Strategic Global Missions — Educational Resource
A nation of 51 million people — resilient, educated, and full of faith — living through one of the world's most overlooked humanitarian crises.
Myanmar — also known as Burma — is a Southeast Asian nation the size of Texas, bordered by China, India, Thailand, Laos, and Bangladesh. It is home to more than 135 ethnic groups who speak dozens of languages. Its people are known for their warmth, their generosity, and their deep love of education and family.
It is also a country that has been under military control for most of the past sixty years, where entire communities have been displaced by conflict, where Christians have worshipped under pressure, and where the 2021 military coup plunged an already fragile society into one of the most severe humanitarian crises in Southeast Asian history.
Strategic Global Missions has partnered with indigenous Christian leaders in Myanmar since 2005. This educational section exists to give you the context you need to understand who these people are, what they have endured, and why the faithful work of local believers matters so deeply — today and in the years ahead.
After the devastating tsunami of 2004, Strategic Global Missions traveled to Thailand to help with relief work. There, we met Burmese Christian leaders who were already serving their own displaced people — quietly, faithfully, and without access to the international aid flowing to others around them.
We came alongside what God was already doing. That partnership, rooted in a shared commitment to the most vulnerable, has continued ever since. We have never led from the outside. We have always followed the lead of those who were already there.
The indigenous Christian leaders we partner with in Myanmar are well-educated, deeply rooted in their communities, and fully capable of leading. They do not need outsiders to do the work. They need the support to keep doing it.
"They are kind and beautiful people who have been oppressed and systematically overlooked for decades. The world has not paid enough attention. We believe that is changing."— Kristen Jones, President, Strategic Global Missions
Depending on why you're here, one of these paths is a good place to start.
Start with the February 1, 2021 page to understand what happened and why it still matters today.
Start here →Go directly to our prayer page for informed, specific prayer points — or download the prayer guide for your church or small group.
Start here →Begin with The People of Myanmar, then move through the history. Understanding who these people are makes everything else make sense.
Start here →Myanmar's people do not need pity. They need partners. The indigenous Christian leaders working in Myanmar are faithful, capable, and determined. Your prayers stand with them.
How to Pray for Myanmar Partner With SGM