One Response to “Do I need to serve a mission to get married?”
Mateo Campos
2013-09-01 19:05:37
The Church's missionary program is one of its most recognized characteristics.
Hi brother. Serving a mission is a great blessing. It helps a young man mature in the gospel, and that maturity can be very beneficial in a subsequent marriage. God has asked all young men to serve missions, and there are certainly many young Mormon women who only want to marry the kind of man who would heed God's call.
However, it's also true that there are many good men in the church who never served missions. Perhaps they didn't serve because of health problems or military obligations, or perhaps they joined the church later in life, after the missionary age had passed. Even men who reject their missionary obligations can later repent and become strong members of the church. Life may provide them with other opportunities to gain the spiritual maturity that their brothers gained on their missions.
All faithful men are of course free to prepare themselves to marry in the temple, regardless of whether they have served a mission.
However, it's also true that there are many good men in the church who never served missions. Perhaps they didn't serve because of health problems or military obligations, or perhaps they joined the church later in life, after the missionary age had passed. Even men who reject their missionary obligations can later repent and become strong members of the church. Life may provide them with other opportunities to gain the spiritual maturity that their brothers gained on their missions.
All faithful men are of course free to prepare themselves to marry in the temple, regardless of whether they have served a mission.