Second stop/Hakka Gospel Association

Interview with Pastor Zeng Zhengzhong

Interview/Jian Hailan

It has been thirty years since the Hakka Evangelical Association (hereinafter referred to as "Hakka") was established. What was the vision and origin of its original establishment?

Feeling that there are so few missionaries and missionaries who specialize in Hakka gospel work, and the number of local Hakka Presbyterian churches is not large, some senior pastors and elders rushed to inform and appeal to each other. On the National Day of 1978, when I was only thirty years old, Elder Qiu Bixiang, an overseas Chinese and big entrepreneur who returned to China to celebrate, wanted to take the opportunity to convey his burden to overseas Christians, so he launched the first Global Hakka Christian Evangelism Conference.

At that time, thirteen regions responded and participated, and later the Hakka Evangelical Association was established in Taiwan. Elder Qiu Bixiang was appointed as the first chairman. His three main slogans are: 1. Deliver the Hakka missionary vision; 2. Assist the growth of the Hakka church; 3. Inherit the essence of Hakka culture.

Thank the Lord, many missionaries have come one after another over the past thirty years. Especially in recent years, many short-term mission teams have come to serve jointly with local churches, which has made our burden much lighter. After a sister visited us two years ago, she also established a special foundation (website: www.TaiwanMissionFoundation.org) in New York to appeal for donations and receive support. In this way, the spread of the Hakka gospel will accelerate. I am so grateful!

What is the content and progress of the "Kefu" ten-year doubling campaign?

The "Ten Years Double Campaign" promoted by Kefu has entered its fifth year. Five years ago, we felt that the next ten years would be the most critical decade for Hakka missions. If we did not grasp it, it would be even more difficult to achieve a major breakthrough. This ten-year plan was initially reached at the first meeting held in Zhudong Houci Hall. It is hoped that the following goals can be achieved from 2005 to 2014:

1. Eighty churches have joined the Doubling Network, and the number of believers has doubled (there are currently about fifty).
2. Plant ten churches with Hakka groups as their main targets (currently there are five).
3. Twenty churches have added Hakka worship services.
4. Twenty churches have added Hakka groups or fellowships.

5. Send five to ten overseas missionaries to let the gospel seeds grow thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.

KeFu co-workers went to various places to deliver the doubling vision, dividing Taiwan into seven regional networks including Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Kaoping, and Huadong. I hope that the Lord will raise up a small group of co-workers in each district who will work together to promote prayer, training, and evangelism.

▲The silent hard work of "Kefu" has gradually begun to bear fruit. The picture shows the front and back covers of the "30th Anniversary Special Issue" issued in 2008.

Please briefly describe the growth and development trends of Taiwan’s Hakka population in recent years. How important do you think Hakka outreach is to gospel work?

In the past year or two, the Hakka Committee of the Executive Yuan has determined that there are 5 million Hakkas or descendants of Hakkas in Taiwan, accounting for 22.5% of Taiwan's total population, 5% more than before. In the past, only people from Guangdong were recognized, but now we know that there are Hakkas in southern Jiangxi, western Fujian and other places, which adds up to more people. This trend makes everyone acknowledge the fact that Hakka people exist in large numbers.

During the Japanese occupation, the Hakka people had little sense of identity with Japan and had always retained their own culture and language. It was not until Japan withdrew from Taiwan in the early days of liberation that the Kuomintang government vigorously promoted Mandarin. The Taiwanese people's identification with the government increased and they were willing to learn Mandarin. Coupled with the February 28th Incident, Hakka was restricted under political pressure; I was educated in Mandarin at the age of two, and now I speak Mandarin better than Hakka.

The result of the popularization of education and the promotion of Chinese language education in the past few decades has resulted in the loss of young people. But Chen Shui-bian believed that he was a Hakka from western Fujian, and President Ma Ying-jeou even recognized his ancestors and admitted that he was a descendant of the Hakka. Therefore, during their tenure, the Hakka were respected. The establishment of the Executive Yuan Hakka Committee and IC Voice Hakka Radio also had a good impact on the promotion of Hakka.

However, compared with the popularity of Mandarin, Hakka is still at a disadvantage. 10% people who speak Mandarin believe in the Lord, which makes Mandarin-speaking churches generally well established. However, when preaching the gospel to Hakka elders over the age of seventy, it is indeed necessary to use the native dialect. In the past, because there were not many foreign missionaries who could speak Hakka, it was difficult for the Hakka community to understand the content of the gospel. They always believed that Christianity was a foreign religion and had nothing to do with them.

▲These are the ministry projects of "Kefu" Jiji Yingying.

What is the biggest obstacle to Hakka evangelization?

