“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?”
Kingdom of Thailand Population- 67 Million. About double the Canadian population.
After centuries of Christian missions in Thailand, it has become apparent that the Thai people group is very resistant to the Christian Gospel. Thailand is a country where Christians are free to proclaim the Gospel without religious persecution. Yet, there are only about 1% Christians in Thailand.
However, disadvantaged ethnic minority people groups such as the Karen hill tribes are very receptive to the Gospel. Therefore, missionary efforts in evangelism have been, in recent times, directed almost entirely toward these minority groups with wonderful results. In fact, according to research by the ESTAR Foundation, a disproportionate 35% of Protestant Christians in Thailand belongs to these minority groups.
The Largest Unreached People Group in Thailand: The Thai People
One sheep is safe at home. What about others?
In the famous parable of the lost sheep, Jesus shows us what the heart of God for the lost is like. Our Lord will go all out to look for the lone lost sheep until it is found. In Thailand, we have the parable in reverse. Only one sheep is safe. The rest have lost their way.
It is our conviction that Jesus wants his people to do whatever it takes to bring the Christian Gospel to the 99 Lost Sheep of Thailand.
NEW TOOLS FOR EVANGELISM URGENTLY NEEDED
We can't continue to use the same tools that have been employed in the past decades and centuries. They have not worked well. At THAI WORD, we aim to-
- Gain a fresh understanding and discern why these tools don't work. Why don't Thai people respond positively to these tools?
- Develop new tools for evangelism that can overcome the difficulties.
- Equip Thai churches and Missionaries with these new tools.