Vietnamese come to Taiwan seeking a better life but often find misery instead.  They form one of Taiwan’s larger communities of foreign residents. Vietnamese women married to Taiwanese men number over 100,000, with Vietnamese contract workers numbering over 36,000.  Our team is reaching the workers with the gospel in detention centers and their places of work, showing them the light of Christ in an otherwise dark existence. The Kaohsiung Alliance Ministry Center in southern Taiwan is a place where Vietnamese women and their Taiwanese families can find Christ and grow in Him.

Responsibilities

• Learn the local language of Mandarin Chinese
• Make new contacts and develop relationships within the Vietnamese community, seeking opportunities to share Christ
• Evangelize and disciple Vietnamese and their Taiwanese families, raising up leaders who will continue to lead the church in Taiwan or Vietnam
• Develop relationships with the Taiwan C&MA national church in order to cast vision and partner in outreach to Vietnamese
• Host and assist in the ministries of short-term teams

Required Qualifications

• A recognized bachelor’s degree
• Completion of at least 30 hours of Bible/theology/ministry and 15 hours of intercultural studies
  • Note: If a couple, one spouse must meet this requirement. It’s preferable that the other spouse holds a recognized bachelor’s degree, has strong ministry experience, and has completed the C&MA Polity course and at least 18 hours of Bible/theology and 12 hours of missions/ministry studies (with a minimum of six hours in cross-cultural or missions studies).
• Minimum of two years of successful Alliance licensed ministry experience
• Completion of Alliance ordination/consecration (all single applicants or one partner per couple)
• A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 60 or above
• Fluency in the Vietnamese language
• At least two years of full-time ministry experience within the U.S. as a licensed worker with the C&MA (required for Taiwan Religious Worker Visa)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in evangelism, discipleship and leadership development within a Vietnamese cultural context
• Ability to work within a team structure
• Flexibility

Biblical Characteristics Desired

• Kingdom-minded
• Biblically grounded
• Spirit-dependent
• Competently skilled
• Self-aware
• Self-disciplined

Timeline for Deployment

Summer/fall 2022. All appointees are required to attend a cross-cultural and language-acquisition program and Pre-Field Orientation prior to deploying.

General Information

Currently, our Vietnamese Diaspora Team is serving in the southern city of Kaohsiung, the second-largest city in Taiwan.  Kaohsiung is an urban center with a convenient public transportation system and an abundance of shopping and medical options, making it a comfortable, safe, and convenient place to live and work.

Though churches and Christian ministries are accessible in Taiwan and there is religious freedom, Taiwanese people remain largely resistant to the gospel.  Though Vietnamese migrant workers facing challenges are often more open to the gospel, women who are members of Taiwanese families practicing traditional religion find it more difficult to turn to Christ.

CIA World Factbook – Taiwan

Joshua Project – Taiwan

Language Expectations

Language is an essential part of ministry. The successful applicant(s) will receive one year of intense language study, followed by ongoing language and cultural acquisition. The goal will be to speak, read, and write the language at a functional level in order to mentor, teach, and train others.

Although Vietnamese will be the primary ministry language for this role, IWs will attend a period of intensive, full-time Mandarin language and cultural study for a period of at least one year, and up to two years, to enable them to live, communicate and work effectively in Taiwan.  Normally, Mandarin will be studied at the Taipei Language Institute – Kaohsiung Branch.  IWs will be expected to be disciplined and intentionally persevering in language learning.

Health Considerations

Taiwan has good healthcare facilities, well-trained doctors, and most medications are readily available.  IWs will be covered under Taiwan’s national health insurance, which provides inexpensive and accessible healthcare.

Expectations for Spouse

Spousal roles vary, based on the spouse’s gifts, training, and abilities, as well as the needs of the team. It is expected that both spouses will be meaningfully involved in meeting ministry objectives, depending on the nature of family roles, children, etc.

Children’s Educational Plan and Options

IW children attend school at Morrison Christian Academy.  There are several campuses located in Taiwan, including Kaohsiung, Taipei, Taichung and Chiayi.