Myanmar (MNN) — February 1, 2026 marked five years since Myanmar’s military junta overthrew the government, sparking a civil war. Although the gospel is spreading in Myanmar, it is largely a place of militia warfare, military checkpoints, and fear.
Brother Isaac* from Global Catalytic Ministries was in Myanmar not long ago. “Since the coup, there’s been a wave of economic hopelessness again. People cannot survive, people are hungry,” he says.
Protest in Myanmar against Military Coup 14-Feb-2021. (Wikimedia Commons, CC by SA 4.0)
“People everywhere just don’t know where to go on from here. I’ve never before been in an atmosphere where nearly everybody is afraid.”
Unlikely leaders of the church
The civil war has displaced at least 3.6 million people and killed thousands — some estimate tens of thousands, such as the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project monitoring group.
The church in Myanmar hasn’t been spared these tragedies. It has many widows, many of whose husbands died in conscripted military service. Yet Isaac says these women are leading the church movement.
“I look at their faces, and I know their losses. I know many of them have lost homes — their homes have been burnt down. They are in extreme persecution. And at the same time, their worship is extremely joyful,” he says.
A future hope
More things have changed in Myanmar since the 2021 coup. Isaac says Buddhist monks in Myanmar have received more power. Persecution of those who leave Buddhism to follow Christ is severe. Persecution also exists for people groups who are considered ethnically Christian, such as the Chin, Karen, and Kachin.
“There’s something called ‘the Burmanization of Myanmar.’ That has expanded where it includes Buddhism,” says Isaac. “So other minority ethnic religious groups — even though they do deserve protection, even under the military — there is an undercurrent of attempts to force them to become Buddhist or at least submit to Buddhist ways.”
But one thing grounds Christians from all backgrounds: a very real hope in Christ’s second return.
“They know that there is a coming hope,” says Isaac, “and that their hope is anchored in a deep Maranatha cry of ‘Come, Lord Yeshua. Come, Lord Jesus.’ That is the exciting part I’ve seen that I wish even the Western Church would grab.”
(Photo of child in Tambon Mae La, Kayin State, Myanmar courtesy of Z via Unsplash)
Find your place in the story
Pray for God to bring a time of refreshing upon the persecuted church in Myanmar, “so they could experience what it means to be a body without having to be refugees again,” says Isaac.
Pray for a political change to happen in Myanmar, so that believers can live out their faith in freedom, not fear.
Finally, consider how to take further steps toward discipling others in Christ.
“One of the best ways we can honor the underground church is by joining them in the call and the mission that they have,” says Isaac. That mission is the Great Commission, to help others become disciples of Christ, be baptized, and learn to obey all His commands.
If you’re looking for more insight on how to live on mission with God, consider visiting Global Catalytic Ministries’ website and taking a disciple-making course.
*Pseudonym
Header photo: U Bein Bridge, Mandalay, Myanmar (Stock photo courtesy of Alexey Komissarov via Unsplash).
