The Establishment and Development of Fuli Presbyterian Church, Taiwan

• Main Authors: Meng-Chin Tsai, 蔡孟芹
• Other Authors: Ji-Dau Pan
• Format: Others
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/m98b3v

碩士 === 國立東華大學 === 臺灣文化學系 === 100 === Fuli Township in Hualien County may seem a remote small town to many, but it has nurtured a Presbyterian church in Eastern Taiwan, overturning the public stereotypical image. Why Fuli? Does the church in Fulihas a glory past? What is the connection between the church and the town? These are questions with which the author is concerned. The article probes the development trajectory of the Fuli Church from the late Qing Dynasty to the present and the role it plays in facilitating the burgeoning the church from the perspectives of the local religious community. It also explores how the church begins to decline. Considering rare scholarly engagements in the field of East Taiwan churches, the paper starts with a general overview of the evangelistic setting in the target geographic region, followed by a chronological review of the development trajectory of Fuli Township. The focus of the paper will be placed on the attributes to the glory of the Fuli Church and its impact on the local residents, contrasting the rise and fall of the church. A conclusion is made on the reasons that lead to the decline of the once-dominating church. The history of the Fuli Church has been in oblivion, despite the fact that it used to have dominance in the East. In addition to chronological review, the paper addresses its new perspectives on the development history of the religious churches in the East.