About the People

The Royal Kingdom of Thailand (which means Land of the Free) was founded in 1238 in a declaration of independence from Khmer overlords. Bordered by Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Malaysia, the country also boasts coastlines on the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. Thailand exports large quantities of Jasmin rice, silk cloth, silver and silver jewelry, wicker weaving, cabbage, herbs and naturally dyed cotton. Open-air markets carry plenty of fresh produce at reasonable prices, and vegetarian restaurants abound. The political climate is peaceful, and temperatures range between 60 and 100 degrees year-round.

Thailand is a deeply Buddhist nation, with over 92 percent of its population espousing the Buddhist faith. Missionaries have had very little success at penetrating this massive “spiritual wall.” Only about 1.6 percent of the Thai population is Christian. There are 37 Seventh-day Adventist churches in Thailand, most of which are in northern Thailand.

About the Project

The primary goal of the AFM missionaries on the Thai Kamen Project is to establish an indigenous church-planting movement among these Thai Buddhists. To reach this goal, they live closely among the people, learn the Thai language, study local culture and religion, and build deep friendships. Using what they learn, they will craft evangelistic materials for the Thai Buddhist context. They aim to share Christianity in a way that leads to conversions that are deeply meaningful and lasting. Local converts will be discipled to become leaders in the first planted church and trained to plant new churches. In this way, the end result will be a locally-led and newly-born Adventist Christian movement that continues expanding God’s kingdom in Thailand.

People-Group Facts

• Language: Thai
• Religion: Buddhism