COUNTRY BACKGROUND
While Buddhists today number 480 million people worldwide, they make up only 16% of Nepal’s population with 75% of the people following Hinduism and belief in 330 million Hindu gods making Nepal a Land of Many Gods. Christianity came to Nepal with Kublai Khan in 1250-1252 AD but never took a deep root in the culture until the 1990s.
Today the Church of Nepal has grown to almost one million believers with 1200 groups. It’s experiencing a revival as believers commit to evangelism and church planting, despite strict laws against evangelism and continued limitations. Church buildings are springing up all over the country and there is a church planted in every one of the 75 districts of Nepal. Today there are some believers in almost every group and caste. A significant move of God has taken place among the Tamagas, who traditionally followed Tibetan Buddhism, tens of thousands of Tamags have embraced the Christian Faith in the last ten years.
The poverty and recent natural disasters have opened countrywide to Christianity. We were invited to partner with a national church planting movement that had good training and seasoned workers, but very little financial support.
We have committed to supporting 20 church planters at $100 per month, with us supplying half and our partners the other half. These workers minister in 9 different districts of Nepal. The work is hard. Most workers have limited Bible training, no transportation and very few materials, yet most have planted several churches in their districts. Our promise is to equip these workers. We will share the needs and as God supplies the resources through our family, friends and supporters, we will send them on. Our work in Nepal began in January 2015.