"There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed."
--- Woodrow Wilson (1856 - 1924)
The purpose of this blog post is to clarify that there are different kinds of missionary opportunities available to people of different ages, and diverse circumstances, not solely the kind of missionary who leaves home and proselytizes for 18 to 24 months. There are many diverse ways to serve the Lord and His children. All are important.
The following information is taken from the handbook of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You may also wish to see my blog posts "Church Organization", "Mission Administration", and "Prophets and Callings" for clarification of some terminology.
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The call to serve as a missionary includes a specific assignment. These assignments vary widely. They usually include:
A form of service.
A location.
A length of service.
Each assignment is guided by revelation so it is suited to the missionary and the needs of God’s children.
An assignment may change by continuing revelation as circumstances change. A specific assignment is important. However, it is secondary to the call to serve as a missionary. (D&C 80:3)
YOUNG TEACHING MISSIONARIES
Most young missionaries are assigned to teach the gospel away from home. These assignments are given by revelation to Apostles. These missionaries serve under the direction of a mission president.
Single men ages 18–25 may serve as teaching missionaries. They usually serve for 24 months.
Single women ages 19–29 may serve as teaching missionaries. They usually serve for 18 months.
YOUNG SERVICE MISSIONARIES
Some young missionaries are assigned to serve in the Church and the community while living at home. These assignments are given by revelation to Apostles and are given to candidates whose circumstances are best suited for a service mission.
These individuals have the same standards for preparation and worthiness as those who are assigned to a teaching mission. All young missionary candidates are recommended through the same process.
Service missionaries serve locally under the direction of the stake president. Each of them receives assignments that are tailored to their circumstances and based on service opportunities. They serve to the full extent of their capacity.
Single men ages 18–25 may serve as service missionaries. They usually serve for 6–24 months.
Single women ages 19–29 may serve as service missionaries. They usually serve for 6–18 months.
Service missions for young missionaries are not yet available in all areas of the world. For a list of areas where service missions are available, see ChurchofJesusChrist.org/service-missionary. That website also provides more information on service missions. Where service missions are not available, young members may serve in the senior service missionary program.
SENIOR MISSIONARIES
Married members ages 40 and older may be called as "senior missionaries" as a couple if they do not have dependent children.
Single women ages 40 and older may also be called as "senior missionaries" if they do not have children living at home.
Single men ages 40 and older may not serve as senior missionaries. However, they may serve as senior service missionaries.
All senior missionaries are encouraged to find people to teach and help them prepare for baptism (See "Baptism by Immersion"). Senior missionaries may also be assigned to support:
Members and area and local leaders.
Church departments and facilities.
Charitable organizations.
Senior missionaries usually serve away from home for 6–23 months. Those who serve outside their resident country usually serve for at least 18 months.
Senior missionaries are not asked to work the same hours, perform all the same activities, or meet the same expectations as young missionaries. Still, their service is demanding. For this reason, they should be healthy enough to serve. They should also meet financial qualifications.
Bishops, stake presidents, and other leaders prayerfully consider who could serve. Bishops or stake presidents may interview these members to determine their availability and invite them to prepare to serve.
Assignments for senior missionaries are given by revelation to Apostles. Leaders may recommend specific types of assignments for senior missionaries. However, leaders should not make commitments about the assignment they will receive. Candidates may express a preference for an assignment but should be willing to accept any assignment.
For more information, see SeniorMissionary.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
SENIOR SERVICE MISSIONARIES
In addition to callings in their home Ward or Stake, members may serve the Lord as senior service missionaries. These missionaries give valuable service in Church departments, facilities, and missions. They live at home.
Men and women ages 26 and older may be called as senior service missionaries.
In addition, young men ages 18–25 and young women ages 19–25 may serve in the senior service missionary program if they live where service missions for young missionaries are not available. They may also serve if they are married or have already served as a young teaching or service missionary.
Senior service missionaries are called by the stake president. They serve under his direction. The amount of time they serve each week depends on their capacity, service opportunities in their area, and direction from the Area Presidency.
Senior service missionaries are given assignments by their stake president. He counsels with the missionary and others and prayerfully seeks revelation about each assignment. He may review SeniorMissionary.ChurchofJesusChrist.org when determining assignments.
MEMBER MISSIONARIES
At the end of the day, you don't need a nametag to share the gospel. Every member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is encouraged to share their beliefs in simple and natural ways that don't involve knocking on doors or spending every minute of the day in religious discussion. At the heart of it, sharing the gospel is as simple as being a friend.
Nevertheless, full-time missionaries play an important part in helping people prepare for baptism and become members of the church, and they love to work with worthy and willing members of the church wherever they serve. As often as possible, they love to have a Church member from the area accompany them when they go and visit somebody. Sometimes this may be to a lesson, or sometimes it could be a service project, a fun activity, or just a friendly visit. These locals, in some ways, are anchors. They are the friends that will be there for them after the missionaries move on. They play an important role in fellowshipping and in bearing testimony of what the missionaries teach. It usually means more to hear something from a friend than from a stranger. And so, members of the church have ample opportunities to get involved with the missionaries.
While anyone can and should share their sincere beliefs and feelings, it is important that the full-time missionaries get involved if someone is interested in joining the church, however. As you can read in "Baptism by Immersion", Mission Presidents have the priesthood authority to oversee all convert baptisms (See "Priesthood" and "Church Organization") and that authority is delegated to the missionaries within their Mission Boundary by "the Laying on of Hands" (See "Mission Administration" and "Set Apart and Setting Out"). I encourage you to check out these blog posts for more information. But in summary, missionaries have a unique mandate to prepare people for baptism which makes them different from regular members of the Church.
If you want to learn more about Member Missionary Work see my blog post here.
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