Why Are So Many Missionaries in Bangkok and Chiang Mai?
At a recent meeting of the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand (EFT), a presenter shared a slide with data showing a stark imbalance in the number of missionaries located in major city centers versus other regions of Thailand. Of those missionaries holding a visa through the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, the data showed that 72% of them were clustered in only two provinces, namely Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The remaining 28% were spread out through another 40 provinces, and another 35 provinces had no missionaries at all.
At first glance, these statistics are rather shocking. Thailand is a country that is over 94% Buddhist and about 4% Muslim. Protestants make up only about 0.7% of the whole population. If you include Roman Catholics, the number of all Christian traditions is still only a little over 1%. There are many towns and villages throughout Thailand with absolutely no churches whatsoever. There are many places that need to hear the gospel for the first time. If that’s the case, why don’t the missionaries spread out a bit? Why are they all hanging out in Bangkok in Chiang Mai?
Before answering that question, I need to add some caveats to the statistics that I shared with you. First, these are the numbers for those with missionary visas under the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand. There are also Protestant missionaries connected to the Church of Christ in Thailand, the Thailand Baptist Convention, and other Protestant and Pentecostal groups who find other legal visa avenues to be in the country and do ministry. The EFT is perhaps the largest, though not the only, grouping of evangelical Protestant missionaries in Thailand. Secondly, some missionaries work in the South, the Northeast, or other regions, but still have their visa renewal completed in Bangkok because there’s no immigration office in the province where they work. Statistically, they may be counted as being missionaries in Bangkok, but in reality, they are someplace else in the country.
With these caveats in mind, we should hold loosely the statistic that 72% of missionaries are in only 2 provinces. Not all the missionaries are located in only 2 cities. But at the same time, the big picture of where missionaries are working is still valid. Compared to other parts of the country, there’s still a massive clustering of missionaries in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. It may be less than 72%, but it still a lot. Why is that?
In this post, I give several reasons why there are so many Protestant missionaries clustered in the big cities of Thailand, especially Bangkok and Chiang Mai. In my personal view, some of these reasons are good, legitimate reasons. But in light of the great need for evangelism and church planting in the less reached parts of Thailand, not all the reasons for being in Bangkok and Chiang Mai are good ones. Not every decision missionaries make is sacrificial and strategic. The leaders of the EFT would love to see more missionaries in the less reached places of Thailand. Why aren’t they there in greater numbers?
1. Big Cities Have More People
First of all, Bangkok and Chiang Mai are huge cities with lots of people. In big cities, there’s more of everything and everyone. Thailand has a population of nearly 70 million people but 10 million of those are in greater Bangkok. That’s a lot of people in a limited radius that you can reach with the gospel. Bangkok and Chiang Mai are major cities in Thailand and the region which have name recognition. Unless someone persuasively convinces you to go to a small place you’ve never heard of, the first place you settle as a new missionary is probably a big city like Bangkok or Chiang Mai (or perhaps Pattaya or Phuket).
2. Partnering with Thai Christians
Secondly, a high proportion of Thai Christians and other local believers are in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. There’s still lots of pioneer church planting to be done in Thailand, but Thailand as a whole is not a pioneer field in the sense that there is no indigenous church. There’s about a half million Protestant Christians in the country. The 21st century is an age of partnership in missions, especially in a country like Thailand where there is an existing local church. A number of the missionaries in these big city centers are working alongside Thai Christians, Thai churches, and Thai parachurch ministries. They have an influence beyond just the city where they are located. Seminaries, Bible colleges and other non-formal training schemes are often in the big cities. Aspiring pastors and Christian leaders are trained in the city, and then return to other parts of the country. Many missionaries in large cities are partnering with the local church in ministries that equip the church nationwide.
3. Reaching Migrants from Other Regions
Third, people from other parts of the country come into the city and then return to their own region. A number of the taxi drivers in Bangkok come from the rural Northeast. Many workers in the tourist industry in Phuket come from other provinces in the deep south. Many students and working adults in Chiang Mai come from tribal villages scattered in mountains throughout northern Thailand. When people move from rural and less reached areas to study or work in cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai, there’s a higher probability that they will meet Christians and hear the gospel. Missionaries and Thai believers who are in big cities have an opportunity to impact the nation through the people that come into the cities and then eventually go home.
4. Comfort and Convenience
Fourth, Bangkok and Chiang Mai are a lot more comfortable and convenient than the rural parts of the country. If you want a good burger, bratwurst, or bulgogi, you’re more likely to get it in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. There are more foreigners, more malls, more conveniences, more airports, and more people who speak English in big cities. If you don't speak Thai or are not committed to learning Thai, daily life will be very difficult for you outside of Bangkok and Chiang Mai (and possibly Phuket and Pattaya). In terms of English proficiency, Thailand regularly scores poorly compared to its regional neighbors, but in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and other large tourist hubs, there’s a lot more people who can speak some English compared to other regions of Thailand. If you’re new to Thailand, it is a whole lot easier and more comfortable to settle in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, then is to go to areas that are more unreached like the northeast and the south. They may not be very noble reasons to work in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, but comfort and convenience are certainly factors for some missionaries in choosing where they’re going to work.
