Greetings! We are Tim and Jennifer McCracken, church-planting missionaries to Taiwan, working with the mission agencies World Team and OMF. You have reached our family mission site where you can get information about who we are and how to contact us.
Jennifer and I became Christians in the mid-80’s through the ministry of Xenos Christian Fellowship, an interdenominational, evangelical church that is based on the cell model. Xenos, in partnership with WorldTeam, already has missionary team throughout the world, including northern and southern Russia, Southeast Asia, and Brazil. We have been involved in Xenos since our conversions nearly 20 years ago.
Soon after we came to Christ we both had a strong burden to do ministry. Jennifer & I have both been heavily involved with many ministries in our church.
We have been leading and teaching in home Bible studies and working to plant cell groups. In addition to our adult work we have both been involved in youth ministries, Junior and Senior high, planting cell groups, organizing retreats and summer camps. We know that God has used our work in Bible teaching and discipleship to prepare us for our future work in Taiwan. We are also deacons in our church, which has afforded us other opportunities for service.
In terms of education, I have a B.S. in Social Work from the Ohio State University, and Jennifer has her B.A. in Fine Arts from Columbus College of Art & Design and an M.A. in Christian education from Ashland Theological Seminary. In addition, we have both taken classes at our church. Every quarter, Xenos offers many classes including theology, hermeneutics, homiletics, critical reasoning, Old Testament and New Testament studies, basic doctrine, etc. taught by our elders and other qualified teachers with seminary training. Because of the quality and content of these classes, many seminaries give college credit for them. In order to be appointed as a deacon in our church, one has to complete a prescribed program of classes that includes 3 quarters of theology in addition to other classes and many years of proven service.
In August of 1998, we were appointed as missionaries with World Team after participating in their missionary candidate school called R.A.C.E. (Reciprocal Assessment Candidate Evaluation). R.A.C.E. evaluates, among other things, the candidate’s gifting, skills, abilities, experience, character, and maturity. We were excited to be among those appointed to the mission. In September 1998, we were given approval by our elders to go to Taiwan. We will be going with two other couples from our church and the Columbus Chinese Christian Church.
Our Family, including Rachel (9) and Alex (7), is very excited about the opportunity that God is giving us in Taiwan. We are so thrilled about what God is doing, that we want others to be part of the work in Taiwan. We pray that we will have an opportunity to serve together.
After doing two years of Taiwanese language study in Kao-Hsiung, Taiwan, we moved to Chai-yi. We have been reaching out and ministering in Chia-yi for about 5 years with team of OMF and World Team missionaries. At the this time we have seen some exciting stuff happening. But it still really needs your prayers.
We will be on home assignment in 2007, June to December. Our address in Taiwan in characters can be copied from below.
