D&C 78: The United Order and the Storehouse for the Poor

I was reorganizing the shop last weekend and found a box of old hardware I'd forgotten about. Hinges, drawer pulls, brass screws I bought for a project three years ago and never used. I sorted them into jars and put them on the shelf. It felt good to have them visible, accounted for, ready when I need them. That's the feeling I get reading D&C 78. The Lord is telling the saints to get organized. He's not a stickler for paperwork. He just knows you can't take care of people if you don't know what you have.

This revelation came in March 1832, a time when the Church was growing fast and the needs of the poor were becoming more than the early saints could handle informally. The Lord's answer was to create a formal system. A storehouse. A structure for managing resources so that nobody went without.

The Storehouse Principle

The Lord starts with a practical command. He tells Joseph Smith and others to organize for the purpose of "regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the poor."

Wherefore, for this cause I have commanded you to organize yourselves, even to regulate and establish the affairs of the storehouse for the poor of my people, that you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, and in the preparation for the obtaining of heavenly things. (D&C 78:3-4)

The storehouse wasn't just a building but a system where the saints would contribute what they had and the bishop would distribute it according to need. The goal was practical: make sure everyone had food and clothing and shelter. But the purpose went deeper. The Lord says the storehouse exists to help the saints "stand independent" (verse 14). Independent from the world, not from each other. A community that takes care of its own doesn't have to beg for help from people who don't share its values.

I think about that when I see the Bishop's Storehouse trucks on the freeway. It's easy to forget that the system started with a revelation about organization. The most spiritual things often require the most practical arrangements.

What It Means to Be Equal in Earthly Things

Verse 6 is the one that stops me every time.

For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things.

That's a hard saying that sounds like the Lord is demanding some kind of forced economic leveling, which is not what it means. The word "equal" here doesn't mean everyone gets the same paycheck. It means there's no oppressive gap and the person with extra helps the person without, so nobody goes hungry while someone else builds a bigger barn.

The Lord is saying that how we handle money and resources is a test. If we can't learn to share, to be generous, to see our stuff as belonging to God rather than to ourselves, then we're not ready for the kind of society He's building. You can't live the law of the celestial kingdom if you're still clutching your wallet.

This connects to what the Lord taught about the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood in D&C 84. Both sections are about what it means to be bound together in something bigger than yourself. The priesthood binds us to God. The storehouse binds us to each other.

I Will Lead You Along

The tone shifts in verse 17. The Lord has been giving commandments and laying out requirements. Then He says this:

For you are little children, and you cannot bear all things now; you must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.

I love that verse. It's the Lord acknowledging that the saints were overwhelmed. They were trying to build a new society in a hostile world, and the demands of the United Order were high. So He tells them they're like little children who can't handle everything at once. And that's okay.

Then comes the promise.

Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.

That's the whole gospel in one sentence. He leads. He goes ahead and shows the way, and we follow at our own pace.

I think about this when I'm teaching my youngest to do something in the shop. I don't hand him a chisel and walk away. Instead I show him and guide his hand, then let him try while I watch. That's what the Lord is describing here. He's not impatient with our slowness. He's patient because He knows we're still learning to walk.

Receiving All Things With Thankfulness

The chapter closes with a promise that's easy to miss.

And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more. (D&C 78:19)

Gratitude isn't just a nice attitude. It's a spiritual law. When we receive what we have with thankfulness, we're acknowledging that it came from God, and that opens the door for more. Gratitude changes us. That's why it opens the door for more. It makes us generous and ready to receive without clutching.

I've noticed this in my own life, and the years when I've been most grateful are the years when I've had the least anxiety about money. It's not that I had more. It's that I was content with what I had, and that contentment made room for peace.

The Lord's promise in D&C 78 is that if we organize ourselves to take care of each other, if we learn to be equal in earthly things, and if we receive everything with thankfulness, He will lead us along. That's a pretty good deal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does "equal in earthly things" mean everyone has to have the same amount of money?

Not exactly. In the context of D&C 78, equality means a state where everyone's needs are met and there's no oppressive gap between those who have plenty and those who have little. It's about equity and stewardship, not identical bank accounts. The goal is that nobody goes without while others have more than they need.

What was the storehouse in D&C 78?

The storehouse was a system for collecting and distributing resources to the poor of the Church. Members would contribute what they could, and the bishop would distribute according to need. In modern terms, it's carried out through the Bishop's Storehouse and the fast offering program. The principle is the same: the Church takes care of its own.

Why does the Lord call the saints "little children" in this section?

It's an expression of tenderness, the Lord acknowledging that the saints couldn't handle the full weight of the United Order all at once. He's telling them to be patient with themselves and to trust that He will guide them step by step, the same way a parent teaches a child one lesson at a time.

Is the United Order still practiced in the Church today?

The formal United Order as established in the 1830s is no longer practiced, but the principles behind it remain. Members covenant to consecrate their time and resources through the law of the fast and tithing and other offerings. The Bishop's Storehouse system continues to care for the poor, as the Lord taught in D&C 83. The spirit of the United Order lives on in how we take care of each other.

— D.