Protestants in Myanmar

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Protestants in Myanmar make up 3% of that nation's population, most of them Baptists.^[1]

There have been reports that the military junta that rules Myanmar sent hundreds of Buddhist monks into a heavily Christian section of the country to reconvert the local people, and offered economic incentives to those who did such as being freed from forced labor. Since 1994 all requests to build new churches have been turned down.^[2]

Contents 1 Myanmar Baptist Convention 2 Christian Reformed Church in Myanmar 3 Kachin Church 4 Lisu Church 5 True Jesus Church in Myanmar 6 See also 7 External links and references

[edit] Myanmar Baptist Convention

The Myanmar Baptist Convention is an association of Baptist churches in the nation of Myanmar (known until 1989 as Burma).

The famous American Baptist missionaries, Adoniram and Ann Judson, moved to Rangoon in 1813 when British authorities refused to allow them to stay in India. The Judsons were in Burma six years before their first convert was baptized. Adoniram Judson gathered a group of believers and labored under many trials, but his missionary tenure of almost 40 years helped firmly establish the Baptist work in Burma. His monumental work included translating the Bible into Burmese, which was completed in 1834. George Dana Boardman began a work among the Karen peoples in 1828. Today the Karen Baptist Convention is the largest member body of the Myanmar Baptist Convention, which was formed in 1865.

HIV/AIDS is a significant problem in Myanmar. In 1992, the Baptist Convention created a 32-member AIDS commission, because they see the problem as spiritual, as well as social and medical.

In Myanmar about 6% of the population is Christian, with two-thirds of them being considered Protestant. Almost half of these Protestants are Baptists. In 2003, the Convention had 629,146 members in 3513 churches. Myanmar Baptist Convention has 17 affiliated conventions under its umbrella, and is a member of the World Council of Churches and the Baptist World Alliance.

The Convention operates the Myanmar Institute of Theology, the leading Christian seminary in Myanmar, founded in 1927 and located in Insein.

[edit] Christian Reformed Church in Myanmar

The Christian Reformed Church in Myanmar is a reformed church of Myanmar. It was founded in 1985. It has 50 congregations. It belongs to the Reformed Ecumenical Council, the only Myanmar denomination to do so.

[edit] Kachin Church

Kachin Church is a church centred in Kachin State of Myanmar. It is also present in China and India and is predominantly Baptist. The Kachin Church is growing.

[edit] Lisu Church

Main article: Lisu Church

Lisu Church is a Christian church of an ethnic minority of southern China, Myanmar, Thailand and a part of India. Missionaries had been working in the Lisu area since the early 20th century. The first to work among the Lisu, in the Yunnan province in China, was James O. Fraser, who also developed the written Lisu language and the Fraser Alphabet, which today is officially adopted by the Chinese government. Writing and reading in Lisu has been mainly developed by the church. Today there are an estimated 300,000 Lisu believers. The Lisu Church has both the Bible and a hymn book in their own language.

[edit] True Jesus Church in Myanmar

The True Jesus Church is a nontrinitarian Christian denomination begun in China, growing out of the Pentecostal movement. Since its foundation it has spread to other countries including Myanmar.

• In 1987, four ministers from another church denomination discovered the True Jesus Church in "The Sabbath Observer" publication which introduced all Sabbath-keeping churches in the world. These ministers then began preaching our gospel and at one point, 400 people were willing to receive baptism. Unfortunately, the group failed to contact the main church so everyone dispersed back to their former churches.

• It was not until 1989 when Mr. Thang, a minister from another church, discovered a True Jesus Church "Words of Life" document. After reading it, he wrote to the International Assembly asking them to sent ministers here to preach and baptise. So in 1990, the International Assembly sent preacher John Lo and deacon Jonah Yapp to Myanmar, and after holding an evangelical service at a member's house, 20 were baptised.^{[citation needed]}

In 1993, the two preachers held another evangelical service at a member's house at Yangon (formerly Rangoon) that resulted in 30 people receiving baptism.

1994, After holding a third evangelical service at Yangon, 40 were baptized. But since there was a lack of ministers to help firmly root them in the faith, some of them left.

A church in Pyindaw Oo and a prayer house in Sakhamgyi was established. Since Thomas Yen has moved to Yangon from New York to do business, he witnesses several testimonies and holds regular Bible study sessions.

In 1995 Preacher John Lo and Jonah Yapp held an evangelical service at the Yangon YMCA where 50 people accepted the gospel and were baptized. A church Board was shortly established to help the pastoring work.

In 1997 the two preachers evangelized in Pyindaw Oo, Sakhamayi, Taungphila and other locations. There was not enough space in the church hall to seat all the people. After the session, the believers began building new churches in which most were completed and dedicated.Template:Faxt

As of 2000, there are two churches, one in Taungphila and Pyindaw Oo, and prayer houses in six different areas – Pyidawtha, Sakhamayi, Tiddicm, Falam, Nud Kyi Kone and Yangon Shwebogan. The number of believers is 211.

[edit] See also

• Christianity in Myanmar
• Myanmar Institute of Theology
• Roman Catholicism in Myanmar
• True Jesus Church in India

[edit] External links and references

• Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin, Jr.
• Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists, Norman W. Cox, editor
• Mountain Rain, by Eileen Crossman, OMF 1982. A biography of Fraser with much details on the early mission among the Lisu in China
• Christianity in Myanmar
• Pentecostalism in Myanmar
• [1]