How senior missionaries are heeding the call to serve
The late President Russell M. Nelson called senior missionaries ‘irreplaceable’ and ‘often a literal answer’ to prayers
When most people think of missionary service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they picture name-tagged young adults preaching the gospel on distant doorsteps.
But increasingly, a quiet movement of seasoned disciples is changing the face of missionary work — one phone call, one online lesson and one bishops’ storehouse shift at a time.
These are senior service missionaries: everyday Latter-day Saints serving the Lord close to home in powerful ways.
Unlike full-time senior missionaries who serve away from home, senior service missionaries live at home and serve in their local communities.
Men and women aged 26 and older — single or married, retired or still working — are eligible to serve in assignments that align with their schedules, abilities and spiritual gifts.
For instance, Elder Gary Futral and Sister Nancy Futral serve up to 30 or 40 hours a week in their home of Acworth, Georgia.
“Even if you don’t think you can do it because you don’t know anything about it, there’s training for every senior service mission,” Sister Futral said, adding: “The Lord doesn’t want us to just sit around and do nothing. Senior service missions are the perfect opportunity to be of use to the Lord.”
A prophet’s call
The late President Russell M. Nelson spoke about senior missionaries multiple times, calling them “irreplaceable” during April 2022 general conference and “often a literal answer to the prayers of bishops and branch presidents” during April 2016 general conference.
In the same April 2016 address, he also said: “If you are tempted to think you’re not needed, let me reassure you that you are. There is not a mission president in the Church who would not love to have additional couples serving in his mission.”
And during October 2004 general conference, while still a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Nelson said senior missionaries are “young in spirit, wise and willing to work. … These dear members are willing to serve and strengthen the lives of others. Even if these seniors don’t know the local language, their accomplishments are great and their spirit of sacrifice is precious.”
President Nelson isn’t the only Church leader who has encouraged senior Latter-day Saints to consider missionary service. In 2011, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “Our message to all of our mature couples is simple: we dearly need you. We are doing everything we can to make it as convenient as possible for you to go. The Lord promises unlimited blessings to His servants in the vineyard. So please — go. The times cry out for it. There are people who need you."
More recently, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke during October 2023 general conference about the need for senior missionaries, stating: “There are so many ways senior missionaries can do what no one else can. You are a remarkable force for good, seasoned in the Church and poised to encourage and rescue God’s children.”
Elder Rasband recognized the many sacrifices senior missionaries make, such as missing significant family milestones; but he reassured senior Latter-day Saints of the blessings that come from making such sacrifices to serve as missionaries, including blessings for their family members.
He also encouraged seniors to consider the “smorgasbord of opportunities” available to them, from serving in mission offices or temples to providing humanitarian aid to working in FamilySearch centers, historic sites, institutes or more.
“As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I ask you to serve as a missionary in the gathering of Israel and perhaps even serve again,” Elder Rasband said. “We need you — we need you. We are grateful to you seniors for the lives you have led and the examples you have been in your homes, wards and stakes. I now invite you to take your know-how, coupled with your time-honored testimonies, and go on a mission.”
Heeding the call
Senior missionaries past and present have countless stories of faith, miracles and witnessing the Lord’s love.
Here are some of their testimonies, compiled by the Church’s Service Mission Office and recently shared through the “Joyful Senior Service” Facebook page.
Sister Shauna Kay wrote that she “thoroughly enjoyed the privilege” of serving on the General Young Women History Preservation Committee, where she conducted monthly interviews with Young Women general presidency members and others in that office for the Church History Department.
“There was a different spirit in my home when I was serving in this position,” wrote Sister Kay, who is still serving as a senior missionary. “I was able to listen to and record their stories of service all around the world. They are such loving, caring and kind women. They made me want to be better every time I talked with them. There were a lot of interviews full of both laughter and tears. I always felt the Spirit as I heard how God worked in their lives. … These are ordinary people living extraordinary lives as they serve the Savior.”
Elder Kenneth Lougee wrote that he and his wife, Sister Jan Lougee, serve in the FamilySearch Library — an experience that’s been “nothing like I expected” and yet “perfect” for him.
He continued that he and Sister Lougee work on a team that digitizes books, “a single, essential task in gathering Israel on both sides of the veil. Just as the Church authorities are bringing the temples to the people, by scanning books and making them available on FamilySearch, we are bringing the library to the people so that their search for ancestors can be done anywhere in the world.”
Elder Lougee wrote that service is a mindset, not a specific role, and is about putting energy toward something meaningful.
“Whether it’s a mission at home or abroad, in a quiet office or a bustling location, your service is needed and makes a difference in ways you might not even see,” he wrote. “It’s an uplifting experience that can strengthen your own family while blessing others.”
Sister Lesley Goeckeritz shared her experience serving at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for eight years until being released in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She now serves at the Church History Museum, which is “deeply spiritual,” she wrote.
“I’ve learned so much about the history of the Church, and my testimony has grown in many meaningful ways,” Sister Goeckeritz wrote. “The people I serve with are wonderful examples of Christlike living, and I’ve been blessed with several opportunities to bear my testimony. … I feel incredibly blessed to have served as a senior missionary for many years. I truly love meeting and greeting visitors and sharing what I’ve learned about the Church with them.”
Elder Steven B. Lloyd and his wife, Sister Vicki Lloyd, wrote about the both heartbreaking and beautiful experiences they’ve had serving women in addiction recovery at the Utah State Prison.
Elder Lloyd particularly remembers the first time he and Sister Lloyd visited the prison: “As I looked around, I initially saw women serving time for their mistakes. But then the Spirit touched my heart. The Lord spoke clearly to my mind: ‘Steve, I love each of these women as much as I love you. You are no better than any of them. They are my daughters.’
“Tears filled my eyes then, as they do now, remembering that moment. The Spirit taught me something I will never forget: God’s love is the same for all His children — no matter what they’ve been through.”
Sister Lloyd added that she’s amazed at the strength these incarcerated women show as they try to change.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to witness real transformation in their hearts and lives,” she wrote.
Sister Heather Nielsen, who serves at the bishops’ storehouse, wrote about assisting a woman with her food order. The woman was visibly distraught, Sister Nielsen said, and ultimately shared that she’d just learned about her father’s kidney failure.
The woman asked for a blessing, and Sister Nielsen found two senior missionaries to do that. Afterwards, the woman said it wasn’t a coincidence that she was headed to the bishops’ storehouse when she learned of her father’s health issues.
“She said she felt at peace and knew that she would receive the physical, spiritual and emotional help that she needed,” Sister Nielsen wrote. “This experience strengthened my testimony that God knows each of His children, and He allows us to be His hands to bless others.”
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