- Open ministry
- Training centres in Yangon
- Central Bible schools & degrees
Hope in the Midst of Turmoil · Yangon & the border
Christian Missions in Myanmar မြန်မာ
Myanmar is in crisis. Yet the church is growing — and the darkness has not overcome the light. We serve displaced communities, train leaders and plant churches in a nation facing unprecedented crisis.
- Yangon & the border
- 850+ leaders trained
- Since 2014
Situation update. Myanmar remains under military rule after the 2021 coup and civil conflict continues in many regions. KMI’s work goes on, adapted to the security situation; some details are withheld to protect workers. Last updated:
KMI Myanmar Missions trains and sends Myanmar’s own leaders — often at our Mae Sai centre on the Myanmar border. Our work includes Christian leadership, pastoral and discipleship training, church planting in Myanmar, youth and children’s ministry, emergency relief and community development among Myanmar’s ethnic minorities and unreached people groups.
Myanmar
The Golden Land in darkness
Known for its glittering pagodas and rich history, Myanmar is facing its darkest hour. Since the military coup of February 2021 the nation has been torn by civil war, economic collapse and mass displacement. Yet the church is alive and growing.
The Bamar majority (about 68%) holds power, and ethnic minorities have faced decades of oppression. KMI serves mainly among these peoples — training their own leaders, often at our Mae Sai centre just across the border, and sending them home to reach their own people.
- Chin
- Kachin
- Karen
- Shan
- Karenni
- Rakhine
- Mon
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”John 16:33
Key facts
- Population
- About 55 million
- Religion
- 88% Buddhist · 6% Christian · 4% Muslim
- Diversity
- 135+ official ethnic groups · 53 unreached people groups
- Status
- Military rule · active civil war
- Displaced
- 1.5 million+ internally displaced
- KMI presence
- Since 2014 · Yangon & the border
Sources: Myanmar census (2014); Joshua Project; UN agencies. Figures are estimates.
Religious affiliation
Buddhism87.9%
Christianity6.2%
Islam4.3%
Animism0.8%
Hinduism0.5%
Source: Myanmar Population and Housing Census, 2014.
850+
leaders trained since 2014
176
leaders trained since the coup
213
churches planted in Myanmar & Thailand
500+
families fed through emergency relief
February 2021: the turning point
“The darker the night, the brighter the light shines.”
Since the coup, traditional ministry models have collapsed — but underground movements are flourishing.
- Active combat & landmines
- Military surveillance
- Economic collapse & displacement
- Keeps growing in homes and in the jungle
- Raises its own leaders under pressure
- Serves its neighbours in their darkest hour
Our current ministry model
- Thailand-based training: bringing key leaders out for intensive equipping in safety
- Underground networks: small house churches that can meet discreetly
- Online & distance: secure mentoring when the internet allows
- Border ministry: serving refugees and displaced people at the edges of conflict
- Emergency relief: food and medicine as a gateway to the Gospel
Strategic advantages
1Indigenous leadership
2Low-profile operations
3Holistic approach
4Trust networks
What We Do in Myanmar
Our Ministry Focus
Ministry in a nation transformed by crisis.
Security notice: because of the risk to our partners under military rule, some names, locations and details are withheld or generalised.
Leadership Training
Christian Leadership & Pastoral Training in Myanmar
Before the coup, theological training meant central Bible schools, three-year degrees and open enrolment. Today we train in short, practical modules — often bringing key leaders across the border to our Mae Sai centre, where they can learn in safety and return home to multiply.
850+
leaders trained since 2014
176
leaders trained since the coup
6
leadership trainings since the coup
27
indigenous leaders sent as missionaries
Before the coupCentralised Bible schools, 3-year degrees, open enrolment.
After the coupDecentralised modules, practical focus, discreet gatherings.
Curriculum focus
- Biblical foundations
- A theology of persecution and suffering
- Trauma counselling
- Community development
- Ethnic reconciliation
“The training didn’t just teach me how to preach. It taught me how to suffer with my people and point them to the suffering Servant, Jesus.”Pastor T., Shan State
GCI Training
Discipleship Training in Myanmar: the GCI
In September 2026, leaders from Myanmar spent six days at our Mae Sai head office in the Great Commission Intensive (GCI) — learning to go, teach, baptise and multiply — then graduated with a six-month plan to make disciples and start home cells.
What the GCI covers
- Communion with Jesus and the call to go
- Simple, reproducible Bible study
- Baptism and the first steps of discipleship
- Starting and multiplying home cells
- A six-month personal discipleship plan
Church Planting
Church Planting in Myanmar, in a War Zone
Our planters face active combat, landmines, military surveillance and deep Buddhist nationalism. Small house churches can meet discreetly, scatter when soldiers come and multiply when they do.
