Mission (LDS Church)

A mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not any of the church's missionaries live or proselytize in the area. As of July 2020, there were 407 missions of the church.Eight New Missions to Open in July 2020
''Newsrooom'', 21 November 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2020.

Administrative structure

Geographically, a mission may be a city, a city and surrounding areas, a state or province, or perhaps an entire country or even multiple countries. Typically, the name of the mission is the name of the country (or state in the United States), and then the name of the city where the mission headquarters office is located.
New missionaries receive a formal ''mission call'', assigning them to a particular mission for the duration of their two years or eighteen months of service. Each mission has, on average, about 150 missionaries serving there.

Mission president

:''See main article: Mission president''

All missionaries serve in a ''mission'' under the direction of a mission president, who, like individual missionaries, is assigned by the LDS Church president. The mission president must be a married high priest in the Melchizedek Priesthood; his wife is asked to serve alongside him. In 2013 the mission president's wife was given additional leadership roles in the mission. Mission presidents are typically in their forties or older, and usually have the financial means to devote themselves full-time to the responsibility for three consecutive years. The church provides mission presidents with a minimal living allowance but it normally requires them to supplement it with their own funds. Often, the mission president must learn the local language spoken in the mission, as the missionaries do (although many mission presidents today have either previously served a mission in the mission language or speak the mission language as their native language).

The mission president has at least two counselors, who are Latter-day Saints usually from the local area who keep their regular employment. The role of the counselors varies by mission, but they typically serve as liaisons between the mission and the local membership of the church. In some areas where the church is newer senior men who are serving full-time missions along with their wives may be called as counselors in the mission presidency.

Mission councils

Like other units of the church, a leadership council is used to assist in the governance of the mission. Prior to April 2013, this was often called a zone leader council, consisting of the mission president, assistants to the mission president and zone leaders. In April 2013 the zone leader council was replaced by the mission leadership council, which adds the mission president's wife and sister training leaders, a new position consisting of sister missionaries called to give leadership to other sister missionaries.

Mission organization

Organization in areas with stakes

Missions are organized in two parallel structures. The first is the organization of the missionaries. The mission president assigns missionary leaders to help him direct the work. Among the leadership assignments in the mission are assistants to the president, zone leaders, and district leaders.

There are two or more missionaries who serve as ''assistants to the president'' (not to be confused with the counselors in the mission presidency). The assistants carry out the direction of the mission president in organizing the mission; assigning companionships and proselyting areas; and overseeing the welfare and training of the missionaries.

In many missions a companionship of elders constitutes the zone leaders. However, there are also missions where only one elder is designated the zone leader and his companion holds no special designation. The zones may be geographically large or small, depending on the mission. The number of missionaries in a zone also varies widely.

The zones are divided into ''districts'', each being led by a missionary assigned as a ''district leader''. A district usually has two to four missionary companionships. The zone leaders and district leaders train the missionaries, see after their welfare, conduct interviews, proselyte together, and share successes. In general, only single male missionaries serve as assistants, zone leaders, and district leaders, except in non-proselyting missions which only contain single female missionaries or missionary couples.

The missionaries are responsible for preaching to the people in their own area.

A mission's ecclesiastical