5. Medical and Educational Options
Fifth, medical and educational options are much better in Bangkok in Chiang Mai. Some missionaries have ongoing medical issues that cannot be properly cared for in rural parts of Thailand. The best hospitals and the best trained doctors are in the large cities. If a missionary family has a choice between permanently returning to their home country because of medical issues, or moving to greater Bangkok so that they’re within driving distance of a good hospital, I’d rather see them move to Bangkok.
There is a similar situation with children’s education. I’ve noticed a pattern where some missionary families start out in rural, unreached areas and have a productive church planting ministry but eventually need to move to Bangkok or Chiang Mai for their children to attend an international school. One hundred years ago, missionary families just shipped their kids off the boarding school when they got to a certain age. But in today’s world, many parents and children are not happy with that option (and with good reason, in my opinion). When children are little, some missionary families send them to local Thai schools and / or homeschool. But when children get to about 10 to 12 years old, many families find a homeschooling is no longer feasible. So, because of the children’s needs, there’s a choice between moving back to their home country for their kids’ education or moving to a large city of like Bangkok or Chiang Mai where there’s a lot of international schools that can help their kids prepare to eventually re-enter their passport country as young adults. Every family obviously needs to make the decision that they think is best for them, but if there’s an option to stay on the mission field that also allows for their kids’ education and social needs to be met, then I say take it.
6. Administrative and Regional Roles
Sixth, some missionaries have essential administrative or regional roles. When people think of a “missionary”, many people think of evangelists and church planters. And that is true for many missionaries, as I think it should be in light of Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28). But there are many support roles that help missionaries stay on the field, stay productive, stay healthy, stay financially viable, maintain a legal immigration status, etc. Missionaries doing grassroots evangelism and church planting are greatly benefitted by mission finance managers, member care personnel, candidate coordinators, and training and development staff.
Also, some missionaries have a ministry focus and target people group in countries that are openly hostile to missionaries and are difficult to live in. Thailand, however, has relatively good religious freedom, political freedom, freedom of expression, a decent standard of living, and modern infrastructure. Therefore, some missionaries decide to live in a stable regional hub like Bangkok or Chiang Mai that is within easy traveling distance of more difficult and needy places in southeast Asia.
7. Diaspora and Expat Populations
Seventh, Bangkok and Chiang Mai attract diaspora populations. In the early nineteenth century, the first Protestant missionaries came to Bangkok to evangelize the Chinese living there. China was not yet open to foreigners, so missionaries reached the Chinese in other places. In recent years, many Chinese have been leaving China to seek better opportunities and more freedom elsewhere. A number of them have come to Chiang Mai and Bangkok. At the same time, the CCP has been cracking down on missionaries in China. Many have been suddenly “invited to leave” in recent years. They still want to reach the Chinese but China is closed to them. So, they find other centers of Chinese population such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
In the large cities, there are also numerous Westerners and other English speakers. Some of them are Christians and many are not. Due to various circumstances, they don't speak Thai, don't have the opportunity to learn Thai, or are not interested in learning Thai. Thus, the need and opportunity for English-speaking international churches in the cities.
In summary, there are numerous legitimate, understandable, and strategic reasons for missionaries to live and minister in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. The above list is not meant to be comprehensive and there are likely additional good reasons that I neglected to mention or are unaware of.
But at the same time, there are probably missionaries who have chosen Bangkok or Chiang Mai because they have prioritized comfort and convenience over ministering where people most need to hear the Gospel. Or they don’t want to learn Thai, or for some reason don’t think they are able to learn Thai. If the only language you have is English (or Chinese), Bangkok and Chiang Mai are logical options, even if they aren’t the best options in terms of going where the gospel need is the greatest.
Personally, I have lived in various places in Thailand, including small town Central Thailand, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai. Currently I live in Chiang Mai where I teach at Chiang Mai Theological Seminary. My mission organization, OMF International, prioritizes language learning and reaching the unreached, so I started out in central Thailand which is one of the less reached parts of the country. I would have stayed there but it seemed like God was leading me into a teaching and training role, so our family moved to Bangkok for me to teach at Bangkok Bible Seminary. Now I have a similar role in Chiang Mai. If there had been a bible college or seminary in central Thailand, I would likely have stayed there, but a specialized ministry with regional impact drew me into the city. It seems to me that the default setting for choosing a location for new missionaries should be the neediest parts of the country. But at the same time, there are fantastic opportunities and good options for needed, strategic ministry in Thailand’s largest urban centers.
Some people reading this post are ministering in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Others are ministering in small towns, hilltop villages, and far-flung places in Thailand without any churches. I think there are legitimate, God-honoring reasons to be in all of those places. And there are legitimate, God-honoring reasons to move out of those places and go someplace else. Those decisions are between you, God, your mission organization (if you have one), and your sending church. But after nearly 200 years of Protestant missions in Thailand, there are still vast swathes of the country with zero churches and little to no Christian witness. Who will go?
Where does Thailand need churches the most?
Check out the church locations map at thaichurches.org (English) or tuthai.org (Thai) to find out.