A front-row seat to new growth in Latter-day Saint missionary work

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Latter-day Saint missionary work is experiencing dynamic growth, church leaders said last month when they announced a historic increase to 450 missions worldwide.

One of those leaders, Elder Marcus B. Nash, a General Authority Seventy, sat down for an energetic one-on-one interview with me during which he described his role as executive director of the Missionary Department.

When he enthusiastically took out his smartphone to read from President Russell M. Nelson’s April 2022 general conference message on preaching the gospel of peace, the yellow highlights he’d added to the talk dominated the screen.

Elder Nash talked about how the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles lead missionary work and what has fueled the growth in the number of missionaries and, consequently, the number of missions.

What follows is a lightly edited Q&A of our conversation.

Deseret News: What is your portfolio like as executive director of the Missionary Department?

Elder Marcus B. Nash: Everything missionary work. Everything. We have a wonderful staff that help us to manage that. I have wonderful fellow general authorities who are dear friends and highly capable brethren, five others who are serving and assisting in the missionary department.

But it’s everything, from receiving missionary applications, getting them ready to be reviewed by an apostle, having calls assigned by an apostle and then a letter issued by the prophet. It’s housing. It’s checking the security. It’s learning; we’re constantly learning. Then meeting with the First Presidency and the Twelve on a periodic basis, getting guidance and direction from prophets, seers and revelators.

The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve are very heart-and-soul invested, for lack of a better term, in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. As President Nelson once said, it’s the only enduring solution for peace. And I think that peace is peace on a global scale, on a community scale and on a very individual, intimate personal level. So, it’s the greatest work on the earth. Joseph Smith said, when all has been said, our most important duty is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what brings people to him, so that they can receive his healing, strengthening and sustaining power by living his doctrine.

Deseret News: With the global scale — 450 missions, 72,000 missionaries — does it ever feel like an overwhelming assignment?

Elder Nash: It’s a very busy assignment. The sun never sets on the church. That means there’s always a missionary awake somewhere and doing the work somewhere. So it’s very busy, and I love it — “capital L” love it. It’s a privilege and blessing to be a part of it.

President Nelson has said the greatest work, the greatest cause on the earth today, is the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil. I have the blessing of being able to focus 100% of my service on the gathering, the most important work, on this side of the veil. It’s a thrill.

I get a front-row seat and we’re seeing increases in the number of missionaries responding to the prophet’s call. We’re seeing increases in missions. We’re seeing increases in convert baptisms. The Lord’s doing his work, and I get to watch and participate in it. I’m just grateful to be here.

Deseret News: How large are the increases?

Elder Nash: At the end of 2019, we had 67,000 missionaries. Then we had the pandemic sealing off the world and went down to 56,000 missionaries. In 2022, we go up to 62,000. And now, as of Nov. 1, we’re at 72,689 total missionaries — I’m talking about full-time teaching missionaries, young service missionaries, missionaries in the MTC and the senior missionaries.

It’s wonderful to add in these missions historically; we’ve never had so many missions in the history of the church, and the projections are, looking ahead 10 years, these missions are not here to come and go. They’re here. And we’ll just continue to see rising numbers of missionaries.

But the great story is that we live in a world, at least much of the Western world, where those known as Gen Z are turning away from God. I said this in my October 2021 talk in general conference, that many among Gen Z are abandoning God. But this segment of Gen Z missionaries — I’m getting emotional — this segment are turning to God and standing forward to serve God and helping others to turn to God.

They’re bucking the trend of the world and I admire them. I have so much respect and love for our missionaries. So it’s really exciting. 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, our missionaries 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.

Deseret News: Who are they? Where are they coming from? Are the number of missionaries coming from Africa growing now?

Elder Nash: If you look at Africa as a whole, more missionaries are coming forward to serve, and as we work through some logistics, that number will continue to increase, I think, at a tremendous pace. It’s a global phenomenon. I can say that, in all honesty. We’re watching missionaries step forward to serve.

Deseret News: What is driving the increases?

Elder Nash: We have just witnessed a tremendous change. It was almost immediate, when the prophet issued that call for more missionaries in April 2022.

I’ve just got to read you something. Just listen to President Nelson’s words. You may want to go back and read ... I just love this. I think people desire to be involved in a good thing, a cause. We have the greatest cause on the planet. And President Nelson articulates that:

“The gospel of Jesus Christ has never been needed more than it is today. ... his gospel is the only enduring solution for peace.”

Again we think about war, but it’s not just that kind of peace; it’s all aspects of peace, I think.

“His gospel is the only answer”: I agree with him; it’s the only one that’s going to endure.

Now listen to what President Nelson says: “... The Lord has asked every worthy, able young man to prepare for and serve a mission. For Latter-day Saint young men, missionary service is a priesthood responsibility.”

He says this, “You young men have been reserved for this time, when the promised gathering of Israel is taking place.” Who reserved them? The Lord. Then he says the same thing to the sisters; the Lord held them in reserve, too.

So it’s the prophet, operating as the mouthpiece of God, and it’s the Lord speaking to this generation that he held in reserve, through the Spirit. I think the prophet and the Lord speaking by the Spirit to this generation, they are developing a desire in young people to go. So it’s the Lord and his prophet.

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Behind the scenes