EMQ Article

Tibetan Diaspora Ministry – a Reflection

By Zanna Grace | Opportunities exist for Christians to connect with Tibetans who have left their traditional homeland and settled elsewhere, for a time, at least. Nevertheless, there remain significant challenges for Christians who wish to see Tibetans join the number of God’s people around the world.

January 15, 2026

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EMQ » Jan – April 2026 » Volume 62 Issue 1

Summary: Opportunities exist for Christians to connect with Tibetans who have left their traditional homeland and settled elsewhere, for a time, at least. Nevertheless, there remain significant challenges for Christians who wish to see Tibetans join the number of God’s people around the world. This article describes the Tibetan diaspora, outlines one person’s efforts to connect with Tibetans in her passport country, and raises questions relevant to Tibetan diaspora ministry workers.

By Zanna Grace

I wish this reflection on ministry focused on the Tibetan diaspora were a tale of success, with lessons for fellow mission workers around the world. It is, however, a story of frustration. Yet there are still lessons to be gleaned by fellow cross-cultural workers, and challenges to consider.

Ten years ago, I returned to my passport country in part, though not in whole, due to the frustrations of connecting with Tibetans in Asia. My work role, for which I was granted a visa, tied me down. Restrictions made it complicated for cross-cultural workers to engage in activities in which faith in Jesus could be introduced and nurtured. It was difficult to travel to most parts of the Tibetan plateau, with special permits being required for foreigners in some areas, and surveillance tight.

I shall first briefly outline the nature of the Tibetan diaspora, then share some of my experiences of trying to connect with Tibetans living in my home country. I will finish by raising some questions for further consideration.

The Situation

Tibetans come from or trace their ancestry to the Tibetan Plateau, most of which falls within China. The term ‘Tibetan’ is, in a sense, created by both contemporary Chinese authorities and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). The CTA oversees affairs amongst the Tibetan diaspora. All Tibetans have in common a heritage on the Tibetan Plateau, but they have never been one homogenous ethnic group.[i]

Prior to the people of the Tibetan Plateau coming under the rule of the Chinese Communist government, there was no pan-Tibetan identity.[ii] People came from various ethnic groups on the Tibetan Plateau.[iii] In China today, Tibetans officially belong to the Zang ethnic group (藏 Zang). Previously, the Chinese term ‘Zang’ was usually translated into English as ‘Tibetan.’ Since 2023, Chinese authorities have tended to use the transliteration of the Chinese term ‘Zang.’ [iv] What was known as the Tibetan Autonomous Region is now also called by its Chinese name, Xizang (西藏, literally meaning ‘Western Zang’).[v]

The limits of what constitutes the Zang ethnic group have been proscribed by the Chinese government. ‘Nationality’ (meaning ethnicity) is a category on Resident Identity Cards which are held by every Chinese citizen aged 16 and over.[vi] The boundaries of this ethnic group was determined through the Ethnic Classification Project,[vii] which was launched in 1954. Defining who belonged to which ethnic group was undertaken for the purpose of having somewhat representative governance.[viii] In 2020, there were 7.06 million members of the Zang ethnic group living in China.[ix]

The identify of ‘Tibetan’ amongst the Tibetan diaspora has also, in a sense, been defined by authorities, but in this case, the authority is the CTA.[x] The CTA is based in North India and overseen by a government in exile. Its members are elected by members of the Tibetan diaspora from around the world.[xi] This government is the continuation of that which ruled ‘political Tibet’ prior to 1959. But that government did not rule everywhere where Tibetans lived at the time. It did not govern Tibetan regions outside of Xizang (formerly known as the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture).[xii]

