Church Planting Among the Unreached Lahu
These are real people in real villages that we are planting churches by evangelizing and discipling through oral means. We use storying and chronological methods and over 500 people have come to faith in the last 4 years in a previously unreached area. The Lahu are open to the gospel but need to receive it in a manner that they can understand and then communicate to others. What we are doing is reproducible because they have a bible in their heart that they can carry over any mountain or across any stream. They are reaching out to their families, neighbors, and other people groups in their area. Could the Lahu be a Gateway people to the many other Unreached People Groups surrounding them? We definitely think so. They could be a mighty missionary force if properly equipped.
Information on the Lahu-
Population: More than 600,000 people located in China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam
Religion:Animism, Ancestor worship, and Christianity. A people movement occurred around the turn of the century and established Christianity in the Lahu people, of Burma and Thailand. The Christian faith among the Lahu could be said to be a mile wide, but an inch deep as nominalism is common and only a small percentage are Christian and even fewer have real understanding of what it actually means. Possibly 35,000 to 50,000 Christians.
Scripture: 1989 Bible
Jesus film: Yes
Christian radio: started new program thrust in 2005 with regular broadcasts using stories to evangelize and disciple.
Recordings: Audio materials are being produced and available for teams to take to.
The Chinese government recognizes the Lahu as one of the 55 official minorities. The Lahu are famous as hunters and still love to hunt whenever they can. In S.E. Asia they are often referred to as Musser. They generally live in high mountains around 5,000 feet in elevation in western Yunnan province. They have been involved in many rebellions over the centuries against other groups who were oppressing them, but in general are looked upon favorably by other groups. Lahu villages are small because they often separate as a village reaches 50 households due to village conflict. The new village takes the name of the one who founds the new village. Alcoholism, illiteracy and now drugs such as opium and methamphetimines are ruining the lives of the Lahu people in many places.
The Lahu responded to the gospel at the turn of the century in Northern Burma partially due to legends in their culture and the belief in a supreme God called G’ui Sha. They told William Young the first missionary to reach them that they “had been waiting for him for centuries”. Lahu from birth are bound by fear of spirits and appease them by various sacrifices and wearing of demon strings around their wrists. When they come to Christ the strings that represent bondage to demons are cut and burned. Lahu generally are warm hearted and very hospitable. They express great interest in the Gospel and generally it is only the lack of consistent quality teaching that keeps them from becoming a strong church. It was the early Lahu believers in China who first went to the Wa tribe who were head hunters at the time with the gospel. The first group that went into Wa territory was surrounded and about to be killed when the leader told his Lahu brothers to sit on the ground and then he called out to God to help them. The heavens roared and the ground shook and the Wa put down their spears and warmly welcomed these people and their message into their territory.
