Confused Missionary Numbers

[I Have Questions]

Back in November 2023 the Church reported the following:

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019 and early 2020, the Church counted some 69,000 young teaching and service missionaries and senior missionaries. The pandemic resulted in international closures and restriction and the resulting return of many missionaries — some released from service and others reassigned, mostly to home countries.

The number grew to 56,000 at the end of 2021, to 65,000 at the end of 2022, and to more than 72,000 today, which includes nearly 5,300 senior missionaries.

https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/20 ... 0languages.

So as of November 2023
Full Time Missionaries = 66,700
Senior Missionaries = 5,300

Fast forward to April Conference where the figures for the end of 2023 are reported and the numbers become:
Full-Time Teaching Missionaries - 67,871
Senior Service Missionaries = 27,070
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.or ... statistics

That would be a total of 94,941 at the end of December 2023 against the total reported on November 1st 2023 of 72,000.

Or does the full time teaching missionary number of 67,871 include senior missionaries (as opposed to senior service missionaries)?

Can anyone make sense of these two sets of reported missionary numbers?

[Imwashingmypirate]

Back in November 2023 the Church reported the following:

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019 and early 2020, the Church counted some 69,000 young teaching and service missionaries and senior missionaries. The pandemic resulted in international closures and restriction and the resulting return of many missionaries — some released from service and others reassigned, mostly to home countries.

The number grew to 56,000 at the end of 2021, to 65,000 at the end of 2022, and to more than 72,000 today, which includes nearly 5,300 senior missionaries.

https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/20 ... 0languages.

So as of November 2023
Full Time Missionaries = 66,700
Senior Missionaries = 5,300

Fast forward to April Conference where the figures for the end of 2023 are reported and the numbers become:
Full-Time Teaching Missionaries - 67,871
Senior Service Missionaries = 27,070
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.or ... statistics

That would be a total of 94,941 at the end of December 2023 against the total reported on November 1st 2023 of 72,000.

Or does the full time teaching missionary number of 67,871 include senior missionaries (as opposed to senior service missionaries)?

Can anyone make sense of these two sets of reported missionary numbers?

Does the seniors who work in the temple count?

It could be skewed data shown as propaganda to reinforce the seniors should go on missions. The insertion of the extra word feels intentional.

Or it could be that seniors have indeed taken up the call to serve?

Maybe?

Edit: even the word "teaching" could be changing what the intention is. Ward missionaries aren't serving missionaries but they are teaching missionaries. Young men and women who go out with the missionaries could be included in that technicality.

Don't know just speculating.

[Res Ipsa]

The Church News article never made sense to me.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019 and early 2020, the Church counted some 69,000 young teaching and service missionaries and senior missionaries. The pandemic resulted in international closures and restriction and the resulting return of many missionaries — some released from service and others reassigned, mostly to home countries.

The number grew to 56,000 at the end of 2021, to 65,000 at the end of 2022, and to more than 72,000 today, which includes nearly 5,300 senior missionaries. Combined, today’s missionaries serve in more than 150 countries and teach in more than 60 languages.

Looking at the statistical reports, either the author misunderstood the numbers and/or categories or an editor deleted something between the two paragraphs that transitioned between total numbers of missionaries and the number of teaching missionaries.

The numbers aren't confusing when comparing the statical reports.

[Marcus]

From another source that has the full time and church service totals:

According to the Church’s end-of-year statistics, the 2021 total of full-time teaching missions was 54,539, with an additional 36,639 service missionaries. Those numbers are up from the end of the previous, pandemic-period year of 2020 — 51,819 and 30,527, respectively.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.or ... %20sisters.

And from the 2022 link showing 2021 numbers:

Missionaries
Full-time teaching missionaries — 54,539
Church-service missionaries — 36,639

https://www.thechurchnews.com/2022/4/2/ ... he-church/

Those two total 91,178, for 2021.

[BeNotDeceived]

TSCC has lied and suppressed the truth about its founder and history for well over a century, is not transparent with its finances, covers-up sexual abuse cases with hush money and pretends to speak for deity... would it be surprising if they lied about their membership numbers?

[Moksha]

Being deceptive with numbers is nothing new. It probably started with the oddsmakers for the Ural-Aztecan soccer matches.