“Welfare,” True to the Faith, (2004),184–86 Each member of the
Church has two basic welfare responsibilities: to become self-
reliant and to care for the poor and the needy. Parents have a
sacred responsibility to look after the physical and spiritual
welfare of their children. As children grow older, they become
more responsible for their own welfare. Parents should teach
them basic principles of welfare, helping them prepare to be
self-reliant and provide for their own families in the future.
Parents can also give children opportunities to help care for
the poor and the needy. If you are an adult member of the
Church, all of the following counsel applies directly to you. If
you are a young man or woman, much of this counsel applies to
you as well, even if you still depend largely on your parents.
The responsibility for your social, emotional, spiritual,
physical, and economic well-being rests first on yourself,
second on your family, and third on the Church. Under the
inspiration of the Lord and through your