When the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government of the day fled China in 1959, the Tibetan term བོད་པ་། (böd pa), generally translated ‘Tibetan,’ only referred to people from ‘political Tibet’[xiii] and not from other parts of the Tibetan Plateau. Tibetans are also found in autonomous prefectures within the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan,[xiv] places from which many members of the Tibetan diaspora come.[xv] Today, the CTA recognises people from any part of the Tibetan Plateau as བོད་པ་། (böd pa), which translates in English to ‘Tibetans.’ However, the CTA excludes people whose ancestry lies in regions outside of China’s borders, viewing them as “non-Tibetans from Himalayan communities that share the Tibetan Buddhist cultural heritage.”[xvi] One’s identity as a member of the Tibetan diaspora can be formalised through receiving a ‘Green Book,’ a document issued by the CTA to members of the Tibetan diaspora. In the words of the CTA, the Green Book has “…in effect become the passport of the exiled Tibetans….”[xvii]

It is difficult to obtain an accurate number of the Tibetan diaspora throughout the world. The largest Tibetan diaspora is found in India, Nepal and Bhutan, where they numbered approximately 102,000 in 2022.[xviii] In recent years, many Tibetans have migrated to other parts of the world. The CTA estimates that in 2020, approximately 62,477 Tibetans were living in places apart from South Asia and China.[xix] The number of Tibetan diaspora members living outside of South Asia continues to increase, while the number of the Tibetan diaspora living in South Asia decreases.[xx] Places outside of South Asia with significant Tibetan diaspora populations include New York, New Jersey, Minnesota and Northern California in the USA,[xxi] Toronto in Canada[xxii] and Switzerland, Leichenstein and France in Europe.[xxiii]

Approximately 3000 Tibetans now live in my passport country. Over the past ten years, I have tried different ways to connect with them. The next part of this article will outline some of my approaches.

What Did Not Work Well

I tried to frequent places that Tibetans frequented. However, although I met Tibetans, it was difficult to build relationships with them. I ate at Tibetan restaurants and cafes and visited handcraft shops. Tibetan temples welcome non-Tibetans to certain gatherings, and even welcome non-Buddhists (like myself) to introductory classes and meditation sessions. However, the vast majority of fellow attendees were non-Tibetans fascinated with Tibetan Buddhism. Even the teachers were often non-Tibetans who had adopted Tibetan Buddhism. Fund-raising events in my city in which stories were shared and documentaries shown were eye-opening but, again, attended by many non-Tibetans. Public gatherings, such as marches for Tibetan autonomy,[xxiv] are events I am not willing to consider attending because I don’t want to jeopardize my visas to China. (Surveillance is possible even outside of China.) Besides, I’m still not sure what I think about this matter. Tibetan diaspora community festivals are limited to Tibetan diaspora community members and their spouses, as I learned when I tried to register for such an event. I still sometimes prayer-walk relevant neighbourhoods when I am aware of such events taking place,[xxv] and prayerfully watch Tibetans’ recordings of such events which are posted to publicly accessible platforms such as YouTube.[xxvi] In outlining ways that I have tried, without success, to build relationships with Tibetans in my city, I am not wanting to discourage EMQ readers from trying similar activities. These have been very helpful learning experiences, but not successful in terms of building relationships with Tibetans.

What Worked Better

Language learning was one way that enabled me meet to at least meet Tibetans in my area. Amongst the diaspora, a version of the Lhasa dialect is used. I enrolled in a colloquial Tibetan class, then, after that course finished, arranged for lessons with a private tutor. I went to my tutor’s home each week, where I also met the family and enjoyed many robust discussions about matters of faith. In line with the Dalai Lama’s teaching, however, my tutor remains convinced that Christianity is appropriate for Westerners while Tibetan Buddhist faith is right for Tibetans.[xxvii] He stopped teaching me when the pandemic began, and I took up online lessons with a Tibetan lady in India for a season instead. Language learning is a good way to meet Tibetans and to put oneself in the learner’s position.

Introductions to Tibetans through networks is the second way that has worked for me in meeting Tibetans. Someone I met once at a conference who lives in India asked me to look out for her Tibetan friend who had been approved for emigration to my country. Although this lady is not living in the same city as me, through networks here, I was able to introduce her to people in the city to which she moved. They have been very kind to her. She and I have met several times. Through her, I have met other Tibetans in the city in which I live too. However, although there has been willingness to receive prayer and to attend occasional special church events, thus far there has been no expressed interest in following Jesus.

