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Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—widely known as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and community service. Missionaries of the LDS Church may be male (Elder Missionaries) or female (Sister Missionaries) and may serve on a full- or part-time basis, depending on the assignment. Missionaries are organized geographically into missions, which could be any one of the 449 missions organized worldwide.[1] This is one of the practices that the LDS Church is well-known for.
The LDS Church is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, reporting that it had more than 67,000 full-time missionaries and 30,000 service missionaries worldwide at the end of 2023.[2] Most full-time LDS missionaries are single young men and women in their late teens and early twenties and older couples no longer with children in their home. Missionaries are often assigned to serve far from their homes, including in other countries. Many missionaries learn a new language at a missionary training center (MTC) as part of their assignment. Missions typically last two years for males, 18 months for females, and one to three years for older couples. The LDS Church strongly encourages, but does not require, missionary service for young men. All Mormon missionaries serve voluntarily and do not receive a salary for their work; they typically finance missions themselves or with assistance from family or other church members. Many Latter-day Saints save money during their teenage years to cover their mission expenses.
Throughout the church's history, over one million church members have been sent on missions.[3][4]
- ^ "Missionary Program". www.newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. July 15, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- ^ "Worldwide Statistics". Church Newsroom. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ "News Story – One Million Missionaries, Thirteen Million Members", Newsroom, LDS Church, June 25, 2007, retrieved November 27, 2012
- ^ Walch, Tad (June 26, 2007), "1 million missionaries for LDS Church – so far", Deseret Morning News, archived from the original on November 15, 2009, retrieved November 27, 2012