Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions we run into regarding the work we're doing over here. Hope you find the answers you're looking for! 


Why does it take so long for a Hakka to get saved?

Though this is a pretty complex issue, we believe it can be boiled down to two main things. Firstly, the Hakka Chinese are born and raised in a totally Buddhist/ Taoist/Confucian environment (see Gospel Barriers) with little or no exposure to the most basic concepts of Christianity. Many, for example, would have trouble grasping the meaning of such a simple phrase as "God loves you." In the Hakka way of thinking, God is a small "g" god, one of many fickle deities who have no interest whatsoever in relating to - much less loving - any of us puny humans. The Hakka Chinese are so far removed from any of these basic Christian concepts that the gospel message (when it finally comes) has no foundation to support it. How can they possibly understand who Jesus is if they don't have a clue about who God is? As missionaries to the Hakkas, then, one of our first jobs is to build this essential "belief base" so that the gospel can have firm legs to stand on … and that takes some time. 

Secondly, there is heavy family pressure on Hakka Chinese not to become Christians. Since the Hakkas generally view Christianity as a threat to their own culture and traditions, they will use whatever position they have to shame other family members from (what they perceive as) turning their backs on the Hakka ways. For a Hakka to become a Christian, therefore, is not a casual decision. Each must learn to walk through these various pressures until their faith is strong enough to deal with the more intense trials that await them once they choose to get baptized. This faith-developing journey can be a long one, sometimes taking more than two or three years.


How do you actually go about evangelizing someone from such a hard to reach people group?

Though it requires a bit of patience, reaching the Hakkas for Jesus is not all that complicated. We go out and make Hakka friends, plant tons of gospel seeds in their hearts, and, of course, pray, pray, pray! At any given time you might find us trekking around with the local hiking club, two-stepping it through a Chinese folk dancing class, thwacking away at the community tennis courts, pedaling along with one of the biking clubs, or taste-testing in our very own baking classes. (And you thought missionary work was tough!) This is what reaching the Hakkas is really all about. Building platforms of love and trust where - by God's grace - the gospel of Jesus can be heard and received.

Why did you choose the cell church structure as your model for church planting among the Hakkas?

Take your pick! We wanted a structure that …

… offers the greatest opportunity for every believer to minister and be ministered to.
… is more accepted and accessible by the non-Christians in the local community.
… doesn't end up limiting the size of growth to the size of a church building.
… provides the best environment for new leaders to be raised up and released.


What kind of worship songs do the Hakkas sing in the churches you're planting?

Our answer might slightly offend the sensibilities of those gotta-be-cultural-at-all-costs advocates, but we generally use contemporary worship songs and choruses that have been translated into Chinese. (Probably some of the same ones you sing at church.) A great majority of the Hakkas in our church plants are under fifty years of age and have been influenced by most areas of modern Taiwan society, including music. Bottom line … they typically prefer the style of these contemporary worship songs over the more traditional Hakka style of singing. That said, there are more and more original "Chinese style" worship songs being written by the believers in Taiwan that are fast becoming our church favorites.


Since you guys are all YWAMers, are the churches you're planting YWAM churches?

Not at all. Since YWAM is neither a church nor a denomination of churches, we have a pretty strict policy of not trying to change the status quo. (In other words, we don't believe in starting YWAM churches, because YWAM is not a church. If we did plant a YWAM church, then YWAM would be a church … which it's not … so we can't … so there.) The churches we do plant here are local bodies that are ultimately released to operate completely under the authority of their own Hakka leadership. As you can imagine, the lines of distinction between our YWAM team and the local body can be a bit blurred during the early stages of planting the church. But as time passes, and the church grows and local leaders are raised up, it becomes easier to recognize that the role of our YWAM team is merely to stand alongside and support the young church. 


Wouldn't it be a better use of your time and talents to go where the people are a bit softer to the truth of the Gospel?

Great question! No!


No, really. Wouldn't it be a better strategy for you guys to go minister someplace else and wait for the Hakkas to become more open to Jesus?

Okay, okay. We confess to having struggled with this same question at times. It certainly makes sense on the surface to go share with open hearts instead of closed hearts, doesn't it? Problem is, how are closed hearts opened? How are hard hearts softened? Do we wait around for it to happen naturally, or do we presumptuously leave everything in the hands of a God who will do it by Himself when He gets good and ready? Neither, of course. We believe that we are called (as with most things) to work hand-in-hand in partnership with God to make closed hearts open and hard hearts soft. And that without this partnership at work among a hard-to-reach people like the Hakkas, they might very well pass into history as a never-been-reached people. All that we're doing here is part of the plowing, sowing, and watering process that will - by God's great power - result in a slew of soft Hakka hearts towards Him. 


How did you (married couples) meet?

Surprise, surprise! This is by far the most FA of our FAQs! Though, of course, each story is unique, you'll be interested to note that of the seven married couples on the team, six either met or spent serious time together as singles while out on the mission field somewhere. (We'll let all you bachelors and "bachelorettes" draw your own conclusions to this little info nugget!)


Are the Hakka believers ever persecuted for their faith?

While it's rare for Hakka believers to be physically persecuted for their faith, it's not at all rare for them to face some kind of emotional or psychological persecution as a result of their decision to follow Jesus. Higher status family members (such as parents, parents-in-law, older siblings, aunts and uncles) frequently use shame as a weapon to try and bring new Christians back in line with such traditional practices as ancestor worship, fortune telling, geomancy, and idolatry. In a Confucian society that demands unquestioned obedience to these higher-ranking family members, laying shame and guilt trips can be powerfully effective. Many new believers (or non-Christians who are well on the road to getting saved) experience tremendous pressure as they are forced to choose between following family or following Christ. 


When will you know that your mission is completed?

It would be easy to throw out a rousing "When all the Hakkas are reached!" kind of answer, but that wouldn't be very accurate. Probably the best place to start in answering this question is with the defining of an unreached people group as "a people that does not have a viable church in its midst." If our vision, then, is to reach the Hakka Chinese of Miaoli County (check out  The Vision) we need to start the kind of dynamic church movement that's big enough, strong enough, and growing enough to someday reach the rest of the Miaoli Hakkas with the gospel. Did you notice that we used the word "start?" Important word. Our basic job description is to mix some Kingdom of God yeast into this large batch of Hakka dough, and then step back and let it rise, rise, rise as the Hakkas reach the Hakkas for Jesus.