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 temple, 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 age 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. Many serve just eight hours a week; others, like Elder Gary Futral and Sister Nancy Futral of Acworth, Georgia, serve up to 30 or 40.
“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 mission built for Elder and Sister Jones
For Elder Carlos Jones and Sister Tammy Jones of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, serving as senior service missionaries wasn’t something they had planned — it was simply a matter of being willing. Both working full-time, they were nervous, but they felt the call was inspired and accepted.
The Joneses now serve as senior missionary coordinators in northern Florida. Their work includes hosting information tables at stake conferences, training stake leaders and working with prospective missionaries to help them find the right fit.
One of the joys of their calling has been witnessing the transformation in those they’ve helped. Sister Jones recalled a woman whose husband was unable to leave their home, so she felt unsure if she had anything to offer as a missionary.
They matched her with a remote family history assignment that she said has changed her life.
Sister Jones recalls the woman saying, “It has just given me purpose. It has helped me to understand that I’m needed.”
Serving together
Elder and Sister Futral didn’t always imagine themselves serving a mission either.
With a daughter with Down syndrome still living at home, they initially hesitated — until their stake president approached them about a local service opportunity at the bishops’ storehouse.
“We agreed to do it for one year because we weren’t sure how it would work with our daughter,” Elder Futral recalled. “It ended up being a five-year mission.”
Now, years later, the Futrals and their daughter, Sister Vanessa Futral — all set apart as missionaries — serve together.
Sister Futral smiled, explaining that one of Vanessa’s unofficial assignments is to give free hugs.
In an interview with Church News, Vanessa smiled, arms around both of her parents, and said that giving hugs is her favorite part of her mission.
Personal growth through quiet sacrifice
Whether in Florida, Georgia or anywhere else around the world, the experiences of the Futrals and the Joneses point to the same truth: Serving changes both hearts and homes.
“Serving together is such a pleasure,” said Sister Futral. “It’s given us a lot of opportunities of growth as a family.”
Elder Jones especially loves being able to counsel with other missionaries and Church leaders.
“To be able to meet with them, to counsel with them, it’s a very spiritual thing for me,” he said.
Debunking the myths
Senior service missionaries may be employed, may have dependents at home and may serve alone or with a spouse. Assignments are flexible and often designed to accommodate individual needs.
“You can even serve from your recliner,” Elder Futral quipped. “The biggest need is still for missionaries away from home, but if you need to serve from home, that’s valid and valuable too.”
The only requirements are that a senior service missionary needs to commit to at least eight hours a week and be at least 26 years old.
“Another thing that we like to tell people is: There’s a mission for everyone,” Elder Futral said, adding that online opportunities have expanded the ways people can serve.
A sacred invitation
President Russell M. Nelson has talked about senior missionaries multiple times, calling them “irreplaceable,” and that “if you are tempted to think you’re not needed, let me reassure you that you are. ... Senior couples are often a literal answer to the prayers of bishops and branch presidents.”
In 2011, then-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, now acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, echoed the urgency: “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."
The Lord is hastening His work in the latter days and the service of senior missionaries is central to that effort, Church leaders have taught.
Whether it’s temple work, missionary efforts, teaching BYU–Pathway or coordinating humanitarian projects, senior service missionaries quietly and dramatically help fulfill the divine purposes of the Church.
For those wondering if it’s worth it, the Joneses and Futrals testify that the answer is yes.
“We can find something for you to do that will be very fulfilling,” Elder Jones said. “You can serve.”
To see what opportunities are available, go to SeniorMissionary.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Correction: The city of Acworth, Georgia, was previously misspelled as Ackworth.
