History of Shan Churches in Burma 1861-2001 - Khamkoo

Analysis 239
Present
In village setting, there is a leader or headman to rule the village. The headman could be a lay
person or Buddhist monk. All the villagers usually obey the order from the leader. Making friendship
and getting favor from headman is very important in our Shan mission strategy. Therefore paying a
courtesy visit to the chief or headman and making friend with them first is the best way to begin the
work in the village. Sometimes the head of the village is Buddhist monk. Village head has
responsibility of organizing village activities and festivals. It is wise to approach and make friend with
the chief or village leader before conducting Christian activities in Buddhist village. The headman can
order the villagers not to go to Christian gatherings. Evangelizing villagers will not be very difficult if
the headman believed. He should be trained to become pastor of the village. Nowadays there is a village
governing council to govern the village. Make friend not enemy.
Luke 19:47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and
the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.
John 11:57 But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus
was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.
John 12:42-43 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the
Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they
loved praise from men more than praise from God.
27. Discipleship
Past
It was reported by Bixby in 1864 from Toungoo, “An influential Burman disciple was found in
a gambling room with cards in his possession and while it was not proved that he had actually played
games of chance for money it was clearly established that he had loaned money to gambling parties for
enormous profits thereby countenancing the unlawful and dishonest gain and participating in it. He
claimed that on his part it was not gambling but legitimate money-letting. We claimed that he was as
wicked as any of them and more so for he had had greater light and we made an example of him
without delay. The Church feels the blow but is better off without such members. Still the exclusion of
three, influential though they all are, in three years is a membership of nearly fifty is not a very heavy
percentage. Two or three more may need the pruning knife or weeding book but the majority for aught I
know walk as well as Church members usually do at home.” 123
Rev. Cushing reported in 1871, “The discipline of the Church must also be taken and slowly
and prayerfully carried forward. Four have been already excluded. Other cases are prominent persons
who do not attend chapel or have any desire to be among the people of God. There is one application
for baptism who gives some evidence of change of heart.” 124 Cushing reported in 1880, “Others who
have felt the hand of Church discipline have returned to Christian life” 125 Rev. Cochrane reported in
1893, “The number of prodigals, once professed disciples, who are still in ‘a far country’, is
uncommonly large. With the lax discipline of many, a home Church, the unworthy members might still
be with us in name. But it seemed best in order to secure a healthy, rather than a rapid growth, to
exclude all whose life was beyond ‘rifle-shot’ of the Church covenant. These unfaithful ones are not
forgotten. Every means will be used, I trust, to win them back that the Christ like spirit of gentleness
and sympathy can command.” 126 The missionaries had taken strong disciplinary action against those
123 Letter From Mr. Bixby, August 10, 1864. Toungoo.
124 57th Annual Report, July 1871, American Baptist Missionary Union
125 Ibid
126 79th Annual Report, 1893, American Baptist Missionary Union, report from Rev. Cochrane