Church announces most missions in its history with opening of 36 more in 2024
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A prophet asked for more teenagers to serve Jesus Christ and others. So many answered the call to serve missions that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will open 36 new missions around the world on July 1, 2024.
The church has 16,000 more missionaries than it did two years ago, an increase of more than 28%, despite a demographic dip and in the face of a worldwide trend of decreasing religiosity among young people, church leaders said Wednesday.
The new missions will give the church 450 total missions, the most in church history, said Elder Quentin L. Cook, chair of the Missionary Executive Council and member of the the church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The rise in missionaries and missions comes about 19 months after the church’s prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, issued a call encouraging members to serve missions in a talk at the church’s April 2022 international general conference.
“Your decision to serve a mission, whether a proselyting or a service mission, will bless you and many others,” he said.
President Nelson also said the gospel of Jesus Christ “is the only enduring solution for peace. His gospel is a gospel of peace” and that “the spiritual darkness in the world makes the light of Jesus Christ needed more than ever.”
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“The saints really respond to the prophet,” Elder Cook said. “It’s really been remarkable to see because the number (of young people in the church) who are of age to go has been down a little bit, and yet we’re having enormous growth.”
How many more missionaries are there?
In 2021, the number of young missionaries, service missionaries and senior missionaries was 56,000. That increased to 62,500 by the end of 2022.
The total number of missionaries as of Wednesday was 72,721, Elder Cook said.
“What we’ve seen since President Nelson’s message is a huge response by the rising generation to their prophet’s message,” said Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and vice chairman of the Missionary Executive Committee.
It means a larger percentage of Latter-day Saint young people are serving missions.
“We’re talking big numbers,” he said. “In a demographic of young people that is declining nationally and throughout the world, the number of missionaries wanting to go on missions is improving and increasing. So much so that we need places to put them.”
The new missionaries are coming from all areas of the world, Elder Rasband said.
“It’s a global phenomenon,” said Elder Marcus B. Nash, a General Authority Seventy who serves as the executive director of the Missionary Department.
The church will add nine missions in Africa, three in Utah — the Utah Salt Lake City East Mission, the Utah Saratoga Springs Mission and the Utah Spanish Fork Mission. (See the full list of 36 new missions below.)
“The additional missions in Utah are necessary,” Elder Cook said. “In one mission here, we have 190 service missionaries and we have 160 teaching missionaries. We need these missions. We also are having — Utah is a place that is seen as a good place and a lot of wonderful people are coming here, so the opportunity to share the gospel has increased.”
Elder Cook also said baptisms have increased.
“We’re having enormous success,” he said. “The baptisms are higher than they have been. The third quarter, we surpassed the third quarter in 2019. I don’t know whether we’ll have quite as many baptisms (for the year) as we did pre-COVID, but on the third quarter we did, so we’re finally at that point. I think next year we will definitely be ahead of where we have been.”
Leaders already calling new mission presidents
Church leaders said they have found that mission leaders are more effective when they cap the number of missionaries in a mission.
“You can’t add 10,000 missionaries to the church in the same number of missions and mission leaders and expect the same kind of attention given before,” Elder Rasband said.
He used a sports reference to talk about the fact the 36 new missions require 36 new sets of mission leaders, who serve for three years.
“Candidly, the depth of the bench in this church is huge,” Elder Rasband said. “There are many wonderful, consecrated men and women, husbands and wives, who respond to the call of the presidency of the church to give up some of their time. ... There’s a great tradition and history of couples going out and consecrated service, so I think I can say quite authoritatively to you, we do not have a problem finding wonderful couples who are willing to respond to the call to go serve.”
The process is underway. The Quorum of the Twelve has been recommending new mission presidents and the First Presidency is already interviewing and calling them, Elder Rasband said.
“We’re already working on next July’s batch as we speak today,” Elder Rasband said.
Bucking a worldwide trend
The increased number of missionaries shows that as some members of Gen Z turn away from faith, many Latter-day Saint members of that generation are responding to invitations from God through his prophet, Elder Rasband said.
