Cambodia
Bringing Hope to a Broken People
| Main Language | Khmer, Vietnamese, Cham |
| Largest Religion | Buddhism (84.7%) |
| Population | 17.7 million |
| Evangelical % | 1.39% |
Country Description
Cambodia is a land of mighty rivers and monsoons in the rainy season, dry river beds, brittle brush, and parched rice fields in the dry season. It is a land of Buddhist temples, a struggling infrastructure, and a broken people who have little hope for the future.
Today Cambodians are physically and spiritually impoverished due to a turbulent national history, most recently under the horrific Pol Pot regime. The political situation has calmed in the last three decades (now a constitutional monarchy), allowing organizations of all kinds to enter in to help. In a culture where the inclination is to let someone else do it, World Team is training and equipping Cambodian believers to reach their own people for Christ.
Ministry Overview
World Team has been working in Cambodia since 1996 to bring hope and healing through the establishment of reproducing churches throughout the country. While the church is growing, it is still shallow, requiring discipleship and leadership development. We need your help to make this vision a reality – come join the work in Cambodia!
Khmer
There are a multitude of ministry opportunities available across various cities and provinces. These opportunities focus on supporting, training, and empowering local leaders to effectively serve their communities. People are needed to reach, invest in, and equip these leaders to establish reproducing churches and communities of believers.
Vietnamese
There are nearly one million Vietnamese people in Cambodia. Most of them have not heard the gospel and are poor and marginalized. Ministries among the Vietnamese people include literacy classes, medical care, youth activities, personal visits to share the gospel, individual and small group discipleship as well as orphan care.
The Cham
A largely disenfranchised and impoverished minority within Cambodia, they make their living by farming,
fishing, building boats, and light commerce. Workers are needed to serve among the Cham, where gospel progress has been slow. There are very few believers and no churches.
Team Emphasis
Innovative teams characterize the Cambodia field with ministries ranging from schools and access to education for the poor, medical ministries, university student ministry, women’s literacy, vocational training programs, business approaches, modular Bible schools, and grassroots evangelism/church planting in five provinces, serving three distinct people groups. In response to the felt needs of the peoples our teams serve, workers have created initiatives to help provide a better quality of life for the Cambodian people —all while impacting the community for Christ.
God is Working
The Gospel message hinges on Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection. He has overcome death providing our way to eternal life in heaven. The gospel brings us hope where there is no hope. It brings joy where no joy exists. The Gospel is a light in darkness.
Through the process of renewing the university dorm’s government registration, God provided a community in need of God’s saving grace. The dorm has the opportunity to be a light in the darkness. Our students and staff have been connecting with the families and actively living out what Jesus taught and sharing the truths of scripture. The families have been curious and a little cautious about our presence.
In anticipation of Khmer New Year, the most celebrated holiday in Cambodia, our students brought a joyful celebration to the community. They shared Bible stories with the children and adults of the village, where many people heard about Jesus for the very first time. They led the children in games like Red Light, Green Light and shared a meal of pork and rice. The week following this celebration was met with a noticeable openness to our visit and an interest in spiritual conversations.
Prayer Focus
- Pray that grieving and displaced families from the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand would receive loving care and our workers would be wise as they seek to point people to Christ. Pray that the ceasefire will hold and all sides will honor the agreement.
- Pray for wisdom and open doors as workers at Mercy Medical Center in Cambodia plan upcoming outreach initiatives with their partners, especially in remote provinces where the need is great.
Cambodia is hungry for hope! Opportunities abound to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of the Khmer, Vietnamese and Cham peoples, and there is an open door NOW! Church planting in Cambodia reflects the diverse needs of the people and the unique opportunities for innovative outreach. All of our teams need short, mid, and long-term reinforcements!