Comparisons

Comparison between ministry focused on the broader Chinese diaspora (people from all over China) in my city and that of the Tibetan diaspora is stark. I am involved in a couple of different ways in helping Chinese Christians reach other members of the Chinese diaspora. In these, I simply do what my Chinese Christian friends ask. These Chinese-diaspora focused ministries are very fruitful, not least because, in my opinion, they are driven by Chinese Christians. Chinese churches are places where members of the Chinese diaspora can truly belong. Unlike Tibetans living here, for members of the general Chinese diaspora, following Jesus is not perceived as turning one’s back on one’s ethnic identity.

My experiences with Tibetan and Chinese diaspora ministry seems to be similar to others’ experience across the world. Compare, for example, the Joshua Project data for Tibetans throughout the world[xxviii] with their data for Han Chinese.[xxix] The contrast is marked. It reflects what I see regarding ministry to Chinese and Tibetan diaspora in the city in which I live.

Questions

After reflecting on my experience among the Tibetan diaspora, I am left with three questions.

First, how can followers of Jesus build relationships with members of the Tibetan diaspora without becoming swamped by the many non-Tibetans fascinated with all things Tibetan?

Second, how can Christians communicate the Christian gospel without unwittingly presenting it as something that threatens Tibetan identities? Members of the Tibetan diaspora are connected, in part, through the CTA, which focuses on “… reviving, preserving, and promoting Tibetan religious and cultural heritage….”[xxx] While members of the Tibetan diaspora are willing to assimilate in some ways in their host countries, at the same time, they want to preserve their cultural heritage, in which religion plays a key role.

Third, should Christians become involved in protests regarding the lack of Tibetan autonomy on the Tibetan Plateau, a matter which is near to the hearts of many of the Tibetan diaspora? The purpose of the CTA, listed at the top of every one of their webpages along with their name and symbol, is, “Restoring Freedom for Tibetans.”[xxxi] Christians who wish to have some sort of ministry with members of the Tibetan diaspora may find it helpful to prayerfully consider aspects of liberation theology as it relates to Tibetans.

I do not have the answers to these questions.

In conclusion, there are opportunities for Christians around the world to connect with Tibetans who have left their traditional homeland and settled elsewhere, for a time, at least. Many countries (though not all) in which the Tibetan diaspora live do not restrict religious outreach. Neither do they carry out intense surveillance in the same way that occurs on the Tibetan Plateau. Nevertheless, there remain significant challenges for Christians who are working to see Tibetans to join the number of God’s people around the world.

[i] Ben Hillman, “Studying Tibetan Identity,” The SAGE Handbook of Contemporary China, (Sage London, 2018), 717–20.

[ii] Hillman, “Studying Tibetan Identity,” 720.

[iii] Gerald Roche, “The Vitality of Tibet’s Minority Languages in the Twenty-First Century,” Multiethnica 35 (2014): 18–24.

[iv] See, for example, “Zang (Tibetan) Nationality,” Travel China Guide, August 7, 2025, https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/nationality/tibetan/.

[v] Victoria Jones, “What’s in a Name? Tibet, Xizang, and the Politics of Erasure,” Inkstick, January 22, 2025, https://inkstickmedia.com/whats-in-a-name-tibet-xizang-and-the-politics-of-erasure/.

[vi] Asian Legal Information Institute, “Regulations Concerning Resident Identity Cards,” Laws of the People’s Republic of China, https://www.asianlii.org/cn/legis/cen/laws/rcric446/. (See article 3 of this regulation.)

[vii] David HF Ng, “Constructed Identities and Potent Imaginaries: A Missiological Reflection on Mainland Chinese Ethnic and Racial Identity in a Divided and Broken World,” Mission Studies 39, no. 3 (2022): 356–61.

[viii] Thomas Mullaney, Coming to Terms with the Nation: Ethnic Classification in Modern China (University of California Press, 2011), 44.