213
churches planted in Myanmar & Thailand
1,100+
active members
400+
baptisms since the coup
0
trained leaders who renounced their faith
- 1Preparation & prayer
- 2Entering the community
- 3Forming disciples
- 4Establishing the church
- 5Multiplication
Featured plant
The Jungle Church
When their village was burned by the military, the whole community fled into the jungle — and a KMI planter we call ‘Timothy’ went with them. Under bamboo and plastic tarps he gathered the believers. A prayer meeting for safety has grown into a church of 60 people, including 15 new believers from Buddhist backgrounds who saw the love of Christ in their darkest hour.
“We plant with a Bible in one hand and a bag of rice in the other, ready to run if the soldiers come.”A KMI church planter in Myanmar
Cost to plant a church: $2,000 — one year of pastor support, Bibles, basic equipment and relief supplies.
Emergency Relief
Emergency Relief & Christian Community Development in Myanmar
More than 1.5 million people are internally displaced and the economy is in ruins. Hunger and disease are widespread. Through local pastors, KMI brings food and medicine — and with them the hope of the Gospel — to families the world has forgotten.
- Food: rice and oil for 500+ families
- Medical aid: 200+ patients treated monthly
- Shelter: 100+ families housed
- Education: 300+ displaced children in classes
- Trauma care: counselling for victims of war
- Christmas outreach: gifts and the Christmas message for war-torn villages
Urgent needs
- Monthly food supply$12,500
- Blankets & winter gear$7,500
- Shelter repairs$5,000
- Emergency medicine$5,000
Children & Youth
Children & Youth Ministry in Myanmar
War has closed schools across Myanmar. Children in KMI’s care are learning to read, sing and dream again — some in safe houses, some in free boarding with food and accommodation.
200+
children given free education & supplies
25+
children in free boarding
300+
displaced children in classes
$30
a month sponsors a child
A sponsorship covers
- School supplies and uniforms
- Tutoring and catch-up classes
- A daily meal
- Support for teachers
Ministry Impact
Fruitfulness despite the fire
2014–2026
850+
leaders trained since 2014
176
leaders trained since the coup
213
churches planted in Myanmar & Thailand
27
indigenous leaders sent as missionaries
400+
baptisms since the coup
400+
Bibles distributed
500+
families fed through emergency relief
200+
children given free education
1,100+
active church members
7+
ethnic groups served
13+
local leaders supported
25+
children in free boarding
Our Myanmar team
15+ full-time staff · 50+ part-time · 100+ volunteers
Courageous local leaders who stay and serve their own people.
Stories from Myanmar
Voices of resilience and hope
Volunteer for Myanmar
There’s a place for you here
Individuals, families, church and YWAM teams, students on a gap year, retirees and professionals. Volunteers of any faith or none are welcome in our community roles.
Volunteers come from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand — and serve Myanmar people at our centre on the Thai–Myanmar border.
Teach at our border training centre
Bible teachers, pastors and trainers can teach Myanmar leaders at intensives like the GCI in Mae Sai, in person or online.
Offer to teach →Schools & English teaching
Teach English, music, computers or catch-up classes to Myanmar students and children in our programmes on the Thai side of the border.
Teach in our schools →Community development & relief
Help with relief packing, Christmas outreach, building projects, agriculture and livelihoods for displaced families.
Join community work →Medical & trauma care
Doctors, nurses, counsellors and trauma-care specialists can train local workers and support medical outreach.
Offer your skills →Church & mission teams
Bring your church, YWAM or college team for a vetted short-term mission trip to the Myanmar border.
Plan a team trip →Students & gap year
Spend 1–12 months serving alongside our team: teaching, media, children’s ministry and admin.
Browse roles →Volunteer online from home
Online English classes, media and design, translation, prayer mobilisation and administration.
Serve online →Retirees & professionals
Business, finance, construction, education and IT skills strengthen the work for the long term.
Share your experience →Safety first: KMI does not send volunteers into Myanmar’s conflict areas. You will serve from our training centre in Mae Sai, Thailand, on the Myanmar border, or online from home. Read the Mission Trip Guide.
Where you’ll serve · Mae Sai border base
Kingdom Mission International Foundation
662 Moo 5, Wiang Phang Kham, Mae Sai, Chiang Rai 57130, Thailand — minutes from the Myanmar border at Tachileik.
Leadership
Meet Our Myanmar Team
Courageous leaders serving in crisis.
Security note: for the safety of our staff and their families, faces and real names are withheld.
Country Director
Strategic leadership
Oversees all national operations. A former theology professor now leading from the underground.
“We work while it is day.”
Training Coordinator
Education
Develops curriculum and coordinates decentralised training nodes across the country.
“Truth sets us free.”
Church Planter
Regional leader
Leads a network of house churches in conflict zones and travels at great risk to disciple believers.
“The church is the hope.”
