Mission president

Mission president is a priesthood

Priesthood (LDS Church)

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement, the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind.-Divisions:...

 leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president is a man who presides over a mission

Mission (LDS Church)

A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area.-...

 and the missionaries

Mormon missionary

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over fifty thousand full-time missionaries worldwide, as of June 2007...

 serving in the mission. Depending on the particular mission, a mission president may also be the presiding priesthood leader of some or all Latter-day Saints within the geographic boundaries of the mission.

Mission presidents are typically men between 40 and 65 years old.

Mission president is a priesthood

Priesthood (LDS Church)

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement, the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind.-Divisions:...

 leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president is a man who presides over a mission

Mission (LDS Church)

A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area.-...

 and the missionaries

Mormon missionary

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over fifty thousand full-time missionaries worldwide, as of June 2007...

 serving in the mission. Depending on the particular mission, a mission president may also be the presiding priesthood leader of some or all Latter-day Saints within the geographic boundaries of the mission.

Mission presidents are typically men between 40 and 65 years old. A mission president must be married; typically, his wife and any minor children accompany him on his mission.

Mission presidents leave their vocations for three years to preside over their mission. They usually leave in July, though some leave at different times due to emergencies or medical conditions. On a few occasions, some serve shorter terms for a variety of reasons. The wife's role varies depending on the age of her children and her background. Her primary responsibility is to be a wife and mother; secondly, she is to serve as a missionary; she is also responsible for teaching the missionaries.

Candidates are typically interviewed after the autumn conference of the LDS Church by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Mission presidents are usually assisted by two counselors who reside within the mission boundaries; these men serve in the mission for varying periods of time while maintaining their regular employment. The responsibilities of these counselors are generally oriented towards the members of the church within the mission. Where there are no stakes in the mission boundaries, the mission president is the presiding authority over the church within the mission. In that instance, the mission is divided into district

District (LDS Church)

A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...

s which are composed of branches

Branch (Latter Day Saints)

Branch is used in different ways in the denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement*in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a branch is an organized congregation that is similar to but smaller than a ward. See Ward #Branch....

.

Mission presidents are also assisted by two or more full-time missionaries under the title of "assistant to the president", whose duties are primarily directed toward supervision of the missionary work under the direction of the mission president. These assistants lead an independent hierarchy that may or may not correspond with local church units.

Mission presidents are typically respected and admired by the missionaries they supervise. Obedience to the mission president is considered a vital part of missionary work. Many general authorities

General authority

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...

 of the church have previously served as mission presidents.

After his three-year term ends, a mission president generally returns to his vocation and activity in his home ward and stake.