Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Apr 23: Republic of China, Taiwan
Republic of China, Taiwan
Republic of China, Taiwan
Asia
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 36,000 sq kmA mountainous island 160 km east of mainland China, together with the Penghu archipelago and the islands of Matsu and Kinmen close to the mainland. One of the world’s most densely populated countries.
Population: 23,561,660 Annual Growth: 0.58%
Capital: Taipei
Urbanites: 81%
Peoples
Peoples: 41 (32% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: language and language of education Mandarin. Hoklo and Hakka are widely spoken Languages: 28 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Chinese| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 1,371,289 | 5.82 | 1.4 |
| Evangelicals | 648,506 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
| Chinese | 14,311,352 | 60.74 |
Challenges for Prayer
Less evangelized people groups:a) The Taiwanese working class is linguistically (Hoklo/Hokkien) and culturally separated from the majority of evangelical churches, which use Mandarin. Economic and social changes in recent years have made life difficult for them. This group comprises 60% of the population, but a mere 0.5% are Christian. They are becoming increasingly responsive to the gospel. OMF, IMB and TIEF are committed to reaching this group.
b) The Hakka communities are only 0.35% evangelical, having been resolute to retain their own language, culture and religion. Pray for organizations that reach specifically to them (Hakka Evangelical Association, SEND, Presbyterians and others). Resources available in the Hakka language include the Bible, audio (GRN and radio) and video (the JESUS film).
c) The Muslim community is largely Hui. More than 60,000 Hui live in Taiwan, which may be one of the larger people groups in the world without a known Christian fellowship group. Indonesians make up most of the rest of the Islamic community; it is possible that there are significantly more Indonesians in Taiwan than the official figure of 130,000. There are six mosques throughout Taiwan, with the most notable being the Taipei Grand Mosque. Some ministry to Indonesians has proved fruitful, but very little is being done for the Hui.
d) The Penghu Islanders number 93,000. Church planting efforts have regressed, since the majority of churches have closed. Most Islanders are fisher folk and highly superstitious. The Islands and local marine life have suffered massive environmental damage of late; pray for these people to find Christ again in their current precarious existence.
e) Foreign brides are a rapidly growing population. One in seven marriages has a partner from another country. There are around 320,000 migrant foreign brides, mostly from mainland China and Vietnam. Many of them are non-Christian and barely evangelized. Taiwan Expatriates Caring Committee partners with national Churches to minister to them. Pray for a greater mobilization of outreach and mission from Taiwanese churches to these groups.
The indigenous, Austronesian peoples of Taiwan live in the mountainous west and in some cities. They comprise 25 tribes that account for a mere 1.7% of Taiwan’s population. They are around 80% Christian, due to mission work by Presbyterians. But other groups, including sects, are increasingly common, as is nominalism and a lack of the Scriptures and biblical teaching. As with many other aboriginal populations, Taiwan’s indigenous peoples struggle to preserve their traditional life in the face of massive social change and family breakdown, alcoholism and urban migration. Activated Ministries and others continue to minister; AoG has a Bible Institute that runs short courses to equip lay leaders and bivocational ministers.
For an additional 9 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
