“Young Women—Mission or Not?” Ensign, April 2017
Young Adults
Young Women—Mission or Not?
Two young adult women share their experiences in deciding whether or not to serve a full-time mission.
No Young Woman Should Be Judged for Not Serving a Mission
“President Monson never intended for all of the young women in the Church to go on missions by dropping [the] age [to 19]. We’re very grateful for those who go. It’s changed the face of the Church. … But we do not want anyone feeling inadequate or left out or undignified or tarnished because she did not choose to serve a mission. And we’re a little irritated with young men who say, ‘Well, I’m not going to date you because you didn’t serve a mission.’ … We do not want that kind of climate over dating or marriages. … It isn’t our place to pass a judgment.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Face to Face broadcast, Mar. 8, 2016, facetoface.lds.org.