Followers of the religion believe in the Christian God, recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and simultaneously make appeasements to the traditional Palauan deities.
[3] By amalgamating native animistic and Christian beliefs in hymns (keskes), the islanders may have been better able to preserve and transmit their traditions.
[4] A common story in Ngatpang is that the religion developed from the efforts of Christian missionaries in Palau who hoped to convert the islanders.
The religion prohibits followers from all alcohol and drug use, and children in the village are required to be home by dark and abstain from making loud noises in sacred places.
As a result, it is not uncommon to see a woman in Ibobang dressed in pants to take a longer route to her destination to keep from crossing the church grounds without the proper attire.
According to tradition, violating this religious ban will bring terrible rainstorms upon the village that will not go away until the sin has been forgiven by the Modekngei goddess.
[6] Students and faculty have the option of living on campus in traditional dormitory-style housing with no electricity or running water, or in the surrounding villages of Ngatpang.
[7] Students at BMS study core academic subjects such as English, Math and Palauan, but they also take Modekngei religious classes, have the opportunity to farm ancient medicinal crops, and practice traditional customs with the wider village.