Missions in Taiwan > News
Vision 119
The majority of Taiwan’s population live in some 60 villages, towns and cities, from Taoyuan to Tainan, all along the western side of the island. Almost all these towns are connected by two ancient roads, Old Route 1 and Route 19.
The modernization of the island by railroads, freeways, and highways, has lead to church planting success in the largest 15 cities of Taiwan. However, there are still dozens of smaller communities along these two roads which are almost completely unreached with the gospel. Their average population is 45,000 people and most of these towns have less than one per cent evangelical Christians. Many have only two or three churches. These are the hardest areas to reach. They comprise the majority of the factory workers and farming-related industry in Taiwan. Down south, the people worship the goddess Matsu and hold a yearly pilgrimage in her honor. And the north is home to the Hakka, a very gospel-resistant people group where only 1 in 1000 is Christian.
SEND International has a five year goal, 2010 to 2015, to start new churches in three of these areas. We see this goal as just the beginning of a much larger vision to reach all these 60 areas with the Gospel by 2029. God has given us this vision--Vision 119: Calling 119 workers to plant 60 churches along old Route 1 and 19.
We believe that strong churches in these areas, in partnership with the larger churches and seminaries in the bigger cities, will be effectively able to continue to complete the evangelization of Taiwan. If missionaries can establish model churches in even 20 of these areas, we should be able to begin withdrawal of our foreign mission presence in Taiwan and pass the baton to our national brothers and sisters.
119 is also the emergency number in Taiwan. Adopting this number as the new vision is a reminder of the urgency to reach the lost.
Join us in fervent prayer to the Lord of the Harvest for more laborers. We are looking for 119 new missionaries to make this vision a reality. We also need churches to adopt a needy town, cover it in prayer, send out short-term workers and even three to five families to help plant a church.
We who are Christians believe this is the year of Jubilee for Taiwan and are trusting God for a mighty harvest of souls. How will you be involved in Vision 119?
The modernization of the island by railroads, freeways, and highways, has lead to church planting success in the largest 15 cities of Taiwan. However, there are still dozens of smaller communities along these two roads which are almost completely unreached with the gospel. Their average population is 45,000 people and most of these towns have less than one per cent evangelical Christians. Many have only two or three churches. These are the hardest areas to reach. They comprise the majority of the factory workers and farming-related industry in Taiwan. Down south, the people worship the goddess Matsu and hold a yearly pilgrimage in her honor. And the north is home to the Hakka, a very gospel-resistant people group where only 1 in 1000 is Christian.
SEND International has a five year goal, 2010 to 2015, to start new churches in three of these areas. We see this goal as just the beginning of a much larger vision to reach all these 60 areas with the Gospel by 2029. God has given us this vision--Vision 119: Calling 119 workers to plant 60 churches along old Route 1 and 19.
We believe that strong churches in these areas, in partnership with the larger churches and seminaries in the bigger cities, will be effectively able to continue to complete the evangelization of Taiwan. If missionaries can establish model churches in even 20 of these areas, we should be able to begin withdrawal of our foreign mission presence in Taiwan and pass the baton to our national brothers and sisters.
119 is also the emergency number in Taiwan. Adopting this number as the new vision is a reminder of the urgency to reach the lost.
Join us in fervent prayer to the Lord of the Harvest for more laborers. We are looking for 119 new missionaries to make this vision a reality. We also need churches to adopt a needy town, cover it in prayer, send out short-term workers and even three to five families to help plant a church.
We who are Christians believe this is the year of Jubilee for Taiwan and are trusting God for a mighty harvest of souls. How will you be involved in Vision 119?
