By Dr. David C. Chao, Director of the Center for Asian American Christianity.

This report draws from conversations with multiple community leaders, pastors, and organizational staff in Indianapolis’s Burma Christian diaspora, conducted during a September 2025 research visit in preparation for an August 2026 conference on Burma Christian diaspora history. Throughout, numerical estimates should be read against a backdrop of data disparity, as publicly available statistics seldom adequately capture the specific experiences of Burma‑origin refugees and other Asian American immigrant and refugee populations in Indianapolis.

Population and Settlement Patterns

Indianapolis has emerged as one of the largest centers for refugees from Burma in the United States, with approximately 35,000 to 40,000 people from Burma (largely Chin) residing primarily on the city’s Southside. The broader Indiana region includes an additional 15,000 to 20,000 people from Burma in Fort Wayne. This massive resettlement, which peaked between 2005 and 2015, has transformed Indianapolis into a major hub of Burmese refugee life in America.

The community’s ethnic composition reflects Burma’s diversity. While Chin people constitute the overwhelming majority, Karen and Karenni populations number approximately 3,000 to 5,000 in the northern and western parts of the city. The Kachin community, who share historical connections with the Chin according to oral traditions, maintains a smaller presence of 500 to 1,000 individuals. Following the 2021 military coup, the demographic composition has begun shifting with the arrival of new migrants from Buddhist‑majority ethnic communities, including Burmans as well as Mon and Rakhine, marking a significant change from the previously Christian‑dominated refugee flow.

The Politics of Identity and Naming

The terminology used to describe this community carries profound political and emotional weight. Many refugees reject the term “Burmese” because it represents their historical persecutors. Community leaders consistently recommend using “Burma Christian Diaspora” rather than “Burmese Christian” for community events and organizations, as this terminology acknowledges shared national origin while avoiding association with the persecuting majority.

The depth of this linguistic and ethnic sensitivity is illustrated by one community leader’s experience as a medical interpreter. He recounted an emergency room incident where an elderly Karen patient, bleeding and in need of urgent care, refused his assistance when introduced as a “Burmese” interpreter, telling him to “get out” and saying “I don’t like Burmese. I don’t need Burmese interpreter.” Only when the interpreter identified himself as Chin rather than Burmese would the patient accept help. This rejection reflects the lasting trauma from over seventy years of systematic persecution that included church burnings, sexual violence against women, prohibition of native languages in schools, and forced labor—a history that multiple community leaders independently confirmed in describing why Christian ethnic minorities became refugees.

Religious Infrastructure as Community Foundation

The Burma Christian diaspora has established an extraordinary religious infrastructure with at least 74 churches serving various ethnic and linguistic groups in Indianapolis alone. This proliferation reflects linguistic necessity rather than theological division—within Chin State alone, 39 dialects exist among half a million people, and Burma as a whole contains over 100 languages among 153 different ethnic groups.

Churches range dramatically in size. While some struggle with small memberships, the largest two congregations each serve 3,000 members with 1,000-seat sanctuaries and the third largest serves 2,000 members, with a 3,000-seat facilities under construction. These disparities create challenges: smaller churches cannot support English-language youth programs, while larger churches employ multiple pastors and extensive volunteer networks.

The Chin Baptist Churches USA (CBCUSA) serves as an umbrella organization for over 100 congregations nationwide with more than 30,000 members, maintaining headquarters in Indianapolis. Despite this formal structure, communication between denominational leadership and local churches remains challenging, with church leaders reporting that communications to hundreds of pastors often go unread or fail to reach congregations.

The Chin Baptist Association North America (CBANA), also headquartered in Indianapolis, is an association of Chin Falam churches, with over 40 congregations nationwide with over 8,000 members

Beyond the Baptist stream, similar umbrella bodies also exist; in Indianapolis, for example, the Chin Pentecostal Churches USA (CPCUSA) and the Matu Christian Churches USA (MCCUSA) coordinate congregations in their respective traditions.

Economic Integration and Employment Patterns

The community’s economic integration centers heavily on warehouse and factory work. Employment specialists report one employer with approximately 7,000 Burmese workers across 12 warehouses, with individual facilities sometimes employing 2,200 Chin workers out of 2,700 total employees. Another employs an additional 2,000-3,000 workers. This concentration has led to internal promotion opportunities, with many Chin workers advancing to supervisory, HR, and team lead positions.

Wages vary by sector:

• Warehouse (largest employer): $18-19 per hour

• Warehouse (second largest): $20+ per hour

• Factories: $17 starting

• Other warehouses: $16

Employment patterns correlate strongly with English proficiency and age at arrival. Those arriving in their late 40s-50s predominantly work in warehouses and factories with minimal English requirements. Those who arrived in their early 30s and learned English have secured office positions in hospitals, government offices, and social services. A growing entrepreneurial class operates small businesses, particularly grocery stores and restaurants, while the youngest generation who received American education pursue professional careers.

