SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reached a new milestone this month: More than 75,000 missionaries are currently serving throughout the world.

This total is a dramatic increase from a year ago, when about 58,500 young men and women were serving as Mormon missionaries in September 2012. By the end of 2013, about 85,000 missionaries are expected to be serving.

The increase comes just 10 months after the historic announcement in October 2012 that the missionary age would be reduced from 19 to 18 for men and 21 to 19 for women. It is not mandatory that missionaries begin service at these ages, however; men can serve at any time between the ages of 18 and 25 now, and women can serve at any age after 19. The only other requirement is that they be graduated from high school prior to entering the mission field.

"Young men and women should not begin their service before they are ready," Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said during a press event following the announcement.

But young members of the LDS faith indeed declared they were ready, in droves.

The impact of the announcement was significant and immediate. According to Mormon Newsroom, in the first few weeks after the announcement, applications for full-time missionary service were up more than 470 percent — from about 700 a week to about 4,000 a week. The Associated Press reports that at least one church analyst predicts the total number of LDS missionaries could swell to more than 100,000 next year before leveling out.

At a time when most young adults are making big plans for their future, many question the desire of Mormon youths to essentially "drop everything" and leave their lives behind for two years. Far beyond giving service to their church, many missionaries say that serving a full-time mission "dramatically changes their hearts," said President Kevin Calderwood of the New York New York South Mission in a piece for Mormon Newsroom.

But perhaps the thing of greatest value about the LDS missionary experience is the fact that it happens during these formative years. "That’s usually a period of our lives when we’re quite self-absorbed," Calderwood said. "These missionaries give up all of that."

As a result, LDS men and women who serve full-time missions become more concerned about "what's happening to their fellow man than they are about themselves," according to Mormon Newsroom. "As Christ taught, these missionaries find greater purpose in their lives as they focus on the needs of others."

Missionary service builds a “good foundation for their lives to become good spouses, good fathers, good mothers and very good in their communities,” Calderwood said.

Since the announcement and subsequent increase in missionary numbers, other notable changes have been made in the LDS Church's missionary program:

• In January, Missionary Training Centers made changes to handle the influx of new missionaries. Among the changes: Training time for same-language and foreign-language missionaries will be reduced by 30 percent. Those not learning a language will be at the MTC for two weeks instead of three, and those learning a language will stay two weeks less at the MTC.
• In February, the LDS Church announced the creation of 58 new missions throughout the world, primarily in Africa, Central and South America and in the United States.

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1. In April, the email rules were loosened for Mormon missionaries. Previously, email was reserved for communication with immediate family only, though handwritten letters could be sent to anyone. Now, missionaries can send emails to friends, priesthood leaders and even those they serve.
2. Also in April, it was announced that young women or "Sister" missionaries would be utilized in missionary leadership positions. Previously, those positions were for the young men.
3. In May, apartments near the Brigham Young University campus were converted to missionary housing for those attending the full-to-capacity Missionary Training Center in Provo.
4. In June, the church's Quorum of the Twelve announced in a special broadcast that missionaries would begin using the Internet, digital tablets and social media more than the traditional door-to-door proselyting methods.
5. In July, the LDS Church updated the guidelines for how missionaries should dress. Previously, men were required to wear dark suits and had limited tie colors to choose from. The latest updates allow tan, khaki and lighter colored suits and pants, as well as more tie options. It's unclear if other changes are in store for the LDS Church and its missionaries. According to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve, "There will continually be improvements in the way we perform missionary work."

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