Updated
Updated · Church News · Jun 28
LDS Church Sets 150-Day Mission Application Window as Full-Time Missionaries Top 87,000
Updated
Updated · Church News · Jun 28

LDS Church Sets 150-Day Mission Application Window as Full-Time Missionaries Top 87,000

1 articles · Updated · Church News · Jun 28

Summary

  • More than 87,000 full-time missionaries are now serving—the highest total in church history—as leaders issued updated guidance for prospective missionaries and their families.
  • A new application timeline lets candidates submit papers up to 150 days before they are available, giving more time for planning, medical and dental work, passports, visas, and spiritual preparation.
  • Updated readiness rules stress physical and mental health disclosures and require physician and dental exams before service begins.
  • Dental guidance now says healthy wisdom teeth do not need to be removed unless disease or significant risk is present, a shift aimed at avoiding unnecessary procedures and costs.
  • The guidance comes as an incoming wave of 18-year-old sisters begins service and as the church expands a global missionary system that includes young service missionaries and 11 training centers.

Insights

With 87,000 missionaries, how is the Church adapting its training to safeguard their mental and physical health?
What is driving the record-breaking surge in young people serving Latter-day Saint missions since 2020?
As 55 new missions open, what does this global expansion reveal about the Church's fastest-growing regions?