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Called Out for Witness The Missionary Journey of Grace Korean Church
Daniel Taichoul Yang Forewords by Jonathan Bonk and Paul Gihong Han
Dr. Taichoul Yang, the author of the book, has been a close friend, colleague and partner with KIMNET (Korean Inter-Missions Network) as an Associate General Secretary for more than ten years. I praise and rejoice greatly for the excellent work done by him. He is well qualified for this project, for he has been involved in the ministries of Grace Korean Church over 21 years, first as missionary at former Soviet Union and later Mission Director of Grace Church. Many missional leaders will be benefitted by this research and greatly challenged. A few works has been done in English regarding missionary works of Korean missionaries, despite over 24,000 missionaries working in 169 countries. This research shows how one person and one church, when he obeys and dedicates himself fully to His command, can accomplish great things for God's glory. This book tells us a story of many succeeding followers of the Great Commission at Grace Church involved in expanding His kingdom, by training local pastors and establishing over 8.000 local churches. I am always amazed by inspiring stories of devotion and sacrifices of the missionaries of Grace Korean Church. I hope this work will impact not only Korean churches but also Christian churches globally. I highly recommend this book. Ilsik Samuel Choe, D.Miss. Executive Director, KIMNET I am delighted with the publication of of this book. Pastor Daniel Taichoul Yang has been the acting director at the headquarter of GMI (Grace International Ministry) and knows all too well about the ministry of our world mission. He also served many years in the mission fields of GMI. I recommend this book because Pastor Yang wrote it under the auspice of Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in England as their visiting scholar. The book has enough merits to be trusted from a missiological perspective. The start of GMI’s world mission and its entirety are well explained in this book. I hope to see the whole world coming to know more about the world mission of GMI through this book. I am very thankful to the Lord who helped us as we struggled to do the world mission as a small Korean immigrant church in America. All glory belongs to God. Rev. David Kwangshin Kim Founder, Grace Korean Church; and President, Grace Ministries International The contents of Pastor Yang’s research are well arranged covering both the academic and practical aspects of world mission... This research material will prove to be beneficial not only to church members, but also to many missionaries. Julie C. Ma, Ph.D. Research Tutor of Missiology, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies ‘Diaspora in mission’ has become a hot topic. Grace Korean Church is a brilliant example of this potential in the heart of the West where Christianity in general and mission in specific has been steadily declining. Until recently we ‘heard’ of this church, but only now we can ‘see’ thanks to Dr Yang’s important research as an insider. This book will be an inspiration and challenge both to the immigrant Christian communities and host churches. Wonsuk Ma, Ph.D. Executive Director, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies
The Grace Korean Church (GKC) in Fullerton, CA (USA) is a unique and effective ‘Diaspora Missional Congregation’. This book, Called Out for Witness will inspire, inform, and instruct the reader and other leaders of local churches. Imagine the global impact if all local churches emulate GKC? Sadiri Joy Tira, D.Miss. Senior Associate for Diasporas, The Lausanne Movement
REGNUM STUDIES IN MISSION
Called Out for Witness The Missionary Journey of Grace Korean Church
Series Preface Regnum Studies in Mission are born from the lived experience of Christians and Christian communities in mission, especially but not solely in the fast growing churches among the poor of the world. These churches have more to tell than stories of growth. They are making significant impacts on their cultures in the cause of Christ. They are producing ‘cultural products’ which express the reality of Christian faith, hope and love in their societies. Regnum Studies in Mission are the fruit often of rigorous research to the highest international standards and always of authentic Christian engagement in the transformation of people and societies. And these are for the world. The formation of Christian theology, missiology and practice in the twenty-first century will depend to a great extent on the active participation of growing churches contributing biblical and culturally appropriate expressions of Christian practice to inform World Christianity.
Series Editors Julie C. Ma Wonsuk Ma Doug Petersen Terence Ranger C.B. Samuel Chris Sugden
Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, Oxford, UK Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, Oxford, UK Vanguard University, Costa Mesa, CA, USA University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Emmanuel Hospital Association, Delhi, India Anglican Mainstream, Oxford, UK
A full listing of titles in this series appears at the end of this book
REGNUM STUDIES IN MISSION
Called Out for Witness The Missionary Journey of Grace Korean Church
Daniel Taichoul Yang
Copyright © Daniel Taichoul Yang 2014 First edition published 2014 by Regnum Books International Regnum is an imprint of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies St. Philip and St. James Church Woodstock Road Oxford, OX2 6HR, UK www.ocms.ac.uk/regnum 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The right of Daniel Taichoul Yang to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or a license permitting restricted copying. In the UK such licenses are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-506475-08-0 Typeset by Words by Design Cover image: Moscow Grace Festival, 1994
Distributed by 1517 Media in the US and Canada
To Rev. Dr. David Kwangshin Kim, who taught me what is mission; To Rev. Paul Gihong Han, who shows me what it takes to be faithful in mission; and to the Grace Church family, who has shared with me the joy of mission partnership.
Foreword 1 Korean Christians – some 20 million strong – are passionate about missions, skilled in statistics, and creatively resolute in incarnating the Gospel among unreached peoples in some of the world’s most formidable socio-religious contexts. Korean mission research centers staffed by outstanding mission scholars are cutting edge leaders in the world of applied statistics. Korean missiologists are familiar with and contributed to the stupendous Atlas of Global Christianity, 1910–2010 edited by Todd Johnson and Kenneth Ross, published by Edinburgh University Press in December 2009. They have read, pondered, and internalized—with appropriate levels of dissent – the theorizing of key western missiologists. Koreans are the most avid readers of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research and other serious missiological journals—some published in Korean and some in English. In short, the Korean Protestant Church is an unabashedly missional church, looking out, not in. In a single century Korea has been transformed from a bucolic country with only a few believers into a dynamic powerhouse of a nation whose social fabric is suffused with vibrant evangelical Christianity – Biblicist, conversionist, and activist. In 1900, the total number of Christians in Korea was just over 42,000 – a majority of these being Roman Catholic. By 1910 this figure had risen to nearly 51,000 – most of this growth being Protestant evangelical. By 1950 the number of believers was pegged at 1.6 million; by 1970 just under 6 million; by 2000 19.5 million; today in 2010 20 million.1 While Korean Protestant church membership over the past decade has plateaued and even declined slightly, a different picture emerges when one looks at the number of Korean missionaries. In 1979, Korean churches sent out 93 foreign missionaries. Within the next twenty years, this number rose to 8,103.2 In the ten years between 2000 and 2010 the number of missionaries once again more than doubled. According to Korean Research Institute for Mission (www.krim.org) figures appearing in the April 2013 issue of the
1
This information is from the World Christian Database (Brill), accessed January 22, 2010. The 1910 data is from the Atlas of Global Christianity (Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh Press, 2009). The most impressive English language assessment of evangelicalism in Korea is Timothy S. Lee’s Born Again: Evangelicalism in Korea (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2010). His Epilogue, ‘The Beleaguered Success of Korean Evangelicalism in the 1990s’ (pp. 139–151) is particularly insightful. 2 These figures are taken from Steve Sang-Cheol Moon, ‘The Protestant Missionary Movement in Korea: Current Growth and Development’, International Bulletin of Missionary Research 32:2 (April 2008), 59–64.
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International Bulletin of Missionary Research, in 2012 some 19,798 Korean missionaries serve in 175 countries outside South Korea.3 Koreans have a great advantage over missionaries sent from western lands. No Korean missionary is stigmatized by association with the genocidal imperial conquests or the brutal colonial occupations of Western nations. They are themselves a diaspora people, from a nation frequently invaded and cruelly occupied in its long history, but never invading or occupying the territories of others. The “uttermost parts” so foreboding to Western missionaries are accessible to Koreans. This book is a deeply insightful examination of one congregation, the Grace Korean Church. It serves as a case study, providing those of us whose knowledge of Korean missions is mostly confined to statistics with an inside look at the kind of theologically informed, passion driven, practically connected, and inspirationally led church that has transformed Korean Christianity into what is arguably this century’s most globally engaged mission powerhouse. This book is about a kind of church that is perhaps unique to Korea. A church whose raison d'être is proclamation of the Gospel where it has not been proclaimed. A church whose membership, from top to bottom, is single minded in applying resources, ingenuity, passion and personnel to the great task of evangelizing the world. A church from whom the rest of the Christian world should and can learn much. ‘Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?’ Mordecai queried the doubtful Esther, encouraging her to put her life on the line for the salvation of her people (Esther 4:14). With the stagnation and retreat of Western Christianity now well underway, this book and the churches that it represents offers sound basis for a hearteningly affirmative assessment of the Korean church, doing God’s work in God’s world in God’s way: ‘For such a time as this!’ Jonathan J. Bonk, Ph.D., Executive Director Emeritus Overseas Ministries Study Center, New Haven, CT
3
Steve Sang-Cheol Moon, ‘Missions from Korea 2013: Microtrends and Finance’, International Bulletin of Missionary Research 37:2 (April 2013), 96–97.
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Foreword 2 I am very delighted that Rev. Daniel Taichoul Yang, the director of world mission department at Grace Korean Church, researched the world mission ministry of our Grace Korean Church from a missional perspective for the past six months at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. The world mission of our church started by Rev. Kwangshin Kim has borne many fruits by the Lord’s blessing in past thirty-one years because of the dedication of our members and missionaries. I want to first give all the glory to God, and trust that the Lord will reward the dedication of our missionaries and the efforts of our members who shed blood, sweat and tears, even to this day. As we look back upon the ministry of the world mission of our church over three decades, this research for the future direction of world mission and its strategy by Rev. Yang, who has served at our church for the past twenty-one years as a missionary and a mission pastor, has an especially significant meaning. Together with his research report, ‘A Study of the World Mission of Grace Korean Church’, it is our hope that it will prove to be a good testimony and a model for many churches to be informed about the ministry of world mission by Grace Korean Church from the perspectives of missiology, mission history, and mission strategy. The ministry of world mission in Grace Korean Church was established by Kim, while the ministry of world mission to the unreached people group was a later addition. It is our hope that the future of our ministry of world mission will complete the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. For this cause, the missionaries from Grace Korean Church and the graduates of our missionary training centre should unite with one heart and one purpose to carry out the Great Commission of our Lord in conjunction with the believers of our Grace Korean Church. Finally, I want to thank Dr. Wonsuk Ma and his wife, Dr. Julie (Jungja) Ma, as well as all of the other faculty members of Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in England who invited him as a visiting scholar to do research there into the ministry of world mission by Grace Korean Church from a missiological perspective. We pray that many churches will receive the vision and dream of world mission and take their first steps toward doing world mission, as well as experiencing the Lord’s amazing blessing, as testified in this research study which is published in both Korean and English. Once again, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the author for his efforts of doing the research for the past six months, and also to his mentors in Oxford. Rev. Paul Gihong Han, Senior Pastor, Grace Korean Church
Contents
Forewords Preface Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction About This Study Study Methods Terms
xi xv xvii 1 1 1 3
Chapter 2: Theological Foundations Holy Spirit Diaspora Theology Reformed Theology Presbyterian Theology Theology of Mission
7 10 26 40 44 53
Chapter 3: Mission of Grace Korean Church World Mission of GKC GKC’s Mission by Continent
67 67 74
Chapter 4: Mission Strategies
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Postscript
147
Appendices Bibliography Scriptue Index
149 163 169
Preface
Grace Korean Church (GKC) was established by Rev. Kwangshin Kim from his biblical mission perspective of a mission-oriented church. This study is based on six months of research from March to August 2013 at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, England with the title, ‘A Study of the World Mission of Grace Korean Church’. This is to celebrate the three decades of missionary work by GKC. This study is divided into five major sections. The first section is an introduction that explains the motive and purpose behind world mission, the scope and methods of the research, and the definition of linguistic terms. The second part digs deeper into GKC’s theological foundation for world mission based on the theology of the Holy Spirit, the theology of revival, the theology of immigrants, the theology of the Reformation, and the theology of mission. The third part deals with GKC’s motive, purpose, and application of mission as well as the process in which they are established, and their status in different continents (geographical divisions). GKC is responsible for 84% of its longterm missionaries spread throughout the globe, 256 missionaries in 58 countries which include the former Soviet Union, Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, Central and South America. Furthermore, the missionary resources provided by GKC were consulted. Among them were a summary of Christian mission history, the mission strategies of people in the mission fields, and the mission strategy of GKC. The fourth part deals with the evaluation of GKC’s mission and its future. The evaluation of GKC’s mission is based on its missiology, mission history, and mission strategy. At the same time, the research on the future of GKC’s mission is in three parts: The establishment of a mission vision and GKC’s strategy, the general care of GKC’s missionaries, and the establishment of ‘Grace Mission Village’. The final part is the appendix that includes a sermon sample of Kwangshin Kim, the founder of the church. A statistics of the GKC missionary are also included in the Appendix. This study highlights GKC’s mission from the perspective of missiology. In other words, it is illuminated by mission theology, mission history and mission strategy. The motive, goal, process, and results of world mission by GKC have been objectively analysed and appraised. A proposal has been made about the future of GKC’s mission. This research is meant to improve GKC’s world mission strategy as well as evaluating its progress. Furthermore, it can help many other churches to better understand the biblical and historical strategies of world mission. It is my hope that all churches will take steps toward
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fulfilling the Lord’s Great Commission instead of focusing on the present condition and circumstances of the church that can hinder world mission. I want to first thank the Lord for giving me the grace to complete this research on the three decades of world mission by GKC, and for using me to write ‘A Study of the World Mission of Grace Korean Church’. I also want to express my deepest gratitude to Rev. Dr. David Kwangshin Kim and Rev Paul Gihong Han as well as the eight elders, the staff members of the Mission Department, all the ministers, associates, co-workers, lay leaders, and the believers of GKC. As I have ministered as a missionary and a mission pastor for twenty-one years of its thirty-one years of history at GKC, I learned and experienced so much about world mission because of you. This research was possible because of your prayers and support. Also, I want to sincerely thank Dr. Wonsuk Ma, the Director of Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, and Dr. Julie Ma for inviting me to the Centre as a visiting scholar from March to August, 2013. They guided my research. Furthermore, I want to thank my colleagues, Jay Cho for translating this manuscript into English, Reena Kim for editing it, and the staff members and co-workers at the Department of Mission for their support. While I was away for six months, my lovely wife, Esther Hyunjung Yang has interceded for me while managing our church ministry alone, so I would like to express my deepest gratitude to her as well. Lastly, I hope this study can help the missionaries, ministers, staff, and members of GKC to better understand world mission of our church from a missiological perspective. Furthermore, I hope to see our next generation who speaks English to take over the helm of our church’s world mission ministry and continue the legacy of world mission until the Lord’s return. ‘The world is wide and there is so much work to do’. Like this old Korean cliché, the mission field is very wide and there are so many people who need to hear the gospel. I hope this small effort of mine through this research study can encourage and challenge all of you who have been called by God in the last days to participate in world mission. January 2014 Daniel Taichoul Yang
Abbreviations
CWME EA FTT GKC GMI IMC LCWE MTC PLO UPG UUPG WCC WCRC WEA
Commission on World Mission and Evangelism Evangelical Alliance Finishing the Task Grace Korean Church Grace Ministries International International Missionary Council Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization Missionary Training Center Palestine Liberation Organisation Unreached People Group Unengaged Unreached People Group World Council of Churches World Communion of Reformed Churches World Evangelical Alliance
Chapter 1 Introduction
About This Study We are living in the age of Parousia. Matthew 28 is referred to as ‘the Chapter on the Lord’s Second Coming’. Among the clear signs of Jesus’ Second Coming is found in the words of Matt. 24:14, ‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come’. The will of God therefore is for all people of the world to hear the gospel and receive salvation (1 Tim. 2:4). Over 80% of the world’s 7.1 billion people still do not know Christ and are not saved. All the believers who are saved through believing in Jesus Christ and their churches should realize the urgency of sharing the gospel to the rest of the world which is the Lord’s greatest commandment. This duty of every Christian should be carried out without the homage to one’s position in the church or the size of the church.1 Grace Korean Church is a good example of a church that is carrying out the great commission of the Lord among many Korean American churches in the United States. The purpose of this research is to help continue the vision, passion, and dedication for world mission by the members of GKC for future generations by researching the foundational theology and the pragmatic ministry of world mission by GKC. Moreover, this research paper provides the opportunity and methods to participate in world mission by countless churches and their believers. Study Methods This study will utilize the research methods of literary research and field work research. The literary research will verify the missiology of GKC. Furthermore, 1 According to May 7, 2013 report by www.worldmeters.info which provides statistical data, the total population of the earth has exceeded 7.1 billion. Additionally, in ‘Status of Global Mission 2013’ reported by www.gordonconwell.edu/resource/documents/ statusofglobalmission.pdf the total population of the world is close to 7.2 billion in mid 2013. Christians are 2.2 billion, approximately 33% of the world’s population. Catholics comprise 1.2 billion, Orthodox Christians 280 million, Anglicans 92 million, other marginal (Christian cult groups) 38 million. Protestants comprise approximately 750 million.
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the literature from mission fields that has been documented will be reviewed in order to assess the present condition of world mission centres established by Grace Korean Church. The mission field research will be conducted for the purpose of further examining the present condition of mission fields by GKC, and for improving the strategies of world mission by GKC. This study will examine the current mission fields through literature, as well as historical mission fields such as in Scotland, Wales and Germany.2 Literary Research Literary research as a component of the theological framework of this essay is necessary to understand the theological basis of mission by GKC. The theologies of the Holy Spirit, revival, immigration, and reformed theology are examined for a theology of mission. Hopefully, the perspective of world mission by GKC is comprehensive enough to assert a positive influence upon many churches as they look forward to doing world mission. For this reason, the Revivals in Wales, India, Azusa, and Pyongyang are investigated for their theology of revival. Besides a theology of world mission found in both the New Testament and Old Testament, the main literary resources were located in the Bodleian group of libraries of Oxford University, and the library of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. Therefore, from a theological perspective, the pragmatic side of mission by GKC can be viewed more objectively, focusing on the motive, purpose, and process of mission and more specifically, the present condition of the mission fields in different continents and regions: the former Soviet Union, Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and South Central America, where altogether 256 missionaries are serving in 58 countries. The resources for the present condition of mission by GKC are from the published works by GKC, especially the letters by the missionaries in the mission fields. After assessing the present condition of mission by GKC, the study turns to the future of its mission from a missiological point of view. In other words, because the research is done from the perspectives of theology, mission history, and strategy for mission, the purpose of this essay is to continue the vision, passion, and dedication to mission for future generations of GKC. For the purposes of this study, the five strategies for mission that relate to the present and future mission of GKC, to the unreached people group (UPG), diaspora, multi-ethnic and minority groups, lay people mission, and
2 St. Columba established an abbey on the isle of Iona which worked as a centerpiece for missions in Europe. In 1910, the city of Edinburgh hosted a world mission conference. Charles Thomas Studd was one of the ‘Cambridge Seven’, who established World Evangelization for Christ (WEC) in 1913. He served for 45 years in China, India, and Africa as a missionary.
