Developing the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Cambodia? The Gray Area between Ministry and Development: Evangelical Missionaries in Cambodia and the Synthesis of Social Services and Evangelism in Practice

Abstract: Evangelical missionaries in Cambodia have a dual role as religious actor and development actor. This hybrid identity poses conceptual challenges for development actors, beneficiaries, and even missionaries themselves-- are they doing ministry or are they doing development? Through field observations and interviews in Phnom Penh with evangelical missionaries, this thesis examines how evangelism and social services are synthesized in practice. It argues that evangelical missionary engagement with social services is dually shaped by the unique worldview of evangelical Christians and by the informal status of evangelical missionaries within the formal development sector. These two forces give rise to value-laden social services, which have potential implications for beneficiaries, and even possibly, the broader development sector. This thesis ultimately seeks to progress empirical and conceptual understanding of the nature of evangelical missionary engagement with social services, with particular concern for the debates surrounding proselytism.