Protestantism in Laos

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The Protestants in Laos are a small Christian minority.

number

Together with the Roman Catholics, they make up around 2% of the population. With around 300 parishes, Protestantism has grown rapidly over the past decade. Church officials put the number of believers at around 60,000. The two largest denominations are the Lao Evangelical Church (LEC), which has existed since the beginning of the 20th century and, according to government figures, had 28,045 members in 221 congregations in 2003, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church , which currently has 115 members in Laos and operate in 4 provinces.

Denominations

Protestant denominations must join the Lao Evangelical Church or Seventh-day Adventists in order to be able to serve in Laos. The LEC is financially and structurally independent of organizations outside of Laos. Its president is Dr. Kamphone Kounthapanya. The number of church members shows an increasing trend, every year more congregations emerge. In 2003 the LEC had 375 religion teachers, which is not enough given the increasing number of believers and congregations.

There are two evangelical parishes in the capital Vientiane : In the Chinese quarter on Haiphong Road and in the western part of the city on Luang Prabang Road.

  • Evangelical Church on Haiphong Road in Vientiane.

  • Evangelical Church on Luang Prabang Road in Vientiane.