder are volunteers. For instance, when Mitt Romney served as a bishop (a lay pastor) he held regular employment in his community and this supported his family. The extensive work of a bishop was all done after work and family responsibilities were met.
Although the Prophet, his two counselors, and the twelve apostles (the counselors are also apostles) serve full-time, They Do Not Receive a Salary.
This is due to biblical warnings about PRIESTCRAFT—the ability to become wealthy doing the work of the Church.
Since most who serve in these positions are older, they often have pensions or other sources of private income, even though they can no longer hold outside employment. Those who do not receive a modest stipend which allows them to live at a reasonable standard of living, but not to become wealthy.
While most religions pay their ministers and many leaders of popular churches become wealthy, a Mormon leader can only achieve wealth prior to his call to full-time service. No matter how much money the Church makes, leaders do not personally profit from that money.
Due to privacy, the church does not reveal who is receiving financial help from the church, whether it is an ordinary church member receiving charitable assistance or a leader receiving a small stipend.
Thomas S. Monson became an apostle at the age of 36, an unusually young age for such a call. (He was also an unusually young bishop.) Prior to his call, he had worked in the printing industry as the General Manager of Deseret News Press. It is possible he receives a stipend, due to how young he was when he gave up paid employment, but it’s also possible his children and other relatives support him instead. He may even have savings invested that support him. How he supports himself really isn’t important. However he does so, he does not receive a paycheck or a share of the money brought in by the church.
If a stipend is given, it does not come from tithing money. Unlike many churches, which count all their businesses as part of their ministry, the Mormons operate a For-Profit arm for their businesses. These businesses pay taxes at the same rate as any other businesses. They are operated under a holding company. It is the For-Profit arm that provides the stipend, so that the money donated by members is not used for salaries. The prophet does not own these businesses, nor does he receive a share of the profits from them.
The profits are used to fund church work, including things like salaries that MUST NOT be paid from tithing funds.
Mormons love being part of a volunteer system. It allows them to serve God entirely unselfishly.
They don’t accept service to gain a paycheck; they accept it entirely because they love God and want to serve Him and to be a part of His work. There are, of course, rewards that go far beyond anything a paycheck could provide.
In my next post, I'll let you know about how we serve so well without pay!!!!