More than 90,000 missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are now serving around the world, marking the largest missionary force in the Church’s history.
The milestone comes as the number of women serving full-time missions has also reached a record high, with more than 30,000 sister missionaries currently serving.
Missionaries are assigned to more than 500 missions worldwide, where they teach about Jesus Christ, serve in local communities and invite others to come unto Him.
The rise in the number of sister missionaries follows a November 2025 announcement from the First Presidency that young women who choose to serve full-time missions may begin their service at age 18 after graduating from high school or its equivalent.
The first wave of 18-year-old sister missionaries began entering the mission field earlier this year. According to the Church, the change has contributed to a significant increase in the number of young women choosing missionary service, with the largest share coming from the United States.
President Dallin H. Oaks spoke about the growing missionary force during a meeting with new mission leaders in June.
“Missionary work is soaring to new heights,” President Oaks said at the time. “We are currently being reinforced by the first wave of 18-year-old sisters beginning their service.”
More than 87,000 full-time missionaries were serving worldwide when President Oaks made those remarks. He also told mission leaders that the Church would soon have “the largest number of full-time missionaries in the Church’s history.”
That milestone has now been reached.
Youth participation also reaches new highs
The growth in missionary service comes alongside record participation in other Church programs for youth and young adults.
More than 1.09 million young people are enrolled in seminary and institute programs worldwide, the highest enrollment recorded in the history of those programs.
Institutes of religion alone have added more than 100,000 students during the past two years and now serve more than 450,000 young adults.
Seminary and institute programs provide opportunities for young people to study scripture, strengthen their faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and gather with others seeking to follow the Savior.
Church leaders have described these trends as part of a broader increase in participation among younger members of the Church.
Church reports continued global growth
The increase in missionary service and youth participation comes amid broader membership growth for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
More than 900,000 people have joined the Church during the past three years, bringing total Church membership to 17,887,212 in 2025.
During the first six months of 2025, convert baptisms increased by more than 20 percent compared with the previous year in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America. North America recorded a 17 percent increase during the same period.
The Church also reported increased participation among children, youth and young adults in the United States over the past decade.
Church leaders have emphasized that the numbers represent individual decisions to worship, serve and follow Jesus Christ.
President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, recently described 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,” President Eyring said. “They see hope.”
President Oaks likewise pointed to the message of Jesus Christ as the foundation of that growth.
“It’s a gospel of happiness and growth and information about the purpose of life,” he said.
For the Church, the record missionary force represents both a historic numerical milestone and growing participation among young members choosing to serve and share their faith throughout the world.
