From the start, LDS missions have remained central to how the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints shares its message and serves communities around the world. Today’s update spotlights where things stand in 2025 and beyond, with fresh developments and strategic shifts making this moment one of the most dynamic in missionary work in decades.
What’s New in LDS Missions
In 2025 the Church made major adjustments to its missionary structure. First, the First Presidency called new mission presidents and their companions for approximately 165 missions worldwide. Most of those leaders started about July 1.
In tandem with that, the Church reported that its worldwide missionary force is at historically high levels. For example, during June 2024 – May 2025 convert baptisms reached the highest 12-month total ever recorded, with every region of the world showing at least a 20% increase compared to the same period a year earlier.
Why does this matter? Because that kind of growth places demands on mission organization, training infrastructure, leadership, and logistical support. The result: more missions, more leaders, more service opportunities—and more adjustments ahead.
Structural Shifts in Mission Organization
Several key elements highlight how LDS missions are evolving right now:
- New mission leadership calls: In early 2025 the Church announced leadership changes for 165 missions. This means dozens of mission-president couples gathered for specialized training, took new assignments, and will serve in a three-year term under fresh direction.
- Training and preparation: The 2025 “Seminar for New Mission Leaders” brought these couples together for intensive instruction. Of the roughly 167 assigned couples, some 42 will serve in missions headquartered in U.S. states while the rest serve in missions abroad. The sessions included teaching practice, real-world case studies, collaboration with mission trainers, and strategic briefings on the rapidly changing missionary field.
- Rising missionary numbers + convert growth: The interplay of more full-time missionaries and higher convert baptism numbers means the Church must match capacity (missions, leadership, infrastructure) with demand (service opportunities, outreach, follow-up).
- Mission boundary adjustments: Rather than simply opening entirely new fields, many mission changes come by redrawing existing mission boundaries—splitting large missions into smaller units, or subdividing high-growth areas into more manageable mission fields to give mission presidents greater oversight, better missionary support, and closer linkages to local congregations.
Why This Period Is Pivotal for LDS Missions
The current moment stands out for three intertwined reasons:
- Global Momentum
The Church’s missionary work is experiencing unprecedented global traction. The reported record number of convert baptisms globally signals that missions are not only expanding in number, but also that outreach, local leadership, digital tools, and member-missionary coordination are all ramping up. This momentum creates urgency to align missions with growth. - U.S. Relevance & Local Impact
While much conversation around missions tends to focus on international fields, U.S. missionary work is part of this push. With dozens of U.S.-based missions receiving new leaders and many mission boundary realignments under way, young adults, senior couples, families, and support networks in the United States are affected. A mission call might be farther from home, closer to home, or in a new format. - Training, Leadership & Infrastructure Scaling
To match growth and complexity in missionary work, the Church is investing in leadership development (as seen in the seminars), infrastructure (MTCs, mission training materials, digital systems), and structure (more manageable mission sizes, updated training models). These are behind-the-scenes shifts that directly impact how missionary service is planned, taught, supported, and executed.
Where in the U.S. & Globally Are the Changes Most Visible?
Here’s a snapshot of how LDS missions are changing in both U.S. and global contexts:
- U.S.-Based Missions: Among the new leadership assignments for 2025, 42 mission-president couples will serve in U.S. missions headquartered across 29 states. This means many U.S. missions are under new leadership and will follow adjusted priorities and processes.
- International Fields: The remaining 125 couples will serve abroad, in missions headquartered in 48 other countries. That means growth isn’t just a U.S. story—it’s global in scale and impact.
- Areas with Boundary Shifts: Some of the highest-growth areas—especially in Africa, parts of Asia and Latin America—are seeing mission boundary adjustments to better serve increasing missionary numbers and higher local member/convert activity.
- Training Centers & Tools: With rising numbers of missionaries and new fields opening, mission training centers (MTCs) and digital/virtual training modules are evolving. Mission leaders in the 2025 Seminar engaged in classroom breakout sessions, panel discussions and rehearsal of real-mission teaching scenarios—an indication of how well-positioned the Church is for this next phase.
Key Metrics & Timelines for LDS Missions
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| New mission-leadership calls in 2025 | ~165 missions worldwide |
| Leadership couples serving in U.S. missions in 2025 | ~42 couples covering 29 U.S. states |
| Leadership couples serving abroad | ~125 couples going to 48 countries |
| Record convert baptism growth period | June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025: highest ever recorded |
| Mission boundary / field adjustment approach | New missions and boundary realignments rather than only brand-new geographic fields |
Implications for Missionaries and Families in the U.S.
