An early returned missionary is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who comes home before finishing their assigned mission service period. Early returns occur for various reasons, including physical illness, mental health issues, family emergencies, spiritual crises, or personal situations that make continuing service impossible or unsafe. Missionaries may serve weeks, months, or nearly their full term before returning home early.

Every year, thousands of missionaries come home early. It is far more common than most LDS families realize, and yet it remains one of the least talked-about transitions in Latter-day Saint culture. Missionaries who are returning home early represent one of the most underserved populations in the church.

How Common Is an Early Return?

Research from the Next Mormons Survey, conducted by religious scholar Jana Riess and published by Religion News Service, found that among Millennial Latter-day Saints who served missions, as many as one-third came home before completing their assigned service — 35% of women and 29% of men. It is important to note here that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has disputed the specific figures cited in this study, noting that their internal data show lower numbers; however, those figures have not been publicly released.

What is not in dispute is that early returns are increasing and that mental and physical health appear to be the primary drivers. A study by Utah Valley University associate professor Kristine Doty-Yells (Doty et al., Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy, 2015), which surveyed 348 early returned missionaries, found that 36% came home for mental health reasons and 34% for physical health. This suggests that nearly three-quarters returned for health-related reasons, not issues related to worthiness. Only 12% came home due to an unresolved transgression.

What stands out even more to me than why these missionaries come home, is the experience of these missionaries after returning home. This same UVU study Doty et al., 2015, found that 73% of early returned missionaries reported feelings of shame and failure, regardless of why they came home, even when their return was entirely honorable. Nearly six in ten said their ward members received them with indifference or hostility, and nearly half reported that local church leaders treated them poorly.

The data is clear that coming home early is common, the reasons are rarely what people assume, and the reception missionaries receive when they arrive home is of upmost importance.

Why Missionaries Come Home Early

There is no single profile of an early returned missionary. Some come home because of a health condition that appeared or worsened in the field. Some struggle with anxiety, depression, or other challenges that became unmanageable away from home. Some face crises of faith. Others return due to family emergencies or personal safety concerns. Some are asked to come home by mission leadership for a variety of reasons.

What they all have in common is that they came home carrying a burden that many around them don't understand because they haven't been through it. And because of this, they return home to a community that often doesn't know what to say.

What the Return Home Is Like

I remember when my own daughter returned early from her mission. We were concerned for her well-being and grateful to get her home where we could assess her needs and provide her the support that she required. However, it was also a time of great uncertainty and concern. Despite being a professional in mental health for many years, I often felt like I didn't know what to say or do to help her in this process. That feeling of helplessness is shared by many families I have worked with.

For many early returned missionaries, the weeks and months after coming home are among the hardest of their lives. They often experience a profound sense of loss and struggle to find their identity and purpose. Many of their friends are still out serving. Ward members ask questions. Family members feel confused, not knowing whether to push them to return to service or give them space and accept that their return is permanent. The missionary themselves may not know what to say or who they are outside of the mission context.

Parents and families often feel equally lost. They prepared their child for a mission. They didn't prepare for this.

What Early Returned Missionaries and Their Families Need to Know

Coming home early is not the end of the story. For many early returned missionaries, it becomes one of the most defining chapters of their lives, not because of what happened while they were out in the field, but because of what they choose to do next.

The transition home can be challenging, but it is manageable. What makes the difference is different for every missionary. Some serve successfully as service missionaries and find a lot of worth and value in that. Others feel unfulfilled in that process and the differences between the service mission and full-time proselytizing missionary work just further compound their feelings of failure and inadequacy. It is important to really try to treat each individual as a unique person with feelings and needs and not impose what we think they should do or feel. Don't try to pretend everything is okay or back to normal. And don't feel the need to rush back into regular life. Some missionaries need time to heal and reflect, while others need to stay busy. What they all have in common is this: they need not face it alone.

Early returned missionaries need to know that what they accomplished was enough and that God accepts their service and is pleased with their efforts. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke directly to missionaries in a video released in March 2016. He spoke about early returned missionaries, that they should trust in their ability to serve as long as they could and be proud of the time that they spent.

"I want you to take the dignity and the strength and the faith that came from your four months and cherish that forever. I don't want you to apologize for coming home. When someone asks you if you have served a mission, you say yes. You do not need to follow that up with, 'But it was only four months.' Just forget that part and say yes you served a mission...Cherish the service you rendered…Please, please do not think you're inadequate or a failure."

— Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, March 2016

I know firsthand what many of these missionaries feel and go through and my heart goes out to them. Watching my own daughter struggle with feelings of inadequacy and failure when I knew that she had given it her all, was truly heart-wrenching. Our early returned missionaries need our love, compassion, empathy and validation.

How Coaching Supports the Transition Home

Life coaching is not therapy. It is a forward-focused partnership designed to help someone get clear on where they want to go and build a concrete plan to get there. For early returned missionaries, coaching provides structure, accountability, and someone in their corner who genuinely understands the unique landscape of coming home early. Coaching provides a safe space for them to work through their concerns, worries, doubts and fears and come out of this process with a clear path forward.

At Returning Stronger, we work with returned missionaries and their families to move from uncertainty to direction. We help navigate the process from that first difficult week at home to a life where they can thrive. Sessions are virtual, private, and available nationwide.

I built Returning Stronger because through the experience of navigating the early return with my daughter, we came to realize just how many other wonderful young men and women and their families were struggling the same way as we were. I wanted to make sure that these individuals know that they aren't alone. There is a place for them and we want their voices to be heard.

A Note to Parents

If your son or daughter just came home early, the most important thing you can do right now is lead with love and resist the urge to fix things quickly or push for the outcome you perceive as best. Give your child room to mend. Let them know their worth is not measured by the length of their service. And take care of yourself too. Parent coaching exists for exactly this reason — because you are carrying something heavy, and you deserve support as well.

For practical guidance on how to show up for your missionary during this time, read our full guide: Six Tips for Supporting Your Early Returned Missionary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an early returned missionary considered less faithful?

No. This is an important misconception to address directly. Most missionaries come home early for medical, mental health, family, and personal reasons that have nothing to do with worthiness or faithfulness. The church itself has moved toward language that emphasizes honorable service regardless of length.

What should I say to an early returned missionary?

Welcome them with love and acceptance, not questions. Avoid asking them immediately why they came home, what their plans are, or when/if they might be going back. Simply making the missionary feel welcomed and accepted is the most important thing to do in their first weeks home.

Should an early returned missionary go back to their mission?

This is a deeply personal decision that depends on the reason for the early return, the missionary's current health, and guidance from church leaders and medical professionals. There is no universal right answer and no pressure to return should be implied.

Where can early returned missionaries find support?

Several resources exist. Through your bishop or stake president, LDS Family Services offers up to six free counseling sessions specifically for early returned missionaries. For life coaching and peer mentoring focused on goal-setting, building confidence and clarity about what comes next, and finding direction and purpose after returning home, Returning Stronger Coaching LLC offers a free 15-minute discovery call.

Many early returned missionaries find coaching easier to reach out for than therapy — it doesn't carry the same stigma. They may need less focus on what's wrong with them and more focus on just needing support to move forward with their life. And because every session is online from the privacy of their own home, there's no office, no waiting room, no running into someone they know. Just an honest conversation from wherever they feel comfortable. Coaching is not therapy — these resources serve different needs and can complement each other.

Have a specific question? Visit our You Ask, We Answer page where Jon and Brooklyn answer questions from missionaries and families personally.