News Release

Church Announces Mission Adjustments

Five new missions will open in 2018; 19 others will merge with other missions

      

Mormon Newsroom reported in October that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would adjust the number of its 421 missions to better fit the needs of each region of the world. Today, the Church announces boundary realignments for 19 missions, as well as the creation of five new missions. With the following changes there will be 407 missions.

The following five missions will open in July 2018:

  1. Brazil Rio de Janeiro South
  2. Cote d’Ivoire Yamoussoukro
  3. Nigeria Ibadan
  4. Philippines Cabanatuan
  5. Zimbabwe Bulawayo

And the Church will realign the boundaries for the following 19 missions in July 2018 and merge them with adjoining missions:

  1. Australia Sydney North
  2. Bulgaria Sofia
  3. California Modesto
  4. California San Fernando
  5. England London South
  6. Greece Athens
  7. Illinois Chicago West
  8. México Ciudad Obregón
  9. México Reynosa
  10. Mississippi Jackson
  11. New York New York South
  12. Ohio Cleveland
  13. Portugal Porto
  14. România/Moldova
  15. Russia Samara
  16. Spain Málaga
  17. Ukraine L’viv
  18. Utah Logan
  19. Washington Federal Way

Changes to mission boundaries are common. Since President Thomas S. Monson announced in 2012 the change in the ages for missionary service, the Church has created 76 new missions to accommodate a surge of growth in only a few years, from 58,000 to 88,000 missionaries. The initial wave of missionaries has since receded to about 68,000 missionaries, as anticipated.

Fewer missionaries means that not only are fewer missions needed but also a heightened importance of a more strategic placement of missionaries in areas of need around the world; thus the creation of five new missions.

“We want missionaries to be in the best possible place and position to help people, whether through sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ or community service,” said General Authority Seventy Elder Brent H. Nielson, Executive Director of the Missionary Department. “The pattern established by the Savior is to make a difference in individual lives, one by one, all over the world, which requires continuous planning and organizing.”

Details on mission merges will be coming in future communications from mission presidents to parents of missionaries in the affected missions.

Visit the Church News (a resource primarily for Latter-day Saints) for a list of assignments for new mission presidents.

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