Introduction
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cooperative mission, are based on Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.3 Field Work Research The research study examining mission fields is divided into two major parts. The first is from world mission’s historical and strategic point of view after visiting the mission fields. Second, the mission fields are examined by analysing the written reports of GKC missionaries. The mission field research studies the spirituality and strategy of world mission as revealed in the history of world mission with examples from Iona, Edinburgh, Wales, and Herrnhut in Germany. The present condition and the future direction of world mission ministry of GKC are revealed in the reports made by the missionaries in their mission fields. Terms The key terms used in this study is defined.4 Mission The word ‘mission’ comes from the Latin word mitto which means ‘sent out’. The Greek words apostelo, and pempo are connotative words to mission and they mean ‘dispatched’.5 Historically, people perceived mission as sharing the gospel to the ends of the earth in foreign countries. In other words, world mission meant crossing borders to share the gospel. Such borders included natural and geological borders as well as language, culture, religion, nationality, and worldview. From a ministerial point of view, world mission can also be synonymous to ‘duty’. A Latin meaning of the word is ‘an assigned task given to a messenger’. The term ‘missionary’ was first used in the thirteenth century by the Franciscan order. They used it to refer to ‘someone who was sent out to share the gospel’. The word, ‘missionary’, is not in the Bible. However, the word ‘apostle’ appears which means ‘one who is sent’. An apostle is the first classic example of a modern day missionary. In the confession of Apostle Paul found in Rom. 1:1, 1 Cor. 1:1, and Gal. 1:1, we see that an ‘apostle’ is the first model for today’s modern missionaries. Therefore, world mission is sharing the gospel in a foreign country to its native people, of a different culture, and partaking in much of their activities in order to try save their souls. 3
First published in 1981, 2nd edition 1992, 3rd edition 1999, and 4th edition 2009. As a text book on world mission, it helps the reader to see world mission under four different perspectives: biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic. 4 The idea of a parachurch (sodality) which helps the church (modality) is based on the perspective of the church ministry in systematic theology. 5 Scott A. Moreau, Charles van Engen, and Harold Netland (eds.), Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2000), 636-38.
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Evangelism The word, ‘evangelism’ originates from the Greek word euangeliomai, which is sharing good news, and the English word, ‘evangelism’ is defined as ‘sharing the good news’.6 Evangelism means sharing the gospel in order to save lost souls; it is not limited to any boundaries of culture or geography. The focus is to save the souls of people who are not yet saved. Traditionally, it is explained as a ministry that shares the gospel with people who are in the same culture.7 World mission is a ministry of evangelism to people who have never heard the gospel before. It is a ministry of sharing the gospel which is focused on advancing God’s kingdom on earth (Matt. 24:14). Also, world mission is a ministry of leaving one’s culture for a foreign country to do a long-term, professional, and holistic sharing of the gospel and doing other types of ministries, such as educational, medical, and charitable, which are intended to improve the native community. In other words, world mission uses the purpose driven tool which is evangelism to do the ministry of sharing the gospel in a foreign land to save the lost souls and to disciple them. It refers to the direct and indirect ministries of a holistic approach in sharing the gospel. Church There are two major organizations that fulfil the duty of world mission and evangelism. The first is the church and the second is the para-church whose primary function is to help the church. The church and the para-church support one another in terms of world mission. Therefore, a proper understanding of both organizations is necessary. In the New Testament, the church is ekklesia which is an ancient Greek word. This generic word was used to describe a religious community gathering in ancient Greek society. When the word was first used in the Bible, ekklesia meant ‘people who have been called out’. In other words, it was used as a reference to ‘a faith community of people who serve God that have been called out from the world’. In the Bible, the church is used as an expression to describe God’s people or the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27). As a spiritual community, it has the character of diversity (1 Cor. 12:14), harmony (1 Cor. 12:24, 25), and unity (1 Cor. 12:20). As a community of faith, the church has been called out from the world to serve God. It is a community that received a calling from Jesus Christ to fulfil a duty to be a witness for Jesus Christ until the end of the age on earth which is known as ‘the Great Commission’. The church, therefore, can be defined as the channel or a tool which fulfils the great 6
Kiyoung Hong, Definition of Missiology (Seoul: Daehan Christian Publisher, 2001), 138. This good news is based on Isaiah 61:1-3. 7 Seungho Kim, Understanding Mission Theology of Evangelicals (Seoul: Yaeyoung B&P, 2008), 37-38; Hojin Chun, Missiology (Seoul: Reformation Theological Association, 2007), 22-24; Kookil Han, Embracing the World Mission (Seoul: Presbyterian Seminary Press, 2004), 116-17.
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commandment and the great commission of Jesus Christ, a community that is made up of Christians who are called to carry out a God-given duty. Para-Church The para-church8 refers to many different organizations which support the church. This study is confined to those involved in world mission: mission agencies, missionary training centres, theological seminaries, bible colleges, and mission-minded charitable organizations. The history of the para-church movement began in 1910 at the World Missionary Conference (WMC) which took place at New College in Edinburgh, Scotland.9 The WMC was a movement to unite all churches for the purpose of doing world mission. After the conference, countless missionary organizations were formed under the influence of a lay people’s movement whose primary architect was John Mott. It was the beginning of today’s parachurch movement.10 A good example of a para-church movement is The Navigators started by Dawson E. Trotman (1906-1956), and Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) established by William Bright (1921-2006). These parachurch movements made a big impact on modern world mission. According to the statistics of 2013, there are 4,900 missionary organizations in the world that are sending out missionaries to foreign countries.11 Missiology An academic study of world mission began in 1792 after the ministry of modern world mission by William Carey who is known as ‘The Father of Modern World Mission’. The word, ‘missiology’ is derived from a French word, missilogie which became ‘missiology’ in English. The word is a combination of two words, missio in Latin and logos in Greek. The people who first started using the word, ‘missiology’ are John Breckenridge (1797-1841), Karl Graul (1814-1864), Gustave Warneck (1834-1919), Alexander Duff (1806-1878), John H. Bavinck (1895-1964), Abraham Kyuper (1837-1920), and Johannes Verkuyl (1908-2001).12
8 Moreau, et al., Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, 722-23, 894. Parachurch is called ‘sodality’. This is similar to the church being called, ‘modality’. This reference was first made by the Roman Catholic Church, but after World War II, the reference became widely used. 9 Eunsoo Kim, Flow and Theme of Modern World Mission (Seoul: Daehan Christian Press, 2001), 17. 10 John R. Mott (1865-1955) was a Methodist leader. As a leader of YMCA (18881915), he went on to create Student Volunteer Movement. 11 www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/statusofglobalmission.pdf (May of 2013). 12 Moreau, et al., Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, 634. John Breckenridge (1797-1841) was the first Protestant Missiology professor.
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Missiology is a study of the works of salvation by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit to make God’s kingdom become a reality on the earth. As a traditional definition, Abraham Kyuper (1837-1920) said, ‘Missiology is a research on preordained effective method of God which leads people outside of Christ to be converted’.13 According to Olave Myklebust, ‘Missiology is an academic research on increasing Christianity among nonChristians from historical and rational perspective.14 Whereas for Johannes Verkuyl (1908-2001), ‘Missiology is a study on the salvation work of God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit who want to bring God’s Kingdom to earth’. In other words, ‘Missiology is a study on God’s great commandment to all the churches of this world that are to serve God who is at work to save the world’.15 Alan R. Tippet (1911-1988) thus said, ‘Missiology is an academic study on the origin, history, human principles and technology which are related to Christian world mission where relevant materials on the foundation of theology are researched, recorded, and applied’.16 Furthermore, missiology is a study of the science of mission which includes mission theology, mission history, mission philosophy, and cultural anthropology. From the perspective of systematic theology, missiology includes the essence of God’s mission, the essence of biblical mission, the essence of church mission, the essence of mission of Christian ministry, and the essence of mission of the Holy Spirit.
13
John H. Bavinck, Outline on Missiology, trans. Hojin Chun (Seoul: Sungkwang Publisher, 1980), 21. 14 Johannes Verkuyl, Summary of Modern Missiology, trans. Jungmahn Choi (Seoul: Christian Publisher, 1991), 25. 15 Ibid., 19. 16 Alan R. Tippet (1911-1988) was a world renowned missiologist from Australian Methodist Church. For 20 years from 1941, he worked as a missionary in Fiji Island. In 1965, he became Professor at Fuller School of World Mission founded by Donald McGavran. For the next 12 years, he wrote many books and gave countless lectures. He made a big impact on cultural humanist studies and church growth.
Chapter 2 Theological Foundations
In order to explain the theological foundation of world mission by GKC, there follows a brief summary of mission by the GKC in the past three decades. Since its foundation, GKC has been deeply committed to mission. By 2013, 256 missionaries (84% from GKC) serve in 58 countries. Through a close working relationship between Kim, the founder of the church, and Han, the present senior pastor, GCK’s mission continues to grow. GKC currently has 6,500 registered members with an average weekly attendance of 4,500. GKC has a goal of sending out 1,000 missionaries by the year 2020. Under the motto of ‘Vision 2020’, the church wants to increase its church membership to 10,000 members. Therefore, Han along with all other associate pastors, church staff, and believers are doing their best as a team to accomplish this goal. GKC began in May 1982 by Rev. Kwangshin Kim with three families in Fullerton, California. After four years, the church grew to 500 members. During that time, the church gave 50% of its total income to support mission. During those years, GKC supported full-time Korean missionaries in Guam and Bolivia, and a Caucasian missionary who worked for Wycliff Bible Translators at a cooperative level. As a small church, it did its best to fulfil the duty of carrying out world mission.
Kim
Han
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After GKC grew to a mid-size church with 500 members in 1986, it began training its own missionaries before sending them out. Missionary work to China, North Korea, and Europe were launched. At the same time, ‘Spark of Love’ ministry also began at the church which restored, discipled, and trained many of its church members. It helped them to experience God’s love and his heart for mission in a very short period of time. Through this ministry, many dedicated missionaries were produced.1 Furthermore, a school of theology was formed in the church. This allowed many dedicated church members who would later become missionaries to have a proper training in theology and ministry. This worked as a starting point for the church to grow, and when the former Soviet Union opened its doors to mission in 1990, many dedicated and trained missionaries from GKC were able to go there. Kim, who was senior pastor at the time, challenged many members to become missionaries through his Wednesday Bible study. He went to the mission fields with the church members, and set up strategies for mission and did mission through prayer and guidance by the Holy Spirit. He reminded all the members of the GKC that ‘Mission is Prayer’, ‘Mission is War’, and ‘Mission is Martyrdom’. Through the sanctification and dedication of its members in their fervent prayers, GKC as a church expanded the ministry of mission to its full potential. The ministry of mission by GKC reached its climax through the mission to the former Soviet Union which began in 1990. Soon afterwards, GKC became one of the largest Korean American immigrant churches with 1,000 members, and was the leader among all Korean immigrant churches in America when it comes to world mission. Until Kim retired in September of 2004, all the members of the church focused on mission. Especially through the ‘Grace Festival’ held in Saint Petersburg and Moscow in 1993 and 1994, all the church members who planned and participated in the event experienced unity for world mission.2 1
‘Spark of Love’ is a four days and three nights spiritual programme, modelled after ‘Tres Dias’. In 1986, Grace Korean Church launched the first GTD (Grace Tres Dias) among Korean American immigrants. Then in April 1992, Pastor Kwangshin Kim and Pastor Taewon Kim conducted first ESTD (Europe-Seoul Tres Dias) in Korea. Since then several hundred Protestant Korean churches have accepted the programme and are implementing it under different names with their own styles. 2 When the Soviet Union crumbled in 1990, and its doors were opened to missions, Grace Korean Church embarked on missions in the former Soviet Union. 24 members of a mission choir (college and high school students) were assembled and they began a tour in July 1990. Sakhalin, Khavarobsk, Tashiken (Uzbekistan), Almata (Kazakstan), and Moscow (Russia) were visited and over 10,000 accepted Christ, as well as 5 new Grace Churches were planted. In May 1992, a Moscow Seminary was established which trained future ministers resulting in many churches being planted. In March 2003, Moscow Seminary became a five-year theological college and graduate school. It is the only Protestant seminary officially recognized as a Christian Protestant seminary in Russia. From March 1992 to April 2010, 2,483 students enrolled and 2,252 have
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Kim, who started the church with just three families, guided GKC to become a mission church, a mission oriented church, and a mission focused church. Because the church set out to do world mission from the beginning even as a small church, when it became a mid-size church and later on as a large church it became more focused and driven to do mission. Many fruits were produced in the mission fields by the works of the Holy Spirit because of the vision, direction, and goal of the church leaders, and the determination and dedication of the church members. Rev. Paul Gihong Han who became the second Senior Pastor of GKC in September 2004 was a disciple of Rev. Kim. Han is continuing GKC’s ministry with the motto of ‘Happy Church’ (Matt. 11:28), ‘Rewarding Church’ (Rev. 22:12), and ‘Church That Completes World Mission’ (Matt. 24:14). He has a vision to establish 7,000 churches in the strategic mission fields of 6,500 Unreached People Groups. He is doing church ministry and world mission with a very specific goal and strategy in mind. Pastor Han, on top of the existing ministry of world mission by GKC, wants to rekindle the fire of mission among 4,800 UPGs, which are in GKC mission fields, in order to share the gospel with them. By doing so, he wants to fulfil the great commission of Jesus Christ, and cause many other churches to ignite their passion for world mission.3 GKC’s strategic world mission duty as a large immigrant church with 4,500 regular church attenders now is to supersede the ministry of world mission by its predecessors and improve upon it. The other duties include making sure that the future generation will continue the ministry of world mission, and communicating and cooperating with other small, mid-size, and large churches in order to carry out the great commission of the Lord. A specific example of this can be sharing the ‘know-how’ on mission through mission seminars, mission training, short-term mission, and cooperation in the mission fields. A theological basis for mission by GKC includes the theology of the Holy Spirit, the theology of revival, diaspora theology, reformed theology, and mission theology.
graduated. Through the graduates, 1,800 churches were newly planted all over former Soviet Union (currently there are 1,000 churches). In those years, 600 volunteers from Grace Korean Church (chartered two Boeing jumbo jets), 300 volunteers from Korea, and 100 volunteers from Europe along with 10,000 (1/3 of all GKC converts) former Soviet Union native Christians of Grace Korean Church participated in five days and four nights of spiritual revival conference in Russia. This author became a missionary to Russia in January, 1993. I became the chief administrator at the former Soviet Union mission centre. I assisted the head director, Pastor Sunghoon Hong. I also assisted in the the aforementioned revival conferences in the former Soviet Union. Through the two conferences, the number of church membership doubled in one year after the conferences. 3 Han who became the second Senior Pastor is continuing the legacy of world mission started by Kim.
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Holy Spirit Saint Luke in Acts 2 saw the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of the Pentecost as the fulfilment of Joel 2:28-32. He noticed a massive number of people being saved as the beginning of the salvation work of the Holy Spirit for the early church. After the ascension of Jesus Christ, the early church period can be seen as the period of the Holy Spirit, as well as the age for world mission. The completion of world mission is an inclusive work of the Holy Spirit, from a biblical and historical as well as a theological perspective. First, the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of God will be researched in the Old and New Testaments. Second, among the revivals of the Holy Spirit, the revivals which took place mainly in the twentieth century: Wales Revival, Revival of India, Azusa Revival, and Pyongyang Revival. The purpose in studying these revivals is to understand the works of the Holy Spirit. Third, this research will also examine world mission of GKC under the perspective of the works of the Holy Spirit and the theology of the Holy Spirit. A Biblical Perspective The theology of the Holy Spirit which is the work of the Holy Spirit appears in the Old and New Testaments. The term, ‘Holy Spirit’ appears three times in the Old Testament: Psalm 51:11, Isa. 63:10, 11. In Hebrew it is pronounced, ruach ha-kodesh ()הקודש רוח, meaning Holy Spirit. The main work of the Holy Spirit found in the Old Testament was delivering God’s message. In other words, the Holy Spirit concerned the ministry of prophecy. The Holy Spirit inspired the prophets and gave them the ability to deliver the message of God. The prophet was referred to as a ‘Man of God’ (1 Sam. 2:27; 1 King 12:22). In Hos. 9:7, they are described as ‘the inspired men, and men of the Spirit’. In the Old Testament, prophets were commonly called men to whom the Spirit of God abounds (Num. 11:17; 1 Sam. 16:15; Mic. 3:8; Ezek. 2:2).4 Furthermore, the Holy Spirit caused the people of Israel to return to God away from their sins. When the corrupted people of Israel worshipped idols, the Holy Spirit gave warnings through the prophets. He caused suffering on the part of Israel by foreign nations so that the people of Israel would realize their sins and return to God. When Israel repented, they were able to defeat the foreign invaders through the works of the Holy Spirit which preserved Israel as a nation.5 At the same time, the Holy Spirit appears as ‘Resting Spirit’, and ‘Freeing Spirit’ in Isa. 11, and Isa. 42:1-9, and chapter 61.6 In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is described as ‘the Holy Spirit’ (παράκλητος; paracletos) which is the third person of the Trinity. He is separated from God the Father, and God the Son. The Holy Spirit is referred to 4
http://mb-soft.com/believe/text/holyspirit.html, accessed April 2013. John Webster, Kathryn Tanner, and Iain Torrance (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), 236-37. 6 Ibid., 247. 5
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as ‘the Counselor’ in Greek, and at other times as ‘the intercessor’ that does good works. Among many works of the Holy Spirit, the most important work is found in Acts 2. He descended on the Day of the Pentecost and gave the disciples of Jesus Christ the power (Acts 1:8) to share the gospel to the ends of the earth (Matt. 24:14) and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20). In the New Testament, a dead person comes back to life through the power of the Holy Spirit (a widow’s son of Naine, Luke 7:11-17; a synagogue leader, Jairus’ daughter, Luke 8:49-56; Lazarus who was the brother of Mary and Martha, John 11:1-44), the sick were healed (leprosy, Matt. 8:2-4; Luke 5:1213; demon possessed, Matt. 8:28-34; paralytic, Matt. 9:1-8; blind, Matt. 9:2731; John 9:1-12; haemorrhage, Mark 5:25-34; all kinds of disease, Luke 4:4041; Deaf, Luke 11:14-28; paralyzed for 38 years, John 5:1-9), and receive eternal life through repentance after receiving Jesus Christ through confession (John 3:5, 3:16, 4:14; Rom. 8:16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22, 5:6). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit in the New Testament not only gives spiritual gifts to the believers but also helps them to bear spiritual fruits.7 He is especially a Spirit of love and, therefore, he works as a channel through which God’s love is poured out into a child of God.8 Historical Review The Holy Spirit caused a spiritual awakening and spiritual revival through the people of God who prayed after they had been filled with the Holy Spirit. The word, ‘revival’, according to the Oxford Dictionary is defined as ‘an improvement in the condition and strength’, ‘a reawakening of religious fervour, especially by means of evangelistic meetings’, ‘a restoration to bodily or mental vigour, to life or consciousness’.9 On the other hand, Collins Dictionary defines the word ‘revival’ as ‘a reawakening of faith or renewal of commitment to religion, and evangelistic meeting of service intended to effect such a reawakening in those present, restoration of vigour or vitality’.10 Backholder in 2009 used the words of Martyn Lloyd Jones (1859) to say the following about the ‘revival’:11 ‘Suddenly they are aware of this presence, they’re aware of the majesty and the awe of God. The Holy Spirit literally seems to be presiding over the meeting and taking charge of it, manifesting his power, guiding, leading them, and directing them. This is the essence of 7 For spiritual gifts, 1 Cor. 12 and 14; for spiritual fruits, Gal. 5:22-23. Also Gary Badcock, Light of Truth and Fire of Love: A Theology of the Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997), 21. 8 Badcock, Light of Truth and Fire of Love, 130; Rom. 5:5, ‘And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us’. 9 http://oxforddictionary.com/definition/english/revival, accessed April 2013. 10 Collins English Dictionary, 4th ed. (Glasgow: Harper Collins, 1998), 1317. 11 Matthew Backholder, Understanding Revival and Addressing the Issue It Provokes (Milton Keynes: By Faith Media, 2009), 9.
