Developmental Themes Associated with Religious Activity After Early Return from a Latter-day Saint Mission

Samuel E. Hancock, Brigham Young University
Sam A. Hardy, Brigham Young University
Michael Goodman, Brigham Young University
Camron Angell, Brigham Young University
Jenae M. Nelson, Brigham Young University

Abstract. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, qualified young men are expected (and young women are given the option) to complete extended missionary service during the transition to adulthood. Some youth end their missionary service short of the anticipated duration, which is associated with markedly lower rates of religious activity post-return. This study is a qualitative inquiry into the developmental themes associated with early returned missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who chose to remain active (be consistently involved with the church), sampling from areas with high rates of Latter-day Saint activity, where stigmatization of an early return is highest. Seventeen active early returned missionaries were administered semi-structured interviews. Six prominent (occurring a majority of the time) developmental themes emerged from these interviews: identity transformation, optimistic future orientation, cognitive/emotional reconciliation, strengthened religious conviction, enhanced empathic capacity, and perceptual change. Perceptual change would have been a non-majority theme if male responses had been excluded. Three contrast cases of inactive early returned missionaries are included.

Hancock, Samuel E., Sam A. Hardy, Michael Goodman, Camron Angell and Jenae M. Nelson. 2026. “Developmental Themes Associated with Religious Activity After Early Return from a Latter-day Saint Mission,” Journal of the Mormon Social Science Association 4, no. 1: 77–101.
https://doi.org/10.54587/JMSSA.0403