Taiwan
The Land and the
People
Sandy beaches and sheer cliffs stretch into rippling rice fields and lush, green mountains--60 of which are over 10,000 feet. This is Taiwan, formerly called Formosa (The Beautiful). Taiwan has a population of 22 million people squeezed onto an island twice the size of Hawaii, making it the second-most densely populated country in the world. Taiwan averages 610 people per square kilometer. Christ died for each one of these people, yet most of them have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel.
Religion
The three main traditional religions in Taiwan are Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. These are mingled with ancestor worship and animism, forming a unique blend of religions. There is an average of one temple for each 1.2 square miles. About 95 percent of the population follow the traditional Chinese folk religion of Taiwan, at least for weddings and funerals.
Past and Current
Work
Norman and Nadine Lehman pioneered the field of Taiwan for Baptist Mid-Missions in 1972 and served for many years in the Taichung area. Another family served several terms in Taiwan in Taichung and Changhua. Additional missionaries arrived in Taiwan in 1990, working in the Taichung-Changhua area for one term before moving to Southern Taiwan, near the city of Kaohsiung. Their goal is to plant a church in this large metropolitan area. They are now the only BMM couple working on the island.
Goals
The majority of the people in Taiwan have never heard the gospel clearly presented. The majority of churches are ecumenically oriented. Baptist Mid-Missions needs more workers, both missionary and national, to establish more fundamental Baptist churches. It is our goal to see these churches mature and become capable of carrying on the work by themselves.
Workers needed
The spiritual need of Taiwan is staggering. There are still large population centers that have no fundamental Baptist witness. We could use many more church-planting couples to give themselves to this challenging ministry.