Locations

Taiwan

Ministry Description

Word of Life Taiwan helps every student take the next step with Jesus in a country of 23 million where around only 2% identify as evangelical Christians. Taiwanese culture has a strong mix of Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian values that flavor every aspect of life creating immense spiritual poverty amongst a wealthy and educated people. We desire to reach Taiwan by uplifting and working alongside the local church and we do this through education, media, camps, conferences, and discipleship.

We currently have five main ministries and over 700 Alumni who have completed our English Bible Program.

SYME - Explore your faith

SYME is a Chinese acronym for Bible, Friendship, Discipleship, and English. The SYME program is an 8-week intensive program offered to ages 16 and up. We create a full-immersion English learning environment and combine it with a biblical discipleship program. Students study at our ministry center, live with teachers, and get to be immersed in not only American culture but a Christian family. Our program is designed to improve students’ conversational English and help them discover a relationship with Jesus Christ while growing daily. Both non-Christians and Christians attend our program, and through it many grow spiritually or become believers. We also regularly have Taiwanese missionaries and pastors attend as English is an incredibly important bridge language in our part of the world and this allows them to learn spiritual language in English.

Rooted - Develop Your Faith

After SYME, students are encouraged to join our alumni program Rooted.

Rooted helps Taiwanese students grow long after SYME and runs primarily in Mandarin Chinese. We host a monthly get together, keep alumni accountable in daily devotions, and do events like spiritual retreats and Christmas parties. These alumni are given practical opportunities to serve at our camps, special events, and even serve abroad through annual mission trips. In addition to this, a dedicated team offers discipleship to those willing to engage and grow, as well as visiting alumni throughout the year all over the country.

Pilgrimage Films - Explain Your Faith

Pilgrimage Films exists to bring you with us on the missionary journey! A production studio and YouTube channel, Pilgrimage Films helps others see what God is doing in Taiwan and around the world. By creating faith-based content for students and families, Pilgrimage Films shows the often-unseen world of missionaries, religions, and cultures. They have a large back catalogue of educational videos on folk religion and mini-documentaries as well as create many behind the scenes tools and videos for the 16 countries that Word of Life serves in throughout our region.

Youth Ministries - Own Your Faith

God’s plan A has always been through the local church and there is no plan B. Youth Ministries has access to an incredible assortment of tools, training materials, and experience that is leveraged to disciple and develop leaders in the local church. As newer ministry in Taiwan much of the current focus is on Mandarin localization of resources and relational development with pastors. Our goal is to empower leaders to mobilize young people to share the gospel and develop biblical habits.

Camps - Ignite Your Faith

Camps are a special experience where a student steps out of the distractions and influences of normal life into a spiritual environment where they can grow alongside other believers and encounter God. We primarily do this through Momentum day camps, a high energy experience with games, costumes, worship, and a biblical message. As we expand, we would like to run a full camping season in Taiwan one day.

How you can help!

Word of Life Taiwan runs off generous donations to keep our school open and our ministry reaching Taiwan in special ways! We are looking for monthly donors to help fund our missionaries, ministries, and projects. Below you can see our team and get to know them as well as see some special projects. Just to note, the Taiwan Contribution is a fund to give generally to our mission field, while the other options below allow you to have a voice in where the funds go. We couldn't do this without you and thank you for your generous partnership!

Click here to learn about how to support SYME! Sponsor a student to attend for a week!



Click here to learn how you can help a young person serve as an intern in Taiwan!



Click here to learn more about our recent film projects and how you can support Pilgrimage Films!



In addition many come and serve with us short-term as English teachers or long-term as full-time missionaries! For inquiries into volunteer opportunities please email us at jsmith@wol.org

Location Information

As we said earlier, Taiwan is a very special island off the east coast of China. It is home to 23 million people made in the image of God and is perhaps one of the most interesting places in the world. It is a place entrenched in ancient folk religions and temples, yet is a vibrant democracy, a leader in tech exports to the world, and unlike its neighbor China has freedom of religion. While stats say Taiwan is 5% Christian around only 2% of the people here identify as evangelical, and the majority fall under Taoism, Buddhism, and ancestor worship. This island is immersed in darkness, surrounded by idolatry and cries to false gods. They place all hope in a temple system laced with fear and expectation of judgment. Taiwanese people spend their entire life asking the question “Who will atone for me when I die? Who in my family will sacrifice for me so that I can have a good afterlife”? Being a missionary in Taiwan means that we get to share with them the answers to these questions. Jesus is the answer, and when the Taiwanese learn about His love for them, they become some of the most faithful and devoted believers one could encounter.