Some are obvious, however, including that its missionaries work in pairs. Church spokesmen have also said repeatedly that it sends missionaries only to countries where the local government welcomes them — decreasing the chance that local residents would lash out at them for unpopular beliefs.

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of Twelve gave a general conference address in 1989 that listed some other steps.

For example, he said when unrest in a country occurs, church officials "monitor conditions daily and even hourly, if necessary" to ensure missionaries there do not face undue risk, and remove them when warranted.

Elder Ballard also said in the 1989 speech, "Our records since 1981 reveal that the total number of missionaries who have lost their lives through accident, illness or other causes is very small. . . . The death rate of young male missionaries from the United States serving worldwide is one-fifth the rate of young males of comparable age living in Utah. It is one-seventh the rate of young males of comparable age in the general population of the United States," he said.

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