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revival’. Backholder explained that the word, ‘revival’ in Latin is reviver which means ‘to live’, ‘to return to consciousness’, ‘to reawaken or a renewal of fervour’, ‘to bring to life again’, ‘to reanimate’.12 In Greek, the same word is ‘ἀναθάλλω’(anathalló) and it means ‘to flourish again’, ‘to revive’. In Hebrew, it is ‘hitkhadshut’ ()התחדשות, and it means ‘revival as in renewing something’ or hit'orerut ( )התעוררותwhich means ‘revival as in waking someone up’.13 Therefore, ‘revival’ means a spiritual rebirth through the power of the Holy Spirit, just like a dying fire being reignited. Evan Roberts (1878-1951) who led the Wales Revival of England on October 31, 1904 emphasized the presence of the Holy Spirit for ‘revival’ under the following four points which he outlined in his letter to Elshie Phillips: 1) If there is some sin or sins in the past not confessed, we cannot have the Spirit. Therefore we must search, and ask the Spirit to search us. 2) If there is something doubtful in our life it must be removed. 3) Total surrender to the Spirit. We must do and say all he asks us. 4) Public confession of Christ.14 Furthermore, the foundational meaning for revival is coming back to life again through the works of the Holy Spirit. Such use of the terms ‘revival’ and ‘awakening’ have the following differences. The word ‘revival’ was first used in 1702 and it meant ‘awakening in or of evangelical religion’. It was also used as ‘a quickening’, ‘a spiritual awakening’, ‘a visitation’, ‘the Holy Spirit descending or a Pentecost’.15 Backholder in his book, Revival and the Great Commission, said the word ‘awakening’ was first used by Jonathan Edwards in 1736 in his letter to his congregation at Northampton, Massachusetts, New England, when he wrote of a ‘general awakening’.16 Backholder defined ‘awakening’, as ‘The concept of an awakening is best understood as a national revival which is deeper in its effect and longer in duration’. He also said, ‘An awakening is more in depth than a national revival: they frequently carry on for years or decades and widely affect the moral makeup of society’.17 The two most recognized awakenings are ‘the American Great Awakening’ (1735-30), and ‘the British Great Awakening’ (1739-91). If revival is a fire, awakening can be seen as a flame. 12
Ibid., 9. http://biblesuite.com/greek/330.htm; http://wiki.answer.com/Q/what_is_the_Hebrew_ word_for_revival&altQ=what_word_in_Hebrew_is_revival, accessed April 2013. 14 Kevin Adams and Emyr Jones, A Pictorial History of Revival: The Outbreak of the 1904 Welsh Awakening (Surrey: Waverley Abbey House, 2004). 15 Backholder, Understanding Revival and Addressing the Issue, 9. According to John Corrie (ed.), Dictionary of Mission Theology (Nottingham: InterVarsity Press, 2007), 344, Cotton Mather first used the word ‘revival’ in his book, A Notable Revival of Religion. He was a Puritan pastor from Boston, New England. 16 Matthew Backholder, Revival and the Great Commission: Thirty-six Revivals from the Mission Field (Milton Keynes: By Faith Media, 2007), 22. 17 Ibid., 23. 13
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Under such a light, Backholder enumerated the following revivals as the representatives of twentieth century revivals:18 Welsh Revival of 1904-05, Khasi Hills Revival of 1905-06, Korean Revival of 1903-1910 in the cities of Wonsan and Pyongyang, Azusa Street Revival of 1906-09 in California, USA, Fukuoka Revival of 1906-1907 in Japan, and Norway Revival of 1907. He mentioned that there were over 180 revivals and awakenings in the history of Christianity. On average, in 1 out of every 20 revivals there was an awakening.19 WALES REVIVAL
The first revival which took place in Europe at the onset of the twentieth century was the Wales Revival in 1904. Evan Roberts played a major role in the Wales Revival which was the starting point for the revivals throughout the world in the twentieth century. The content and the end results of the Wales Revival will be examined in order to draw lessons from it. A Bible conference that began in Keswick, England in 1875 also began in Llandrindod, Wales during the month of August 1903.20 Among those who attended the conference were six ministers who decided to meet once a month to fast and pray. Therefore, the Wales Convention in Keswick served as a conduit to start a prayer meeting for the revival in Wales, and caused many churches and Christians to strongly desire a spiritual revival in North and South Wales.21 Through the prayer meetings, the revival movement, sanctification movement, and fervent evangelistic movement began. Joseph Jenkins in 1892 started his ministry in New Quay, Wales with his nephew, John Thickens. Beginning in the month of November 1903, Jenkins recommended more freedom for the young people of his church as they fervently prayed and sang praises. He also encouraged the young people change their lives. During this period, Jenkins experienced a strong presence of the Holy Spirit while preaching from I John 5:4 on a Sunday morning in February 1904.22 At that time, Florrie Evans who was a young bride, was deeply moved in the spirit, and wanted to receive Jesus Christ as her Lord. Jenkins as a pastor utilized his authority to help her receive the Lord. This event changed the atmosphere of the church. Many young people started desiring spiritual gifts, and Jenkins actively promoted meetings for prayer and worship. During that time, a strong presence of the Holy Spirit was felt during the meetings in March and April 1904. Fervent prayer and worship continued throughout the service, and many cried, prayed, and praised loudly. Alcoholics 18
Ibid., 24. Backholder, Understanding Revival, 23-24. 20 Noel Gibbard, Fire on the Altar: A History and Evaluation of the 1904-05 Revival in Wales (Bridgend: Bryntirion Press, 2005), 24. 21 Ibid., 25. Keswick and Llandrindod are 221 miles apart. 22 1 John 5:4, ‘For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith’. 19
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confessed their sins while they cried and repented. They were reborn to a life that praised God.23 Such prayer movements continued in other forms in June and July 1904 when Rev. J.M. Saunders and his wife, W.W. Lewis from Carmathen, and M.P. Morgan from Blaenannerch were invited to speak. Since August is a vacation season, many holidaymakers came to the coastal town of New Quay. Over 20 ministers came to the area and attended services and prayer meetings. Such meetings continued from August to November.24 Three individuals who attended the meeting toward the end of September were Sidney Evans, Evan Roberts, and Seth Joshua ended up becoming the leading characters of the Wales Revival. On September 24, 1904, Seth Joshua moved to Newcastle Emlyn from New Quay. He attended the service there until September 27. In his diary he recorded, ‘Some students were blessed and confessed salvation. The name of one was Sidney Evans’.25 At the conference that started at Blaenannerch on Sept. 28, Sidney Evans, Evan Roberts, Seth Joshua, Mrs. J. Saunders, and Florrie Evans all attended. While attending the prayer service at 7 a.m., Evan Roberts was deeply moved at hearing ‘Bend Us’ by Seth Joshua as he prayed. At 9 a.m., Evan Roberts was still praying and cried out in tears, ‘Bend me! Bend me! Bend me!’ for about two minutes. Evan Roberts experienced a strong presence of the Holy Spirit as he repented. He returned home to Moriah, Loughor with vigour. After experiencing the strong presence of the Holy Spirit on September 29, 1904, Evan Roberts envisioned saving 100,000 souls as he returned to his home town. In other words, he returned home convinced by the Wales Revival that he would be used by God to save 100,000 souls.26 Evan Roberts was in the habit of studying the Bible and praying ever since he was young. When Roberts was 13 years old, he started praying and hoping that he would be used as God’s tool to bring a revival in Wales. He continuously prayed for the revival to happen for over ten years. His prayer was answered on September 29, 1904 when the strong presence of the Holy Spirit came upon him at the Wales Revival. Kevin Adams and Emyr Jones, through their published work in 2004, point to October 31, 1904 as the official date that the Wales Revival began with Evan Roberts.27 The message of Evan Roberts was inspired by the Holy Spirit: 1) The past must be clear; every sin confessed to God, any wrong to man must be put right. 2) Everything doubtful must be removed once and for all from our lives. 3) 23
Gibbard, Fire on the Altar, 28. Ibid., 29. Gibbard refers to Lewis H. Elvert’s ‘The Revival of Wales’, The British Weekly, December 7, 1905. 25 Ibid., 29. 26 Gibbard, Fire on the Altar, 31. 27 Adams & Jones, A Pictorial History of Revival, 74. 24
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Obedience prompt and implicit to the Spirit of God. 4) Public confession of Christ. Roberts’ message was simple but very powerful, therefore, countless people repented and the revival spread all over Wales.28 The concise and heartfelt message of Roberts caused countless people to confess their sins and dispel their bad habits. Such stories of a life-changing revival spread very quickly in many parts of Wales. Over 10,000 new converts were made in the coal mining villages of North Wales, and 20,000 more converts in the towns of South and North Wales.29 Backholder in 2007 recorded that there were 100,000 new converts in the first 6 weeks of the Wales Revival. During 1904 to 1905, an estimated 250,000 new converts were won over to Christ.30 Furthermore, many ministers and church members experienced spiritual awakening and revival and they shared testimonies of how they experienced new joy and power from God.31 George T.B. Davis wrote the following in the Methodist Times about the Wales Revival:32 I have just returned from a two days’ visit to the storm center of the great Welsh revival which is sweeping over Wales like a cyclone, lifting people into an ecstasy of spiritual fervor. Already over 34,000 converts have been made, and the great awakening shows no signs of waning. All observers agree that the moment is fully as remarkable as the memorable revival of 1859-60. It is sweeping over hundreds of hamlets and cities, emptying saloons, theaters, and dance halls, and filing the churches night after night with praying multitudes. The policemen are almost idle; in many cases the magistrates have few trials on hand; debts are being paid; and the character of entire communities is being transformed almost in a day. Wales is studded with coal mines, and it is a common occurrence to have prayer meetings held a thousand feet underground amid the tinkle of the horses' bells and the weird twinkle of the miner's lamps.
The Wales Revival not only led the revival movement for the entire United Kingdom, but also for the rest of the world. Backholder said the following revivals were influenced by the Wales Revival: Mukti Revival of 1905-06 and Khasi Hills Revival of 1905-06 in India, Won San Revival of Korea in 19031906, Manchuria Revival of China in 1906-09, Azusa Street Revival of 190609, Pyongyang Great Revival of 1907 in Korea, Fukuoka Revival of Japan in 1906-1907, and Revival of Norway 1907.33 In conclusion, the Wales Revival, which began as a spiritual awakening movement, worked as a catalyst for revival movements all over the world. It made a big impact on mission. It can be seen as a new revelation of God who is 28
S.B. Shaw, The Great Revival in Wales (Pensacola, FL: Christian Life Books, 2002), 53. 29 Ibid., 18. 30 Backholder, Understanding Revival, 135. 31 Ibid., 19. 32 Ibid., 19-50. 33 Backholder, Revival and the Great Commission, 24.
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the God of salvation and the God of mission that allowed spiritual revival. Through Evans Roberts and countless many men of God, the providence of God, who makes evangelism and mission happen, was revealed. The actual changes occurred in the lives of the individuals, as well as the spiritual awakening so that the church and the society were changed. Such a relationship between revival and world mission is well expressed by the Dictionary of Mission Theology: Evangelical Foundations (2007):34 Revival/renewal and mission are linked by the work of the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of mission. Revitalization movements may be evaluated according to their fruit in terms of renewed commitment to mission, since the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the Bible is intended for missionary impetus and dedication to service (Example: Isa. 61:1-2, Acts 1:8).
INDIA REVIVAL
Michael Bergunder in 2005 and 2011 pointed out in his writings that a revival in India began in Khashi Hills and Mukti Mission. The revival in Mukti Mission (1906) greatly influenced the Azusa Street Revival, which was a major inception of the Pentecostal movement.35 Revival is an answer from the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, when much preparation has been made through prayer. Just like the Wales Revival, there were many people who prepared for the revival through prayer. One of the key persons was Rev. Thomas Hunter, who established the Punjab Mission of the Church of Scotland. He arrived in Bombay in 1855 and for about 10 months he baptized 7 young men and did his best missionary work. However, he was martyred along with his wife and children by Hindu extremists. Fifty years after his martyrdom, a revival in India began. Several months before Missionary Thomas Hunter was martyred, he wrote a letter to his intercessors in Scotland. The content of his letter expresses his dedication to India’s revival:36 Allow me to beg from the Church of Scotland united supplications for India, and to demand of the Lord's people at home a prominent place in their prayers for 'free course' to the message of salvation. Were it possible for me to address the members of our beloved Church, and to plead especially in behalf of this infant mission in the Punjab, I would simply say: ‘Brethren! Pray for us’. Occupy you this glorious position. … We know not who is the greater missionary: he who, on 34
Corrie, Dictionary of Mission Theology, 347. Michael Bergunder, ‘Constructing Indian Pentecostalism: On Issue of Methodology and Representation’, in Allan Anderson and Edmond Tang (eds.), Asian and Pentecostal: The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Regnum Books, 2011), 162-63. 36 Helen S. Dyer, Revival in India: A Report of the 1905-1906 Revival (New York: Gospel Publishing House, 1987), 3-4. 35
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the deadly plains of India, bears the brunt of the battle; or that dear sister or brother, who, in the secret chamber of prayer, steadily and statedly invokes the God of Battles. This is our great strength; and did we think that Scotland restrained or forgot prayer for her missionaries, ours would indeed be sad dispiriting work: yet, brethren, we are persuaded better things of you. We know that some beloved, far-off friends, do, at set times, by secret and united prayer, strengthen our hands. Their intercessions ascend to the throne of the Eternal for the cause dear to them and to us. Oh that the number of these would rapidly increase!
