Missionary Life

Elder

  1. The title for a male full-time missionary, always used with his last name (e.g. Elder Smith) for the entire length of his mission.
  2. Also an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood, and part of the title for certain Church leaders known as General Authorities.

For a missionary, "Elder" completely replaces first names — companions who spend nearly every waking hour together for months may never once use each other's given name. The word can be confusing to outsiders because a nineteen-year-old missionary and a silver-haired Church leader can both be called "Elder," and the plural "Elders" is a common shorthand for the young male missionaries working in an area. Female missionaries are instead called Sisters.

Related terms

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