More than 90,000 missionaries now serve throughout the world for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest missionary force in the Church’s history, according to a Church Newsroom release. The total includes a record group of more than 30,000 sister missionaries.
Latter-day Saint missionaries serve across more than 500 missions, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, assisting local communities and inviting others to come unto Christ. Their numbers have risen as young women begin serving under a policy change the First Presidency announced in November 2025.
Young women may now begin full-time missions at age 18 after graduating from high school or completing an equivalent program. The first group to qualify under the new policy entered the mission field earlier this year, contributing to what the Church of Jesus Christ described as a significant increase in young women choosing missionary service.
The largest share of the new sister missionaries comes from the United States. In June, the worldwide missionary force included more than 87,000 full-time missionaries.
President Oaks Anticipated Record Missionary Numbers
President Dallin H. Oaks connected the growth to the arrival of younger sister missionaries while addressing new mission leaders in June. “Missionary work is soaring to new heights,” President Oaks said. “We are currently being reinforced by the first wave of 18-year-old sisters beginning their service.”
President Oaks Says Missionary Force Will Soon Reach Record Size
President Oaks also predicted that the Church would soon have “the largest number of full-time missionaries in the Church’s history.” The worldwide total crossed that threshold less than three months later.
Seminary and Institute Enrollment Reaches New High
The Church also reported record participation in its educational programs for youth and young adults. More than 1.09 million students worldwide now attend seminary or institute, the highest combined enrollment in the programs’ history.
Institute enrollment has grown by more than 100,000 students during the past two years. Institutes of religion now serve more than 450,000 young adults around the world.
Seminary and institute programs give young participants opportunities to study scripture and deepen their faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The programs also allow them to gather with others who share their desire to follow the Savior.
Church Newsroom connected the enrollment figures with the growing missionary force, describing both trends as evidence of young Latter-day Saints choosing greater Church participation and a deeper commitment to Jesus Christ.
Church Reports Increased Participation and Membership
Church data also show increased participation among children, youth and young adults in the United States over the past decade. The Church placed that activity within a broader pattern of growth and participation around the world.
More than 900,000 people joined the Church during the past three years, bringing its total membership to 17,887,212 in 2025. During the first six months of that year, convert baptisms increased by more than 20 percent in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America and by 17 percent in North America compared with the previous year.
Church leaders connected those figures with individual decisions to worship, serve and center life on Jesus Christ. They also emphasized the hope and purpose missionaries seek to share with those they teach.
President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, identified hope in the Savior as central to the Church’s growth. “The growth of the Church will accelerate when they find the gospel of Jesus Christ presented by missionaries. They see hope,” President Eyring said.
President Oaks likewise attributed the growth to the Church’s message about Jesus Christ and the purpose of life. “It’s a gospel of happiness and growth and information about the purpose of life,” he said.
“People who subscribe to its doctrine find that it makes their life more happy, more significant, more resistant to the difficulties we all experience in mortal life, and more able to serve their fellow men and to raise their children,” President Oaks continued, connecting the Church’s numerical growth with the effect its teachings can have in individual lives.
Did you or someone you know decide to serve a mission at age 18 after the policy change? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Holly Wallace is a writer and storyteller drawn to meaningful questions and overlooked details. Her work explores Latter-day Saint life and culture through faithful inquiry, inviting readers to pause, consider, and engage more deeply with what matters most.