Relief Coordinator
Aid & development
Manages logistics for food and medical supplies entering restricted areas.
“Love in action.”
Women’s Leader
Discipleship
Empowers women in displacement camps through trauma care and vocational skills.
“Strength in weakness.”
Prayer Focus
A weekly guide to pray for Myanmar
SundayPersecuted believers
MondayChurch planters
TuesdayEthnic minorities
WednesdayDisplaced families
ThursdayNational leaders
FridayThe KMI Myanmar team
SaturdayPeace for Myanmar
Support Myanmar Ministry
Your giving is a lifeline
Every gift designated to Myanmar is used in Myanmar. Choose where your gift goes.
Myanmar General Fund
Critical needs and rapid response to emergencies.
- Emergency relief
- Staff support
- Security logistics
- Outreach events
InvestmentAny amount
Give nowTrain a Leader
Equip a pastor to lead in a conflict zone.
- Training materials
- Safe travel
- Mentoring
- Food during training
Investment$1,000 / leader
Give nowPlant a Church
Establish a new house church.
- Leader support ($1,200)
- Materials ($400)
- Emergency fund ($300)
- Equipment ($100)
Investment$2,000 / church
Give nowEmergency Relief
Aid for families fleeing conflict.
- Food supplies
- Medicine
- Temporary shelter
- Medical care
Investment$50 – $500
Give nowEducation Support
Sponsor a child’s education.
- School supplies
- Tutoring
- A daily meal
- Teacher support
Investment$30 / month
Give nowLivelihood Creation
Help a family restart after loss.
- Vocational training
- Seeds & livestock
- Tools
- Start-up capital
Investment$500 / family
Give nowUS donors: tax-deductible through KMI USA. Australian donors: tax-deductible through ACCIR. All ways to give · Accountability
Myanmar Resources
Understand, pray and advocate
Guide
Christianity in Myanmar: history, ethnic churches and a church in crisis
Myanmar’s church was born through one of history’s best-known missionary stories, and today it carries hope through civil war. Here are the facts and how to help.
Programmes & Reports
Latest from Myanmar
GCI Myanmar 2026: From Training to Multiplication
Six days, 33 sessions and a room full of Myanmar leaders commissioned to go, teach, baptize and multiply.
Read the report →
Newsletter: New HQ, Laos Opens, Pakistan Expands
A new Mae Sai headquarters, the first Laos pastors’ training, Myanmar leaders, Next Gen and Kalash Valley.
Read the report →FAQ
Myanmar: frequently asked questions
How many Christians are in Myanmar?
About 6.2% of Myanmar’s people were Christian at the 2014 census; Joshua Project estimates Christian adherents at around 8.6%, mostly among ethnic minorities.
How many people groups in Myanmar are unreached?
Joshua Project lists 53 of Myanmar’s 156 people groups as unreached — but they include about 83% of the population.
What does KMI do in Myanmar?
We train and send indigenous leaders (176 since the coup), plant churches (213 in Myanmar and Thailand), distribute Bibles, run emergency relief and provide education for children.
How can I help Myanmar?
Pray, sponsor a leader’s training, or give to relief and education. Give now.
Is it safe to travel to Myanmar?
Most Western governments currently advise against travel to large parts of Myanmar because of the armed conflict. KMI does not send volunteers into conflict areas. Volunteers serve Myanmar people from our Mae Sai centre on the Thai side of the border, or online; any travel is vetted by KMI leadership.
Can I volunteer with Myanmar people without going into Myanmar?
Yes. Most volunteers serve at our training centre in Mae Sai, Thailand, right on the Myanmar border, where Myanmar leaders, students and children come to learn. You can also serve online.
What volunteer roles are available for Myanmar?
Teaching leaders, schools and English teaching, community development and relief, medical and trauma care, church and mission teams, gap-year placements, online roles and professional skills.
How do you get funds into Myanmar?
Through trusted local leaders and established channels that we do not publish, for their safety. Every designated gift is recorded and reported, and KMI’s accounts are reviewed each year — see our accountability page.
Are churches still meeting in Myanmar?
Yes. Many meet in homes, in the jungle or in displacement camps. Some church buildings have been destroyed, but congregations have multiplied into smaller house churches that meet discreetly.
What is the biggest need in Myanmar?
Trained and resilient leaders, and emergency food and medicine for displaced families. Training one leader costs about $1,000, and $2,000 plants a church.
Contact the Myanmar desk
Talk to our team
Security note: communications may be monitored. Please don’t use sensitive words (for example “conversion” or “underground”) in email subject lines.
- Emailmyanmar@kingdommissionint.com
- Phone (Thailand office)+66 94 632 0368
- Signal & WhatsAppMessage us on WhatsApp
Reach Myanmar with the Gospel
Give, pray or partner — and help train Myanmar’s leaders to reach their own people.