Church Engagement

Church Engagement

Goal: To build the quality ministry of local churches where children, youth and their families grow socially and spiritually with love, joy and peace.

Healing Church

Much of ministry and professional experiences to care for the “least of our brethren” in Cambodia for nearly 20 years, Sirivuth found that churches in Cambodia are the preaching churches. The church is not the best place for hurting people to find healing yet. The health of the church is important to Sirivuth. He also observed that the members come on Sunday, listen to the preaching and return home with less relationship building and care. Sirivuth discovered that the areas of recovery are very important for the leaders and members in churches. Everyone had past experiences of hurt; hang-up and habits that these seems have yet dealt with. It is like spiritual trauma. A hurt, habit, or hang-up is anything that hinders your walk with God.

The feeling of being hurt is an emotional reaction to another person's behavior or to a disturbing situation abuse, abandonment, codependency and relationship issues…etc. A habit is an addiction to someone or something alcoholism, drugs, food, gambling, sex, shopping, smoking, masturbation…etc. Hang-ups are negative mental attitudes that are used to cope with people or adversity, anger, depression, fear, unforgiveness…etc. Sirivuth would recommend the churches in Cambodia to be a place to belong, to be accepted, a safe place to be honest about our struggles, confidences are kept, no judgment and no fixing or giving advice that has not been asked for during the Recovery processes.

1. Doctrinal Error and Confusion

Cambodia has been infiltrated by American cults such as the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witness as well as other “Christian-like” cults from China and Korea. Pray for God’s people to practice discernment and reject the error of these wolves.

2. The Prosperity Gospel 

One of the major problems all throughout poorer countries of Asia is the propagation of the “health and wealth” gospel resulting in “Rice Christianity. A Rice Christian is simply someone who professes Christ for the purpose of material gain. Many Cambodian church buildings were at one time filled with people who professed Christ but “feel away” as soon as they stopped receiving free food, medical treatment, English lessons, or even money  (John 6:26-27).

3. Dependency on Foreign Funds

The majority of national pastors in Cambodia are financially supported with foreign funds, creating a host of problems within the Khmer church. As one missionary writes, “So much awesome Great Commission work has been done and is being done in Cambodia. Yet, from my long-term observations, an ample amount of those doing missions—to varying degrees—has recreated the state of lethargy and dependence…. Dependency is like a spider with many far-reaching tentacles, creating all sorts of “life-sucking” problems…. church planting movements do not rise up out of this dysfunction.