Marcus Martins, the Church's First Black Missionary of the 20th Century, Bears His Witness of Christ

Why We Believe · Jun 18, 2026 · 1h 27m

Marcus Martins joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1972 at age thirteen, six years before any Black member could hold the priesthood or enter the temple. He stayed anyway. He believed anyway. In June of 1978, when the revelation came extending the priesthood to all worthy male members, Marcus was nineteen, working as a construction inspector in Rio de Janeiro and engaged to be married. Weeks later he became the first Black missionary called by the Church in the 20th century, the son of Helvécio Martins, who would become the Church's first Black general authority.

In this…