Highlights From the 2025 Seminar for New Mission Leaders

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President Jeffrey R. Holland told new mission leaders beginning their service in July for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that they are about to embark on one of the most thrilling adventures of their lives.

“Compared to the challenges you might face now and then, the blessings are disproportionately magnificent,” President Holland said, referring to the blessings extended to missionaries and their families in Doctrine and Covenants 31.

The Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was the first speaker at the 2025 Seminar for New Mission Leaders at the Provo Missionary Training Center on Thursday, June 19. 

Through Sunday, June 22, the couples will hear counsel and instruction from each member of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as well as other members of the Missionary Executive Council, before reporting to their missions in July. Links to additional coverage will be added to this article.

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Additional Messages

• Elder Quentin L. Cook: ‘Missionary Purpose and Lessons Learned’
• Elder Dale G. Renlund: ‘Missionary Purpose and Putting on the Armor of God’
• Sister Amy A. Wright: ‘Missionary Purpose and Blessings of the Temple’
• Elder D. Todd Christofferson: ‘Seeking to teach as the Savior taught’
• President Henry B. Eyring: ‘The Lord Has Prepared You’
• Elder David A. Bednar: ‘Hearts Knit Together in Unity and Love’
• Elder Neil L. Andersen: ‘Bringing Miracles to Our Finding’
• Elder Ronald A. Rasband: ‘Missionary Purpose, Doctrine of Baptism and Real Growth’
• Elder Gerrit W. Gong: The missionary purpose in ‘repentance, commitment, conversion’
• President Dallin H. Oaks: ‘Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration’
• Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: ‘Exercising Moral Agency’
• Elder Gary E. Stevenson: ‘Missionary purpose in accountability’
• Elder Patrick Kearon: ‘No effort is wasted’
• President Emily Belle Freeman: ‘Missionary Purpose, Seeking Christlike Attributes and Becoming Lifelong Disciples of Jesus Christ’
• Elder Ulisses Soares: ‘The Power of the Spirit in Missionary Work’
• President Russell M. Nelson: ‘The Converting Power of the Book of Mormon’

Listen to this related podcast from the Church News Episode 247: Messages from the 2025 Seminar for New Mission Leaders — Missionary purpose and personal conversion

President Holland explained his purpose was to speak on how these new mission leaders can help their missionaries become successful. 

Missionary Success

Successful missionaries achieve success by living their missionary purpose, President Holland.

That purpose, as stated in “Preach My Gospel,” is to “invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.”

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Said President Holland: “In short, it means that the missionary has aligned his or her purpose directly with God’s purpose — that of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of a friend.”

Mission leaders won’t have to give endless sermons about obedience or being a kind companion or working hard when missionaries have the vision of Christ’s “atoning love elevated before them.”

“When they are focused on the mission of Jesus Christ, they will be investing heart, might, mind and strength in the quest,” he said.

Continuing Commitment to Jesus Christ

After their faithful service, “we want to send them home with a love and a beginning mastery” of the Book of Mormon, President Holland said.

Continued commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church comes from holding to the iron rod — the word of God in the scriptures and from prophets.

Said President Holland: “Teach them that they have strength and inspiration and power lying within their own home, within their bedroom, on the seat of their car and in their backpack as they go to school. Their strength and anchor while away from you will be in the standard works of this Church to which they will continue to hold fast at all costs, especially the Book of Mormon.”

President Holland called the Book of Mormon “the most important book” he has ever read.

“If they grasp the rod of iron everlastingly, they will withstand the mists of darkness that settle on the faithful as well as on the unfaithful,” he said.

The Price of Being a Successful Missionary

“You are going to have occasion to ask, and your missionaries will have occasion to ask, ‘why is it so hard to be a successful missionary?’” President Holland continued.

He said he is convinced that missionary success is not easy because salvation was never easy.

“Brothers and sisters, salvation is not a cheap experience. How would we believe it would be easy or cheap for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?”

He also cautioned that although each missionary — and mission leader — will have to spend some time in “their Gethsemane,” it will not be anything anywhere near what Christ experienced.

“But I believe that missionaries who come to success and salvation — to know something of this price that Christ paid — will have to pay at least a token of that same price,” he said. “I do not believe missionary work has ever been easy. There has never been an easy mission. I have never believed that a mission is easy when done right.”

Because the human family was to be saved, “little wonder that success as a missionary is not a whimsical thing,” according to President Holland.

He concluded his remarks by testifying that Jesus Christ lives, “and because He does, so will we.”

He also made a promise to the new mission leaders: “That because of your faithful response to this mission call, He will bind up your broken hearts, and dry your tears and set you and your families free. This is my missionary promise to you and your missionary message to the world.”

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The First Presidency called new mission leaders for 167 missions worldwide in January.

Besides devotional-type meetings and discussions with Church leaders, the 2025 Seminar for New Mission Leaders included breakout sessions, panel discussions and classroom activities where the new mission leaders practice teaching with new missionaries who are training in the MTC.

Of the 167 new mission leader couples, 42 will be going to missions headquartered in 29 different U.S. states. The other 125 couples will go to missions headquartered in 48 other countries.

Newsroom 2025 Mission Leadership Assignments