Don’t want to go tho tithing settlement

Why can’t I just tell him through email or call him and tell him Yes I am a full tithe payer?

I think that if I were a bishop that I would appreciate that. I mean, it seems like a lot of overhead to get at information that the temple recommend covers anyway. Then again it makes sense in the days of 2 year temple recommends and I suppose the tithing settlement covers people that don’t go to the temple but pay tithing.

I’ve often viewed the tithing settlements as a means to allow the bishop to get to know people and have personal contact with everyone in their unit. They might otherwise be too busy and never get a chance to get that personal contact with a lot of people. I’m sure many appreciate that contact and I’m sure there are some that would feel slighted if they never got one on one time with their bishop. In that sense I always assumed that tithing was really secondary in importance, just something to facilitate a once per year contact with the bishop.

I didn’t really feel the need to go last year and I was a bit surprised at the level of effort employed to get me to go to tithing settlement. The bishop’s executive secretary quite literally hounded me about setting an appointment. It was a bit strange and I really didn’t get what all the fuss was about. After that experience it no longer feels like a purely voluntary meeting. I assume they have to report on percentages similar to HT/VT. We completed 73% of tithing settlements, or something along those lines, and that a low percentage would be a black eye.

When I was in the Bishopric, someone asked me to give their tithing to the Bishop around tithing settlement time. They just wrote on the envelope they didn’t have time to meet with the Bishop for tithing settlement, but they were full tithe payers.

I’m always amused when church leaders make out tithing settlement to be a “beautiful experience” to to be able to declare you have paid your 10%. Maybe it is for some people, but it surprises me that tithing is the only commandment over which you have a sit-down meeting to prove you actually did it (outside of TR interviews which cover tithing anyway). Yes, tithing is a big deal to the church.

I would just send the email and call it a day. I think others are right in saying that some Bishops would likely be just as happy to save the 15 minutes it takes to hold the meeting.

Tithing settlement is not a saving ordinance.

As far as I can tell it’s a meeting which exists for the sole purpose of holding a meeting. I don’t know of anyone who’s had a beautiful spiritual experience in tithing settlement.

Tithing settlement is not a saving ordinance.

As far as I can tell it’s a meeting which exists for the sole purpose of holding a meeting. I don’t know of anyone who’s had a beautiful spiritual experience in tithing settlement.

Good one, Joni. I don’t know anyone like that, either.

Although it’s basically a drive-by interviewit is an interview and many Bishops and SPs believe it is an opportunity to have a one one one. It gives the Bishop time to ask a question or two and evaluate whether a harder look is necessary. Old school sorts have a cultural doctrine that it is necessary and has to be one on one. More progressive bishops, not so much.

Just for historical context, tithing settlement initially was designed for a predominantly agricultural society in which many members paid in kind on the increase of what they raised and grew – or the monetary value thereof. Thus, it was a true “settlement” – where the members would calculate final “increase/income” amounts and “settle the account”.

There really isn’t any modern need for most members who hold temple recommends, since temple recommend interviews ask about tithing status. Everything gained by the meeting now could be handled separately in the context of temple recommend preparation – so those who don’t pay, don’t hold a recommend and don’t care could skip it entirely as irrelevant to their situations.

Lacking that structure, if tradition continues, simply not attending if it’s not applicable is a simple solution and good option.

Although it’s basically a drive-by interviewit is an interview and many Bishops and SPs believe it is an opportunity to have a one one one. .

True, but interviews with the bishop should be voluntary. I’ve never been called up and informed that my temple recommend is expiring and would I like to meet with the bishop at X time next Sunday. Tithing settlement ‘interviews’ seem to be more about administration than fulfilling a deep spiritual need for either the members or the bishop.

My TBM husband actually told the bishopric member (who was at our house on Saturday to give me a new calling) that we weren’t going to go out of our way to schedule a TS appointment. We’re in the process of renewing our temple recommends, plus the aforementioned visit on Saturday, so we have had plenty of one on one time with various PH leaders.

It’s not that I am even opposed to the idea of TS, per se. I wish it could be spread throughout the year like temple recommend interviews. I’m sure the bishop would prefer it too. We are no longer paying our tithes in chickens and wheat; is there a doctrinal basis for holding a bunch of one-on-one interviews during the already-busy Christmas season?