Community organizations process staggering numbers of job applications—up to 7,000 annually through single employment specialists. Success rates that reached 90% before 2020 have declined as companies increasingly require English proficiency, creating new barriers for recent arrivals.

The Refugee Journey and Resettlement Process

The path to Indianapolis typically involved multiple stages of displacement and waiting. Refugees fled first to neighboring countries—Thailand, Malaysia, or India— where they spent years in camps or urban areas awaiting UNHCR refugee status determination. Wait times varied dramatically: some spent three years in Malaysia, while community members report that a “majority of the people stay in Malaysia for 10 to 20 years.”

Malaysia emerged as a preferred transit country despite its risks. Unlike Thailand, where refugees were confined to camps, or India with its expensive cities and limited employment, Malaysia allowed irregular workers to find jobs while awaiting refugee processing. However, this came with constant fear of arrest and deportation by Malaysian authorities.

Upon arrival in America, refugees faced immediate financial pressure from airfare debt—typically $6,000-7,000 for a family of four. During the 2008 financial crisis, community members describe parents walking 45 minutes each way to part-time jobs, crossing highways in dangerous conditions. Children stayed awake until parents returned safely, living with persistent fear and anxiety about their family’s survival.

Educational Adaptation and Intergenerational Change

Churches have become the primary sites for educational adaptation. Major congregations operate massive Sunday school programs serving 600 children with 80 volunteers and teachers. The transition from native-language to English instruction represents a critical adaptation. Community leaders describe multi-year processes involving workshops, teacher training, and congregational discussions to shift from Chin-only to bilingual education prioritizing English.

Curriculum development has become increasingly sophisticated. While the Chin Baptist Association North America provides materials for smaller churches, larger congregations develop their own age-specific curricula. These efforts involve teams including American-trained teachers who understand developmental pedagogy alongside community members who provide cultural and theological grounding.

Summer programs teaching native languages attempt to preserve linguistic heritage, though success remains limited as English dominance increases with each generation. Churches organize three-week intensive Chin language camps, but community leaders acknowledge the challenge of maintaining languages when children need English for school success.

Mental Health and Special Needs

Mental health challenges permeate the community. Adults who escaped persecution exhibit lasting trauma responses—continuing to fear police sirens years after resettlement. Community organizations have begun addressing these needs through workshops conducted by Chin therapists who are also pastors, combining clinical training with cultural understanding.

A particularly concerning pattern involves autism diagnoses. Large churches report approximately 50 children with autism in single congregations, with university research teams investigating why Burmese children show elevated rates. Community members describe widespread fear among young couples about having children due to perceived autism risk of “one or two out of 10, 20 families.”

Churches have developed specialized programs, employing special education teachers and creating sensory-appropriate spaces. Some families relocate from other states specifically for these services. The success of these programs has drawn families who previously avoided church due to judgment about their children’s behavior.

Youth mental health initiatives led by the Chin Community of Indiana (CCI) have exceeded capacity, with workshops held across multiple churches ultimately reaching approximately 500 youth, far more than organizers initially expected. Youth participants have also requested similar workshops for their parents, recognizing generational gaps in mental health literacy and coping strategies. Leaders at CCI stress that such community‑generated numbers are especially important in light of persistent data disparity: it remains difficult to find research or statistics that address mental health in refugee and immigrant Asian American populations specifically, so the community’s own data and observations help to fill a significant gap.

Community Challenges: From Gangs to Cultural Preservation

The community faced a serious youth gang crisis around 2017-2018, with groups recruiting from middle schools. The situation escalated to shootings that left community members permanently disabled. Leaders attribute the crisis to parents working multiple jobs with no oversight of children navigating American youth culture.

The response required unprecedented collaboration between churches, schools, and law enforcement. The Perry Township superintendent meets bi-monthly with community leaders. Police officers presented weekly at churches about gang dangers. Within two to three years, coordinated intervention largely eliminated the gang presence, though the community remains vigilant.

Leaders at the Chin Community of Indiana (CCI) note that these gains are difficult to discern in official statistics because of significant data disparity. In a meeting with the Community Engagement officer from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, they were told that many Asian residents do not report crimes because of language barriers, difficulty navigating legal systems, and a reluctance to “bother” police officers, which obscures the true extent of violence affecting the community. At the same time, in a recent meeting the Southport city Police Chief observed that the summer of 2025 was the calmest in recent memory with respect to Chin youth gang and gun violence, underscoring the strides that churches, schools, and community organizations have made.

