Tainan Theological College and Seminary in southern Taiwan (Photo: WCRC/Greenaway)

It is perhaps symbolic that the first Christian seminary in Taiwan stands next to the first Buddhist temple in the country. Tainan Theological College and Seminary draws its inspiration from the context in which its students prepare for ministry.

Courses in comparative religions are an important part of the curriculum. Christians are a minority in this country that is dominantly Buddhist. As in many other countries, Christians face the additional challenge of living in a society that is becoming increasingly secular. Developing good relations with neighbours who are Buddhist or who have no faith life, is a vital skill for the seminary’s 198 students.

The seminary’s president, Wong Chong-giau, believes that students must know the minds and worries of people of other faiths in order to work with a parish.

“Most people who their parishioners know will be non-Christians. The pastor must be able to empathize,” he notes.
The seminary in the southern city of Tainan is one of three run by the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT). The others are Taiwan Theological College and Seminary in the country’s capital, Taipei, and Yu-Shan Theological College and Seminary in Hualien.

In conversation with Wong and several faculty members during a recent trip to Taiwan, Reformed Communiqué learned how the inspiration of the seminary’s founder Shoki Coe continues to influence the curriculum today.
Coe, a Presbyterian minister and theologian, was one of the leaders of the movement demanding respect from the Chinese for Taiwanese language and culture in the early 20th century. PCT continues to be a leading force in the movement for the recognition of the right of Taiwanese people to decide their own political future, to speak their own languages (including aboriginal languages) and to protect the country’s natural resources from exploitation by off-shore companies.

Today the seminary in Tainan emphasises the study and use of the Taiwanese language. Lim and others believe that language is the key to preserving local identity and history. One faculty member teaches PCT history at a secular university to “shore up” efforts to prevent the loss of language and identity.

Seminary students are preparing for either traditional parish appointments or for work in mission. Some, who are coming to ministry as their second or third career, can undertake special ministries in schools, banks or hospitals. Tainan Seminary also prepares students for frontier mission with labourers, farmers, Indigenous communities and industrial workers.
The seminary offers theology classes in English for international students supported by Council for World Mission scholarships. The international scholars include students from the Pacific region, Africa, and South-East Asia.

The seminary’s extension programme includes a Master of Arts in Mission offered to more than 50 lay people working as nurses, workers, and doctors at Chang Hua Christian Hospital.

The seminary’s motto from John 15:16 “I choose you to bear fruit” is an apt description of its approach to education.