Since the October 2012 announcement from the late President Thomas S. Monson regarding the change in the ages for missionary service, the church has created 76 new missions to accommodate a surge in growth from 58,000 to 88,000 missionaries.
On Thursday, the church announced it will readjust and reduce the number of its 421 missions to better fit the needs of each region of the world. Those changes include realignments for 19 missions, as well as the creation of five new missions. With those changes, there will now be 407 missions worldwide.
The initial wave of missionaries has since receded to about 68,000 missionaries according to the church. The reduction was anticipated.
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