“This segment of Gen Z — I’m getting emotional — is coming forward to serve God and to help others turn to God,” Elder Nash said. “They’re bucking the trend of the world and I admire them. I have so much respect and love for our missionaries.
“That’s the great story. That’s the miracle in a lot of ways is that, contrary to the winds of the world and the currents of the world and trends of the world, they go in the other direction. They’re turning to Christ. They’re stepping forward to serve him. And they’re helping others receive the peace, healing and strength that only Christ can give.”
Serving Jesus Christ appeals to Gen Z Latter-day Saints and those even younger as they better understand the covenants they make with God, said Sister Amy A. Wright, first counselor in the Primary General Presidency. For example, at baptism at age 8, children covenant to care for others, she said.
The church designed its “Come, Follow Me” curriculum so that teens teach their own priesthood and Young Women classes. That prepares them for missionary service, she said.
“What we’re seeing with our young people is they have a great desire to belong,” Sister Wright said. “We see this throughout the world. They want to be part of something big, something important. They want to make a difference in the world. And the greatest belonging is covenant belonging.”
President Nelson has emphasized gathering Israel during his nearly six years as church president. For Latter-day Saints, gathering Israel means helping people join Christ’s church and make covenants that bind them to God and their families.”
Elder Rasband said that wherever he goes in the world, he finds teenagers focused on President Nelson’s call to gather Israel by sharing the gospel and doing temple work.
“For them, going on a mission is a natural outgrowth of his call to them to gather Israel,” Elder Rasband said. “Being a missionary is one of the ultimate expressions of gathering Israel.”
Senior and service missionaries, and missionary visas
President Nelson’s 2022 call for missionaries included those of all ages.
“We also welcome senior couples to serve when their circumstances permit,” he said. “Their efforts are simply irreplaceable.”
Elder Rasband made a personal plea for more senior missionaries at general conference last month. He and Elder Cook said an overwhelming number of senior couples have started mission applications.
The church currently has 5,300 senior missionaries.
This is the second time in a decade that the church has announced a major increase in church missions. In 2013, the church created 58 new missions.
The church announced earlier this year that service missionaries, those who don’t serve proselyting missions because of health issues, will be integrated into missions on Jan. 1.
In another announcement on Wednesday, leaders said those who want to serve missions now will be able to submit their paperwork 150 days before the date they say they are available to leave instead of 120 days before.
Elder Cook said that the change will help the Missionary Department and missionaries manage worldwide issues regarding visas.
“We need that 150 days for visas for certain missions,” he said.
Where will the 36 new missions of the Church of Jesus Christ be?
The new missions will open July 1, 2024, in the following areas:
Africa Central
Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa South.
Democratic Republic of the Congo Kolwezi.
Kenya Nairobi East.
Africa South
Madagascar Antananarivo North.
Africa West
Ghana Accra North.
Ghana Takoradi.
Nigeria Calabar.
Nigeria Port Harcourt North.
Sierra Leone Bo.
Asia
Cambodia Phnom Penh East.
Thailand Bangkok East.
Asia North
Japan Sendai.
Brazil
Brazil Manaus South.
Caribbean
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo North.
Europe Central
Germany Hamburg.
Europe North
Portugal Porto.
Mexico
Mexico Mexicali.
Mexico Puebla East.
North America Central
Montana Missoula.
North America Southeast
Florida Tallahassee.
South Carolina Charleston.
North America Southwest
Nevada Henderson.
Texas Dallas South.
Texas El Paso.
North America West
California Modesto.
Philippines
Philippines Dumaguete.
Philippines General Santos.
Philippines Tuguegarao.
South America Northwest
Bolivia Cochabamba South.
Ecuador Quito West.
Peru Lima Northeast.
South America South
Argentina Tucumán.
Chile La Serena.
Utah
Utah Salt Lake City East.
Utah Saratoga Springs.
Utah Spanish Fork.
