Young Missionary Service

"Today I reaffirm strongly that 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. You young men have been reserved for this time when the promised gathering of Israel is taking place. As you serve missions, you play a pivotal role in this unprecedented event!

"For you young and able sisters, a mission is also a powerful, but optional, opportunity. We love sister missionaries and welcome them wholeheartedly. What you contribute to this work is magnificent! Pray to know if the Lord would have you serve a mission, and the Holy Ghost will respond to your heart and mind." (President Nelson, Preaching the Gospel of Peace, April 2022 General Conference)

Young men, we pray that you will hearken to the Lord's invitation to prepare for and serve a mission. As you do so, please seek the Lord's guidance to determine when He would have you serve. When President Monson introduced the "option of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18," he also said, "I am not suggesting that all young men will—or should—serve at this earlier age. Rather, based on individual circumstances as well as upon a determination by priesthood leaders, this option is now available." (Pres Monson, Welcome to Conference, Oct. 2012 General Conference).

Young women, we encourage you to prepare to serve a mission, should the Lord direct you to serve a mission. Preparing to serve will bless your life regardless of the direction the Lord provides for you.

This page is designed to help you prepare for your young missionary service. The following links are provided as shortcuts to the relevant sections of this webpage.

Resources for Future Missionaries and Their Parents

Parents play an important role in helping your children prepare to serve a mission. Future missionaries and your parents, please review the following material together as you consider ways to prepare for missionary service.

• Appendix A: For Parents--Preparing Your Children for a Lifetime on God's Covenant Path, found in the back of the Come, Follow Me manual

• Missionary Preparation: A Teaching Resource, which is a new resource designed specifically to assist with missionary preparation

• Preach my Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which your missionary will use throughout their mission

• Missionary Preparation: Adjusting to Missionary Life, which is a great resource to help your missionary prepare for the stresses and demands of diligent missionary service (the longer booklet Adjusting to Missionary Life is also helpful)

• Safeguards for Using Technology, which provides helpful guidance in staying safe in a digital world

• Becoming a Missionary, by Elder Bednar, which is highlighted below

• Called to the Work, by Elder Bednar, which discusses the differentiation between the call to serve and the assignment to labor as well as the role of missionary service after receiving the important ordinances of receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood (for young men) and the temple endowment (for young men and young women)

  • Planning When to Serve a Mission is a helpful webpage as you seek the Lord's guidance about when He would have you submit your missionary recommendation form (and what to use as your availability date)

• General Handbook Section 24: Missionary Recommendations and Service, especially Section 24.0 (Introduction) through Section 24.3 (Preparing and Qualifying to Serve a Mission) and Section 24.5.2, which provide guidance about sacrament meetings when missionaries speak and open houses

During Your Youth: Becoming a Missionary

“The single most important thing you can do to prepare for a call to serve is to become a missionary long before you go on a mission. … The issue is not going on a mission; rather, the issue is becoming a missionary and serving throughout our entire life with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. … You are preparing for a lifetime of missionary work” (Elder Bednar, Becoming a Missionary, Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 45–46).

As you prepare to serve the Lord, we encourage you to develop scripture study habits that will deepen your discipleship in the Savior, Jesus Christ. As part of that effort, we encourage you to study the following:

• On your own, read the entire Book of Mormon and pray to know of its truthfulness by the power of the Holy Ghost; if additional direction would be helpful, consider looking for and marking every reference to the Savior, Jesus Christ

• Study regularly about principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including in the Book of Mormon and in Preach my Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, especially Chapter 3: Study and Teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ

• Gospel Study Guide: Inviting All to Receive the Gospel in the Gospel Library

• New Era article, Get Over Yourself, which describes some advice Elder Bednar provided about preparing for missionary service

We also invite you to engage meaningfully as a disciple of Jesus Christ in the following ways:

• Build healthy habits of righteous routines, including praying regularly, consistently studying the scriptures, and repenting daily

• Seek inspiration about how to serve faithfully, including in your callings and as ministering brothers and sisters

• Worship regularly in the temple

• Enroll in, attend, and engage in seminary

• Register for, attend, and engage in FSY Conferences

• Engage regularly and consistently in family scripture study, AP quorum or YW class meetings, and Sunday School classes

• Seek opportunities to share what you believe with friends and others

• Occasionally attend our Stake Missionary Preparation Class (details about the class are included below)

• Develop other habits to prepare for the physical, emotional, intellectual, and social demands of missionary service

In the Year Before

Although there are many things that can be done to prepare for missionary service during the year before you serve, based on our experiences with many, many missionaries, here are our top priorities to pursue as part of your preparation:

• Read the entire Book of Mormon by yourself and pray that the Holy Ghost will manifest the truthfulness of it unto you

• Read Preach my Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ from cover to cover

  • Regularly attend our stake missionary preparation class (more details below)

Preparing for Teaching and Service Mission Assignments

"Missionary work is challenging. Physical, mental, and emotional demands can be stressful. Missionaries often work in unfamiliar conditions. Health may be affected by a change in diet, climate, or living conditions. The missionary schedule is also demanding. (See Alma 17:5; 26:27–28, 30.) Young teaching missionaries must be committed and physically, mentally, and emotionally able to work the full missionary schedule. (See Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ [2019], 2.4.) Young service missionaries work a schedule customized to the full extent of their talents, skills, and capacities." (General Handbook, Section 24.3.3) You can visit the church's Service Missionary webpage to learn more about service missions.

