Thailand
Date Entered: 1997
Major Ministries: Church planting
Country Profile
Population: 65,493,296
Peoples: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%
Politics: Constitutional monarchy
Religion: Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)
Located in southeast Asia, Thailand enjoys a coastline along the Gulf of Thailand almost as long as its land boundaries with Myanmar (Burma) and Cambodia.
Thailand’s climate is tropical, with a cool season from November to February, a hot season from March to May, and a rainy season from June to October. The northern part of the country is mountainous, while the central and eastern regions are comprised of plains and plateaus.
Thailand was founded in 1238 as a monarchy and maintained its independence from European control throughout its history. The country has a constitutional monarchy, and King Bhumibol has been on the throne for more than 50 years.
Although the country’s economy has been shaky for the last decade, Thailand is poised to develop a large export market to Western countries. Despite Thailand’s high literacy rate—one of the highest in southeast Asia—the biggest detriment to its national economy is the lack of an educated, trained work force able to compete in a computerized global market.
Thailand’s history contributes to its ethnically diverse landscape: Vietnamese, Burmese, Cambodian, and Chinese refugees have found political and religious asylum in Thailand for centuries. The major unifying factors in the country today are the language and monarchy.
Although Thailand’s 95% Buddhist population is nominally tolerant, in reality the spirit worship has taken an enormous toll on the lives of Thai people. Training Thai men to assume leadership of a local church is slow, arduous work; some fear family pressure to recant, while others fear societal persecution.
The ABWE team is looking for personnel who can help train national leaders, teach lay leaders, and serve on church-planting teams in both urban and rural settings.