Missionary Work Articles
The history of Mormon missionary work is almost as long as Mormon history itself, for without missionary work, there would be no Mormon Church. Mormon missionaries have, from the very earliest days of Mormonism, gone out to their neighbors, surrounding communities, and far away lands to preach the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. No other church has in modern times undertaken such extensive and sustained missionary activities as has the Mormon Church. Even in the darkest days of persecution, when their leaders were imprisoned and their families driven and scattered by mobs and armies, Mormon missionaries have continued to go forth, two by two, to fulfill God’s charge to preach the gospel to every person, baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
One of the earliest revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith pertained to missionary work, and it was received even before the Mormon Church was officially established. ... Read the rest of this article »
The first Mormon missionary was undoubtedly Joseph Smith, the Prophet, who told his family and neighbors about his First Vision in which he saw Jesus Christ and God the Father. Though ostracized and harassed because of this, Joseph continued to assert the truth and on September 21, 1824, an angel appeared to him and called him to be a prophet. Joseph Smith’s first task was to translate the Book of Mormon from ancient engravings, which he did with the help of many scribes, including his wife, Emma Smith. In late March of 1830, the Book of Mormon was printed, and the early believers, including Joseph Smith, Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, the Smith family, and the Whitmer family began passing the copies around to each other and to family friends. On April 6, 1830, a couple dozen families gathered in Fayette, New York, to organize The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church. That very week, the first officially... Read the rest of this article »
In the early twentieth century, Mormon missionaries continued to preach in the traditional lands of Europe and throughout America, while still seeking to reach entire new countries in order to fulfill Jesus Christ’s commandment to “teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In 1898, the first full-time female Mormon missionaries were called. In 1901, the 21st Mission of the Mormon Church was created in Japan by President Lorenzo Snow. Heber J. Grant, future President of the Mormon Church, led that mission. In the years before World War I, Mormon missionaries began proselytizing in Africa, Finland, Russia, Palestine, and they returned to areas of Europe like France, Greece, and Italy from which they had pulled missionaries during the dark days of persecution in the late nineteenth century.
Missionary work slowed considerably during World War I, but following the war, Mormon missionaries had great success in Europe, particularly in Germany, where... Read the rest of this article »
While Mormon missionaries never ceased preaching in Canada, the United States, and the British Isles, the next major change in Mormon missionary work came in the 1840s, as Mormons went beyond the English-speaking world. In 1843, Joseph Smith sent Mormon missionaries to the Society Islands (now French Polynesia). Joseph Smith’s death in 1844 at the hands of a mob did not slow Mormon missionary efforts, nor did the difficult Mormon exodus from Illinois to Utah in 1846 to 1857. Dan Jones, whom Joseph Smith (mere days before his own death) had prophesied would serve a mission to Wales, did so in 1845. Thousands of Welsh citizens joined the Mormon Church and brought with them their musical tradition, which has shaped Mormon musical history. It was, in fact, Welsh Mormons who began the choir that evolved into the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
However, once the Mormons began to be settled in their new home in Utah, they ventured out even... Read the rest of this article »
From 1830 to 1837, Mormon missionaries continued to preach as they traveled, often being called by revelation from the Prophet Joseph Smith to preach for an unspecified time, usually a few months, in New England, Canada, or the regions round about Kirtland, Ohio. In 1831 and 1832, Joseph Smith traveled on several short missions throughout Ohio to counteract rumors and scandalous reports being spread in local newspapers by an angry ex-Mormon named Ezra Booth. The Mormons also began printing their own newspapers in Kirtland and Missouri, hoping thereby to counteract the negative press that was circulating. Through these missionaries, some of whom, like Brigham Young, made literally dozens of multiple-month missions during this time, hundreds joined the Mormon Church. By 1837 there were already 16,000 Mormons, a phenomenal growth for the seven-year-old Mormon Church. In the summer of 1832, another group of Mormon missionaries began the first international... Read the rest of this article »
In 1974, Spencer W. Kimball, the Mormon Prophet, in his first address as President of the Mormon Church, announced that he had received a revelation that every worthy, young man should serve as a Mormon missionary. In the years up to that time, around 8,000 new Mormon missionaries were sent out each year. By 1975, the number had risen to 15,000 in response to the prophet’s call, and the number has increased nearly every year since then. Behind these numbers are thousands of stories of faith and sacrifice, full of miracles and hard work by ordinary people devoted to God and Jesus Christ. Under President Spencer W. Kimball, the Mormon Church saw new areas open up to missionary work, and the beginnings of the remarkable growth of the 1980s and 1990s that would propel the Mormon Church into international status. In 1974, when President Kimball made that remark, there were just shy of 3,000,000 Mormons worldwide; that number would triple by the... Read the rest of this article »
David O. McKay, who was Mormon Church president from 1951–1970, traveled the world extensively visiting Mormons in every land and overseeing the largest construction of chapels and Mormon temples up to that time. He also greatly increased the Mormon missionary force from 5,000 to 13,000. During this time the Book of Mormon was translated into dozens more languages including Tongan, Chinese, Korean, Afrikaans, Thai, Croatian, Quechua, and Hungarian. Traditionally, Mormon missionaries had gone to foreign lands without any training or language aid, but the thousands of new missionaries being called and the new countries being entered required a more organized approach, an approach which characterized David O. McKay’s presidency.
Tragic though the wars of the 1940s and 1950s were, out of them came blessings for millions. Mormon soldiers from the United States and England stationed in the Pacific during World War II and later in Korea during the... Read the rest of this article »
The rapid growth of the 1980s and 1990s which nearly quadrupled the size of the Mormon Church from 1974 to 2004, a mere thirty years, has only slowed somewhat in the early years of the twenty-first century. In 1995, Gordon B. Hinckley became President and Prophet to the Church. His predecessor, Howard W. Hunter had prophetically counseled all Mormons around the world to prepare themselves to enter the temple, even though many of them could not get to a temple. Their faith was answered as President Gordon B. Hinckley began the largest program of temple building in Mormon history. From 1995 to 2000 nearly 50 Mormon temples were built, equal to all those built in the previous 160 years. Today there are 122 Mormon temples all over the globe fulfilling the prophesy that one day Mormon temples would dot the earth.
These temples and the increasing public image of the Mormon Church has lead to many sincere seekers after truth meeting with the Mormon... Read the rest of this article »
