The goal of the Family History Department is to create inspiring experiences that bring joy to all people as they discover, gather, and connect their family—past, present, and future. Full-time missionaries, service missionaries, and volunteers each play a significant role in accomplishing this goal.
What Is the Difference between Volunteers and Missionaries?
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may serve as full-time missionaries, service missionaries, or volunteers. Full-time missionaries serve a minimum of 40 hours per week, service missionaries serve a minimum of 8 hours per week, and volunteers serve 7 hours or less per week.
Many projects do not require Church membership for volunteers. However, some volunteers require approval from a local ward bishop or stake president (ecclesiastical leader). Nonmember volunteers can serve as many hours as they would like.
Volunteer activities that require approval from an ecclesiastical leader include the following:
- Serving in FamilySearch centers
- Serving as a software or web developer
- Helping with the FamilySearch Research Wiki
- Volunteering with the FamilySearch communities and Facebook communities
- Translating family history content
Some activities do not require approval from local Church leadership. You can find a list of these volunteer opportunities at the FamilySearch volunteer page. For more information on how to get involved as a volunteer, fill out your contact information, and a family history missionary will be in touch to answer your questions.
What Is the Difference between a Full-Time Mission and Service Mission?
As mentioned previously, both full-time and service family history missionaries must be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both types of missionaries work with their local ward bishop and stake president to be called as a missionary.
The main difference between the two types of missionaries is the time commitment and location where the missionary serves. Full-time missionaries typically serve 40 or more hours per week and usually live away from home. Service missionaries live at home and serve 8 to 40 hours per week in their local area for 6 to 24 months.
Some mission opportunities can be done either as a full-time mission or a service mission. However, some missions can be served only as a full-time mission, and vice versa.
Still have questions about the differences between full-time missions, service missions, and volunteering? Fill out your contact information, and a family history missionary will contact you to answer your questions!