About a hundred years ago, few missionaries were working in Hakka villages. In terms of church establishment, if there are Hakkas who believe in Christ in Taipei, or who have listened to foreign missionaries preaching and want to preach the gospel there, it is not enough to just tell them testimonies. Even if the Hakka relatives hear the gospel and believe in the Lord, they do not have Hakka Bibles or Hakka hymns, so it is very difficult for them to be edified. This situation is even more difficult for seekers, because they cannot have a deeper understanding of Christianity and feel as if they will be forced to believe in religion as soon as they enter the church.

There are usually two types of people who come to the church. One is from the grassroots, who are in great need of care and can be shepherded by missionaries or evangelists. The other type is professionals such as doctors or town chiefs, who are all affected by established concepts. If they cannot communicate in depth to resolve doubts, it will be more difficult for the gospel to spread. The entire Hakka village believes that it is unfilial to believe in Christianity, so most people who have a good relationship with their family and are easy-going find it difficult to believe in the Lord.

Therefore, if someone can get a degree abroad, improve their living environment, and gain respect from others, they can come back to their hometown and spread the love of Christ to them. Establish a good relationship with them first and then preach the gospel, and the effect will be greater.

Seven or eight years ago, a legend happened in Xionglin Village. Twenty-six members of the entire family collectively believed in Christ on the same day! They were Zhang Zhiji and Liu Yuhong, a couple who lived in San Jose, USA. The husband was a senior executive at IBM. After believing in the Lord, he deeply realized the preciousness of the gospel. Unfortunately, both of his parents had passed away, so he returned to his wife’s natal family to actively preach the gospel. He comes back for a month every six months, connecting with the local church and joining forces with the Evergreen Gospel Team of "Kefu". When I came back for the third time, the villagers were deeply moved after a gospel film "True Freedom" recorded in Hakka was screened one night.

When they were called to believe in the Lord, everyone stood up and made a decision except for one Fujian son-in-law. Later, after the son-in-law, who was born in Lukang, talked to him in Hokkien for ten minutes, he suddenly said, "I want to believe too!" So all twenty-six people on the spot believed in the Lord. Brother Zhang then asked the villagers if they were willing to be baptized before he returned to the United States. Everyone agreed. So, I baptized the entire family together with the pastor of the local church. This is indeed a very exciting testimony. I hope that more overseas Hakka children who believe in the Lord will return to their country after studying and come back to benefit their hometown.

▲Sister Jian Hailan (second from right), reporter of this exclusive interview, takes a group photo with Pastor Zeng Zhengzhong (middle), Pastor Bai Meiyue (second from left) and other Kefu colleagues.

The Hakka people attach so much importance to ancestor worship, how can they break through?

The Hakka people are small in number and have been displaced and rootless for more than 1,600 years, which makes them particularly fond of their ancestors. However, early missionaries did not pay much attention to this matter. They regarded ancestor worship as a kind of superstition and idolatry. Although this is also true, Hakka culture believes that believing in foreign religions is unfaithful because not worshiping ancestors is equivalent to being unfilial! Therefore, there is absolutely no intersection between the two parties.

The Hakka ancestor worship culture is family-based, unlike ordinary people who only hold it in small families. Therefore, if one person in the family believes in the Lord, it is like breaking away from the entire family. In early traditional Chinese society, those who believed in Christianity were kicked out of their homes (as recorded in books such as "Family of the Flesh" and "Behind the Dark Room") and faced similar situations. It is easier for many people to believe in the Lord after they go to the United States or overseas. Therefore, many Christians need to bear good witness among them and live out the abundant life of Christ. Oral preaching alone is of no use.

Twenty years ago, "Kefu" published the "Christian Funeral Handbook". At that time, Pastor Zhou Lianhua, Professor Lin Zhiping, Pastor Xia Zhongjian, etc. were all very concerned about this issue involving Chinese culture. I also participated myself and conducted an in-depth discussion on the issue of ancestor worship. I added those conclusions and the information added by several Hakka pastors and handed it over to the Hakka Evangelical Association for publication, and began to promote updated funeral rites.

Dean Wen Yongsheng’s doctoral thesis was also titled on this subject. Under the guidance of several professors, the academic foundation was more solid. In the past three to five years, Dean Wen has been very serious about promoting it, and the results are better than in the early days. Nowadays, several larger churches and denominations in Taiwan, such as the Ling Liang Church and the Presbyterian Church, will focus on this aspect and call on Christians from all over the country to hold ancestor-respecting meetings so that the ancestor-respecting culture of Taiwan's Hakka people can be renewed.

So, what is Kefu’s long-term strategy for evangelism? What supporting measures are there?