As the Wales Revival of 1875 was greatly influenced by the prayer movement of the Keswick Convention, the revival in India was possible through the prayer and dedication of countless intercessors and missionaries. Other than Rev. Thomas Hunter who was martyred, Wallace J. Gladwin, C.B. Ward, Miss Orlebar, R.J. Ward, and many others who prayed and dedicated themselves to India’s mission laid the foundation for the revival in India. Every year, a united prayer meeting for spiritual growth took place in Lucknow. This prayer meeting spread widely to other cities in India. To name a few, Mussorie, Sialkot, Simla, Darjeeling, and Coonoor stand out as well known areas where prayer meetings began.37 In 1892, over 600 missionaries serving in India gathered in Bombay to pray for the evangelization and revival of India. It was a deeply meaningful event. Outside influences that worked as catalysts for the revival in India were the major epidemic plague of 1896, which occurred in Bombay, and the famine which started in Central India during the autumn of 1896. Through such natural disasters, even non-believers started thinking that they were judgments from God. They all began to seek God’s help. These natural disasters united missionaries and Christians in India to intercede for the recovery of India, and the salvation of unbelievers in India. They all played a vital role in bringing a revival in India.38 Furthermore in 1897, the leaders from the Student Volunteer Movement sponsored and led a prayer meeting for the spiritual awakening in India. This prayer movement grew into ‘the Day of Prayer’ by Rev. R.J. Ward in 1898. The prayer continued on for the revival in India. In 1902, over 850 people attended the prayer meeting. As a result, Hindu believers and Satan worshippers of the hills of Assam began to receive the Holy Spirit. During this time, the news of the Wales Revival spread all over India. This caused many intercessors who were praying for the revival in India to pray more fervently for the revival in India. During that time, some of the tribes in the Khasi Hills and Jantia Hills experienced a strong presence of the Holy Spirit on March 5th, 1905. This became the official start of the revival in India.39 37
Ibid., 9. Ibid., 11-13. 39 Ibid., 15-16. Khasi Hills and Jantia Hills are located in Eastern North of India in the state of Meghalaya. 38
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Just like the Wales Revival, the Revival in India brought the baptism and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that caused worldly lives to be transformed into holy lives. People started looking after the needs of their neighbours, but more importantly, evangelism and world mission became very progressive. A native Indian from Khasi described his experience of the revival by saying, ‘They became drunk with the love of God’. Furthermore, they embraced a fervent heart for saving lost souls; some of them even took the initiative to visit other towns in order to share the gospel. A certain Indian Christian described the work of the Holy Spirit at a village in Cherrapoonjee during Sunday communion ‘as a flame, sweeping through the assembly’, ‘a rushing wind clearing everything before it’.40 The people of Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya state, were the type of people who had difficulty accepting the gospel. However, the works of the Holy Spirit, through the power of intercession, caused many of them to receive Jesus Christ and become saved.41 Such works of the Holy Spirit spread widely in many other towns and churches. Beside the adults, the children and students from Bible schools were also strongly impacted. The revival spread to Mukti, Poona, Telegaon, Dhond, and many other areas. John E. Norton of Dhond shared the following about the revival, ‘No prayer, no blessing; little prayer, little blessing; much prayer, much blessing’.42 AZUSA STREET REVIVAL
The Azusa Street Revival, which happened in Los Angeles, California, was the catalyst for the modern Pentecostal movement. The two key founders of this revival were Charles F. Parham (1873-1929), who was a white preacher, and William J. Seymour (1870-1922), who was a black pastor.43 Parham was the first preacher to say that speaking in tongues was physical evidence of receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is a distinctive doctrine of Pentecostalism. He made a big impact on the formation of Pentecostal theology. Parham was greatly influenced by the Holiness Movement of 1860-70 within the Methodist denomination. The writings of Phoebe Palmer, Charles Finney, and Hannah and Whitall Smith had a great impact on Parham’s life. However, he followed the common societal mores of the time, which was ‘white supremacy’. Parham firmly believed that there would be a great Christian revival before Jesus Christ’s imminent return. For 40
Dyer, Revival in India, 18-19. Ibid., 21. 42 Ibid., 48. 43 Harold D. Hunter and Cecil M. Robeck Jr. (eds.), The Azusa Street Revival and Its Legacy (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2009), 31-32. Azusa Revival movement was greatly affected by the Keswick Convention which also affected the Wales Revival. The Keswick spiritual awakening began in 1875. Currently, it is being continued by Keswick Ministries. The vision of Keswick Ministries is ‘The Spiritual Renewal of God’s People for His Mission in His World’ (www.keswickministries.org). 41
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this reason, he opened the Topeka Bible School in Kansas in October 1900, and emphasized being filled with the Holy Spirit as well as doing world mission.44 Parham experienced much opposition because of his emphasis on speaking in tongues as the physical evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit, as well as divine healing and spiritual power. Nevertheless, he opened another Bible school in Houston (the Houston Bible School) in October 1905, and continued with his ministry.45 When William J. Seymour was 35 years old, he enrolled at Parham’s school as a black student. Because Parham was a white supremacist, William Seymour had to study outside the class room through an open window. William Seymour accepted Parham’s theory that speaking in tongues was physical evidence of being baptized with the Holy Spirit but he never accepted Parham’s belief of white supremacy. Harold Hunter and Cecil Robeck wrote about Seymour’s rejection of Parham’s racial bigotry by saying, ‘Seymour believed that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and tongues should break down all unbiblical racial, class, educational, social, and denominational, and gender barriers of the day’.46 With his new found theology, Seymour left Texas in January 1906 for California. There he began to display independent leadership. Born as a child of a slave, Seymour always emphasized freedom without racial prejudice. On April 6, 1906, Seymour led a small non-segregated congregation on 10 days of fasting and prayer. During this prayer meeting on April 9, 1906, just like the Pentecost experience of fire descending on the crowd which is recorded in the Book of Acts, a strong presence of God descended. People felt the fire descending on their heads and they started to speak in tongues. For example, Jeannie Evans Moore, the wife of William Seymour, spoke in Spanish, French, Latin, Hebrew, and Hindi, though she never learned any of those languages. Through this event, a prayer meeting began in Bonnie Brae Street. The meeting moved to the former Stevens African Methodist Episcopal Church at 312 Azusa Street. On April 14, 1906, the Azusa Street Revival officially began.47 The biggest result of the Azusa Revival was the beginning of the modern day Pentecostal movement.48 The Pentecostal movement influenced the entire world with its emphasis on speaking in tongues as the physical evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the works of the Holy Spirit. The emphasis on the works of the Holy Spirit greatly affected the Pentecostal movement, which impacted the whole world in the twentieth century, including the Charismatic movement.49 Furthermore, the Azusa Revival was used as a tool to overcome 44
Hunter & Robeck, The Azusa Street Revival and Its Legacy, 33. Ibid., 34. 46 Ibid., 35. 47 Ibid., 37. 48 Hans J. Hillerbrand, Encyclopedia of Protestantism (New York: Routledge, 2004), 150. 49 Webster, et al., The Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology, 245. 45
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racial prejudice. Frank Bartleman who attended the Azusa Revival clearly stated the following, ‘The color line was washed away by the blood’. Some of the black attendants said, ‘Everybody was just the same. It didn't matter if you were black, white, green, or grizzly… Germans and Jews, blacks and whites, ate together in the little cottage at the rear. Nobody ever thought of race’. Such expressions represented unity under the Holy Spirit.50 To a larger degree, the Azusa Revival had a great influence on the Pyongyang Revival of Korea. PYONGYANG REVIVAL
Backholer in 2007 described the following about the Pyongyang Revival, which stirred up a great spiritual awakening and revival in Korea: The Korean church was founded in 1885 and the following year the first Korean was baptised. Eighteen years previously in September 1866, Welshman, Rev. Robert Jermain Thomas soaked the land in his own blood and became known as the first Protestant missionary and martyr to Korea when he was stabbed, beaten and finally beheaded at Pyongyang…. In August 1906, the Pyongyang missionaries met for a week of Bible study and prayer. They invited Dr. R.A. Hardie, to lead them, whose public confession and repentance in Wonsan in 1903 was the beginning of the first Korean Revival (1903-06).51
The roots of the Pyongyang Revival of 1907 can be traced back to the Wonsan Revival of 1903. The Wonsan Revival was a repentance prayer movement which began in 1900 by Robert A. Hardie (1865-1949), who was a missionary in Wonsan city. He shed tears of repentance by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit during a prayer meeting that caused him to re-dedicate himself to God. He experienced a strong fire of the Holy Spirit as he repented of his pride and sin, which caused him to disassociate with the Korean natives. Hardie testified to his experience at Changchun Church in Wonsan from August 24 to 30, 1903.52 As missionaries who were ministering in Pyongyang city attended a week long special prayer meeting with missionary Hardie from August 26 to 30, 1906, all the missionaries and Korean native Christians felt a strong presence of God. As Dr. Howard A. Johnston briefly visited Seoul, Korea in September 1906, he spoke about the Khasi Hills Revival in India to the missionaries serving in Korea and their Korean Christians. The twenty elders and Methodist
50
Hunter & Robeck, The Azusa Street Revival and Its Legacy, 47. Backholder, Revival and the Great Commission, 82. Backholder expressed that Jonathan Goforth recorded such facts. 52 Kwang S Kim, A History for Christianity in North Korea (Seoul: Christian Literature Society, 1994), 109. Youngkyu Park, The Pyungyang Revival (Seoul: Tyrannus, 2000). The letters of Bumsoo Kim were used. http://www.sarang.org/again1907_godpia/broad_ ge.asp, assessed April 2013. 51
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missionaries of Pyongyang city who heard the news about the revival in India started praying continuously every night.53 On January 6, 1907, ten days of a revival service took place at Changdaehyun Church in Pyongyang. Missionaries and over 2000 Korean native believers attended the revival meeting. They had Bible study in the morning and a revival service at night.54 On January 14 and 15, there was a strong presence of the Holy Spirit during the service and a fire of revival for Pyongyang was ignited. On January 15, over 600 faithful people remained and prayed until 2 a.m. As they repented of their sins, they felt a strong presence of the Holy Spirit. The Pyongyang Revival was the fruit of repentance, just as the other revivals were fruits of repentance. Like the repentance of missionary Hardie which worked as a catalyst for Won San Revival, the confession of elder Sunjoo Gil of Changdaehyun Church of Pyongyang can be seen as the catalyst for the Pyongyang Revival. Backholder mentions in his book that over 30,000 were converted to Jesus Christ all over Korea until mid-1907 as the result of the Pyongyang Revival.55 He further pointed that 50,000 Koreans converted to Christ in 1907 because of the Pyongyang Revival. He compared the magnitude of the Pyongyang Revival with the revival in Indonesia among the Battak people of Sumartra where 100,000 converted to Christ in 50 years.56 Yongkyu Park pointed out seven important changes the Pyongyang Revival made on the Korean church:57 1) Amazing spiritual awakening movement 2) Social revolution (liberation of women, riddance of caste system, improvement of education, cultural revolution, a change of world view, national awareness, purging of Shamanism, change of attitude by missionaries toward Koreans, etc.) 3) A model for revival for Manchuria and China 4) Amazing church growth, birthing a revival movement to save one million souls 5) Beginning of foreign mission (Cheju Island in Korea, Manchuria in China, Vladivostok in Russia) 6) United Movement (for education, medical mission, foreign mission, evangelism, literature ministry, Bible translation) 7) Starting point for spiritual awakening and sharing the gospel by Korean churches for next 100 years
53
Revival and the Great Commission, 82. Ibid., 108-12. 55 Ibid., 84-85. Backholder uses the report by George McCune who witnessed the event. According to McCune, since 1909 over one million souls were saved in Korea as a result of the Pyongyang Revival which was a continuum of the Wales Revival and the Revival in India. (www.byfaith.co.uk/paulkorea.htm). 56 Backholder, Revival and the Great Commission, 135. 57 Y. Park, The Pyungyang Revival. 54
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GKC’s Mission: Ministry of the Holy Spirit One early morning in 1977, Kim realized that the Bible was God’s letter to the people. As he started obsessively reading the Bible, he was shocked while reading Luke 19:41 where Jesus Christ wept while overlooking the city of Jerusalem. He realized that the reason God the Son, Jesus Christ, was weeping was because of the lost souls who were on their way to hell. He understood the gospel through the help of the Holy Spirit. He decided to dedicate the rest of his life to serving God and enrolled at Talbot Seminary. After graduating from the seminary, Kim began the church. Since the inception, he led GKC while being filled with the Holy Spirit. He created a church which was based on praise and worship, fervent prayer, God’s Word, and doing world mission. Loving God and your neighbours is observing the great commandment of God, as well as fulfilling the great commission of saving souls and discipling them to follow Christ. He led the church to be fervent about evangelism and mission. The church grew as a result of the Holy Spirit being at work to help many to repent of their sins, become healed from sickness and disease, and receive inner healing from their various problems. He decided to use 50% of the church’s total income for mission. Through prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit, the church was able to fulfil its duty towards world mission. Such perspectives on church ministry and world mission by Kim can be seen through ‘Tres Diás’ (‘Spark of Love’), which is the heart of GKC’s ministry and world mission. CHURCH MINISTRY AND WORLD MISSION
He believed that church ministry and doing mission is the great commandment of God. ‘‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…’ (Matt. 22:37-40). He emphasized obeying the great commandment by loving others with the love of God, and loving your neighbour as yourself. In other words, He obeyed God’s Word through carrying out the Great Commandment of the Lord which he saw as the ministry of the church and world mission. ‘In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome’ (1 John 5:3). He believed that the motivation, course, and purpose of mission have to be from the love of God, and that they could only be carried out through the leading of the Holy Spirit. It can be said that this was fulfilled by him. Kim had five major views when it comes to church ministry (philosophy of ministry): 1) Church members should become believers who will receive rewards; 2) Ministers should be the best pastors; 3) God does mission through people; 4) The church should be made to resemble the life of Jesus Christ; and 5) World mission is the catalyst for church growth.58
58
Heesung Park, Gara Ganda: Mission Story; Expansion of the Kingdom of God (Seoul: Kwangya Books, 2001), 25-29.
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In addition, he had seven major views on the perspective of world mission: 1) We are not helping missionaries, they are helping us; 2) Missionary is the first in command in the mission field, while his supporting church is second in command; 3) The supporting church is responsible for all costs related to doing world mission; 4) Missionaries are not required to make regular reports from mission fields; 5) The supporting church will do its best for the ministry growth of the mission fields;59 6) The supporting church and short-term mission teams are to support the ministry of the missionary; and 7) The real estates acquired in the mission field will be turned over to the native church 20 years later.60 MINISTRY OF TRES DIÁS
Since 1986, Tres Diás has been an effective ministry of resource for mission in regards to the personnel, finance, and spirit of GKC. It served as a conduit in bringing the great revival to world mission ministry of GKC. ‘Tres Diás’ is a spiritual programme of four days and three nights. The word literally means ‘three days’ in Spanish. GKC modified the original programme to come up with its own called, ‘Spark of Love’. Since 1986, GKC has been holding Tres Diás six times a year. To date, over 20,000 participants have gone through this precious programme and many of them have been restored spiritually and physically. Many people dedicated themselves to serving God, and to evangelism and mission, as well as faithfully serving their local churches. Through the short four days and three nights of the programme, people are continuously meeting the God of love and the God of mission. Tres Diás has settled in as a grassroots spiritual recovery, training, and dedication programme at GKC for mission. It has also been conducted in various mission fields and played a major role in spiritual recovery, training, and dedication of native ministers and believers. Tres Diás began in Spain after World War II by Catholic priests, Juan Hervas and Eduardo Bonnin, who initiated the ‘Cursillo’ spiritual movement for spiritual recovery and revival of the churches in Spain. In 1950, the first Tres Diás took place in Texas at an air force military base by visiting Spanish air force cadets. In the 1960s, the ‘Cursillo’ programme was translated and conducted in English. In 1972, for the first time, Protestants began conducting this programme under the name of ‘Tres Diás’.61 59 Ibid., 30-3. This analogy may have come from Kim’s experience of serving two tours of duty as a solider during the Korean War. He did not require missionaries to make a regular report so that they can focus on ministry. Nevertheless, the mission’s headquarters does demand reports when it deems necessary. 60 Ibid., 34-6. Kim set a policy to hand over all properties and assets acquired in the mission field to the national church and its leaders twenty years after the ministry began. He emphasized self-support, self-government, and self-programming by the nationals. 61 ‘Tres Dias is…a Christian renewal movement similar to the Cursillo movement. There are approximately 100 Tres Dias communities in the world. Tres Dias encourages Christians to tell others about Christ, emphasizes the love that our Lord has for each of
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Kim attended Tres Diás in 1985, when it was being conducted by a Protestant church in Long Island, New York. In the following year in 1986, he conducted the very first ‘Grace Tres Diás’ at GKC in Fullerton, California. Kim experienced the love of God, the God of mission, and God’s strong presence at his previous Tres Diás, and realized the importance of Tres Diás for the spiritual recovery of the members at GKC. He wanted to train them to live as servants. Upon his return, he conducted Tres Diás five to six times a year with the church members of GKC. Just as he had experienced, church members also experienced the strong presence of God, the love of God, and the God of mission. They all experienced changed lives, and began to serve the church and other believers. After bearing such spiritual fruits, GKC opened its Tres Diás programme to all other churches, as well as in the mission fields. The first Tres Diás in Europe was conducted in 1988. In South Korea, Kwangshin Kim and Taewon Kim conducted Europe-Seoul Tres Diás. Since then, hundreds of churches in Korea have been conducting Tres Diás under different names, and modified it to fit their needs. Through Tres Diás in Europe and Korea, a countless number of devotees for world mission and financial support came to the fore. Over twenty long-term missionaries to the former Soviet Union originated out of Tres Diás. Since 1990, most of the financial donors of GKC who have been supporting world mission with finance and prayers have been from Tres Diás. In many aspects, the Tres Diás programme that began in 1986 had a great impact on the ministry of GKC and its mission. It can be viewed as a spiritual revival programme which caused the Holy Spirit to be strongly at work at GKC, as well as being the key element in the success of the church. As a short programme of four days and three nights, it is comprised of praise worship, messages, and prayers. A number of dedicated volunteers decorate the meeting place and do many other works during the programme. Through the volunteers’ service, the candidates opened the door of their hearts. They experience freedom from their problems through experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit. The candidates also experience God’s love and his passion for humanity after their souls have been saved. They end up dedicating themselves as newly devoted Christians. It has been a spiritual programme where the Holy Spirit has been at work.62
us, encourages Christians where they live and work. It encourages Christians to be in a small group for Christian support, and it encourages Christians to work in their home congregations and evangelize others’. http://www.tresdias.org/f/w.htm, accessed April 2013. 62 My wife and I attended a Europe Tres Dias meeting in April 1989. I experienced God of love and God of world mission, which soon resulted in our missionary life in Russia from January, 1993. I count my Tres Dias experience as a major life event, along with my conversion in 1965 and my commitment to full time ministry in 1976.
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The programme also trained candidates and volunteers to live in cooperation with others in their Christian community as well as living as believers in serving others. It brought fresh new life into the church. Every year, Tres Diás has been conducted 6 times a year and approximately 80 to 100 people attended as ‘candidates’ and 60 to 80 people served as volunteers. A new church member experienced fellowship with old church members. Because the problems of the candidates were resolved, their lives changed and they went on to live as faithful Christians. The candidates also dedicated themselves to evangelism and mission. Those who prayerfully volunteered and served at Tres Diás experienced joy and encouragement over the years.63 Tres Diás is seen not only as a spiritual training for new church members from a ministerial perspective, but also for existing church members to become filled with the Holy Spirit, and become revitalized in their spiritual walk with the Lord. Therefore, it played a major role from a church ministry perspective. Because the participants experienced the strong presence of the Holy Spirit, their physical as well as their psychological sicknesses were healed. The programme worked as a conduit to bring restoration to marriages, better relationships between parents and their children, and a resolution to many other problems in the lives of the candidates and volunteers. As for GKC, it worked as a very important programme that helped the church to grow. From a world mission’s perspective, Tres Diás allowed candidates to experience the love of God and the God of mission. It brought joy and life to the candidates’ spirits, and helped them become fervent about evangelism and mission. Candidates also prayed, donated, and participated in short-term mission, and played a major role in the ministry of world mission at GKC. Tres Diás resulted in countless participants dedicating themselves to becoming full-time missionaries and thus receiving the necessary training.64 In the mission field, Tres Diás was conducted in many different native languages. This invigorated the ministries in the mission fields, as well as in discovering and training national leaders for ministries. A prime example of this is in Russia. Missionary work in Russia by GKC began in 1990. Kim and a 24-college student mission choir toured Moscow, Sakhalin, Khabarobsk, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan for two months. They shared the gospel through song and dance. After this tour, mission for the former Soviet Union officially got underway by GKC. Tres Diás was conducted in every major city in the former Soviet 63 A person who attends Tres Dias for the first time is called a ‘candidate’. After the candidate completes the four days and three nights of the programme, he is called ‘pescador’, which means ‘fisherman’ in Spanish. Then he or she can work as a volunteer for the programme. 64 Most of the GKC missionaries participated in Tres Dias, where they also received their confirmation to become missionaries. For example, when the former Soviet Union opened its doors for missions in 1990, many missionaries who went into the former Soviet Union were former candidates of European Tres Dias.