Cultural preservation faces multiple threats. Parents who left Burma decades ago remain frozen in the cultural moment of their departure, while Burma itself has continued evolving. Children struggle to connect with parental expectations based on a homeland that no longer exists in that form. This “cultural fossilization” creates intergenerational conflict as parents apply outdated frameworks to American-raised children.

Theological Tensions and Denominational Complexity

A significant challenge involves shifts in denominational identity. While historically affiliated with American Baptist Churches (tracing to 200-year-old missionary connections), over 90% of younger seminary students now train at Southern Baptist institutions. The financial incentive is substantial: Southern Baptist seminaries offer 50% tuition reduction for members.

This shift creates potential conflicts around practices like women’s ordination, currently accepted in CBCUSA following American Baptist tradition. Community leaders worry about future divisions as Southern Baptist-trained pastors assume leadership. The confusion is compounded by the fact that in Burma, “Baptist” represents a unified identity without American denominational distinctions.

Linguistic Diversity and Generational Change

The Chin community in Indianapolis reflects the linguistic diversity of Chin State, where 39 dialects exist among half a million people. Different dialect groups have established separate congregations to maintain worship in their mother tongues, creating a rich tapestry of churches across the city. This linguistic diversity presents both opportunities for cultural preservation and challenges for community-wide coordination.

The diaspora community maintains strong transnational connections with Burma through financial support for homeland churches and communities. These connections reflect the deep commitment to supporting those still facing persecution, though they also require careful navigation of complex homeland dynamics from a distance.

A hopeful development emerges in the younger generation. American-born youth from different dialect groups interact more freely across traditional linguistic boundaries, participating in joint youth activities, sports events, and educational programs. This natural integration suggests the emergence of a shared Chin American identity that transcends historical regional distinctions while still honoring diverse heritage. Many youth speak English as their primary language while maintaining respect for their parents’ linguistic traditions, creating bridges between communities that may strengthen unity in coming generations.

As of fall 2024, the Chin Community of Indiana, in partnership with Perry Township Schools, introduced a Chin heritage language course in both township high schools. At present only Hakha‑Chin is offered, but the class gives students a rare opportunity to study reading and writing in their mother tongue rather than relying solely on oral fluency.

Economic Sacrifice and Transnational Support

Despite economic struggles, the community maintains extensive transnational commitments. Churches report mission budgets of $50,000-200,000 annually, supporting 30 missionaries primarily in Burma. Individual workers send substantial remittances to extended family networks, maintaining connections despite geographic separation.

The 2021 military coup intensified these connections while complicating them. Churches created Peace and Justice Committees and partnered with American denominational structures for advocacy work. However, direct travel to Burma has ceased, with mission efforts redirecting to border regions and refugee camps in India.

Future Trajectories

The Burma Christian diaspora in Indianapolis stands at multiple crossroads. Linguistically, leaders project that independent English-speaking churches won’t emerge for 20-30 years when the third generation reaches adulthood. Currently, parents maintain enough control to keep second-generation young adults in ethnic churches, but this influence weakens with each generation.

Educational achievements suggest economic mobility. Community organizations report high rates of college completion among Burmese youth, indicating potential movement beyond warehouse employment. Yet new challenges emerge: autism rates that concern prospective parents, gang risks for unsupervised youth, and mental health needs that existing services cannot fully address.

The community’s massive investment in religious infrastructure—including 3,000-seat sanctuaries under construction—represents faith in Indianapolis as a permanent home rather than temporary refuge. These institutions serve multiple functions: preserving homeland memories while facilitating American integration, maintaining ethnic boundaries while fostering broader unity, honoring first-generation sacrifices while accommodating second-generation aspirations.

The transformation of Indianapolis into a major center for Burma Christian refugees represents both remarkable resilience and ongoing vulnerability. Through churches, community organizations, and informal networks, tens of thousands of refugees have created systems for mutual support while navigating linguistic diversity, economic precarity, intergenerational tension, and transnational obligations. Their story illuminates how refugee communities build new lives while maintaining connections to homelands they may never see again, creating hybrid identities that are neither fully American nor fully Burmese, but something distinctly their own.

Leave a comment

Dr. David C. Chao is director of the Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary. He teaches courses related to Asian American theology and organizes programs in Asian American theology and ministry. His research and writing focus on the faith and practice of ordinary Asian Christians in diasporic context as well as the uses of Christian doctrine for liberation, the convergence and divergence of Protestant and Catholic dogmatics, and the theology of Karl Barth. His research on Asian American religious life and politics is funded by The Henry Luce Foundation, the Louisville Institute, and APARRI.

Read more about the director of the CAAC here.