Elder Uchtdorf: Missionaries Leave Everything to Be Representatives of Christ

“In a sacred act of agency, they said to the Lord, ‘Here I am; send me,’”—Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Not all callings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begin with a personal decision. No one applies to be a bishop, a music leader, or a mission president. But a mission call does begin with a yes. An act of faith. A voluntary desire to follow Jesus Christ.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on Saturday, June 21, 2025. Photograph by Cody Bell, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

During the 2025 New Mission Leaders Seminar, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that missionary service is not just a duty: it is a profound act of moral agency and consecration.

The Power to Choose to Serve

At the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah, on June 21, Elder Uchtdorf explained that, no matter what challenges they face, the missionaries have already taken a key step in their discipleship:

“One great and decisive virtue in their favor: They chose to serve a mission,”

That initial act—seeking an interview with the bishop or the branch president and expressing the desire to accept a prophetic calling—reveals who they really are.

Free Will: The Foundation of a Powerful Mission

Mission leaders, Elder Uchtdorf said, can help their missionaries continue to exercise that agency, not by controlling them, but by guiding them to be “anxiously engaged in a good cause” (D&C 58:27).

“They can ‘do many things of their own free will and bring about much righteousness.’ With that power within them, and their free agency, they will accomplish far more than if everything they must do is spelled out for them or if excessive control is imposed on them at every step.”

And that doesn’t just build up the missionaries: it impacts every person who comes to know the Gospel through them, because seeing their example gives them courage to make their own spiritual decisions.

Inviting: The Purest Act of Faith

Image: masfe.org

Elder Uchtdorf also highlighted the opening word of the missionary purpose: invite. Because every teaching, every baptism, every testimony… only happens if someone chooses to accept.

“Once we invite someone, we give them the opportunity to exercise their faith and their agency,” he said, adding, “And if the person decides not to accept our invitation, that’s their decision.”

Missionaries are not responsible for the decisions of others, only for their own choices: to invite with love, to serve faithfully, and to be not weary in doing good (D&C 64:33).

The Mission: A School of Eternal Decisions

Elder Uchtdorf: Missionary success is not measured by the number of baptisms. Credit: Adam Fondren, Deseret News

Planning, setting goals, persevering when there are no immediate results—all of these, Elder Uchtdorf said, strengthen the missionaries’ character and faith. They are opportunities to offer the Lord a willing heart and mind (D&C 64:34).

“A mission is an opportunity to give the Lord our hearts and willing minds. It is an opportunity to demonstrate and develop our faith that small and simple things truly produce great and marvelous work. Demonstrate, by your consistent decisions, that you believe in what you are building, and that it will be monumental, even majestic.”

Therefore, his final message was one of joy and gratitude: