Missionary (LDS Church) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Two missionaries of The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints

Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) widel y known as Mormon missionaries are volunteer representatives of the LDS Church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and commun ity service. Mormon missionaries may serve on a full- or part-time basis dependi ng on the assignment, and are organized geographically into missions. The missio n assignment could be to any one of the 405 missions organized worldwide. The LDS Church is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work , reporting that it had over 80,000 full-time missionaries worldwide in October 2013[1] (as well as over 22,000 part-time church-service missionaries at the end of 2012).[2] Most full-time Mormon missionaries are single young men and women in their late teens and early twenties and older couples no longer with children in the home. Missionaries are often assigned to serve far from their homes, inc luding in other countries. Many missionaries learn a new language at a missionar y training center as part of their assignment. Missions typically last two years for males, 18 months for females, and 6 to 18 months 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 t heir work; they typically finance missions themselves or with assistance from fa mily or other church members. Many Latter-day Saints save money during their tee nage years to cover their mission expenses. Throughout the history of the church, over one million missionaries have been se nt on missions.[3][4] In October 2012, the LDS Church announced that young men have the option of serv ing a mission at age 18 if they have graduated from high school.[5] It was also announced that young women may serve beginning at age 19 instead of 21.[5] Contents [hide] 1 Preparation to serve 1.1 Significance and basic qualifications 1.2 Standards of worthiness 1.3 Other exclusionary factors 1.4 Mission call 1.5 Temple attendance 1.6 Training 2 Missionary conduct 2.1 The Missionary Handbook 2.2 Dress and grooming 2.3 Companionships 2.4 Personal relationships 2.5 Schedule 2.6 Media rules 2.7 Slang 3 Number of missionaries and number of converts 4 Types of missionaries 4.1 Proselytizing 4.2 Church-service 4.3 Humanitarian aid 5 Administration 5.1 Organization 5.2 Expenses 6 Returned missionaries 6.1 Alumni 7 History 7.1 Incidents 8 In popular culture 9 See also

10 Notes 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External links Preparation to serve[edit]

People of the church mural on the LDS Conference Center roof with inscription: A nd this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. The Salt Lake Temple appears in reflection. Significance and basic qualifications[edit] LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball said, "Every young man should fill a mis sion".[6] Completing a mission is often described as a rite of passage for a you ng Latter-day Saint.[7][8][9][10] The phrase "the best two years of my life" is a common clich among returned missionaries when describing their experience.[11][ 12] Although Gordon B. Hinckley had suggested that a mission is not to be a rite of passage,[13] this cultural aspect remains.[citation needed] With the usual s tarting age of 18 20, a mission provides a clear event or marker for the tradition al age of adulthood, but is not necessary for continuance in church membership. For many it is a variation on tithing which customarily involves the donating of ten percent of income to the church by donating ten percent of the prospective missionary's life to the service of the church. Young men between the ages of 18 and 25 who meet standards of worthiness are str ongly encouraged to consider a two-year, full-time proselytizing mission. The ag e had previously been a minimum of 19 in most countries until October 6, 2012, w hen Church President Thomas S. Monson announced a change to this stating that al l male missionaries, regardless of nation, could serve from age 18.[5] This expe ctation is based in part on the New Testament passage "Go ye therefore, and teac h all nations..." (Matt. 28: 19 20). In 2007, approximately 30% of all 19-year-old LDS men became Mormon missionaries; from LDS families that are active in the ch urch, approximately 80 90% of 19-year-old men serve a mission.[8] Prior to the ann ouncement, some countries held that male missionaries may be 18 years old becaus e of educational or military requirements.[14] In cases where an immediate family member dies, the missionary is strongly encou raged to stay on the mission. Missionaries can be sent home for violating missio n rules, and occasionally missionaries choose to go home because of unhappiness or because they "lost their testimony" (meaning they no longer believe in the ch urch or have serious doubts about it). However, the vast majority of missionarie s serve the whole two-year (men) or eighteen-month (women) terms. As of 2007, 80% of all Mormon missionaries were young, unmarried men, 13% were y oung single women and 7% retired couples.[8] Women who would like to serve a mis sion must meet the same standards of worthiness and be at least 19 years old. Wo men generally serve as missionaries for 18 months. Previously, the minimum age f or missionary service was 21 for young women, but changes to the age requirement for both men and women were announced on October 6, 2012 by church President Th omas S. Monson.[5] Married retired couples, on the other hand, are encouraged to serve missions, but their length of service may vary from 6 to 36 months depend ing on their circumstances and means.[15] Any single retired person may also be called to serve in what is known as senior missionary service. In the last two d ecades, the LDS Church has stepped up its call for senior couple missionaries. L eaders have encouraged this both as a responsibility to help other people and as a cure to the loneliness that often affects the elderly.[citation needed] Standards of worthiness[edit] All missionaries must meet certain minimum standards of worthiness. Among the st andards that a prospective missionary must demonstrate adherence to are: regular attendance at church meetings, regular personal prayer, regular study of the sc riptures, adherence to the law of chastity (sexual purity), adherence to the Wor d of Wisdom (code of health and nutrition), payment of tithing, spiritual dilige nce and testimony of God.

Other exclusionary factors[edit] In addition to spiritual preparedness, church bishops are instructed to ensure t hat prospective missionaries are physically, mentally, and emotionally capable o f full-time missionary work. In the same speech where he called for "every young man" to fill a mission, Kimball added, "we realize that while all men definitel y should, all men are not prepared to teach the gospel abroad."[6] Apart from ge neral issues of worthiness and ability, there are a number of specific situation s that will disqualify a person from becoming a full-time missionary for the LDS Church. Those excluded include those who would have to leave dependent children in the care of someone else; young couples who are still of child-bearing age; those who are in debt and have not made arrangements to meet these obligations; those who are on legal probation or parole; couples with serious unresolved mari tal problems; those who are HIV positive; and those who have been convicted of s exual abuse.[16] Additionally, members who have submitted to, performed, encoura ged, paid for, or arranged for an abortion are usually excluded from missionary service, as are members who have fathered or mothered a child out of wedlock; me n under 26 and women under 40 who have been divorced; and anyone who has partici pated in "homosexual activity" after age 16.[16] Until 1978 the LDS Church did not call men of black African descent to go on mis sions, due to the ban on blacks holding the priesthood. The priesthood ban was l ifted during Kimball's presidency and since 1978 there has been no restrictions to missionary service that are based on race or ethnicity.[17] Mission call[edit] After application to the church and the requisite approval, prospective missiona ries receive a call to serve an official notification of their location assignment thr ough the mail from the President of the Church. The mission call also informs th e prospective missionary what language he/she will be expected to use during his /her mission. Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are responsible for a ssigning missionaries to a particular mission.