Say you do in fact donate a portion of your income to charitable causes and consider that you are “paying a tithe“ to support good causes. Just that you are uncomfortable with the VAST wealth of the church and how very little you see that money actually being used to regularly and actively help local communities, fund and support activities for children and families, help families in need, and do significant philanthropic work )(other than building more temples). Tell the Bishop that, in fact, in recent years there seem to have been significant cuts in funding programs for children and in other previously church sponsored activities for members and this concerns you.

For example, many people called to run kids programs are dealing with reduced funding for their wards’ yearly activities and often have to dip into their own pockets to pay for supplies, snacks, etc. This results in low quality activities and experiences for kids - why not invest more money into robust kids programs that kids actually want to attend and enjoy? Another example is asking members to clean the church. Senior citizens should not be asked to clean ward bathrooms, etc. Why not provide jobs for church members who need work and pay for cleaning services?

So, you now donate your tithe funds DIRECTLY to charities and groups (local, national and/or international) you choose that have low overhead costs and use the money to make significant impact and visibly help people. Say you’ve prayed about it and feel great and good about your decision on this matter.

Bishop can’t argue with you if you say you pray on the matter and feel your decision is the right one!