Learning English can have a significant impact on the trajectory of a missionary's life when they return home. English proficiency can open doors for education, especially through BYU-Pathway Worldwide, and will enable returning missionaries to expand their employment opportunities and enter the workforce with higher earning potential.

You play a crucial role in helping missionaries achieve the benefits of learning English through EnglishConnect. Research shows that your emphasis and support, more than any other variable, determines the success of missionaries in learning a language on their mission.


Help your missionaries understand how to partner with their Heavenly Father as they seek to achieve their goals. Support them in continuing to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118). Teach them to be able to say, as Nephi did, “I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support” (2 Nephi 4:19–20).

You will be most successful as you help missionaries rely on the Holy Spirit and seek the Gift of Tongues.

The Missionary Department has approved up to one hour of daily language study for missionaries to use EnglishConnect. Missionaries use this time to study on their own or with their companion.

Once missionaries complete the final assessment, they will download (and print if desired) an official certificate that shows their English proficiency level. This certificate can be used to qualify for better employment and educational opportunities.

Missionaries who score a 6.5 or higher on the final assessment can immediately take advantage of BYU-Pathway Worldwide’s returned-missionary pre-approval for admission and receive the Returned Missionary Scholarship — a 25% tuition discount.

Use your scheduled training opportunities to help missionaries understand the vision and your expectations.

• Help missionaries understand how learning English can bless them now and in the future (Preach My Gospel, chapter 7).

• Communicate your expectations for daily study and assessment completion.
• Invite missionaries to seek the gift of tongues and use their daily language study time to achieve their goals.

Continually re-emphasize your expectations for language learning. Help missionaries feel your enthusiasm and your support.

Encourage missionaries in all their efforts. This can be done in your interviews, training meetings, through phone calls, and more. Help companionships support one another in their language learning goals.

Mission Leader Best Practices

• Help missionaries protect and use their language study time and set high expectations for their progress.
• Help missionaries learn to seek and recognize the gift of tongues.
• Provide opportunities for missionaries to report their progress. Examples include: Encourage completion of language assessments, invite missionaries to give a prayer or share a testimony in English during zone conference, and have missionaries report their progress in their weekly letter to the mission president.

You will be most successful as you help missionaries learn to partner with Heavenly Father as they seek the gift of tongues to achieve their English learning goals.

The mission president may assign someone to help oversee the program, manage materials, and encourage missionaries in achieving their goals. This person can be a senior missionary couple, a mission counselor or secretary, the mission president’s companion, or a local or remote Church-service missionary.

On this website, the individual with this assignment will be referred to as a language coordinator.

The language coordinator should become familiar with their role.

Criteria

In order for a person to coordinate language learning and support missionaries, they need:

• Sufficient English level to navigate online assessments and EnglishConnect levels.
• At least two hours per week to actively support missionaries learning English.
• The ability to encourage and support companionships and/or individual missionaries as they learn English.

Learn more about how a language coordinator can help you.