LDS Church lowers missionary age
An announcement made by top leaders of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may impact college campuses across the state.
At LDS General Conference Saturday morning, Church President Thomas Monson announced missionary ages would be lowered from 19 to 18 for males. Monson emphasized the change was not a requirement, but a choice.
“I am not suggesting that all young men will – or should – serve at this earlier age,” Monson said. “Rather, based on individual circumstances, as well as upon a determination by priesthood leaders, this option is now available.”
According to the LDS.org, men who are capable and worthy are commanded to serve two-year missions. Currently the church has 55,410 missionaries serving in 340 different mission areas around the world.
Monson also announced the age requirement for female missionaries would drop from 21 to 19. Women are not required to serve missions, but may opt to serve a year-and-a-half if they choose.
USU Admissions Director Katie Nielsen said there’s no question the change will drop the rate of incoming freshmen over the next two years, though it’s hard to predict the numbers.
“We bring in 3,000 plus freshman a year,” she said. “It will be really interesting to see what happens over the next two years. We won’t know until late spring or early summer.”
She said a number of students are accepted to USU annually who defer, meaning they are able to hold their acceptance and scholarships for military or church-service reasons. Around 500 students come back from deferment every fall, a number that will probably increase, she said.
Rachel Fry, a senior majoring in journalism, said if the announcement had been made when she was a teenager, she “definitely” would have served a mission. She has always questioned the reasoning behind the age, because 21-year-old women are often in the middle of school or relationships.
When she heard the announcement, she said burst into tears.
“It is one thing that has always challenged me, ” she said. “I felt it was sexist. I felt like 21 was the worst possible age.”
Being in journalism, she said she couldn’t stop writing for a year-and-a-half and expect employers outside of Utah to understand. She’s been waiting for the announcement for years, and is excited her future daughters will have the opportunity to serve a year after high school.
“I’m really excited about the policy change because I think it’s the right thing,” she said. “I feel very justified.”
Sabrina Souza, a sophomore at LDS Business College, said the announcement came as an answer to prayer. She’ll graduate in December and has applied to USU, BYU, BYU-Idaho and BYU-Hawaii. She’s wanted to serve a mission since she was a child, but wasn’t sure how it fit into her plans. Once the standard was changed, she said her path became more clear.
Though she was excited about the announcement, she said it was slightly overwhelming. Instead of a year-and-a-half to prepare, she only has a few months.
“Now that this is an option, it gives me more perspective on where to base my decisions from,” she said. “It fits perfectly in my plans.”
In a press conference immediately following the conference session, church officials said no person, male or female, should take on missionary service without being prepared.
“No young man or woman should begin his or her service as a missionary before they are ready,” said Russell Nelson, a church apostle. “Over the past decade, permission has been given for young men from 48 countries to serve at age 18. This experience has been very positive. We’ve found that these missionaries are capable and qualified to serve.”
At a General Conference two years ago, Monson asked for more missionaries. In the press conference, Nelson said there are been a 6 percent increase in male missionaries and a 12 percent increase in female missionaries.
When asked why the change is taking place now, Apostle Jeffrey Holland said the church needs to accommodate growth.
“This work is hastening. We are having requests from around the globe for new missions,” he said. “Missionary numbers have increased, and they’ve increased steadily for years.”
– allee.evensen@aggiemail.usu.edu