2025 Field Guide: Buryat

In the remote, snow-covered landscapes of this region, yurts and modern buildings coexist, and winter can stretch to nearly -60°F. The resilient Buryat people carry a rich heritage, closely tied to Tibetan Buddhism and shamanic beliefs and shaped by centuries of tradition and hardship. Many Buryats still live in rural villages, where ancestral customs dictate daily life, and spiritual peace (though fleeting) is pursued through rituals, mantras, and offerings.

In this spiritually complex region, something extraordinary is unfolding.

A local church, planted by missionaries nearly a decade ago and now led by indigenous believers, continues to grow against all odds. Today, the Buryat church has its own pastors, leads its own discipleship efforts, and has even sent out its own cross-cultural workers to other regions.

They are now in Stage 9 on the progress scale: indigenous leaders are faithfully leading the local body.

This past year, the church completed renovations to its main building, including accessible facilities for elderly and disabled members (an uncommon feature in the area, but a visible sign of Christ’s love). Despite economic limitations and the challenges of sourcing materials amid difficult terrain, the work was finished with joy and gratitude. Now, church leaders have begun dreaming again. They are planning a new facility specifically for outreach in the city, hoping to open their doors to even more seekers.

Amid the backdrop of war and increasing political restrictions, the church’s witness continues. Several believers have been drafted into the military, and communication with outside partners is now tightly monitored. Foreigners are viewed with suspicion, and believers themselves face risks simply for gathering. Yet they continue—meeting in homes, discipling new believers, and holding youth and children’s events that draw in families who have never heard the gospel.

One story that still echoes with hope is of a former Buddhist who, after years of searching, surrendered his life to Christ. Today, he leads and shepherds others with compassion, having once walked the same spiritual path they now navigate. His transformation is a living testimony that even in the heart of a region long bound by false spirituality, the truth is powerful to overcome.

Buryat believers are pressing forward—equipped, empowered, and trusting their God, who is stronger than any hardship or trial that stands before them.