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Union, where GKC missionaries were present. Many thousands of former Soviet Union people accepted Jesus Christ through Tres Diás, and they experienced the strong presence of God. Among the native candidates, some dedicated themselves to serving the Lord. After receiving discipleship training by the Korean missionaries, they were sent to the Moscow Seminary (established by GKC) to become Christian ministers and pastors. Upon their graduation, they went on to plant churches with their disciples. Through a continual mentorship by Korean missionaries, these former Soviet Union ministers went on to establish many new churches in the former Soviet Union. This allowed the gospel to be spread all over the former Soviet Union and many were saved. The ministry of world mission by GKC is based on the biblical perspective of world mission and the church ministry. Kim sees the purpose of the church as saving lost souls and discipling them to follow Jesus Christ. The church must fulfil the great commission of Jesus Christ through church ministry and carry out world mission. He always emphasized being filled with the Holy Spirit to his church members and missionaries in regards to sharing the gospel to the ends of the earth. He believed that through the works of the Holy Spirit, the church can grow and be focused on doing mission. Kim saw loving God and loving your neighbours as the great commandment of Jesus Christ (Matt. 22:37-40), which needs to be carried out to the ends of the earth as a great commission (Matt. 28:18-20). Therefore, the theological basis for the ministry of GKC is to fulfil the great commission of Jesus Christ through the empowerment and leading of the Holy Spirit. Through such Holy Spirit based theology, GKC experienced tremendous growth. Thus, many of its members became missionaries and the supporters of mission. As so many believers prayed, the revivals in the early twentieth century happened in places like Wales, India, America, and Korea. The Pyongyang Revival in Korea, which happened by the works of the Holy Spirit, was a repentance movement that caused many Korean churches to become interested in doing world mission. In the same way, GKC started doing mission because of a revival, which is a work of the Holy Spirit resulting in loving God and loving your neighbours. Diaspora Theology Kim Knott, as an editor of Diaspora: Concepts, Intersections, Identities, metaphorically described ‘diaspora’ as migration and trans-nationalism because one is leaving one’s home country for a foreign nation. In other words, ‘Like ‘migration’ and ‘transnationalism’, ‘diaspora’ invites us to hold together in creative tension notions of ‘home’ and ‘away’, while at the same time,
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unsettling and questioning both’.65 Such immigrants (diaspora) play important roles in the globalization of today’s world. Immigrants will be referred to as ‘diasporas’ from here on. There follows the definition of diaspora, and its biblical perspective, historical perspective, theological perspective, and strategic perspective. Accordingly, the theology of diaspora will be summarized from the perspective of discovering God’s will for diasporas. GKC will be used as an example especially from the strategic perspective of world mission. Biblical Perspective The definition and biblical perspective of diaspora in the Old Testament and New Testament help us to understand God’s plan. ‘DIASPORA’
The word, ‘diaspora’ (διασπορά) is a combination of two Greek words: dia which denotes ‘scattered’ and spora which denotes a ‘seed’. In other words, it literally means ‘scattered seeds’. The word has been used mainly to denote the Jewish people, who are scattered all over the world, after having left their old homeland, Palestine.66 Today, the word ‘diaspora’ is used more broadly to designate any group of people who have left their homeland to live in a foreign country. Kim Knott defined diaspora in contemporary terms by saying, ‘‘diaspora’ is an inherently spatial and travelling notion as result of either literal or metaphorical reference to people on the move, home, exile, return, circulation, border-crossing, social and cultural boundaries, place of origin, displacement, settlement and multi-locality’.67 In other words, diaspora is now any group of people that has left their homeland for various reasons to live in a foreign country. The Dictionary of Mission Theology: Evangelical Foundations (2007) has the following description: ‘Among the welling tide of guest workers, students, labour migrants, asylum seekers, political and economic refugees, and family members of previous migrants, are innumerable Christians, each one a missionary in some sense’. It expresses the duty for world mission in every diaspora.68 On the other hand, Jaum Flaquer Garcia, Jr. (2007) saw diaspora as being pilgrims who are on ‘horizontal pilgrimages’ as well as ‘vertical pilgrimages’. A horizontal pilgrimage expresses a life with God that is being transferred to God. Examples of this are Chaldea, Ur to Canaan, Canaan to Egypt, and Egypt to Israel. A vertical pilgrimage is a life toward God, or a life that is being in the 65 Kim Knott and Sean Mc Loughlin (eds.), Diaspora: Concepts, Intersections, Identities (London: Zed Books, 2010), 79. 66 Sukki Jung, Korean Diasporas (Seoul, Keumran Publisher, 2005), 21. 67 Knott & McLoughlin, Diaspora: Concepts, Intersections, Identities, 79. 68 Corrie, Dictionary of Mission Theology, 226.
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presence of God and on a pilgrimage toward heaven. The main principal behind such a spiritual pilgrimage is God: He is the one who leads the horizontal and vertical pilgrimages of God’s people.69 OLD TESTAMENT
A biblical background for the term ‘diaspora’ can be found in Gen. 1:28.70 In order to breed, increase, conquer, and rule, they had to be scattered all over the world as channels of God’s blessing. In Genesis 3, there is a scene where Adam and Eve were cast out from Garden of Eden after they disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. This can be seen as the first case of diaspora. The incident which took place at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 not only caused confusion in language, but also scattered people all over the world. After the flood, the descendants of Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth were supposed to scatter all over the world; however, they disobeyed God’s command and built the Tower of Babel in order to honour themselves and prevent themselves from being scattered. In the end, they ended up scattering all over the world, so this can be viewed as a diaspora. The meaning of diaspora in the Old Testament can be viewed as God’s plan to establish a source of his blessing, as well as God’s punishment when his words are disobeyed. However, it can ultimately be viewed as scattering because of God’s strategic and far-reaching salvation plan for mankind. In the case with Abraham, found in Gen. 12, God told Abraham to leave his father’s house to go to a land which God promised. This also can be viewed as a diaspora. Donald Senior interpreted the contents of Genesis 11 as the origin of diaspora by saying, ‘Genesis chapter eleven tells us that Terah, the father of Abraham, takes his clan from Ur of the Chaldeans to the land of Canaan and so begins a long story of migration that in many ways would never end’. He therefore expressed the continuity of diaspora.71
69
Jaum Flaquer Garcia, Jr., Itinerant Lives: Notes on an Inter-Religious Theology of Migration (Barcelona: Centre d’ Estudis Christianisme: Justica, 2007), 14 70 Genesis 1:28 is seen as a cultural command and a background for diaspora. In order to have dominion over all creation, humans had to overcome language and cultural barriers. 71 Donald Senior, ‘Beloved Aliens and Exiles: New Testament Perspectives on Migration’, in Daniel G. Groody (ed.), A Promised Land: A Perilous Journey: Theological Perspectives on Migration (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2008), 20.
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NEW TESTAMENT
In the New Testament, there are 3 expressions which refer to the meaning of the word, diaspora: John 7:35, James 1:1, and 1 Pet. 1:1.72 In 1 Pet. 1:1, it is stated that Peter is sending a letter to ‘exiles scattered’ in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. The exiles were the scattered Jews who were living in foreign countries as diaspora Christians. Through the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Donald Senior illustrated Jesus Christ as an immigrant or the quintessential New Testament model of diaspora. He used Jesus’ escape to Egypt as an example in order to illustrate his point:73 Jesus is born on the road, as it were. In Matthew's Gospel the origins of Jesus are even more radically affected by the experience of migration. Shortly after his birth Joseph is warned in a dream to take Mary and the child to Egypt to flee the deadly violence of Herod and the threat of genocide in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1323).
Historical Perspective on Diaspora In order to understand the historical perspective of diaspora, one must gain the perspective of Israel’s history. In other words, we must first understand the perspective of the Jewish Diaspora. During the Old Testament period, Jews became diaspora by being forcibly taken as captives by Assyrians and Babylonians. In the New Testament period, Romans destroyed Israel as a nation, and the Jews had to scatter all over the world, which was the origin of the Jewish diaspora. The present condition of the Jewish diaspora is as a result of those major events. The mainstream of the Jewish diaspora began in 732 B.C.E. when Assyria invaded Israel and took citizens of the Northern kingdom of Israel to Mesopotamia as prisoners of war. According to the historical record of Assyria, 27,290 Israelites were taken as prisoners (2 King 17:6) to Samaria; the capital of Northern Israel had surrendered in 722 B.C.E. Furthermore, Assyria attacked Southern Judah in 701 B.C.E., and took 200,150 citizens of Judah as prisoners of war to Assyria (2 Chr. 32:1-2). The diaspora history of the Southern Kingdom of Judah goes back to 586 B.C.E. when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia conquered Jerusalem which was the capital of Judah. Approximately 18,000 Jews, including many family members, were taken as captives to Babylonia.74 In 539 B.C.E., King Cyrus of Persia made a decree to free the Jewish captives in Babylonia, and allow them to return to Judah (2 Chr. 36:22-23). However, the majority of Jews decided to 72 They are called differently: ‘scattered exiles’ (John 7:35), ‘scattered’ (James 1:1) or ‘scattered foreigners’ (1 Pet. 1:1). These designations actually describe the present condition of God’s children who are sojourners to heaven. 73 Senior, ‘Beloved Aliens and Exiles’, 23. 74 Jer. 52:28-30.
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stay in Babylonia. As they lived in Babylonia as Jewish diasporas, they kept their Jewish language, culture, and identity.75 The Roman general Titus destroyed the Jews of the New Testament period because of their rebellion against the Roman Empire. In 70 C.E., Jerusalem was destroyed, and in 135 C.E., all Jews were exiled and became scattered all over the world. At the time, most of the diaspora Jews settled in Syria, Egypt, Babylonia, Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece, and Libya. In order to adapt to their new environment, most of the diaspora Jews lost their mother language whether Hebrew or Aramaic, and spoke Greek instead. Nevertheless, Jews kept their religion and considered Jerusalem to be their capital, and centered their lives and united under their local synagogue. According to Peter C. Phan, ‘By the fourth century BC, there were already more Jews living outside than inside the land of Israel’.76 Phan stated there were approximately 1 million Jews living in the city of Alexandria, Egypt during the New Testament period, and that several tens of thousands of Jews lived as diasporas in Antioch, Syria during the first century.77 Jews as diasporas scattered and lived in areas around the Mediterranean. Thereafter, for various reasons, Jews scattered all over the world. Today’s Jews regained their lost homeland and declared Israel’s independence in 1948.78 According to the 2008 statistical report, the total population of Israel is 7,280,000 with 75.5% being Jews, 20.1% Arabs, and 4.4% minority groups.79 According to the statistics of Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, a total population of Jews at the time of their independence in 1948 was 806,000. In examining their population growth every 10 years starting with the year 1958, there were 2,032,000 Jews, 2,841,000 in 1968, 3,738,000 in 1978, 4,477,000 in 1988, 6,038,800 in 1998, 7,337,000 in 2008, and 8,081,000 in 2013 (as of October).80 There are four major diaspora Jews: Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Oriental, and Yemenite.81 The Ashkenazim speak Yiddish, and used to live in Germany and France before relocating to Israel upon its independence. They comprise 80% of all diaspora Jews. The Sephardim speak Ladino (Jewish Portuguese), and live in Spain and Portugal. Oriental Jews speak Arabic, Aramaic, and Farsi and live in the Middle East, Northern Africa, Central Asia, and Northern Asia. Yemenite 75
Sangchur Oh, Immigrant Theology (Seoul: Keumran Publisher, 2008), 20-21. Peter C. Phan, ‘Migration in the Patristic Era’, in A Promised Land: A Perilous Journey, 39. Arnold Ages, The Diaspora Dimension (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1973), 3-7. 77 Pan, ‘Migration in the Patristic Era’, 39. 78 After the Second World War and Hitler’s genocide of six million Jews, the world was compelled to see Israel at peace. UN Assembly in November, 1947, 33 voted in favour of Israel’s independence, 13 against, and 10 abstained. 79 http://www1.cbs.gov.il/webpub/pub/text_page_eng.html?publ.=93&c 80 www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/society_&_culture/population_of_Israel.html 81 http://kr.ks.yahoo.com/service/wiki_know/know_view.htlm/?dnum=k&tnum=212951 76
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Jews are the Eastern diaspora Jews who are also commonly referred to as ‘Teimanim’. In total, there are about 14 million diaspora Jews scattered all over the world. The following are the 10 most populated nations by Jews and their populations in 2012:82 6,000,000 in Israel, 5,440,000 in USA, 480,000 in France, 320,000 in Canada, 260,000 in England, 210,000 in Russia, 180,000 in Argentina, 120,000 in Germany, 110,000 in Brazil, and 100,000 in Australia. Thus, Jews living outside their homeland of Israel are approximately 8 million. Robin Cohen in 2008 described the following nine features of diasporas:83 1) Dispersal from an original homeland, often traumatically to two or more foreign regions. 2) Alternatively or additionally, the expansion from a homeland in search of work, in pursuit of trade or to further colonial ambitions. 3) A collective memory and myth about the homeland, including its location, history, suffering and achievements. 4) An idealization of the real or imagined ancestral home and a collective commitment to its maintenance, restoration, safety and prosperity, even to its creation. 5) The frequent development of a return movement to the homeland that gains collective approbation even if many in the group are satisfied with only a vicarious relationship or intermittent visits to the homeland. 6) A strong ethnic group consciousness sustained over a long time and based on a sense of distinctiveness, a common history, the transmission of a common cultural and religious heritage and the belief in a common fate. 7) A troubled relationship with host societies, suggesting a lack of acceptance or the possibility that another calamity might befall the group. 8) A sense of empathy and co-responsibility with co-ethnic members in other countries of settlement even where home has become more vestigial. 9) The possibility of a distinctive creative, enriching life in host countries with a tolerance for pluralism. THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
For the theological perspective of diaspora, there is the Old Testament perspective, the New Testament perspective, and the contemporary world mission perspective. Genesis 12:1-3 can be seen as one of the main themes of theological diaspora from the perspective of the Old Testament. The will of God for Abraham to leave his father and his household to live as a diaspora was so that God could make a great nation out of him and have him become the source of his blessings on earth. As Matt. 1:17 states, Abraham was to be the 82 83
http://en.wilipedia.org/wiki/Jewishofstatistics_population_by_country Robin Cohen, Global Diaspora: An Introduction (London: Routledge, 2008), 17.
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forty-second ancestor of Jesus Christ and be the conduit through which Jesus would come to this earth. It was for this reason Abraham was called to a life of a diaspora.84 Genesis 37-50 is about Joseph, through whom God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 was fulfilled. In Gen. 46:27, the number of men who entered Egypt as family members of Jacob was 70. But 430 years later, when Israel was leaving Egypt after serving there as slaves, there were 600,000 men. This reveals the faithfulness of God to Abraham. Although 430 years of slavery in Egypt was the hard immigrant life of diasporas, God allowed Israel to conquer Canaan and settle there. Israel became a kingdom and prepared for the coming of their Messiah. This all happened through the amazing plan of God’s love.85 The Dictionary of Mission Theology (2007) summarized the whole incident as follows, ‘Abraham the quintessential migrant, models the profound integration of mobility, spiritual pilgrimage and the unfolding of divine intentions. The 'forced' migration of Joseph set the stage for the emergence of the Hebrews as a captive people whose exodus and subsequent wanderings became an archetypal biblical metaphor of God's people as a mobile community of faith guided by his promises’. The will of God, which flows throughout the Old Testament, was to accomplish the vertical pilgrimage through the horizontal pilgrimage of Israel as a nation. This describes the immigrant theology or the Old Testament perspective of the diaspora theology. The idea behind these two pilgrimages is well illustrated by Garcia’s Itinerant Lives (2007).86 Donald Senior saw Jesus Christ as the prototype of diaspora. He expressed the purpose behind Christians in this world, as revealed in the New Testament, as ‘The notion of the Christian as living in exile in this world, longing for one's true and heavenly home, is a classic spiritual motif with roots in the New Testament itself’.87 The will of God, as revealed in Genesis 12:1-3, is for God’s children, who are the spiritual descendants of Abraham, to share the gospel with unbelievers whose hearts have been hurt, imprisoned, sad, and fearful because they are temporary travellers of this world, immigrants, and diaspora. That converts can live as the source of God’s blessings can be seen as the perspective of the New Testament.88 In order to save the lost Gentiles, Jesus Christ gave the greatest commandment found in Matt. 22 to all believing Christians: He commanded to
84
Genesis 12:1-3. See also Matt. 1:17. Ex. 12:40, 12:37 86 The notion of horizontal pilgrimages can be seen as the process of vertical pilgrimages of being with God: Abraham leaving Ur of Chaldea, 430 years of slavery in Egypt, slavery in Babylonia, the fall of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire, and the process of being scattered (diaspora) in the midst of Israel’s history. 87 Senior, ‘Beloved Aliens and Exiles’, 28. 88 Isaiah 61:1-3 85
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love God and love one’s neighbours.89 For this reason, the Holy Spirit descended on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 1:8, ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’. The entire New Testament can be seen as a revelation of Christ’s death on the cross for the sake of making spiritual Gentiles, who were living as travellers, immigrants, diasporas, and to live as spiritual descendants of Abraham who are on their way to their eternal home as pilgrims. In other words, a limited life of a horizontal immigrant diaspora is revealed while a desire to live a life of a vertical immigrant diaspora is manifested. In conclusion, the entire Bible in essence is revealing, from a spiritual immigrant theological perspective, that all souls of the horizontal immigrant diasporas of the earth need to live in a vertical pilgrimage toward God. Apostle Paul is a good example of one who lived such life in the New Testament. He called himself, ‘Apostle to Gentiles’ and shared the saving gospel of Jesus Christ without prejudice to the Gentiles.90 In Eph. 3:6, Paul recorded his reasons for sharing the gospel with the Gentiles by saying, ‘This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus’. In order for Gentiles to be aligned with the vertical pilgrimage of diaspora through the gospel, Paul became a diaspora himself toward the Gentiles in order to share the gospel with them. Furthermore, the theology of diaspora from the perspective of New Testament can be seen, in essence, as the love of Jesus Christ who left his throne in heaven to be here on earth in flesh; this was his diaspora to live as a pilgrim. Jesus came so that countless people who could not help but live in horizontal diaspora could now live in vertical diaspora toward eternal heaven. Also, another New Testament aspect of diaspora theology is the dedication of Apostle Paul, who was martyred in Rome. He became a diaspora to the Gentiles to share the gospel with them as the Apostle of love for Jesus Christ. The main point of the theology of diaspora from the perspective of New Testament is that whether it is voluntary or involuntary diaspora, no matter where you are, you must consider your position of Apostleship to Gentiles honourable (Romans 11:13). The attitude of Apostle Paul, ‘So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God’, can be seen as the main point of the theology of diaspora from the New Testament perspective.91 89
Matthew 22:37-40 Acts 22:21; Rom. 1:14, 9:24; Eph. 3:1; Gal. 2:8; Rom. 11:13. 91 If the idea of diaspora is analysed from The Dictionary of Mission Theology (2007), voluntary diasporas are invited foreign workers, foreign exchange students, immigrants who invested, foreign business workers, embassy workers, education workers, government officials, immigrant families, religious immigrants, and missionaries. Involuntary diasporas are refugees, religious asylum, various natural disaster refugees, and political asylum. 90
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L.V. Rutgers’ quote is a good example of how re-living a life of diaspora has helped individuals realize the importance of the theology of diaspora. ‘According to a 1977 survey held among the Germany's Jewish elite, 60% of those participating said that they did not feel at home in German society, while as many as 80% remarked that they did not think that they were fully integrated into German society, despite their participation in it’.92 Furthermore, the theology of diaspora sees the duty of mission being fulfilled through the horizontal pilgrimage and the vertical pilgrimage of Christian diaspora as very important.93 The theology of diaspora from the perspective of contemporary mission can be seen as a strategic perspective which combines both a biblical perspective and a historical perspective. When the will of God towards diaspora in the Bible is seen through a historical perspective, a strategic mission perspective can be drawn. The perspective on the Old Testament can be understood as God scattering and gathering the people of Israel through judgment and blessing. The prime examples are Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Israel’s slavery in Egypt, the exodus from Egypt, conquering Canaan, the destruction of Israel by Assyria as the Northern Kingdom, the destruction of Judah by Babylonia as the Southern Kingdom, being taken captive as prisoners, Jerusalem’s destruction by Rome, Jews being scattered, and the reformation of Israel as a nation. In Deut. 10:19, ‘And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt’. The Word of God in the rest of the Bible reveals that all mankind is his creation and that God loves all people. The perspective of the New Testament on diaspora focuses on the life of Jesus Christ incarnate and his ministry on earth. He became the model of pilgrimage when he died on the cross and resurrected on the third day so that the door of eternal salvation can be opened to all sojourners of the earth. After his ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples of Jesus Christ. They received the power and authority from the Holy Spirit and lived a life of horizontal pilgrimage by sharing the gospel to the ends of the earth. Countless spiritual Gentiles received the gospel and went on to fulfil their duty of living the life of a vertical pilgrimage.94 Like God’s word in Deuteronomy 10:19, Jesus in Matthew 5:7 said, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy’. Jesus encouraged his followers to live lives of loving Abraham’s children and all spiritual Gentiles. He commanded this so that diasporas who became sojourners on earth can be saved. For this reason, it can be said that Apostle Paul emphasized Abraham’s children to live horizontal and vertical pilgrimage lives such as in Heb. 13:14, ‘For here we do not have 92 L.V. Rutgers, The Hidden Heritage of Diasporas Judaism, 2nd ed. (Leuven: Peeters, 1998). 93 Jaum Flaquer Garcia, Jr., Itinerant Lives: Notes on an Inter-Religious Theology of Migration (Barcelona: Centre d’Estudis Christianisme: Justica, 2007). 94 Ibid., 14.
