The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announces 36 new missions

Nov 1, 2023, 11:53 AM | Updated: 5:32 pm

KSLTV.com

SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the creation of 36 new missions in 2024 to accommodate the rising number of missionaries. The number of missionaries is now at over 72,000.

According to a release from The Church, the new missions will open on July 1, 2024, putting the total number of missions at 450 — the highest number in Church history.

Breaking: @Ch_JesusChrist announcing 36 new missions .. including 3 new ones in Utah. Second largest increase of new missions in one year. This will happen July 1, 2024. Total worldwide will jump to 450 missions worldwide. @KSL5TV

— Dan Rascon (@TVDanRascon) November 1, 2023

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles chairs the Church’s Missionary Executive Council.

“We are incredibly grateful for the response we have seen by so many young people to our beloved Prophet’s clarion call for missionary service in April of last year,” Elder Cook said. “We are witnessing an increased enthusiasm for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. These new missions, spread all around the world, will be a blessing locally as we desire to have more missionaries supporting the units of the Church.”

Leaders will create the missions from existing missions. The Church said the new missions will allow more missionaries to serve within wards and branches and have more interactions with mission leaders.

“This is a big announcement. This is something we should celebrate,” Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of twelve apostles said. “Prior to this announcement, five or six stakes might share one set of missionaries. With this announcement, we’re going to have at least one companionship of missionaries to every stake in Utah. That’s never happened before. What does it mean for a local family, a local ward in Utah, it means that they can finally get closer to one set of missionaries.”

The number of missionaries has increased significantly over the past two years. The number of total missionaries has gone from 56,000 at the end of 2021, to 62,500 at the end of 2022, to 72,00 in 2023. Approximately 5,300 of those missionaries are senior missionaries.

In a policy update, now prospective missionaries can submit their missionary recommendations up to 150 days prior to their availability date instead of 120 days. This change gives prospective missionaries more time to prepare for their missions, shortens the period between a prospective missionary’s availability date and mission start date, and reduces visa delays for missionaries assigned to serve outside their home countries.

The new missions will be in the following locations:

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