As of March 1991, there were 44,000 full-time missionaries serving in 257 missions throughout the world. Courtesy Doug Martin. Missionaries consider themselves emissaries of the Lord in proclaiming his message. In the first generation of the Church, married men frequently were called to be missionaries, and they left wives and families for an indeterminate length of time. In recent decades, the majority of missionaries have been young men and women who serve about two years.
Missionary service is coordinated with military service as required.
Missionaries or their families generally cover the major costs of serving a mission. Missionaries called from developing nations may receive needed financial assistance from the general missionary fund of the Church. This assistance covers only basic living costs, as the Church has no paid ministry. No one is paid for missionary service. As the Church has expanded, more and more missionaries have been called.