Note

The country of Myanmar is also known as Burma. The people and language are still refered to as Burmese.

 

History

America’s first foreign missionary, Adoniram Judson, went to Burma in 1813. His translation of the Bible into Burmese is still used today. A former British colony, Burma gained its independence in 1948. In 1962 a Soviet-style military government took over, renamed the country Myanmar, and implemented a policy of systematic violence against certain populations, particularly the Chin people due to their Christian faith. In 2015 a democratic government was elected but Myanmar remains a deeply fractured nation politically and ethnically. There is freedom to evangelize but the non-confrontive culture requires patience and creativity in finding and using gentle methods of outreach.

 

TCM in Myanmar

TCM came into contact with Burmese Pastor Ling through his relative who attended Grace Church in Indianapolis. Ben Anderson, Tim Heath and TCM missionaries from neighboring countries visited Myanmar and provided basic Bible and dispensational seminars to a group of pastors led by Pastor Ling. Currently the TCM work in Myanmar consists of six small indigenous churches, a fledgling theological training center and a children’s home for orphans established after the devastating 2008 hurricane.

In 2016 TCM formed Team Myanmar, a group of trained and qualified Filipino missionaries, to come alongside the Grace Gospel Churches of Myanmar. The goal of Team Myanmar is to foster the existing church planting ministry and outreach by providing thorough pastoral and youth/children’s ministry training.