If you live in the United States and are a prospective missionary, part of a missionary-family, or involved in supporting full-time missionaries, here is how these changes in LDS missions may affect you:
- More field options: With more missions and adjusted boundaries, there may be more invitation to serve in diverse settings—closer to home or in newly created mission fields.
- Potential for changed timelines: As leadership and training infrastructure adapt to expansion, wait times for mission calls, training schedules, and assignment processes may shift. Prospective missionaries should stay aware of updates from mission offices and Church communications.
- Greater emphasis on training and readiness: New mission leaders are being trained with newer methods and tools. This means future missionaries can expect more refined preparation—language training, teaching workshops, technology integration, and mission-specific instruction.
- Support systems may adapt: Wards, stakes, and families that support missionaries might see adjusted mission boundaries or new mission names/designations. That can affect how ward missionary-departing meetings are conducted, how families stay connected, and how local units coordinate with mission offices.
- Global context matters locally: Even though you’re in the U.S., mission work is increasingly global. U.S. missionaries may serve abroad; U.S. missions may take part in more global efforts. Be ready for a missionary service experience that may be more inter-connected with worldwide Church efforts than in past decades.
What to Look Out for in the Coming Year
As the Church implements these changes in LDS missions, here are trends to watch for the U.S. audience:
- Announcements of new mission openings or mission names: Keep an eye on official Church communications for missions that may open, merge or change boundaries, especially in regions with high membership or growth.
- Updates to mission-call processing: Any change in age, language, length, or format of calls could signal a shift. With high missionary numbers and expanded fields, call patterns may evolve.
- Training model enhancements: Look for changes in how missionaries are trained—more technology use, more tailored language instruction, possibly more regional training centers.
- Mission-president couples serving in unfamiliar fields: Some mission leaders will serve in places far from where they lived, have missionary experience, or speak the local language. That could mean shifts in how missions are led, structured and supported.
- Greater emphasis on convert retention and local involvement: With record baptism numbers globally, the Church is likely to focus more on how newly baptized members are integrated into local congregations, how wards and branches support them, and how missionary follow-up is structured.
How This Shapes the Future of LDS Missions
In broad terms, the current wave of adjustments in LDS missions indicates a transition to a more scalable, flexible, and globally integrated missionary program. Here’s what that could look like:
- Smaller, more manageable mission units: Rather than enormous mission territories with stretched leadership, newly structured missions will allow closer oversight, more personalized mentoring of missionaries, and deeper engagement with local communities.
- Mission-calling as a more diverse experience: Missions may increasingly blend traditional language-and-culture fields with digital outreach, humanitarian service, or specialized assignment types. That broadens possibilities for applicants and may attract new kinds of service models.
- Enhanced link between missionary service and local Church growth: Missionaries won’t operate in a bubble—they’ll link more closely with local leadership, member-missionary efforts, and congregational integration of converts.
- Greater global coordination: The boundaries between “domestic” and “international” missions may blur as missionaries from the U.S. serve abroad and global programs use cross-mission collaboration. U.S. members will witness a more globally connected experience.
- Preparation and support modernization: With more missions, more missionaries and more complexity, the training, leader development and missionary-support systems will scale up and evolve—including more digital tools, mentorship opportunities, ongoing training during the mission, and possibly new service formats.
Bottom Line: What “LDS Missions” Means Now
In the evolving landscape of missionary service for the Church, “LDS missions” are not a static concept—they’re part of a dynamic system of leadership, field service, training, growth and adaptation. For U.S. members and potential missionaries, the implications are real:
- Mission boundaries may look different compared to a few years ago.
- Missionary service may come in more varied formats, less standard than in the past.
- Support structures (families, wards, training centers) will adapt and may look different.
- Global growth means U.S. missionary service is increasingly connected to worldwide outreach.
Whether you’re considering missionary service, supporting a missionary, or simply following Church growth trends, the current wave of changes in LDS missions signals one thing: the missionary program is stepping into a new phase—bigger, more flexible, more worldwide. It’s an exciting time.
We’d love to hear your thoughts—how do you see these changes in LDS missions affecting you or your community? Feel free to comment below or stay tuned for further updates.