I've moved to Taiwan in 1989, the same year as the violent Tienanmen Massacre in Peking happened and the Berlin Wall peacefully fell marking the reunification of East and West Germany. For many both of these event have maybe not a lot in common but for me these two events moved like a silver lining through the rest of my life.
I've personally have experienced rejections and even violence against myself while living in Taiwan up until today. My wife's family did neither welcome nor recognize me based on the simple fact because I am a foreigner. I can speak Mandarin, the official language, very fluently, but in the south of Taiwan people speak Taiwanese (or Hokkien), spoken by the Taiwanese Hoklo people who descended from immigrants form the southern Fujian during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). And, of course, the family members speak Taiwanese, which I neither speak nor understand, when I am present. It might be understandable but when I talk to my daughter in my native German I am told that this is 'no manner' to speak a foreign language.
The same happened and happens in churches I attend during my nearly 30 years in Taiwan. Originally all main churches in Taiwan have been founded by foreign missionaries in the 1950s and 1960s and were given after the 1st generation to Taiwanese. The problem I experience it that many pastors don't see the church as the 'body of Christ with Christ as the head' but rather as their own fiefdom with the pastor as boss. This leads to much competition between brothers and sisters to gain favors from the pastors and all other leaders; there is much distress between the believers themselves.
A very bad idea was the arrival of the 'micro groups', a development from 'successful' churches in Singapore and Korea. The idea is that one member opens his home and invites nearby living brothers and sisters to worship and prayer with the reading of the Bible. Intended as a 'help' for the pastor it became the work of the pastor, meaning the responsibilities of the church leaders went to the the 'micro group leader'. In my micro group the pastor never showed up, the leader had not only prepare the 1 1/2 hours but also to clean and prepare his house or a apartment, prepare snacks and, of course, has to clean up after everyone left. This might be declared as 'service' to brothers and sisters but as most micro group leaders have no theological background or any Christian education and are, as mentioned, only leaders because they are favored by the leaders, there is not much Bible work done but many trivial or worldly matters discussed.
I've experienced only proud and dominant pastors with a focus on the tithe or donations as a source of income of the church. I've only met one pastor interested in me and my family but from a 'responsible' standpoint. My wife was very active as a Sunday school teacher and therefore much appreciated while everyone made a 'curve' around me.
I was never invited to take over a responsible work; even I attended one church 10 1/2 years I was never chosen to be a speaker but was allowed to sweep the floor. As me and my wife was successful with a youth group of 72 people within two years the pastor became outright suspicions to a point that we've decided to give the pastor the whole group and left the church. Needles to say that the pastor closed the group after we left 'kicking' the young people out of the church.
I've joined the church of a Korean pastor, a war veteran of the North-South Korean war. I never understood how a soldier who shot others lead the church in the same way without remorse or hint to the 'Love of Jesus'.
Riding all these difficulties it is difficult to understand that I still went to a Seminary in Taipei to finish a degree in the evening school. One reason is that I feel a kind of responsibility to the Lord and the people out there who are without knowledge of Jesus Christ. I believe that the world could be a heaven and I can play a part in it.
Without church I had the chance to serve homeless and low income families. From them I've seen that people can believe when they accept Jesus Christ and that people can change from this faith. I had some wonderful experiences and many touching things happened in these few months. A clearly demon possessed sister became a good assistance, a person who wanted to share her bad experiences and help others to find the Lord. She told me that she did no more see the black shadows hunting her in her house! What a transformation!
Despite all the human problems between church leaders and brothers and sisters I've opened my own Bible study class on 01 Dec. 2018 in a nearby activity center with only 1 (!) person who wants to attend. But every journey starts with the 1st step...
Sometimes I don't know why I do this but I believe that God is watching and I should do the best I can in Him! This means I am not so important and I am not willing to sacrifice on the Truth of the Bible.
While not sure where this all leads. But I believe in the power and glory of God and know that I am not alone...
Be blessed, Gerhard
I've personally have experienced rejections and even violence against myself while living in Taiwan up until today. My wife's family did neither welcome nor recognize me based on the simple fact because I am a foreigner. I can speak Mandarin, the official language, very fluently, but in the south of Taiwan people speak Taiwanese (or Hokkien), spoken by the Taiwanese Hoklo people who descended from immigrants form the southern Fujian during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). And, of course, the family members speak Taiwanese, which I neither speak nor understand, when I am present. It might be understandable but when I talk to my daughter in my native German I am told that this is 'no manner' to speak a foreign language.
The same happened and happens in churches I attend during my nearly 30 years in Taiwan. Originally all main churches in Taiwan have been founded by foreign missionaries in the 1950s and 1960s and were given after the 1st generation to Taiwanese. The problem I experience it that many pastors don't see the church as the 'body of Christ with Christ as the head' but rather as their own fiefdom with the pastor as boss. This leads to much competition between brothers and sisters to gain favors from the pastors and all other leaders; there is much distress between the believers themselves.
A very bad idea was the arrival of the 'micro groups', a development from 'successful' churches in Singapore and Korea. The idea is that one member opens his home and invites nearby living brothers and sisters to worship and prayer with the reading of the Bible. Intended as a 'help' for the pastor it became the work of the pastor, meaning the responsibilities of the church leaders went to the the 'micro group leader'. In my micro group the pastor never showed up, the leader had not only prepare the 1 1/2 hours but also to clean and prepare his house or a apartment, prepare snacks and, of course, has to clean up after everyone left. This might be declared as 'service' to brothers and sisters but as most micro group leaders have no theological background or any Christian education and are, as mentioned, only leaders because they are favored by the leaders, there is not much Bible work done but many trivial or worldly matters discussed.
I've experienced only proud and dominant pastors with a focus on the tithe or donations as a source of income of the church. I've only met one pastor interested in me and my family but from a 'responsible' standpoint. My wife was very active as a Sunday school teacher and therefore much appreciated while everyone made a 'curve' around me.
I was never invited to take over a responsible work; even I attended one church 10 1/2 years I was never chosen to be a speaker but was allowed to sweep the floor. As me and my wife was successful with a youth group of 72 people within two years the pastor became outright suspicions to a point that we've decided to give the pastor the whole group and left the church. Needles to say that the pastor closed the group after we left 'kicking' the young people out of the church.
Riding all these difficulties it is difficult to understand that I still went to a Seminary in Taipei to finish a degree in the evening school. One reason is that I feel a kind of responsibility to the Lord and the people out there who are without knowledge of Jesus Christ. I believe that the world could be a heaven and I can play a part in it.
Without church I had the chance to serve homeless and low income families. From them I've seen that people can believe when they accept Jesus Christ and that people can change from this faith. I had some wonderful experiences and many touching things happened in these few months. A clearly demon possessed sister became a good assistance, a person who wanted to share her bad experiences and help others to find the Lord. She told me that she did no more see the black shadows hunting her in her house! What a transformation!
Despite all the human problems between church leaders and brothers and sisters I've opened my own Bible study class on 01 Dec. 2018 in a nearby activity center with only 1 (!) person who wants to attend. But every journey starts with the 1st step...
Sometimes I don't know why I do this but I believe that God is watching and I should do the best I can in Him! This means I am not so important and I am not willing to sacrifice on the Truth of the Bible.
While not sure where this all leads. But I believe in the power and glory of God and know that I am not alone...
Be blessed, Gerhard