Because of the challenges of missionary work, if you have had or currently have major medical or mental health concerns, please discuss these concerns with your physician, your parents, and your Bishop well in advance of your plans to serve a mission. Regarding mental health concerns, in general, "[missionary] candidates should be functionally stable for six months [before submitting their missionary recommendation forms] and should possess coping skills suitable for the demands of the missionary schedule." (Standards for Specific Health Challenges, Missionary Policies)

"Missionary safety and well-being are always a priority when assignments are considered ... the following principles may affect missionary assignments:

• Missionaries have primary responsibility for maintaining their own health

• Missionaries should be sufficiently healthy to maintain a regular missionary schedule without accommodations

• Missionaries should be able to protect and minister to their companion, when necessary

• Missionaries should be assigned to the mission experience—proselyting or service—that will allow them to thrive" (Medical Standards for Young Missionaries, Missionary Policies)

If you have any questions about mission assignments, including teaching and service missionary assignments, please visit with your Bishop or Stake President.

Preparing to Serve

Adequate preparation greatly enhances the successful adjustment to missionary life. In particular, missionaries tend to have an easier time adjusting to missionary life when they have:

• Worked a part-time or full-time job

• Attended Elder Quorum or Relief Society for at least three months before beginning missionary service

• Regularly attended a missionary preparation class

We encourage prospective missionaries to set goals to help them prepare for missionary service. As part of those goals, for six months to a year before you intend to serve a mission, we urge you to regularly attend a missionary preparation class. We would strongly encourage our stake-based class, although there are institute and BYU religious education missionary preparation classes as well.

Stake Missionary Preparation Class

• When: Nearly every Sunday @ 4-5pm (if it's on the stake calendar, class will be held)

• Where: Relief Society Room of what is known as the Red Church (on the corner of 1200 N and 1000 W)

• Who: Anyone is welcome to attend, and we especially invite prospective missionaries within a year of leaving on a mission to attend regularly and continue attending until you leave on your mission; doing so is a powerful way to come unto Christ, enhance your skills to Preach His Gospel, and develop Christlike attributes

With the assistance of your parents or other trusted adults, we also encourage you to make goals and plans associated with building the skills that will help you be a successful missionary, including the following:

• Seek and develop Christlike attributes, including those outlined in Mosiah 3:19, D&C 4, and Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel

• Develop a good work ethic through household responsibilities and paid employment

• Develop an exercise routine and healthy sleep habits

• Develop healthy coping skills for managing stressful schedules, meeting deadlines, resolving relationship conflicts, and fulfilling commitments

• Practice grocery shopping, meal preparation, and laundry responsibilities

• Discuss basic budgeting skills and plans for paying for your mission

• Have all dental and orthodontic work completed

• Begin the hepatitis A and B immunizations and boosters for diphtheria, tetanus, measles, and mumps

• Stabilize and understand the treatment for any chronic medical or mental health concerns you may have; if you take prescription medicine for a chronic health or mental health concern, continue to do so unless advised by a physician

• Start setting aside personal interests and devote increasingly more time and attention to serving the Lord

  • Continue studying the material outlined above

  • Missionary Standards for Disciplines of Jesus Christ

  • Review the Missionary Interview Questions, and discuss them with your parents or another trusted adult

When you’re ready, contact your Bishop and ask him to start a missionary recommendation form for you; if needed, create a Church Account or resolve account issues if your Church Account and your FamilySearch Account are not the same

Preparing for Ordinances

An important part of preparing for a mission is preparing for and receiving important ordinances. In particular, prospective missionaries are encouraged to receive the following ordinances before they serve a mission, and the links below provide additional guidance to help you prepare for each ordinance. We encourage you to make plans to receive these ordinances before you start your missionary service.

• Patriarchal Blessing: Although not a saving ordinance, this blessing can provide helpful guidance as you make decisions throughout your life

• Melchizedek Priesthood: Although this ordination is for men, we also encourage women to learn about the role that the Melchizedek Priesthood plays in their lives, and this page has resources to assist with that

• Temple Endowment: As circumstances permit, please consider serving as a temple worker after you receive your temple endowment and before you serve as a missionary

Approximately Six Months Before: Submitting Your Missionary Recommendation Form to Your Bishop

General Handbook Section 24.4.3 states, "The stake president may submit a recommendation for a young missionary candidate up to 150 days before his or her availability date." If you are eager to submit your recommendation as soon as possible, we encourage you to meet with your Bishop a few weeks prior to 150 days before your availability date so that you allow time to schedule an appointment with your Stake President.

