Why Does the Church Spend So Much Money on Temples?

By Hollie Wells

I don’t claim to know anything about the inner workings of the church, especially its finances. There have been a lot of rumblings about such things lately, and it has had me pondering on a question that I have heard asked often about the church: 

Why do we spend so much money on temples? 

Here are some possible answers. 

Expanded access 

The growing number of nationalities in the church also means growing distances between the members and the nearest temple. To make the temple accessible even once in a lifetime, the church needs more locations. To make the temple accessible for somewhat regular attendance, we need yet more temples. 

But some critics ask, why such elaborate, expensive buildings? We surely could make them out of basic materials or consolidate designs into more cost-effective options. They’re right. 

We could. 

But that’s not how the church views building temples. They are the houses of God. We promise to give our all to Him inside those buildings; the beauty and craftsmanship of the temple should reflect that on the outside. 

I think of the example of Nephi, who “labore[ed] with [his] hands” to build the first temple in his land with limited resources, built a temple “like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.” (2 Nephi 5:16-17) If the Nephites with such primitive resources could give so much and build a temple of fine workmanship, why should we not now give God gorgeous and elaborate buildings from the plenty that we enjoy? 

Redeeming our Dead 

The work of redeeming the dead is of the highest priority and it is time-intensive! Every temple counts in the great gathering of Israel! The more temples we build, the more we can accomplish now! We will need as many temples as possible– even through the millennium– to ensure all of God’s children have the opportunity to accept sacred ordinances. 

Building Zion 

Some questioners say the church should use those large sums of money for the poor and needy. Such critics don’t have an understanding of what happens inside the temples. Temple-goers make and repeatedly remember sacred covenant obligations to give all they have

and are to God. Covenant consecration makes people duty-bound to God and fellowman to feed the poor, visit the sick, and care for neighbors. The covenants made inside make us better people, who will probably do more than the church can in the long run on a private and individual basis. The church is building a Zion people, not a humanitarian organization.