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an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come’.95 In 1 Cor. 9:19 and 22, Paul confessed, ‘Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible…To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some’. Paul’s attitude toward the Gentiles should be the one for today’s Christians. Furthermore, the perspective on diaspora in the entire Bible is for God’s children to encourage diasporas by loving diasporas with God’s love. They are to love them as if they were their own body, so that the diaspora might meet God, live horizontal and vertical pilgrimage toward eternal heaven, and receive the life of horizontal and vertical pilgrimage of God’s children with thankfulness.96 Peter C. Phan explained the stream of diasporas of the Early Church period in five different areas from the perspective of Christian witness.97 At the same time, the Dictionary of Mission Theology gave the following brief description on the history of diasporas which began in 500 B.C.E.:98 In the thousand years from 500 to 1500, a vast movement of people on the Eurasian land mass were critical to the Christian conversion of Western Europeans. And the emergence of Christian communities across Asia and in South Arabia owed much to the vast network of trade routes by land and sea, which acted as outlets for the Christian migrant movement. The end of this thousand-year period also witnessed the beginning of that momentous expansion of Europeans from the heartlands of Christianity to other parts of the world. From about 1800 to 1914 – the great (‘long’) century of Western missionary enterprise – up to 60 million Europeans left for the Americas, Oceania, and East and South Africa. In effect, the most remarkable of all migrations in known human history coincided with the greatest Christian missionary expansion to date. The net impact transformed the face of global Christianity.
The historical flow of diaspora from the perspective of colonizing mission has changed forms from Asia, Africa, and South America to the Western civilizations of Europe and North America.99 Such biblical and historical perspectives caused diaspora to be seen from a globalization perspective as well as from the perspective of mission strategy. Nonini explained the idea of 95
Ibid., 20. Garcia believes that ‘horizontal pilgrimage’ refers to a life that has been transferred to living with God. A ‘vertical pilgrimage’ is a life toward God which is experiencing the presence of God, a life which is going toward heaven. 96 Garcia, ibid., 6 describes such a perspective: ‘So it depends on us to whether immigrants experience the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt, or are made to feel at home. In other words, as though they have reached their own promised land’. 97 Phan, ‘Migration in the Patristic Era’, 41-44 separates Antioch, Syria as the first area, Asia Minor as the second, Mediterranean area as the third, Egypt as the fourth, and East Asia as the fifth. 98 Corrie, Dictionary of Mission Theology, 225-26. 99 Ibid., 226.
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globalization.100 ‘Globalization’ as used by scholars, for the purpose of this entry, is an analytical term used to refer to the process of growing interconnection between previously separated human populations on a global scale, often associated with the last several centuries of modernity. Globalization in this sense denotes universal and monotonically increasing processes of intensified interaction and interconnection. Furthermore, Nonini said the following about diaspora and globalization. ‘Diaspora and globalization are quite clearly related, but the greater one reflects on the relationship, the more mysterious the relationship becomes…. At the same time, ‘globalization’ and its synonyms proliferate: ‘corporate globalization’, ‘globalization from above’, ‘globalization from below’, 'globalhomogenization’, ‘free trade’, ‘fair trade’ and so on’.101 On the other hand, Hanciles used James Mittleman’s comment on globalization: James H. Mittleman highlights two interrelated realities: first, the growing consciousness of the world as a single place, related to the escalating experience of interconnections or interdependence accompanied by growing borderlessness; second, the compression of time and space, evidenced among other things by the shrinking of distances through air travel and the internet, the instant access to distant events granted by electronic transmission of information or images, and the de-localization of goods and products through international trade’.102 Hanciles saw the start of such globalization and its natural outcome as early as thirty years ago.103
To summarize globalization in one sentence, ‘It can be explained as ‘glocalization’. The word, ‘glocalization’ is a combination of two words, ‘globalization’ and ‘localization’.’ Akio Morita, the founder of Sony Corporation, is the one who came up with this new word.104 The globalization which happened through immigrants (diaspora) can be seen as providing an important mission strategy from the perspective of world mission. I now need to look at the ideas of ‘centripetal’ and ‘centrifugal’ world mission by Ralph D. Winter as the strategy for world mission, and more specifically study the ministry of world mission by GKC.105 100
Donald M. Nonini, ‘Diaspora and Globalization’, in Melvin Ember, Carol R. Ember, and Ian Skoggard (eds.), Encyclopedia of Diaspora: Immigrant and Refugee Culture Around the World (New York: Kluwer Academic, 2004), vol. 1, 564. 101 Ibid., 559. 102 Jehu J. Hanciles, Beyond Christendom: Globalization, African Migration, and the Transformation of the West (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008), 14-15. 103 Ibid., 14. 104 Akio Morita first used the term ‘glocalization’ in 1990. 105 Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne (eds.), Mission Perspective, 4th ed., trans. Okbae Jung (Seoul: Jesus Mission, 2010), 403-15.
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DIASPORA IN MISSION STRATEGY
A total number of modern diasporas who left their homeland to live in a foreign country is around 2.9% to 3.6% of the total population of the world, which is approximately 200 million to 250 million people.106 Among them, the Korean diaspora, and particularly that of GKC which is a Korean diaspora church in the USA, will be used as an example to understand world mission strategy. Manyul Lee, the director of National History Editing Committee of Korea, relates the history of the modern diaspora of Koreans from around 1850 to 1910.107 Severe famine and limited land caused the migration of Koreans to Siberia and Manchuria in those past decades. However, the first official immigration of Koreans took place in December, 1902, when 121 Koreans left Incheon to re-settle in Hawaii, USA.108 Currently, the Korean diasporas are represented the most in China, Russia, USA, Japan, and Brazil.109 According to a statistical report of 2007, the total number of Korean diaspora was around 7 million in 169 countries.110 According to the 2012 report, there are 7,260,000 Korean diaspora living in 169 different countries: 4,063,000 in Asia, 2,521,000 in North and South Americas, 656,000 in Europe, 16,000 in Middle East, and 11,000 in Africa. There are many places around the globe where Korean diaspora are doing mission. In the case of the former Soviet Union, the unofficial immigration of Koreans to China and the Soviet Union since 1860 has formed a Korean diaspora community.111 When the former Soviet Union opened its doors to the gospel in 1990, through the translation and help of Korean diaspora, then Korean missionaries were able to effectively carry out mission.112 Similarly, 106 Jason Mandryk (ed.), Operation World, 7thed. (Colorado Springs, CO: Biblica Publishing, 2010), 14. 107 http://tong.nate.cpm/jesmina/44274118, accessed October 2008 108 Kisuk Chung, Diaspora of Koreans (Seoul: Keumran Publisher, 2005), 45-53; S. Oh, Immigration Theology, 215-16; Joonsang Cho, Korean Migration (Seoul: Dohsuh Publisher, 2003), 286-89. 109 K. Chung, Diaspora of Koreans. 110 www.okf.or.kr, accessed October 2008. Overseas Korean Foundation was established on October 31st, 1997 after the declaration (Judicial Law for Patriots Abroad Act: Law #5313) was made on March 27, 1997. It is a diplomatic, commercial, affiliated agency, a support and responsibility agency with the purpose of keeping the national identity and rights of Korean diaspora abroad in their respective countries. 111 K. Chung, Diaspora of Koreans, 28-41, 498-513. J. Cho, Migration of Koreans, 20833, 253-80. 112 Through the reformation and open policy of President Gorbachev in 1990, communism self-destructed in the former Soviet Union into 15 Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Since January 1, 1992, President Yeltsin declared Commonwealth of Independent States in 12 of the 15 Republics (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were excluded). According to the Department of Foreign Relations of South Korea, there are 533,976 Korean diaspora living inside the former Soviet Union. Included in this figure are small numbers of Korean
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Korean diaspora in China are contributing to mission in China. Korean missionaries in China are receiving help from Chinese Korean diaspora through translation and other forms of support. This is only a part of the missionary work of the Korean diaspora.113 As mission or as a strategy of mission, Korean diasporas of Central America are either directly doing mission or working as translators.114 This mission strategy of the Korean diaspora comes in the form of doing transferable mission through existing, long-term resident diaspora, or through foreign exchange students or business and employment related shortterm professionals who are self-supporting missionaries. As these two types of mission strengthen their strong points and improve their weaknesses, strategic mission continue through the diaspora. Another aspect of strategic mission by diaspora can be explained from the perspective of the domino theory.115 For example, in the case of the former Soviet Union, Stalin forcefully relocated Korean diaspora to Central Asia from the Far East in 1937. They had to resettle under horrendous conditions. However, when the door was opened for the gospel to be preached in the former Soviet Union in 1990, it was through the help of the descendants of Korean diaspora ministering as translators that Korean American missionaries from GKC were able to rapidly spread the gospel. Many Slavic and former Soviet Union Jews who received the gospel and resettled in Israel began sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ among the native Jews. Such cases illustrate the domino effect of mission, which is a continuous effect of mission.116 In most instances, people who live in foreign lands have more hunger for God. Therefore, sharing the gospel with diaspora is an important mission immigrants (missionaries, foreign business branch workers, government officials, foreign exchange students, etc.). See www.okf.or.kr. 113 At the end of 2009, according to the statistical report by Foreign Relations Department of South Korea, there are 2,336,771 Korean diaspora who are living in China. In the figure are small numbers of missionaries, business and embassy workers, and foreign exchange students. See www.okf.or.kr. 114 According to the Institute for Foreign Patriots of South Korea, there are 107,624 Korean diaspora living in Central America. Joonsang Cho, Migration of One Nation (Seoul: Dohsuh Publisher, 2003), 331-39; Sukki Chung, Korean Diaspora, 176-236. 146 A theory of domino effect argues that, when the federal government fails, its surrounding nations feel the effect. The term was coined by President Dwight Eisenhower of USA in 1954. When France lost to Vietnam, Eisenhower worried that other surrounding Indo-China nations would become Communists. He compared it to a game of dominos where a chip causes all other chips to fall. This idea led USA to eventually enter the war in Vietnam. 116 The Slavonic race as originally Indo-Europeans lived mostly in Central and Middle Europe, but in the sixth century, they scattered as diaspora. Currently, almost half of the entire European population is made up of the Slavonic race. Geographically, they are separated into three groups: Western Slavonic (Czechoslovakian, Caspian, Moravian, Poland, Silesian, Slovakian, and Slovenian), Eastern Slavonic (Belorussian, Russian, Lucian, and Ukrainian), and Southern Slavonic (Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Serbian, and Slovenian).
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strategy. This is because when diaspora and their children receive the gospel, they can share the gospel with the indigenous population. Therefore, this is an important mission strategy for all Korean diaspora scattered throughout the world. Doug K. Oh said the following in 2011 about the history of the first Korean diaspora in the United States of America: ‘Emigration to the mainland of America started in 1903 when a small number of migrants moved from Hawaii to San Francisco. The number gradually increased, and by 1907, the number reached 1,037. In 1903, the San Francisco Korean Methodist Church was established, and then in 1906, the San Francisco Korean Presbyterian Church opened its doors’.117 Kye-young Park had the following comments in 2004 about the first Korean American diaspora and their history:118 The year 2003 marked the centenary of Korean immigration to the United States. Korean immigration to the United States can be interpreted as on outcome of American political, economic, missionary, and military involvement in Korea since the late nineteenth century. The current Korean-American community is the product of the influx of Korean immigrants since the liberalization of U.S. immigration law in 1965. Korean-American history can be divided into three major periods: first wave, labor migration to Hawaii, 1903 to 1924; second wave, post-Korean War migration, 1950 to 1964; third wave, post-1965 immigration… Dr. Horace Allen, David W. Deshler, and Rev. George H. Jones were the principal agents in recruiting Koreans as plantation laborers in Hawaii…. One hundred and two emigrants of the first shipload arrived in Honolulu on 13 January 1903.
Kim who established GKC in May 1982, in Fullerton, Orange County, California, was an immigrant diaspora who came to the USA in 1970. According to the 2009 statistical report by the Foreign Affairs of Overseas Koreans, there are 2,087,496 Korean diaspora living in the USA. Currently, the number is expected to be around 2.3 million.119 He officially started his ministry of world mission in 1986. He decided to share the gospel with the Korean diasporas living in China, Europe, and the former Soviet Union, and in turn, have them share the gospel with the natives and ethnic minorities. He began the ministry of world mission with this sort of strategy in mind.
117
Doug K. Oh, ‘History of the Korean Diaspora Movement’, in Sunghoon Kim and Wonsuk Ma (eds.), Korean Diaspora and Christian Mission (Oxford: Regnum Books, 2011), 185. 118 Kye-young Park, ‘Koreans in the United States’, in Melvin Ember, Carol Ember, and Ian Skoggard (eds.), Encyclopedia of Diaspora: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World (New York: Kluwer Academic, 2004), vol. 2, 993-94. 119 See the statistical report by Department of Korean Foreign Relations (www.okf.or.kr and www.mofat.go.kr).
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A prime example is the former Soviet Union. When its doors opened in 1990, he decided to first share the gospel with 500,000 Korean descendants living there. In turn, some of them were used as translators to share the gospel in Russian. In March 1992, Moscow Seminary was established. It trained and produced many native Christian ministers. They went on to share the gospel and plant churches all over the former Soviet Union. Currently, among the 1.7 million Russian Jews who relocated to Israel from the former Soviet Union through the ‘Aliya Movement’, many of those who converted to Christianity are now sharing the gospel with the Jews and Arabs living in Israel.120 A Russian Jewish convert who graduated from Moscow Seminary is now living in Israel sharing the gospel with Russian Jews who have re-settled in Israel. Their children are doing mission by sharing the gospel in Hebrew to the Jewish and Arabic children who are living in today’s Palestine. With the perseverance and patience to see the next generation of Jews convert to Christ, the ministry of world mission is taking place in Israel with the hope of Christ’s return.121 Furthermore, since Gihong Han succeeded Kwangshin Kim in September of 2004, the church ministry, and world mission are doing very well. GKC as a Korean diaspora church is not only successful in doing mission, but also in the domestic ministry of helping many other diaspora churches of different ethnicities in the USA. Reformed Theology ‘Reformed theology’ is the foundational theology of all Presbyterian churches throughout the world. Calvinism is at its core, which is a theology found by the reformer, John Calvin. The reason Reformed theology came about was when Martin Luther protested against the corruption and theology of the Roman Catholic Church. However, John Calvin was the one who formed Reformed theology within the Protestant church. Calvin’s theology became the foundational theology for the Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the rest of the Presbyterian churches throughout the world. Through research into Reformed theology, the goal is to find the theological root of the GKC, which belongs to the denomination of the Conservative Presbyterian Church of Korea. The study of Reformed theology is in two parts. The first deals with a summary of Reformed theology which includes the historical background, its definition, and the core doctrines. The second part deals with what is relevant 120 ‘Aliya Movements’ is the official name for Jewish diasporas returning to their homeland Israel. In 1980, Prime Minister Ben Gurion declared for Israel to make room for one million Jews abroad to resettle in Israel. Aliya is a biblical term. After Israelites entered Canaan, they went to Jerusalem to observe the feasts. The word aliya was used when Jews made their journey to Jerusalem, meaning ‘going up to the hilltop’. Today, the word is used to describe the return to Israel. 121 Matt. 24:14, ‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come’.
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to Presbyterian theology, which established the Presbyterian denomination, and the Westminster Confession that is parallel to Presbyterian theology, the Presbyterian theology of Korea, and the theology of GKC. In general, Paul E. Pierson said in 2009, ‘The purpose of theology is to aid us in our thinking about God as we attempt to understand his ways, but, above all, it is to guide us to Jesus and help us to follow him’.122 The Reformation began in the sixteenth century Europe due to the protest against the theology and doctrines of the medieval Catholic Church. It was a protest movement against the abuse of power, corruption, and the persecution of the innocent by the Catholic Church. Martin Luther (1483-1546), Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), and John Calvin (1509-1564) were the central figures of the Reformation that broke the barriers between God and Christian believers, who had previously been obstructed by the priests and rituals of the Catholic Church. Alister E. McGrath classified the Reformation movement into 6 different segments. First is Lutheranism, which was started by Martin Luther. It is also commonly called, ‘the German Reformation’. Second is Calvinism, which was started by John Calvin and is also referred to as ‘the Swiss Reformation’. Third is Anabaptism which is also called ‘the Radical Reformation’. The fourth is Anglicanism, or ‘the English Reformation’. Fifth is ‘the Counter-Reformation’, which is a religious reformation within the Catholic Church, also known as ‘the Catholic Reformation’. Lastly, the sixth is Protestantism, which was a movement to systematize the doctrines within and among the Protestant Church and its followers through ‘Confessionalization’. This is commonly referred to as ‘the Second Reformation’.123 On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed the ‘Ninety-Five Theses’ on the doors of the Wittenberg church in Germany as a protest against the Catholic Church. He did this as a reaction to Johan Tetzel of the Dominican Order, who received the rights from the Pope to collect money as indulgences. At the time, the Catholic Church was practicing indulgences in order to renovate St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.124 The name ‘Protestant’, which represents Protestantism, was first officially used at the Diet of Speyer that took place in Germany in February 1529. The term was used against Martin Luther and his followers who opposed the Roman Catholic Church. The term was widely used from April 1529.125 Therefore, the Protestantism movement started as a religious reformation. Afterwards, the movement separated and developed into Lutheranism, 122
Paul E. Pierson, The Dynamics of Christian Mission: History through a Missiological Perspective (Pasadena, CA; William Carey International University Press, 2009), 137. 123 Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction, 5th ed. (Oxford: Blackwell, 2011), 46. 124 Ibid., 46; Pierson, The Dynamics of Christian Mission, 138-40. 125 McGrath, Christian Theology, 46, 158; Also his Reformation Thought: An Introduction 4th ed. (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), 6.
