Mormon missionaries

Since the earliest days of the restoration, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been a proselyting church, sending out missionaries to all parts of the world. Missionary work is constantly talked about in Mormon congregations, with Church members encouraged to share the gospel with their friends and neighbors.

The LDS Church has perhaps the most active missionary program of any world church. As of December 31, 2004, there were in excess of 51,000 full-time missionaries serving around the world at any given time without pay.

Missionary work is a fundamental principle of the Church, and has become one of the most readily identifiable characteristics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All missionaries have been assigned by Church headquarters to their area of work, which can be in any part of the world where governments allow them to preach. They contribute to their own support for up to two years, frequently learning another language.

Formal Missionary Service

The formal missionary program for the Church is responsible for sending out over 56,000 missionaries to approximately 330 organized missions around the world. Missionaries are a common sight in many areas, often seen in white shirts and ties, riding bicycles through neighborhoods or doing service in communities small and large. These young men, typically 19 to 24 years old, are not the only missionaries that are fielded by the Church. There are missionaries who are old, young, male, female, proselyting, and service oriented.

Missionary Training Centers

Before leaving on a mission, each missionary attends a missionary training centers for a short time. These centers help prepare missionaries to teach the gospel and to orient them to missionary life. There are currently seventeen missionary training centers (MTCs) around the world:

• Provo, Utah (USA)
• Preston, England
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Santiago, Chile
• Bogotá, Colombia
• Lima, Peru
• Guatemala City, Guatemala
• Hamilton, New Zealand
• Manila, Philippines
• Tokyo, Japan
• Seoul, South Korea
• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
• Madrid, Spain
• Accra, Ghana
• Johannesburg, South Africa

Missionary training centers are like small universities or communities where missionaries learn teaching skills they will need while serving. If the missionary already knows the language of where they are going, then they will normally stay in the MTC for about three weeks. If they need to learn a foreign language, then the training time extends to a period between eight to ten weeks, with extensive language training being added to their studies.