From the mission field: Teaching the faith in Taiwan

The Rev. Dr. Michael Paul, LCMS missionary to Taiwan, translates for the Rev. Kevin Ko of the China Evangelical Lutheran Church on Oct. 22, 2024, at the International Church Relations Conference in Wittenberg, Germany. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

This month’s report comes from the Rev. Dr. Michael Paul, LCMS missionary to Taiwan.

Most pastors and other church servants in Taiwan are exceedingly busy. Since over 95% of Taiwanese are without faith in Christ, the church is surrounded — even overwhelmed — by needs and opportunities.

One result is that church leaders often find it difficult to spend time preparing their own Bible studies and other teaching materials. The fact that most schools in Taiwan focus on memorizing correct answers and not on creative thinking makes it even more challenging for pastors and teachers to develop their own resources. That’s why one of my significant roles here as a missionary in Taiwan is to develop and share such resources with the church.

For example, in a two-week period this past Lent, I was asked to share my Chinese resources on teaching the Old Testament, the Book of Concord, the traditional worship liturgy, the Church Year, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday liturgies, a funeral liturgy, simple piano accompaniments for hymns and liturgy, and material to play handbells for Easter Sunday.

In addition, my Small Catechism PowerPoint files and videos, as well as my sermons (text, audio and video) continue to be used a great deal in Taiwan and beyond. Having access to these ready-made resources enables the Taiwan church leaders to focus on other things that they’re good at. But preparing them is also a good fit for me, as I’ve always enjoyed trying to be creative. The Lord places us all in His church together to serve with the specific gifts and abilities He’s given to each of us, and that is indeed a blessing.

The Rev. Dr. Michael and Jen-Yi “Irene” Paul serve the Lord as career missionaries in Taiwan. In this role, Michael serves as a theological educator for the China Evangelical Lutheran Church. He teaches at the seminary and congregational levels and mentors new church workers. He also writes and translates Lutheran Chinese resources and makes many resources available online. Find out more at lcms.org/paul.

Posted June 17, 2025