Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to open missionary training center in Thailand

SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced it will open a new missionary training center in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2024.

The new MTC will open in January to help accommodate the training of new full-time missionaries who are from Southeast Asia and other regions. It will be built in the annex of the new complex surrounding the Bangkok Thailand Temple, which was dedicated and opened in October.

This will be the Church’s 10th MTC, with other locations in Brazil, England, Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa and Provo, Utah.

Latter-day Saint missionaries spend three to nine weeks in training at an MTC (those not learning a foreign language stay at an MTC for up to three weeks) before departing for one of the Church’s missions. Currently, over 72,000 missionaries are serving worldwide, and the Church will open 36 new missions on July 1, bringing the total number to 450 — the highest number in Church history.

“MTCs provide a decidedly more rigorous curriculum rooted in gospel fundamentals. The meat and drink of MTC life is daily practice teaching situations, intense gospel classroom instruction from teachers who are former missionaries, weekly devotional addresses from Church leaders and MTC staff, and weekly service opportunities,” Church officials said.