• If you haven't yet, please read the entire Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel cover to cover and regularly attend our stake missionary preparation class

• Complete your portion of the missionary recommendation form online at missionary.churchofjesuschrist.org

  • Fill out the Personal Health History form completely, honestly, and accurately

  • Follow all the steps outlined in the Instructions to Missionary Candidate document, found at missionary.churchofjesuschrist.org

• Visit your doctor and take them the Physician’s Health Evaluation Form to complete; also provide a stamped envelope addressed to your Bishop

• Visit your dentist and take them the Dental Evaluation for Missionary Candidate form to complete; also provide a stamped envelope addressed to your Bishop

• Ask your parents to review the form before submitting them to your Bishop

• Submit your missionary recommendation form to your Bishop online

• After you have submitted your missionary recommendation form to your bishop, contact your Ward Executive Secretary to schedule an appointment to meet with your Bishop; inform him this is to discuss your missionary recommendation form

• Meet with your Bishop to discuss your preparation and worthiness and to review the Missionary Interview Questions; if any concerns arise, work with your Bishop to resolve those concerns before proceeding

• When you're ready, your Bishop will submit your recommendation form and relay your medical and dental evaluation forms to the Stake Assistant Executive Secretary; please allow your Bishop and stake leaders ample time for this exchange to happen

Potential Issues when Completing Your Missionary Recommendation Form

Church leaders are greatly concerned about the health and safety of our missionaries. The purpose of a careful medical evaluation is to ensure that missionaries can handle the rigors of missionary work and receive assignments in which they are most likely to succeed.

• Remember to bring the Personal Health History Form to your physician (Instructions to Missionary Candidate, item 6); your physician is required to review this information before signing the Physician’s Health Evaluation Form (Instructions for Physicians Evaluating Missionary Candidates, item 5)

• You may need to request lab results for a Tuberculosis screening so that Question 19 of the Physician’s Health Evaluation Form can be completed; the Tuberculosis screening results cannot be left blank

• Be sure to have your immunization history completed in Question 20 of the Physician’s Health Evaluation Form

• If a Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician's Assistant (PA) performs the evaluation, the supervising physician needs to countersign the Physician’s Health Evaluation Form (Instructions to Missionary Candidate, item 5)

• Make sure your photo that you include in your recommendation form meets the requirements listed in the photo guidelines, which includes being "dressed and groomed according to missionary standards;" note that this photo will be used by your mission leaders throughout your mission

Approximately Five Months Before: Submitting Your Missionary Recommendation Form to the Missionary Department

We want to set our missionaries up for success as they proceed through the recommendation process. To build on the positive momentum of each succeeding step, we ask that you wait to schedule a meeting with the Stake President until after you have met with your Bishop.

• • If you haven't yet, please read the entire Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel cover to cover and regularly attend our stake missionary preparation class

• After meeting with your Bishop, contact the Stake Assistant Executive Secretary to schedule a meeting with your Stake President, which typically lasts about an hour

  • Inform him you would like to discuss your missionary recommendation form

  • Whenever possible, your parents are invited and encouraged to join you for the first part of this meeting so that we can discuss the next steps together and address any questions that may arise

• Meet with your Stake President to discuss your preparation and worthiness and to review the Missionary Interview Questions

  • When you and your Stake President agree that you are ready, your Stake President will submit your missionary recommendation form to the Missionary Department

  • If additional information is needed, either the Missionary Department or your Stake President will reach out to you

Receiving Your Call and Assignment

As you await to receive your mission call and assignment letter, we encourage you to consider the setting in which you will open your letter. For example, since you will be departing on your mission only with the companionship of the Holy Ghost, that may be how you decide to open your letter: by yourself with the Spirit as your companion. Alternatively, you may decide to open your letter with your close family. Other settings, such as a larger gathering where you can encourage others to serve, can also be considered.

Regardless of the way in which you decide to open your letter, we encourage you to consider the dignity associated with serving the Lord. We also invite you to find ways to share your testimony and faith in Jesus Christ as you embark in this incredible opportunity of serving a mission.

Once you receive your call letter, please review the other material provided to you. As needed:

• Follow any instructions outlined in your call letter, paying particular attention to any visa or immunization requirements

• Arrange to secure the clothing and supplies you'll need

After receiving your call and assignment, continue your preparation by studying the material outlined above, developing Christlike attributes, and attending the Stake Missionary Preparation Class as often as you can until you leave on your mission.

