4th Purpose of the Church?

In the upcoming handbook, caring for the poor and the needy will be stated as one of the church's purposes, along with its well-recognized, three-fold mission statement.

"Caring for the poor and needy has always been a basic tenet of the Church," said LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter. "The language reference is simply a description of the purposes of the church to be included in the next edition of the Church Handbook."

The first three are well-known:

• To proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.
  
• To perfect the Saints by preparing them to receive the ordinances of the gospel and by instruction and discipline to gain exaltation.
  
• To redeem the dead by performing vicarious ordinances of the gospel for those who have lived on the earth.

The fourth is...caring for the poor and needy.

References:
MormonTimes article,  LDS to boost emphasis on helping the needy
Keepapitchin' article,  Origin of the “Threefold Mission of the Church” Statement

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