Why are Mormon Elders so young?

The definition of elder is provided in the Bible in Titus 1:5-9 and if you read through what it says there is no way that an elder could ever be just 19 years of age. An elder is supposed to be a senior experienced member of the church, not a youth. The Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is in error about this and about a lot of other things.

“The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” (Titus 1:5-9 NIV)

Missions are hard and have an amazing array of unusual social and spiritual experiences.

I have 8 boys. 7 have served missions and the last is still too young. My boys have served in Tennessee, New Hampshire, the ghetto of New Jersey, Alabama, Australia, Japan and Samoa. These missions have been the most positive, life changing experiences that my sons could have. They all have come home with a strong spiritual foundation, service orientation and work ethic. Missions have done for my boys what I could never have. As they enter the college seen, they are light years ahead in maturity.

Male Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are eligible to serve on a full-time mission, if approved, at 18.

It's a priesthood office and calling found in the bible.

I served my mission in Italy, in most places they are simply called "Elder", in Italian we were called "Anziano" which literally means "Old Man" in a more direct colloquial way than the word "elder" - we got some odd looks on the street.

You have to understand that the Mormon missionary program has a goal to convert people, but it also has the goal of really driving in the mental programming of its young men. For two years they do nothing but what the church tells them. They eat, drink, breathe Mormonism. They can't even call home except on Mother's Day and Christmas. No news, no TV, no radio, nothing. Just Mormon-approved reading materials and strict obedience to The Brethren.

After two years of this conditioning, The Brethren are confident that there will be few who dare to question Mormonism later in life. It's best to nip any independent thought or natural curiosity as young as possible. So now they strong-arm the young men into the "mission field" as soon as they graduate from high school.

So sad... most of them don't even have a choice in the matter. All their family and friends and church leaders expect them to go, and the young men know that they will be outcasts from everyone they hold dear if they don't go. It's really a sad situation.

The LDS church relies on young people, men and women, to serve full time missions because they have no responsibilities. They don't have families of their own or careers. Conversely they also ask elderly couples to serve missions because they are retired and their kids are all grown.

I was always told that it was in order to sexually discipline them.

i think because it is the rules of missionary when i read in blog.