Speaking in Your Ward

Section 24.5.2 of the General Handbook provides guidance about sacrament meetings where missionaries speak. We invite you to remember the primary purpose of sacrament meetings, namely, to make and renew covenants as we come unto Christ. The focus of these meetings and the talks that are shared should be on the Savior, Jesus Christ, not the speakers. We remind you that your Bishop is responsible for sacrament meetings in your ward, and family members and friends of a missionary who is speaking generally should not be invited to participate in the program of the sacrament meeting.

Living in a predominantly Latter-day Saint community, you likely have friends and acquaintances departing on missions. What a blessing to be surrounded by strong and faithful peers! This strength can also pose a challenge. A popular custom is to invite friends to leave church after sacrament meeting to enjoy an open house at the home of a departing missionary. Instead, we invite you to be a missionary before you go on a mission! Begin by inviting your friends and family to stay and attend class at church, just as you will be inviting your friends to attend church as a missionary. 

To invite all to come unto Christ and partake of His goodness, we encourage departing and returning missionaries and their families to consider the following:

• Carefully and prayerfully consider the counsel in General Handbook Section 24.5.2

• Find other ways and other days, such as on a Saturday, to celebrate a missionary’s service

• Invite family and friends who attend the sacrament meeting in which a missionary speaks to also participate in the other church meetings that day

• Schedule Sunday family gatherings after your ward meetings have concluded or even in the evening after every ward has concluded their meetings

These reminders are not intended to dampen enthusiasm or curtail appropriate expressions of support. Instead, they will help to maintain the dignity of your calling while also supporting others in their discipleship of Jesus Christ, including their service in their own wards. We commend and congratulate you on your willingness and worthiness to serve the Lord as one of his missionaries.

Preparing to Leave

Many questions about the at-home and on-site missionary training experience can be answered on the Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC) website. The MTC website also provides suggestions to prepare for the training, arrival information, and other frequently asked questions.

Shortly before you are scheduled to report to the MTC, contact the Stake Assistant Executive Secretary to schedule a time for the following two meetings:

• Your final interview, which is typically held a week before you are set apart and usually lasts about half-hour

• Your setting apart, which is typically held the evening before reporting to the MTC and usually lasts about an hour; family members (including grandparents and siblings) and close friends may attend (General Handbook Section 24.5.3); if grandparents live far away or a sibling is serving elsewhere as a full-time missionary, you can discuss with your Stake President the possibility of streaming the ordinance (General Handbook Section 38.2.3).

Once you are set apart, you are "given authority from God to act in that calling" (General Handbook Section 3.4.3.1). Once you complete any at-home MTC experience, report to the MTC as instructed in your mission call. If you are reporting to the Provo MTC, additional details are available at mtc.byu.edu.

Financing Your Mission

"Financial sacrifice is part of missionary service (see Mark 1:17–18; Alma 15:16). Missionaries and their families have primary responsibility for contributing financially to missionary service. They should make appropriate preparation and sacrifice. They should be financially self-reliant to the extent possible in meeting contribution commitments. " (General Handbook Section 24.3.4).

Here are a few additional items regarding financing your mission:

• The current monthly contribution commitment is $400; with your parents and your Bishop, please discuss plans to cover this monthly contribution commitment

• The monthly contribution commitment is typically pro-rated for the first and last month of your missionary service; we encourage you or your parents to contact your ward financial clerk to determine what your commitment amount is for the first and last month

• Donations may be made physically using tithing envelopes or online using the same Donations tool used your tithing and other offerings; you can select your name from the list under Ward Missionary

• During your service, we encourage you or your parents to periodically check with your ward financial clerk to review the balance of your missionary account; doing so is especially encouraged in the final months of your mission

• After you return home, we ask that you work with your ward financial clerk to bring your missionary account balance to zero

• As a reminder, "Funds beyond the monthly amount should not be contributed in advance. Funds contributed in advance cannot be refunded if a missionary returns home early” (General Handbook Section 24.3.4.1)

Additional Ideas and Resources for Preparing

These ideas and resources are designed to help you further prepare to share the gospel of Jesus Christ as a missionary and in your efforts to invite all to come unto Christ and partake of His goodness:

• Use For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices to guide the choices you make as you prepare to serve

• Become familiar with finding ancestors on FamilySearch and preparing their names for temple work so that you can help those you teach do the same

• Review the Gospel Topics Essays to become familiar with the gospel doctrines and church history they contain

• Memorize Your Purpose on the first page of the first chapter of Preach My Gospel

• Ask the full-time and/or ward missionaries if you can engage with them in their work

• Review other online resources about preparing to serve a mission

• Watch The District videos to see examples of missionaries in action

• Review excerpts from the Seminar for New Mission Leaders, available on the Church News podcast

• Listen to the Preach My Gospel podcast institute class from the Utah Valley Institute