Overview
- The policy equalizes the minimum starting age with men, allowing women to begin full-time service after high school.
- Leaders reiterated that missionary service for young women is optional, whereas young men are counseled to serve as a priesthood responsibility.
- Mission durations are unchanged, with women typically serving 18 months and men two years.
- The church reports more than 84,000 missionaries worldwide with about 25,000 women, and 55 new missions are scheduled to be created by July 1, 2026.
- The move is among President Dallin H. Oaks’s first major actions, and growth researchers expect the change to draw more female applicants.