Senior Service Missionary Opportunities*

Finding Places for Church Members to Serve as Part-Time Senior Service Missionaries
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I. What Is a “Senior Service Missionary” Opportunity?
A. Part-Time Local or Virtual Service
Senior Service Missionaries generally live at home, work 8 to 40 hours per week, and serve in their local area or serve remotely (online) for 6–24 months. Service missionaries can be single, married, and any age over 26. A service mission is an alternative to a full-time mission and is available to those who may be still employed or have other commitments that prohibit a full-time mission.
B. Types of Service Missionary Opportunities
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Church Operations. Senior Service Missionaries work for Church organizations or “operations”. There are a variety of service opportunities, and the needs of the various Church operations vary from time to time. Service opportunities might include service under one of the following Church "operations".
Bishops’ Storehouse | Deseret Industries |
FamilySearch (in-person and online) | BYU-Pathway (in-person and online) |
Military Relations (Air Force Bases) | Institute |
Community Service | Welcome Centers | Employment Resource Center |
Family Services | Addiction Recovery | Mission Office |
Transitional Services | Temple Office |
- Testimonies of Senior Service Missionaries.
Click here to watch a video in which several service missionaries share their testimonies about the different types of work that they are doing. For a video of an exceptional couple who are service missionarie while employed and involved with their family, click here.
- Searching for a Position. You can search on your own or you can seek assistance.
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Assistance. If you want to discuss the possibilities for positions for a Senior Service Missionary, contact your Stake Senior Missionary Specialist and make an appointment to discuss your interests, your talents, your experience and your availability. If you are not sure who your Stake Senior Missionary Specialist is, contact the Senior Missionary Coordinators who are assigned to your regional area. For a list of Senior Missionary Coordinators in the North America Southwest Area, see Section III, below.
- Learing to Search on Your Own.
Click here to watch a 13-minute video providing navigational assistance with searching for Senior Service Missionary opportunities on the Church's website. The video is best viewed in full-screen mode.
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Senior Missionary Website. After watching the video mentioned above, click here to access the official Senior Missionary Website and start your search.
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More Information. If you find an opportunity that interests you on the Senior Missionary Website, you can click the “Additional Details” button and you will see more information about the required skills. You may also find additional contact information, which can be used to find out more information about what the expectations are for the position. If additional contact information is not shown, consider contacting your Stake Senior Missionary Specialist or the Senior Missionary Coordinators for contact information.
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If Position Number Provided. If you have been given a position or opportunity number, click here for instructions on how to apply for that position. For Step 4 in those instructions, use the complete position number you have. The number will include a dash, which is required.
II. What Is The Process for Applying for a Senior Service Missionary Opportunity?
A. Website Initiation
- When you apply to be a Senior Service Missionary, you need to find an opportunity that interests you. You can do this with the assistance of your Stake Senior Missionary Specialist or the Senior Missionary Coordinators assigned to your stake. [See Section III of this page for the names of Senior Missionary Coordinators in the North America Southwest Area.] In the alternative, you can search for Senior Service Missionary opportunities on the Senior Missionary Website, which is https://seniormissionary.ChurchofJesusChrist.org (perhaps after viewing this video if you have not already seen it). After you have found a Senior Service Missionary opportunity that is suitable for you, click the “Submit” button, and you will be taken to the Missionary Recommendation System (MRS) to complete an application for a recommendation to serve a mission.
- Once the application is completed by you, your Bishop will log into the Missionary Recommendation System (MRS) and review your application. He will schedule a missionary worthiness interview.
- Once the Bishop has approved your application, your Stake President will log into MRS and review your application. He will schedule a missionary worthiness interview.
- Once the application for a missionary recommendation is approved by your Stake President, your recommendation record is transferred to the Senior Missionary Management System (SMMS), and it will be then reviewed by the "Operation Manager" of the organization under which you will be serving.
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The Operation Manager needs to determine if the position is a “good fit” for your talents, experience, interests, and availability. He or she may choose to interview you on the phone or in person to make that determination.
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If the operation manager does not feel that the position is appropriate for you, your Stake President, and your Senior Missionary Coordinators will be informed that you need to find another Senior Service Missionary opportunity.
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Once the operation manager has approved your application in SMMS, the Stake President will sign into SMMS to approve the assignment. The Stake President will call you, the Stake President or one of his counselors will set you apart. The Stake President will also sign and give you a letter formalizing your call, and your Bishop will be given a copy of that.
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A Senior Service Missionary called by his or her Stake President and is set apart by the Stake President or one of his counselors. The Stake President can extend or shorten your term of service. [See General Handbook, 24.2.4.]
B. Bishop Initiation
If you prefer not to start your application for a recommendation online, your Bishop can initiate it for you in the Missionary Recommendation System (MRS). Your Bishop will give you instructions as to how to log into MRS and complete your application.
III. Senior Missionary Coordinators for the NASW Area
If you need help finding a missionary opportunity that is right for you, contact the Senior Missionary Coordinators (SMCs) assigned to your stake. SMCs help promote and facilitate missionary work among senior Church members. The North America Southwest Area is divided into ten Senior Service Missionary Groups, each of which has an SMC couple assigned. For a list of the current SMCs for the NASW Area, click here. If you are not sure who are the Senior Missionary Coordinators for your area, please contact the NASW Support Advisers (Elder and Sister Rushforth, https://seniormission.org/sa/), and either of them can tell you whom you should contact.
IV. Conclusion
Start planning your mission. If family circumstances, physical health, and finances permit, please consider a full-time Senior Mission, usually serving away from home. If not, please consider a live-at-home, part-time Senior Service Mission, as explained above. Set up a planning schedule so that you can be ready as soon as possible. Let your Stake Senior Missionary Specialist or Senior Missionary Coordinators help you find the right missionary opportunity for you. WE NEED YOU!
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*Not an official page of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Updated
January 28, 2025