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Reformed Calvinism (Presbyterian), and Anglican-Episcopalianism.126 Furthermore, Reformed theology came about from the Protestant theology which was formulated by Martin Luther. The principles of Reformed theology are closely related to Protestant theology and can be viewed under 6 major topics.127 The first is ‘Soli Deo Gloria’, which emphasizes giving the glory only to God. The second is ‘Sola Gratia’, which emphasizes that redemption is a product of God’s grace that is possible through the death of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. The third is ‘Sola Scriptura’, which emphasizes the point that only God’s Word should be the guide for the church and its believers. The fourth is ‘The church is where believers of God meet’. The fifth is the ‘Priesthood of all believers’. This emphasizes that the believers are able to directly fellowship with God through Jesus Christ, as well as, the sanctity of all callings and vocations. From such a theology of religious reform, Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin derived Reformed Theology, and it is quite different from the theologies of Lutherans and Anabaptists.128 Reformed theology began in 1519 by Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531) in Zurich as the ‘Swiss Reformation’. John Calvin through the Institute of the Christian Religion (1536-1559, 1-5, 80 chapters) systematized Reformed theology. Today, there are 80 million adherents throughout the world who are affiliated with the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC).129 Reformed theology first opposed the theology of the Eucharist and transubstantiation by Martin Luther. It also opposed any images or icons inside the church, based on the second commandment of the Ten Commandments.130 WCRC lists the following as the summary of their core beliefs.131 In Reformed theology, we affirm and embody characteristics that distinguish how we see our place in God’s world. The bases for Reformed theology are: 1) The unconditional subordination of tradition and doctrine to the Bible; 2) The assignment of our own denomination to the one, ecumenical church; 3) The 126
Walter A. Elwell and Peter Toon (eds.), The Concise Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (London: Marshall Pickering, 1993), 404. 127 Ibid., 404. Alister E. McGrath, Christian History: An Introduction (Chester: John Wiley and Sons, 2013), 159-70 expresses the distinct character of the Protestant movement in the following: a return to the Bible, the doctrine of justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, the rejection of papal authority, the two sacraments (baptism and Eucharist), a new work ethic and the development of capitalism. 128 Elwell & Toon, The Concise Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 423. 129 Ian A. McFarland, et al. (eds.), The Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011), 437. The World Communion of Reformed Churches came about through the merger of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council in June 2010. 130 Transubstantiation is a theory that the wine and bread during the communion service literally change to the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Luther supported this theology, however, the Reformed theologians opposed it. Ibid., 437. 131 http://www.wcrd.ch/node/34.
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integration of our own denomination in the pilgrimage of God’s people; 4) The powerful claim of God to our whole life; and 5) The common character of the Christian life under one head.
Reformed theology can be seen as conservative, traditional theology that is opposed to transubstantiation and any images or icons inside the church that are supported by Catholics, the Orthodox, and Anglicans. It can also be seen as believing in the predestination theory of John Calvin, which is the cornerstone of the theology of Calvinism. Calvinism is the backbone of Presbyterian theology.132 McGrath defined Reformed theology and Calvinism in the following way:133 The term ‘Reformed’ is now preferred, whether to refer to those churches (mainly in Switzerland, the low countries, and Germany) or religious thinkers (such as Theodore Beza, William Perkins, and John Owen) that based themselves upon Calvin's celebrated religious textbook, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, or Church Doctrines (such as the influential Heidelberg Catechism of 1563) based upon it. … The term ‘Calvinism’ is often used to refer to the religious ideas of the Reformed church.
According to the data of Theopedia, ‘Calvinism is the theological system associated with the reformer, John Calvin, which emphasizes the rule of God over all things as reflected in his understanding of Scripture, God, humanity, salvation, and the church. In a popular vernacular of Calvinism, adherents often refer to ‘the Five Points of Calvinistic Doctrine’ in regards to a person’s salvation which makes the acrostic T.U.L.I.P.. In general, Calvinism is associated with the Reformed theology’.134 Under the review, the five core theological beliefs of John Calvin can be viewed as the Bible, God, humanity, salvation, and the church. The five core principles of salvation are known as ‘T.U.L.I.P.’ (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints), which came about after John Calvin (1509-1564) passed away. Jacob Arminius (1560-1609), who was a Reformed theologian in his own right, sent five points of opposition against Calvinism to the Presbytery of the Reformed Church in Netherlands. T.U.L.I.P., therefore, was the reply summary of the core beliefs of John Calvin in his theology of salvation:135 132
McFarland, et al., The Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology, 437. McGrath, Christian Theology, 48. 134 http://theopedia.com/calvinism 135 Jacob Arminius who was a Reformed theologian of the Netherlands in 1610 opposed John Calvin’s theology of predestination. He emphasized free will and raised five points of opposition against Calvin’s theology: (T-U-L-I-P) was P-C-U-G-C. It stands for ‘Partial Depravity’, ‘Conditional Election#, ‘Unlimited Atonement’, ‘Grace Can Be Resisted’, and ‘Conditional Salvation’. Sylvia Penny, Arminianism or Calvinism? (Basildon: Open Bible Trust, 2010), 4-5, John W. Keddie, The Five Points of Calvinism 133
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1) Bible: The theology of Calvin accepted ‘Sola Scriptura’ (Scripture Alone), a theology of Martin Luther in regards to the Bible. Calvin believed that the Bible was written with the inspiration from the Holy Spirit, is the immutable Word of God, and has the final authority.136 2) God: Calvin believed in the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God of the Trinity cannot be explained by human reason. God is outside time and space. God is supernatural, and reveals himself to men through the Bible and the Holy Spirit.137 3) Humanity: Calvin taught that man is created in God’s image; however, because of the fall by Adam and Eve, every man is born with original sin which causes him to be totally depraved. Calvin was influenced by Augustine for whom the descendants of Adam and Eve were born with original sin.138 4) Salvation: Calvin saw salvation as the irresistible grace of God. As God works through various means to share the gospel with the predestined, the man who was chosen understands the gospel through the work of the Holy Spirit (John 6:37) and receives Jesus Christ. From the point of view of predestination, Calvin did not believe that man could come freely before Christ to be saved unless he was predestined (John 6:44). He considered such salvation to be the sovereign grace of God. He believed that God saves through Jesus Christ, and restores, strengthens, and empowers the predestined (1 Pet. 5:10). 5) Church: Calvin saw the church as the assembly of believers of Jesus Christ. He saw the communion and baptism as the gift of faith from Christ to the church. The communion remembers the death of Christ on the cross, his burial, his resurrection, and his return. It is a symbolic ritual, as well as a sincere promise of grace from Christ (1 Cor. 11:23-26). Presbyterian Theology The root of Presbyterian theology can be traced back to Calvinism and Reformed theology. Calvinism made headway after John Calvin died, and made a tremendous impact on Puritanism and the formation of Scotland’s Presbyterian denomination.139 The Scotland Presbytery is considered the origin of all Presbyterian denominations. Therefore, in order to understand Korean Presbyterian denomination(s) and GKC, a study on Scotland’s Presbytery is necessary.
(Portmahomack: Free Church of Scotland, 2010), 3-19. 136 http://theopedia.com/calvinism 137 http://theopedia.com/calvinism 138 http://theopedia.com/calvinism 139 Ian A. McFarland et al., ed., The Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011), 438, Walter A. Elwell, and Peter Toon, eds., The Concise Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (London: Marshall Pickering, 1993), 422.
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Scotland’s Presbytery was started in 1560 by John Knox (1514-1572).140 The organization was built around lay members who elected elders to serve the church as board members. Both the elders and ministers are called to serve the church and its synod. The following is a summary of the policy for the church and its duty towards world mission by the Scotland Presbytery:141 Mission: The church is called to be Christ's faithful evangelist going into the world, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all he has commanded. It demonstrates by the love of its members for one another and by the quality of its common life the new reality in Christ, through worship, fellowship, and nurturing. It practices a deepened life of prayer and service under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, the important doctrines of Scotland Presbytery were influenced by John Calvin’s theology as follows:142 • God: Trinitarian Father, Son and Holy Spirit • Sacraments: Baptism, Communion • Salvation: Predestination • Scriptures: 66 books, supernaturally inspired, Sola Fide • Dogmatic Origins: Sola Scriptura, reason and the Spirit lead to proper interpretation of Scripture. Confessions and dogmas are proclaimed by the General Assembly. • Church: One company and multitude of men chosen by God, who rightly worship and embrace him by true faith in Christ Jesus, who is the only Head of the church, even as it is the body and spouse of Christ Jesus. This church is Catholic, that is, universal, because it contains the chosen of all ages, of all realms, nations, and tongues, be they of the Jews or be they of the Gentiles, who have communion and society with God the Father, and with his Son, Christ Jesus, through the sanctification of his Holy Spirit. Westminster Confession of Faith A common phenomenon after the Reformation by the Protestants during the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century was to have their theology approved as orthodox through confessionalism. Alister E. McGrath called this ‘the Second Reformation’, where Protestants tried to systematize their theological
140
John Knox used to be a Catholic priest. He studied next to John Calvin in Geneva and learned from him. After being influenced by the theology of John Calvin, he reformed the religion of Scotland. In 1560, he established Scotland’s Presbyterian denomination. Pierson, The Dynamics of Christian Misison, 147. 141 http://www.saintaquinas.com/presbyterians.html 142 http://www.saintaquinas.com/presbyterians.html
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doctrines by a way of confession.143 In that sense, the Westminster Confession of Faith is the essence of Presbyterian theology. The Westminster Confession of Faith was made in 1643 by the theologians who gathered to work at the great Westminster Abbey in England. It was composed in order to be used as a common confession of faith by the Presbyterian parishioners of Scotland, England, and Ireland. It was during the 1,164 times of assembly of the Scotland Presbyterian Church where 98 theologians came together with 11 representatives from Scotland that the confession was approved in 1647 in Edinburgh. The English Parliament certified it in 1649 as well as the Scotland Parliament on February 7th, 1649 and it was re-certified in 1690.144 The confession was sent to the Parliament for review and approval in the autumn of 1647. The Assembly of Edinburgh on July 20, 1648 certified the major confession and then the minor confession in July 28. The two confessions were declared, ‘in accordance with God’s word, approved doctrines which are not in violation against the service, admonition, punishment, and the policy of the church’. Since the Reformation, England, Scotland, the United States of America, and many other nations of the world have accepted the confession. Presbyterian churches have approved the confession as true biblical Christian statements of faith. Korean Presbyterian ministers and elders have understood the confession as comprehensive doctrines that are taught by the Old and New Testaments. Thus, they have formally accepted it with the utmost respect and humility. 196 questions and answers of the major confession were composed to aid lay adults and ministers in the lessons of the Christian doctrines and preaching. The 107 questions and answers of the minor confession is a concise summary of the major confession. It was prepared in order to educate young children. The policy of the church, its admonition and punishment are omitted in these two confessions. There are 33 chapters which make up the Westminster Confession of Faith. The first chapter begins with the confession that the Bible is the source of all truth. Chapters 2 to 5 contain confessions about God’s sovereignty. In the third segment of chapters 6 to 20, the covenant of God who saves humanity from sin (chapters 6 and 7), and the way to salvation in Christ and its effect (chapters 11 to 20) are covered. In the fourth segment of chapters 21-26, Christian ethics is covered. Lastly, the fifth segment of chapters 27-33 covers the confessions about the church, communion, and the end times. The titles of the 33 chapters 143
McGrath, Christian Theology, 46; Jaroslav Pelikan and Valerie Hotchkiss (eds.), Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition (Durham, NCL: Yale University Press, 2003), 466-67. 144 The Confession of Faith: the Larger and Shorter Catechisms (Glasgow: Free Publications, 1983), 13-17, The Westminster Confession of Faith (Edinburgh: Versa Press, 2012), 9. In 1647, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland accepted the aforementioned confession of faith.
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are: 1) the Holy Scripture; 2) God, and of the Holy Trinity, 3) God’s Eternal Decree, 4) Creation, 5) Providence, 6) the Fall of Man, of Sin, and the Punishment thereof, 7) God's Covenant with Man, 8) Christ the Mediator, 9) Free Will, 10) Effectual Calling, 11) Justification, 12) Adoption, 13) Sanctification, 14) Saving Faith, 15) Repentance unto Life, 16) Good Works, 17) the Perseverance of the Saints, 18) Assurance of Grace and Salvation, 19) the Law of God, 20) Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience, 21) Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day, 22) Lawful Oaths and Vows, 23) the Civil Magistrate, 24) Marriage and Divorce, 25) the Church, 26) the Communion Of Saints, 27) the Sacraments, 28) Baptism, 29) the Lord's Supper, 30) Church Censures, 31) Synods and Councils, 32) the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead, and 33) the Last Judgment. The content of the Westminster Confession has been condensed into the twelve articles of faith. Most Korean Presbyterian churches use this condensed version as their confession of faith. The content of the condensed version is as follows:145 1) The Old Testament and New Testament Bible is God’s word, and it is the only perfect laws for Christian faith and believer’s life. 2) God is one and only, and He should be worshipped. God is the Spirit who is self-existing, and omnipresent. He is separate from all other creations and gods. He is infinite and immutable in existence, wisdom, authority, righteousness, mercy, truth, and love. 3) There are three heads of God: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three heads are all God. Their body however is one. They are equal in authority and glory. 4) God created all concrete objects and immaterial things with his word of authority. He preserves them and rules over them; nevertheless, God never produced sin. God does all things according to his will as He planned. God works to accomplish his good, wise, and sacred goal through all creations. 5) God created both male and female; He created them in his image with wisdom, righteousness, and holiness (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). God gave dominion over all creatures to man (Gen. 1:28), and all men are from just one source (Luke 3:38). Therefore, all men share the same lineage and are brothers. 6) The first man had the freedom to choose good or evil (Gen. 2:16-17). He was tempted and sinned against God. Thus, every man born through Adam under the laws of nature in essence has cooperated with Adam in his sin and has fallen (Rom. 5:12). This is man’s original sin. Other than the original sin, man also commits voluntary sins. It is just for man to receive God’s anger and punishment on earth and in eternity. 7) God wanted to save all men to eternity from their corruptions, sins, and the punishment because of their sins. Through his infinite love, God sent 145
http://sdcmd.egloos.com/72679.
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his only Son to this world. The Son was God incarnate, and God planned that it was going to be only through his Son that all men may get saved (Acts 4:12). His eternal Son became a man, and He had two very special natures. He was eternal God and He was a true human being. • He was born of a virgin named Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit, and was sinless. On behalf of all sinners, He fulfilled all of God’s commands (Rom. 10:4). • He gave up his body as a perfect sacrifice, which fulfilled the righteousness of God. He died on the cross to make peace between men and God. • He resurrected from the dead on the third day, ascended to heaven and sits on the right hand of God (Mark 16:19; Eph. 1:20), He is currently interceding for his people (Rom. 8:34). • He will resurrect all dead, and will return to judge the world. 8) The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son, and He helps men to be saved. He helps people to realize their sins and wretched condition (Acts 2:37). He enlightens one’s heart to understand Christ (Eph. 1:18). He makes the believers to become new, and works inside them to bear all fruits of righteousness (Col. 1:10). 9) Before God created the world, He had chosen his people through Jesus Christ. He loved them and made them holy and pure before him. God predestined them according to his good pleasure, and made them his children through Jesus Christ. This was done so that they can praise God for his glorious grace freely given to them though his loving Son, Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3-6). a. God commanded so that his perfect salvation may be given freely to people of this world. One must repent of his sins (Acts 17:30), must receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior (Acts 16:31), lean on him and learn from him, humbly obey the revealed will of God, and be holy (1 Pet. 1:15). Persons who believe and obey Jesus Christ will be saved. b. A special privilege of believers is receiving righteousness (Rom. 4:25), being adopted as God’s child to be accounted in the numbers of the saints (Rom. 8:15), being considered holy by the works of the Holy Spirit (1 Pet. 1:2), and eternal glory (Rom. 8:30). c. A believer can be assured of his salvation on the earth and be happy (1 Pet. 1:8). d. As God works to give his grace, his way of giving grace is especially through the Bible, holy rituals, and prayer. 10) Christ established baptism and communion as the holy ritual. a. Baptism is a ritual where a believer is washed with water in the names of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This ritual is a sign that allow a believer become united with
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Christ and become cleansed by the blood of Christ (Rom. 6:3). A believer gets born again by the Holy Spirit and becomes renewed (John 3:5; Titus 3:5), a promise that he belongs to the Lord (Col. 2:11-12). This ritual is performed for those who confess their faith in Christ (Matt. 28:19; Acts 8:38). b. Communion is commemorating Christ’s death, a ritual of partaking in the bread and the wine (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25). This ceremony is to be done by the people of Christ until He returns to earth (1 Cor. 11:26). It is a sign of believing in the Lord, relying on his atonement and receiving the benefits from such outcome, promising the Lord to serve him all the more, and fellowshipping with the Lord and many other saints (Gal. 3:27-28). c. The benefit of the holy ritual is not of its own, or even from the goodness of those performing the ritual, it is the Christ who gives the blessing and what comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells inside the believers that is participating in the rituals (1 Pet. 3:21). This is evident when the presence of Christ abounds in the Spirit. 11) The duty of all believers is to become a member of the church and fellowship there, observe the holy rituals and rules, obey God’s laws, always pray (1 Thess. 5:17), gather to worship the Lord (Heb. 10:2425), attentively listen to God’s word and sermons, make offering with thankful heart for the grace received from God (2 Cor. 9:7-8), express the heart like that of Christ with others (Phil. 2:5), do likewise unto the rest of the world, do one’s best to advance God’s kingdom on the earth (1 Pet. 2:9), and expect and wait for the Lord’s return in his glory (2 Tim. 4:8). 12) The dead will resurrect on the last day, and they will all stand before Christ’s judgment seat, and people will receive according to what they have done on the earth either for good or bad (Rom. 14:11). Ones who believed in Christ and obeyed will have his sins be forgiven and be received with glory (Rev. 21:1-7). However, those who did not believe and committed evil will be condemned, they shall be eternally punished accordingly (Rev. 21:8). Korean Presbyterian Theology The Korean Presbyterian Church was founded in April 1885 by Horace G. Underwood (1856-1916), who belonged to Presbyterian Church of United States of America, and other missionaries to Korea from Presbyterian churches of Australia, Canada, and 4 other missionary organizations.146 These 146 Pierson, The Dynamics of Christian Mission, 276-77; Grayson, J. Huntly, Korea: A Religious History, rev. ed. (Richmond: Routledge Curzon, 2003), 156-57; Stephen Neill, A History of Christian Missions, 2nd ed. (London: Penguin Books, 1986), 290; Nicholas
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missionaries organized a council and in 1901, they established Pyongyang Presbyterian School of Theology. From the beginning, Korean Presbyterian Church naturally accepted the traditional and biblical confession of faith from England and the United States of America. However, after Korea regained its independence from Japan in WWII, Korean Presbyterian Church was divided because of ecclesiastical authority and politics, and the excuse that piety and theology have to be defended. As a result, the confession of faith became different based on the Presbyterian denomination of believers. There are currently 130 different Presbyterian denominations in Korea. Among them ‘Jesus Presbyterian Joint, Jesus Presbyterian Integration, Presbyterian Church of Jesus and God, and Christian Presbyterian (Badge Side)’ are the largest. The following are the examples of their confessions of faith: Jesus Presbyterian Joint (‘Hapdong’) published 5,000 Westminster Confession of Faith (Minor) when it was the North Korean Council of Presbyterian Church of Jesus (from 1901-1906). The council adopted the creed for the church. On September 17, 1907 at Pyongyang Changdaehyun Church, their first council was held where they officially adopted the creed and the policy. At that time, Jesus Presbyterian Joint denomination formally adopted twelve articles of faith and Westminster Minor Confession of Faith. Although the council recommended the overview of the Westminster creed and its major confession of faith to be taught at the church and seminary, it was not until 1963 at the 48th council meeting that the overview of the Westminster creed and the major confession of faith officially became the confession of faith for all churches of the denomination. According to the denomination’s bylaws, the twelve articles of faith are divided into three segments: preface, creed, and acknowledgment. The twelve articles of faith are on top of their bylaws after the content heading. It is their formal creed as well as the expressed creed for all of their adherents. Furthermore, the twelve articles of faith and the standard Westminster documents are mentioned in the contents of appointments for the denomination’s pastor, intern-pastor, elder, and deacons. Jesus Presbyterian Integration (‘Tonghap’), in 1968 at their 52nd council, added Westminster Confession of Faith to their denomination’s bylaws. However, only a handful of churches in 1983 in their 68th council wanted to ratify the amendment. In 1986 at their 71st council, the denomination ratified a different confession of faith. Their confession of faith was made up with ten chapters, which comprise of a preface, Bible, deism, humanity, salvation, church, and nationalism. In the ever changing world of today, and amidst the second phase of world mission by the Korean church, Jesus Presbyterian Integration denomination wishes to make its identity known clear, by actively being involved in the movement to unify with other churches, and to advance the gospel of evangelism and God’s world mission. For this, they published 21st Century Faith and the E. Hunt, Protestant Pioneers in Korea (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1980), 30; Sheridan Gilley and Brian Stanley (eds.), World Christianities: c.1815-c.1914 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 507.