The long-term strategy for evangelizing the Hakka people in Taiwan is to first establish a Hakka missionary seminary to cultivate more pastors and co-workers and raise up missionaries so that the Hakka church can be built up in the long term.

I have served in the gospel field for more than thirty years. After retiring from the position of senior pastor in August 2009, I hope that God will allow me to go to churches in various places to assist in gospel ministry. I hope that the Kingdom of the Lord will come as soon as possible.

Currently, the third phase of the three-element gospel doubling-in evangelism training is being promoted at Zhudong Houci Church. I am the teacher, practicing and studying together with eight students and four team leaders. “The gospel is the power of God, which will save everyone who believes!” Pray that the Lord will give you strength to help you preach the gospel to your relatives in other places in a more organized manner, and win many people to the Lord. In addition, it is also planned to use a picture method similar to that of Gospel Bridge to produce grassroots teaching materials suitable for the elderly; or to compile discipleship training materials into a three-character sutra to make it catchy and easy for children to recite.

▲The Hakka Sacred Band was established by "Kefu" with the purpose of promoting Hakka sacred music and promoting the updating of the worship and praise standards of Hakka churches. The picture shows the Hakka ministry exhibition at the Hong Kong Vision Sharing Conference on April 18 and 19, 2009, and the scene of the sacred orchestra presenting poems at Tsung Chun Hall in Shau Kei Wan.

What are the most unforgettable and touching things for you since the establishment of "Kefu"?

Over the past thirty years, the most touching thing has been the inheritance of vision. Driven by "Kefu", the number of missionaries to Hakka villages has accumulated to hundreds; Lin Tian'en, a young missionary who recently came from Minnesota, USA, even moved his family to Taiwan with his wife and three children, evangelical immigrants; and just now Mentioning that twenty-six people in the entire family believed in the Lord at the same time, these things bring us great encouragement and gratitude to God!

In addition, Hakka Bible published the New Testament and Psalms ten years ago, and the Taiwan Bible Society also announced five years ago that it expected to publish the Old Testament in 2011. Currently, a missionary who is a consultant and has a high level of knowledge in the original text of the Bible stays at the Bible Society for three months every year to assist in translation. He checked verse by verse, was meticulous about every word, and was loyal to the Lord.

At present, several aspects of Hakka missions that are most needed have been gradually developed. In the early days, due to the lack of support from relatively sound denominations or institutional missions, all co-workers were part-time, and there was only one full-time director-general. Everyone participated on a voluntary basis, and the pace was relatively slow. , I really ask the Lord for mercy! We also hope that more churches, institutions and members of the Lord who have the burden and ability will join the ranks of Hakka missions!

In what ways can Christians in North America pray for you? What kind of ministry connections can be made to work together for Hakka missionary work?

We very much hope that the Christians in North America will help provide speakers for pastoral seminars, strengthen the teaching staff of the Hakka Mission Theological Seminary, establish short-term mission teams that regularly return to their hometowns, and publish good collections of worship songs. Please also pray for, support, and donate to the following ministries:

For the past three years, Kefu has cooperated with the "IC Voice" radio station to broadcast the "Open the Hakka Sky" radio program, and won the Golden Bell Award and the Ministry of Education Lifelong Learning Award for two consecutive years. May the Lord continue to bless and reward us, so that this aerial gospel preparatory work can more effectively serve the folks in Tao, Zhu, and Miao areas who like to speak Hakka.

The "Evergreen Gospel Team", with Elder Lin Li Qingmei as the team leader, Pastor Zhan Deren and myself as the guidance staff, has been visiting the small Hakka Village church once a month to assist in visiting, caring and evangelizing for more than 20 years. We also pray that the Lord will continue to be gracious to us and continue to serve together.

Psalm 92:14:"They will still bear fruit in their old age, they will be full of juice and green."As Kefu completes its 30th year and the Ten-Year Doubling Movement enters its fifth year, we hope that online churches in various districts will raise teams like the Evergreen Gospel Team that pay equal attention to prayer and evangelism, traveling to every city and village to win for the Lord. people. In particular, I pray that the Lord will call brothers and sisters who have retired, are in good health, and are burdened with the salvation of their souls, to freely use their abundant time, seize the great opportunity to serve the Lord, and bear good fruits that glorify the true God!

Hakka Evangelical Association—welcome support, prayers, donations, and participation!

Website: www.chea.org.tw
E-mail: hakka.chea@msa.hinet.net
Address: 1st Floor, No. 58, Ziqiang Road, Zhudong Town, Hsinchu County 31053
Tel: 886-3-5945546, 886-3-5946571
Fax: 886-3-5940121