Church Newsroom recently published an article about missionary safety. Inaccurate or unsettling portrayals of missionary safety in the media can leave people with questions.
If you are concerned about the reality of these media portrayals or need help answering others’ questions, this document can help.
What Are Missionary Standards?
The article provides a list of standards that missionaries agree to adhere to, which help keep them safe:
- Live the commandments (moral purity, honesty, and healthy living)
- Take care of physical health and exercise regularly
- Focus on mental health and emotional well-being
- Stay together in assigned companionships
- Regularly communicate with family
- Follow guidelines before entering someone’s home, including ensuring you are not alone with someone of the opposite sex
- Return home by 9 p.m. or earlier, depending on local conditions
- Use technology wisely and avoid disclosing personal information
- Do not carry cash or anything of significant value
- Avoid contact sports or any other high-risk activity, including swimming
- Promptly report safety threats, including assaults and harassment
- Follow service guidelines, which includes not handling dangerous machinery
What Safety Training Do Missionaries Get?
Topics that missionaries “regularly and repeatedly” receive trainings on are also listed. These trainings happen in missionary training centers, mission training conferences, and daily personal and companion study:
- Automobile safety (driver certification program, seatbelts and driver monitoring systems in some locations)
- Bicycle safety (including safety equipment)
- Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors
- Courtesy and cultural awareness
- Diet, hygiene, and exercise, including food preparation and safe drinking water
- Electrical safety
- Insect bite protection
- Pedestrian safety
- Proper behavior with children
- Safe housing
- Natural disasters or political unrest
- Situational awareness
- Stress management
What Other Safety Resources Are Available for Missionaries?
The article also mentions “Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ,” a booklet for missionaries that gives detailed explanations of mission organization, guidelines for physical well-being and daily activities, and instructions for baptism and teaching, among other topics. To supplement this resource, missionaries are informed about various potential hazards in twelve “SafetyZone” videos. Missionaries are also instructed to “review one health or safety topic or one of the safeguards for using technology” every day.
More resources on missionary service are available on the Church’s website.
What Happens in Emergencies?
The document closes by stating that despite trainings and precautions for missionaries, medical and safety emergencies sometimes happen. In these instances, the Church provides support to the affected missionary and their family.
Find the full Newsroom release on missionary safety here.
For more content about missionaries, check out the articles below:
▶ Does your missionary struggle to feel successful? This idea in Steve Young’s new book will help
▶ 3 encouraging reminders every missionary needs in the MTC
▶ How Elder Uchtdorf defines a successful missionary is something everyone should read
▶ 3 scriptures to bolster a missionary (that they might’ve not heard before)