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Missions

David F. Boone

Missionary work is the lifeblood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Organized in 1830, the Church has grown steadily since that time through the efforts of thousands of missionaries who have given their time and energy, at their own expense, to share Church teachings and a unique way of life with others. Frequently today an individual Church member can readily trace his or her genealogy to an ancestor who came into the Church as a consequence of the Church's missionary program. As of December 31, 1992, there were 276 missions in the Church within 146 of the world's nations and territories. Within these missions 46,025 missionaries served full-time.

A mission is a geographical and cultural designation for an area of the world where missionary activity is conducted by Latter-day Saints. It is a basic component for future growth of Church organization in a specific locale. For example, when missionary work begins within a country, Church leaders organize a mission by calling a mission president and two counselors to preside over other Church members and representatives in the area.

The names of the missions have traditionally reflected their general locale in order to distinguish them from other proselyting regions of the world. For example, the first mission formally organized in the Church after its founding in April 1830 was the British Mission, established in July 1837. At the outset, mission designations included immense geographical regions because the Numbers of proselyting missionaries were small, and as a result, the ability to proselyte individuals within those regions was limited. Following the organization of the British Mission, the next earliest mission organizations were the Eastern States Mission in the United States (1839) and the Society Islands Mission (1844), the latter comprising virtually all of the islands of the South Pacific.