[ix] National Bureau of Statistics of China, “China Statistical Yearbook 2021,” 2.22 Population by Ethnic Groups and Gender, n.d., accessed June 11, 2024, https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/ndsj/2021/indexeh.htm.

[x] Central Tibetan Administration, https://tibet.net.

[xi] Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, “Charter of Tibetans in Exile,” April 20, 2021, https://tibet.net/about-cta/constitution/.

[xii] Jones, “What’s in a Name? Tibet, Xizang, and the Politics of Erasure.”

[xiii] Julia Meredith Hess, Immigrant Ambassadors: Citizenship and Belonging in the Tibetan Diaspora (Stanford University Press, 2009), 20-22.

[xiv] Hillman, “Studying Tibetan Identity,” 717.

[xv] Melvyn C Goldstein, Tibet, China and the United States: Reflections on the Tibet Question (Atlantic Council of the United States, 1995), page 8 of 18.

[xvi] Tsering Dorjee and Tsewang Rigzin, “South Asia’s Tibetan Refugee Community Is Shrinking, Imperilling Its Long-Term Future,” The Online Journal of the Migration Policy Institute, February 8, 2024, 4, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/tibetan-refugees-india.

[xvii] Central Tibetan Administration, “Green Book (Chatrel),” Chatrel Background, n.d., https://tibet.net/support-tibet/pay-green-book/.

[xviii] Dorjee and Rigzin, “South Asia’s Tibetan Refugee Community Is Shrinking, Imperilling Its Long-Term Future,” 3.

[xix] Central Tibetan Administration, Baseline Study of the Tibetan Diaspora Community Outside South Asia (Central Tibetan Administration, 2020), 10, https://www.bod.asia/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Baseline-Study-of-the-Tibetan-Diaspora-Community-Outside-South-Asia-soft-copy_compressed.pdf.

[xx] Dorjee and Rigzin, “South Asia’s Tibetan Refugee Community Is Shrinking, Imperilling Its Long-Term Future.”

[xxi] Central Tibetan Administration, Baseline Study of the Tibetan Diaspora Community Outside South Asia, 44.

[xxii] Khando Langri, “Tibetan Canadians,” Canadian Encyclopedia, July 8, 2025, https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tibetan-canadians.

[xxiii] Central Tibetan Administration, Baseline Study of the Tibetan Diaspora Community Outside South Asia. 18.

[xxiv] Central Tibetan Administration, “The Middle-Way Policy,” Central Tibetan Administration Restoring Freedom for Tibetans, n.d., https://tibet.net/important-issues/the-middle-way-policy/.

[xxv] See, for example, social media announcements for Tibetan communities in your area. In the city in which I live, the Tibetan community has a Facebook page for announcements which anyone can view.

[xxvi] I hesitate to give examples from my city as they’re family style videos and too personal. Here is an example from France, uploaded by someone who wants to promote Tibetan culture through his videos:
France Himalaya Festival Gorshey 2025 || Gorshey || Tibetan Culture Dance || Himalaya Festival., directed by Tenzin Kly, n.d., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcc5FbZJ13M.

[xxvii] Dalai Lama, “Establishing Harmony within Religious Diversity,” His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, no date, https://www.dalailama.com/messages/religious-harmony-1/establishing-harmony-within-religious-diversity.

[xxviii] Joshua Project, “Tibetan People Group in All Countries,” Joshua Project, https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/15468.

[xxix] Joshua Project, “Han Chinese, Mandarin People Group in All Countries,” Joshua Project, https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/12051.

[xxx] Central Tibetan Administration, “Central Tibetan Administration,” Department of Religion & Culture, https://tibet.net/department/religion/.

[xxxi] Central Tibetan Administration, “About CTA – Central Tibetan Administration,” Central Tibetan Administration Restoring Freedom for Tibetans, https://tibet.net/about-cta/.

Zanna Grace has worked in cross-cultural ministry since 1995. For much of that time, she has taught English. In recent years, she has embarked on further study alongside ongoing ministry. She has since earned a certificate, then a master’s degree and is currently working towards a DMin and learning lots that she wishes she had known years ago. It’s better late than never….