Doing mission among the people of Myanmar in 21st century from the historical perspective of the Upper Myanmar Methodist Church

Abstract

Doing mission among the people of Myanmar has posed a lot of difficulties and travails for the missionaries of the Upper Myanmar Methodist Church (UMMC) over the years. One of the most pressing of these difficulties is the primarily Buddhist orientation of the people and the government. It is imperative therefore to study the history of domestic mission work so that certain sound principles for effective domestic mission may be implemented. This paper therefore aims to provide a theological understanding of the mission history of the Upper Myanmar Methodist Church in order to better assess its strengths and weaknesses and thereby learn from them and consequently develop a strategy for future mission and evangelism success. To effectively do this, it is important to find out how Methodism rose in England, what is its mission theology, what are the mission strategies of the UMMC and what factors contributed to its success, what mission methods are applicable in the 21st century? The thesis is organized based on the three levels of analysis: Chapter I provides the historical background of the UMMC: the pioneering missionaries and the beginnings of mission work, and how it has explained. Chapter II reviews the history of Methodism, its distinctive features, and its understanding of mission theology. A description of the people of Myanmar: its lands, social, cultural, and religious background, and the barriers to an effective mission work are presented in Chapter III. Ways of addressing the barriers and challenges are found in Chapter IV while selected models for effective mission work among the Myanmarese in the 21st century are expounded in Chapter V. It can be deduce from the study that is important to consider the cultural and political situations of Myanmar and to "Myanmarize Christianity” for mission to be done effectively and successfully.