Explore the transition from communal property deeding to individual tithing, with a focus on united orders and cooperatives in Nauvoo and Utah. Learn about the challenges faced by these communities, including government intervention and conflicts with the federal government. Discover how the Church eventually settled on the tithing system after various experiments with financial consecration.
Transition from stewardship to tithing system in Church history after expulsion from Missouri.
Importance of financial caution and resilience in Church finances to support core purposes.
Flexibility in implementing consecration principles through cooperatives and United Orders in varied Church communities.
Deep dives
Evolution of Consecration Practices in the Church
The podcast episode discusses the evolution of consecration practices in the Church from the 1838 tithing revelation that modified the system to the violent expulsion of the saints from Missouri and their settlement in Nauvoo. The transition from the communal consecration system involving deeding property to the bishop to the tithing system of paying one-tenth of all interest annually is explored. The historical record reveals a blend of overlapping and evolving practices between stewardship and tithing systems.
Financial Challenges and the Institutional Memory of the Church
The episode highlights the financial challenges faced by the Church throughout its history and the impact of traumatic experiences on the institutional memory. Despite periods of prosperity, the Church emphasizes the importance of financial caution and reserve due to past hardships. The discussion underscores the role of church finances in fulfilling the core purposes of caring for the poor, building structures, and supporting the community.
Cooperatives and United Orders in Church History
The podcast delves into the establishment of cooperatives and United Orders in various Church communities, such as Brigham City and Orderville, as part of realizing the principles of consecration. These cooperatives aimed to pool resources, foster communal living, and address the needs of the impoverished. The flexible approach to implementing consecration principles allowed different settlements to adapt the system based on their unique circumstances.
Efforts Towards Living the Law of Consecration
Efforts towards living the law of consecration intensified during Brigham Young's leadership, with initiatives like the Articles of Agreement guiding communities in practicing consecration principles. The discussion touches upon the success of cooperative ventures like the one in Orderville, showcasing varying levels of success in different Church settlements. The Church's commitment to the holistic principles of consecration, encompassing financial, communal, and spiritual aspects, is emphasized throughout the historical narrative.
Richfield and the Challenges of Implementing the United Order
In Richfield, the implementation of the United Order faced challenges due to existing prosperity and property ownership. Joseph Young, Brigham Young's son, promoted living consecration, but it was difficult for those already established in Richfield to give up their possessions. The Order in Richfield lasted only three years due to disorganization and reluctance to fully commit. This contrasted with places like Orderville, where starting from scratch made living the United Order more feasible and successful.
The Rise and Fall of Orderville and Government Intervention
Orderville saw success in implementing the United Order from 1873 to 1885 until outside intervention led to its end. Government legislation, like the Edmunds Tucker Act, aimed to dismantle the financial control wielded by the Church through industries like the United Order. The Act forced Orderville to dissolve the Order to prevent confiscation of church-owned property. Despite its end, former residents praised the unity and joy fostered by living the United Order, leading some families to continue the practice in Mexico.
In his July 1838 tithing revelation, the Lord both affirmed the law of consecration and modified the ongoing way in which the saints were expected to consecrate of their money and property. Rather than following the 1831 system outlined in D&C 42 of legally deeding all of their property to the bishop and receiving back from him a legal lease of property known as a stewardship, the Lord asked the saints instead to follow a tithing system of paying “one-tenth of all their interest annually” (D&C 119:4). Only months after this tithing revelation was received, however, the saints were violently expelled from Missouri and, just over a year later, found themselves as refugees settling a swampy piece of land in Illinois they would call Nauvoo.
In this episode of Church History Matters, we begin by diving into what consecration looked like in Nauvoo and then trace the practice into Utah. And rather than seeing a clean linear break from the D&C 42 financial consecration system of stewardship to the D&C 119 consecration system of tithing, we instead see in the historical record what appears to be various forms of overlap between and hybridization of these two systems. We’re talking about united orders and business cooperatives Brigham City, Orderville, how the federal government broke up these cooperatives, and finally how we as a Church came to settle more exclusively on the tithing system.
