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Doctrine of the Mormon Church teaches that it is a members responsibility to help spread the gospel of Christ; because of this teaching, the Mormon Church has a vast missionary program. Young men and women are encouraged to serve as full-time missionaries, retired couples and single sisters are also encouraged to serve full-time missions. Mormon leaders are increasingly asking for more older married couples to serve as missionaries. Robert D. Hales, an apostle of the Mormon Church said, “I feel a deep responsibility to speak to you today about a pressing need in the Church. My greatest hope is that as I speak, the Holy Ghost will touch hearts, and somewhere a spouse or two will quietly nudge his or her companion, and a moment of truth will occur. I will speak on the urgent need for more mature couples to serve in the mission field.” *[FN1] Many statements like this are becoming more and more common. The need for senior missionaries is real.

Mormon missions are most often paid for by those serving the mission, and many older couples are often concerned that they will not be able to afford serving a mission. When filling out mission papers, couples are asked to let the Church know how much they can spend per month on their mission and the couple will be assigned a place where their costs will not go outside of their budget.

Missionary couples have many options as to where they can serve. They can serve in positions in the Church Educational System, public affairs, family history, mission offices, in Mormon temples, in humanitarian services and other places. Older couples also have health concerns or physical disabilities that make them hesitant to consider serving a mission, but the Church works very hard to find a place where their skills can be used. The minimum age for a couple to go on a mission is forty. There is no maximum age, but members are reminded that they should be in relatively good health and have the means to serve.

Couple missionaries can also serve on a part-time basis, while still living at home. This is an especially good option for couples who want to serve but have circumstances that do not let them leave home. Part-time missions require between 8 and 32 hours of service per week. These missionaries are very important to the work of the Church, because it allows the Church to carry out its needs worldwide without having to hire and pay numerous employees. Some areas in which a part-time missionary couple may serve are: in the Church Educational System, as Family History Center Assistants, in LDS Family Services, as mission medical specialists (if background in medicine), mission housing coordinators (help find and maintain housing for full-time missionaries in the area), in the Churchís welfare system at canneries, Employment Resource Centers, or Bishopís Storehouses, at Church facilities such as camps, Deseret Industries, Distribution Centers, Church Farms, Visitor’s Centers, Humanitarian Centers, and Mormon history sites.

The Mormon Church has over 5,800 senior missionaries. President Hinckley commented on the work being done by senior missionaries, “the great genius of this Church is work. Everybody works. We expect great things of them, and the marvelous and wonderful thing is they come through.”

This article was recently submitted to all-encompassingly for publication. It is one of a series of informational posts intended to address misunderstandings about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. –Admin

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*FN1: Robert D. Hales, “Couple Missionaries: A Time to Serve,” Ensign, May 2001, 25