Do Mormons on mission work or attend school if they are in the states?

Answer 1

Nope. Currently, the Church calls as missionaries single men from the ages of nineteen to twenty-six, single women twenty-one years and older, and older married couples with no dependent children. These missionaries serve on a voluntary, temporary basis. At missionary training centers, missionaries are instructed in gospel doctrine and in the language of their assigned missions. A missionary never labors alone, but always works with a companion. Single missionaries are assigned to a companion of the same gender; married couples work together. Missionaries are asked to follow a stringent daily schedule. Their time is dedicated to the service of the Lord and is spent finding receptive people and teaching them the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Letters, phone calls home, and nonmission business are limited. Their clothing is conservative business wear with distinctive name tags. Married missionary couples may be given considerable latitude with their schedules because they often fill several different assignments. Although missionaries face challenges, they are typically dedicated, enthusiastic, and faithful. The experience of teaching the basic doctrines of the gospel and serving others daily leads to solemn introspection, earnest prayer, and continual study. Consequently, missionaries gain a new perspective of themselves, of people, of the place where they serve, and of the gospel.

abstracted from "Missionary, Missionary Life," in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, ed. Daniel H. Ludlow, 4 vols. (New York: Macmillan, 1992),

Answer 2

No, they don't. For the 2 years that they are on a mission, they take a break from school and do not have to work - before a mission, they work in order to save money for the mission, for food, clothing, the quintisential bike, and things like that.

The Missionaries are really only supposed to concentrate on the task at hand, which is to spread the gospel.

Answer 3

It depends on the kind of mission.

Typically, when we say someone is "on a mission", we mean a full-time mission. Full-time missionaries spend typically 10 hours per day doing missionary work. This barely leaves enough time for sleeping and eating, let alone working or going to school. The missionaries are supported by members of the church. Some missionaries save for their missions beforehand, some are supported by their parents, and some are supported by members of their congregation or other members of the church.

There are also other kinds of missionaries who do not serve the church as missionaries full-time. For example, the church has missionaries called "ward missionaries", "church service missionaries", and so forth. Since these missionaries are not doing missionary work on a full-time basis, they do have time to participate in other activities like work and school.

Most likely, though, you are thinking of full-time missionaries, so the answer is no.

Answer 4

No