Mormon church makes major rule change in bid to get more women serving missions

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a significant policy change that allows women to hold positions starting at age 18, bringing the minimum age requirement to the same level as that of their male counterparts. The change, announced Friday, lowers the previously established minimum age for female missionaries by one year.

The move, heralded as one of the first major decisions made under the leadership of new church President Dallin H. Oaks, aims to equalize opportunities within the Utah-based faith, which has 17.5 million members worldwide. It also appears to be a direct response to the increasing participation of young women in the church’s worldwide missionary efforts. These missions are considered important rites of passage for young fans; It serves to recruit new members, spread the church’s beliefs, strengthen individual faith, broaden global perspectives, and prepare many for future leadership roles in congregations.

This marks the first change since 2012 to missionary age rules for the faith commonly known as the Mormon church. Ten years ago, the minimum age for female missionaries was lowered from 21 to 19, while for men it was raised from 19 to 18. This earlier change was widely considered a turning point for women within the church, leading to a significant increase in applications for new missions, which reportedly doubled within days of its announcement.

This rule change led to a significant increase in the number of women serving missions. Currently, about 25,000 of the 85,000 missionaries are women, said Sam Penrod, a spokesman for the church. This works out to 29%; a figure that has remained consistent over the past decade. This is more than double the 12% of female missionaries before the 2012 rule change.

The new change will likely lead to more women serving missions, said Matt Martinich, a church growth researcher at the Cumorah Project, a privately funded research organization.

“This shows greater equality in terms of missionary opportunity,” Martinich said, adding that he has heard from mission presidents that women tend to be more effective as teachers and evangelists.

Church spokesman Doug Andersen said the change is a reflection of Oaks’ desire to provide “additional options and flexibility” to young women who want to serve. The 55 new missions around the world announced for next year will also help meet demand, he said.

However, some inequalities remain. The duration of tasks is longer for men than for women; two years for men and 18 months for women. In a statement announcing the change, the church noted that every “worthy, capable young man” should be prepared to serve a mission, remaining optional for women.

Faith reserves senior leadership roles for men.

Last month, the church offered sleeveless versions of the sacred underwear worn by female members. Social media was filled with photos of long queues, with many women waiting for the chance to enter specialty stores to purchase these products; Many women said it made sense in terms of comfort and fashion.

LeAnne Tolley, a Latter-day Saint who lives in Utah, said she is excited for her 14-year-old grandson who wants to serve as a missionary. Her son served when he was 19, but her daughter did not, adding that there is a different expectation in the faith for men and women.

Tolley said he now sees youth in his congregation and others in the area expressing a desire to share their faith and, more importantly, share hope in an increasingly hopeless world.

“Most religions, not just ours, seem to be experiencing this revival, especially among young people,” he said.