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Direction of Theology for the 21st Century Korean Presbyterian Church in 1997 at their 82nd council. After agreeing to amend their constitution, they approved the book. The book, 21st Century Confession of Faith, is clearly different from the traditional Westminster Confession of Faith. Professor Hyungki Lee who is the prime architect of this book exclaimed, ‘Sixteenth-century Martin Luther’s theology and Reformed Theology, theologies of Karl Bart and Moltmann of the twentieth-century Reformed theology should be used. Furthermore, Korean churches should be opened to the theological traditions of World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and WCC’. The confession of faith which illustrates well the traditional Reformed Theology is not reflected by the confession of faith from ‘Kijang’ denomination.147
Furthermore, most of the Presbyterian denominations of Korea adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith. This shows that most Korean Presbyterian churches uphold the ‘Calvinism’ of Reformed Theology which was founded in the spirit of the Reformation. Theology of GKC The theology of GKC upholds the theology of the Korean Jesus Presbyterian (‘Hapdong’) denomination which follows the Calvinism of Reformed Theology. Also, the Westminster Confession of Faith is practiced. Grace Mission University began in 1996 on the campus of GKC and the school’s creed which is the Westminster Confession of Faith can be seen as the core theology of GKC. The following is the content of their theology: 1) We believe in the Triune God who is the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is eternal, entirely perfect, and sovereign. 2) Jesus Christ: He is true God and true man. He was born of the Holy Spirit through a virgin named Mary. He made sinners to be righteous through the innocent blood He shed for the unrighteous. As the Holy Scripture says Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead; He is currently seated at the right hand of God as our High Priest. He will return to establish his righteous and peaceful kingdom on earth. 3) Holy Spirit: He is God with personality and character; He dwells inside every saint. The Holy Spirit leads, teaches, and has come to pour down power upon the saints. He admonishes the world of their sins, and imputes righteousness unto saints, and punishes sinners. 4) Bible: The Old and New Testament Bible is the inspired word of God. It is the correct and infallible revelation of God which transfers the perfect will of God for the salvation of all mankind. Furthermore, the Bible is holy and the only law of God for the faith and duty of all saints. 5) Human: man was originally created in God’s image, after he fell due to his own disobedience, both physical and spiritual deaths came upon 147 http://www.igoodnews.net/news/articleview.html?idxno=34518. For the previous statement, see the article from April 19, 2012 at www.igoodnews.net, accessed May 17, 2013.
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him. Therefore, all men are born with sin nature, and have become isolated from the life of God. It is only through the salvation work of Jesus Christ that a person can be saved. Anyone who does not repent shall suffer eternally while believers will enjoy eternal joy and happiness in heaven. 6) Salvation: The salvation of man came through Jesus Christ to all saints. Anyone who repents of his sins and believes in Jesus Christ will be born again by the Holy Spirit. He receives eternal life as a gift, and becomes a child of God. 7) Sanctification: God wants all saints to be filled with the Holy Spirit and become perfectly holy, live apart from sin and the world, devote to the will of God, and live in effective service unto God and others. Such important and progressive experience should be had by born again saints. 8) Church: It is made up of saints who believe in Jesus Christ, redeemed by his blood, and have been born again by the Holy Spirit. Christ is the head of the church. The church has an important duty to fulfill which is to share the gospel with all nations and tribes as God’s witness. The local area church as the body of Christ is where saints assemble to worship God, receive instruction through God’s word, pray, fellowship with other believers, share the gospel, and participate in communion and baptism. 9) Resurrection: both the righteous and the unrighteous will resurrect. The righteous shall receive eternal life in heaven while the unrighteous will be punished forever. 10) Parousia: the return of Jesus Christ is imminent. He shall return in flesh for all to see in order to establish his millennium on earth. His return is the hope and an important truth for all saints, as well as, being an inspiration for the saints to live in faith and holiness. The theology of GKC holds the beliefs of traditional conservative Presbyterian theology of the Korean Presbyterian denomination which follows the Westminster Confession of Faith from the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.148
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Grace Korean Church has the perspective of Jesus Presbyterian Joint (‘Hapdong’) in its creed. As for the conduct of its service, the church follows the pattern of being filled with the Holy Spirit and is led by the Holy Spirit. The church is also focused on doing world missions. The United Assembly of USA which Grace Korean Church is a part of has been elevated to an international general assembly with 70 different churches. Grace Korean Church is considered number one among 55,000 churches in Korea and 5,000 Korean churches abroad in the rate of comparing the number of saints versus that of doing world missions (in the amount spent on missions, number of missionaries sent out, number of churches planted in the mission fields, number of seminaries in the mission fields, and the number of converts in the mission fields.) Please write to [email protected], if you wish to contact the writer of this report.
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Theology of Mission The whole Bible can be seen as the will, plan, and action of God for the salvation of mankind. God the Father planned the mission. God the Son opened the way for mission by dying on the cross. God the Holy Spirit is carrying out mission. In that sense, world mission is a masterpiece of God. The saints who are the body of Christ have received the Great Commission from the Lord which is the will of God, therefore, they have to understand God’s will and his strategy for world mission through the Bible and act accordingly. Furthermore, the theology of world mission studies God’s will as revealed in the Old and New Testaments, therefore, playing the supporting role for the church to carry out world mission in accordance with God’s will and command. Furthermore, through the study of evangelical mission theology and ecumenical mission theology, which are two large but different groups of today’s modern mission theology, a practical direction and strategy for world mission is developed. The theology of world mission by GKC is highlighted from the perspectives of the Bible and theology. Biblical Theology of Mission A biblical mission theology studies the mission of God which is revealed in the Old and New Testaments, thus securing the grounds for theology. In order to study Old Testament perspective on mission theology, the perspectives of Chukwuma James Okoye, Johannes Verkuyl, Bryant W. Hicks, and Scott A. Moreau will be studied. In his book, James Okoye illustrated four facets of world mission revealed in the Old Testament: The first facet of mission in the Old Testament is identified as the aspect of universality; universality of salvation and universality of righteousness before Yahweh. … The second face of mission in the Old Testament I designate as ‘community in-mission’. It is the awareness that Israel's very existence is bound up with the knowledge and glory of Yahweh among the peoples and that Israel's election serves the glory of God. … The third face of mission in the Old Testament is what scholars generally call ‘centripetal mission’. It is explicit in texts such as Isaiah 2:2-5, 35 where all the nations stream onto the pilgrimage to Zion, to be instructed in God's torah and in God's ways. The fourth and final face of mission will be ‘centrifugal mission’, in which active effort is made to reach outsiders through conversion while including them in the covenant as ‘proselytes’.149
God’s perspective on world mission is revealed in the entire Old Testament: God wants to save the entire world, and for this reason chose Israel as a nation to save all nations. James Okoye saw Israel as having the duties of centripetal 149
James Chukwuma Okoye, Israel and the Nations: A Mission Theology of the Old Testament (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2006), 10-12.
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mission, where Gentiles came to the Jerusalem Temple, and the centrifugal mission, which was toward Gentiles.150 The appointed task given to Israel in the Old Testament is the same as the one given to the spiritual people of Israel (Gentile believers) who have been saved through believing in Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Johannes Verkuyl found four motifs of mission in the Old Testament: the universal motif, the motif of rescue and liberation, the missionary motif, and the motif of antagonism. As a specific example, Verkuyl used the story of Jonah.151 He saw the mission perspective of Jonah as the mission perspective found in the Old Testament for mission theology. He expressed the following, ‘The book of Jonah is so significant for understanding the biblical basis of mission because it treats God's mandate to his people regarding the Gentile people and thus serves as the preparatory step to the missionary mandate of the New Testament’.152 Verkuyl saw the Book of Jonah as a mission theology of the Old Testament that reveals the will of God who is the God of all nations who wishes to save the Gentiles. He also said the book reveals how God trains missionaries and shared his perspective, ‘Jonah is father to all those Christians who desire the benefits and blessings of election but refuse its responsibility’.153 Bryant W. Hicks believed that the foundation for mission revealed in the Old Testament is shown through Genesis, the Prophecies, the Psalms, Abraham, Moses, Solomon, Isaiah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Zechariah, etc.154 The fall of men in Genesis 3 caused all nations to live under sin and God’s judgment; it became one of the foundations for mission. The rainbow which appeared to Noah and his family after the great flood was God’s covenant with Noah (Gen. 9:8-17). It revealed that God is mission oriented. The incident at the Tower of Babel revealed that ‘all nations’ are in God’s hand and his will. God is revealed as the main principal of world mission.155 On the other hand, Hicks saw God as the sovereign Ruler of world mission who is revealed through the Pentateuch of Moses, the historical books,
150 The centripetal mission of the Old Testament transfers to centrifugal mission in the New Testament. From all nations coming to Israel for salvation has changed to the ministry of world mission where those who need salvation are sought after in the New Testament. Today, we need both of these types of mission strategies and perspectives. We need to continue doing the missionary work alongside missions to the whole world where the gospel is preached in the diasporas. Winter & Hawthorne, Mission Perspective, 403-15. 151 Jonannes Verkuyl, ‘The Biblical Foundation for the World Mission Mandate’, in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed. (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2009), 42-48. 152 Ibid.,45. 153 Ibid., 48. 154 John Mark Terry, Ebbie Smith, and Justice Anderson (eds.), Missiology: Great War of Missiology (Seoul: Christian Mission Publishing, 2003), 87-100. 155 Terry, Smith, Anderson, Missiology: Great War of Missiology, 89.
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Psalms, Wisdom Books, and Prophecies, which reveal the universal vision of God who judges all nations. Moreau saw world mission revealed in the Old Testament as the four great holy dramas: creation, fall, calling of God and separation of his people, God who saves his people, and God who expelled his people.156 The entire Old Testament can be said to express the heart of God in that he wants to save all tribes and nations. Ezek. 18:23 reveals, ‘“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” declares the Sovereign Lord. “Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?”’ The heart of God that wants all people of the world to be saved can be seen as the basis of mission theology found in the Old Testament. With this view in mind, the contents of Genesis, Exodus, the Psalms, Jonah, and Isaiah will be studied in order to understand mission theology found in the Old Testament. God wanted to accomplish world mission, therefore, in Genesis 12, God chose Abraham and raised up the nation of Israel as a channel through which all nations can be blessed.157 Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, was born as the forty-second descendent of Abraham, who came to earth to save all people of different tribes and nations. Such a grand plan of salvation which God revealed to Abraham can clearly be seen as God’s world mission. Exodus 19:4-6 reveals specifically of such mission by God which people of Israel suppose to fulfil. Moses clearly spoke of three appointed tasks for mission that God gave to Israel in these verses: 1) Israel as a Possession of God (God’s Son, people, and first born), 2) God’s Nation of Priests (for restoring relationship with God), 3) God’s Holy People (for all nations and restoring relationship with God). The verses also reveal that all of the Gentile children of God in the New Testament period are given a spiritual citizenship of Israel, and that God wants to do mission through them. 1 Pet. 2:9 in the New Testament has the same coherence as those verses. On the other hand, Psalm 67 reveals God’s desire to bless all nations through calling all believers to participate in such a grand plan of God’s salvation for all nations. Through the help of God, all nations can praise God and worship him. This is revealed as the motive and the goal for world mission. For this reason, Israel of the Old Testament period was chosen, and the spiritual citizens of Israel (God’s Gentile children) who are the New Testament believers have also been called. God wants to receive the glory through the service of all Christians of the world (God wants all people to be saved and praise him). God wants to save his people (through their faith in Jesus Christ) who are from all nations of the earth (language, people, nations, tribes are used
156
Scott A. Moreau, Gary R. Corwin, and Gary B. McGee (eds.), Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey, 21st Century Introduction to Missiology, trans. Sungwook Kim (Seoul: Kohyang Christian Publisher, 2009), 38-59. 157 Genesis 12:1-3
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interchangeably). God wants to reign over his Kingdom which is better than all the nations of the earth. Jonah 1-4 has a very important message in regards to understanding the biblical foundation for world mission. The book deals with God’s plan of salvation for Gentiles, and the appointed task for Israel to carry it out. This acts as a step in preparation of God’s command to do world mission which is found in the New Testament. The book of Jonah reveals how God trained a certain missionary. The message of Jonah can also be seen as a message of God to the New Testament Christians and churches who are not carrying out the command of God to share the gospel with the world. The distinguishing features of the Book of Isa. 1-39 describe the judgment against sin that resembles 39 other books of the Old Testament, and chapters 40-66 which describes the hope of salvation through the Messiah resembles 27 books of the New Testament. Likewise, the book of Isaiah has a character of being a condensed version of the entire Bible. The four important passages which describe Jesus Christ as the suffering Servant are Isa. 42:1-9, 49:1-6, 50:4-9, and 52:13-53:12. Isa. 66:18-24 is seen as the most important passage in the Old Testament in regards to the message of mission by God (a declaration of Jehovah’s glory). The Book of Isaiah is also seen as the message of love and judgment to the people of Israel as well as being the message to all Christians of the New Testament period, an appointed task to all Christians today who are the spiritual people of Israel, a blessed message to all people of the world, and a message of judgment. From this point of view, Isa. 43:21 illustrates well the purpose for the creation and the goal of world mission, ‘the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise’. This point of view is also clearly expressed in 1 Tim. 2:4, ‘who wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth’. In the following, the mission theology revealed in the Old Testament is revealed from the perspective of the Trinity by the Reformed theology of mission:158 World mission of the Reformed theology confirms the sovereignty of God in all aspects of world mission. The emphasis on the sovereignty of God calls for a Trinitarian approach. The trinitarian approach means God the Father is the Creator of world mission, the Son Jesus Christ is the One who was sent, and God the Holy Spirit is the Representative and Guide, the One who inspires the church to participate in world mission. In conclusion, the entire Old Testament can be seen as the progression for God’s world mission to save all mankind, as well as being the process of telling others of this will of God. The world mission revealed in the Old Testament 158
Scott A. Moreau ed., Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 815.
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can be seen as the love of God that wants to save all mankind, and the justice of God which is possible only through observing God’s Word. In other words, God of the Old Testament planned for world mission, in order that it can be accomplished. God the Father was the ‘Sender’, and Jesus Christ was ‘the One Who Was Sent’ to this earth. Jesus took on the sins of the entire world by dying on the cross, which opened the way for salvation to all mankind. In order to study world mission as revealed in the New Testament from a theological point of view, the Lord’s Great Commission found in Matt. 28:1820, and the mission theology of Apostle Paul who was the first Christian missionary will be studied. Julie C. Ma saw the Great Commission of the Lord as the Lord’s commission as well as the appointed task that the church must accomplish. She expressed the following as something that the church must carry out until the Lord’s return to earth: The death of Jesus Christ did not accomplish God’s world mission completely. The world mission was commissioned to the disciples of Jesus Christ. After Jesus resurrected from the dead, He appeared before his disciples who lost all hope when Jesus died, and was caught up in fear. However, the hope of salvation for all mankind blossomed like flowers when the disciples carried out the Lord’s Great Commission.159
As ‘the Sent One’ from God the Father, Jesus fulfilled his appointed task by dying on the cross. The commandment Jesus gave to his disciples before he ascended up to heaven after he resurrected from the dead on the third day was a command for world mission. Fulfilling the great commission of the Lord is to carry out the great commandment of Matt. 22:37-40. This is what Jesus said to his disciples and to all the saved children of God. The word, ‘go’ which was Jesus’ command for mission means we have to cross the borders of society, ethnicity, culture, and geographical boundaries and ‘go’ in faithful obedience to Christ. World mission therefore starts with going. That is when all the tribes and nations can become discipled, baptized in the names of the Trinity, and taught to observe the laws, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The heart of the great commission is to go and make disciples of all nations. The notion of centripetal mission of the Old Testament is comparable to the notion of centrifugal mission. Israel being chosen as God’s holy people means they have been chosen to live a God-centred (centripetal) life which is to bring glory to God before all nations as a preparation to being God’s ambassador.160 Such God-centred centripetal life is for preparing a mission oriented life which is a centrifugal life. Furthermore, in order to fulfil the Lord’s great commission, 159
Julie C. Ma, Mission Possible: The Biblical Strategy for Reaching the Lost (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2005), 83. 160 Isaiah 60:1-4 symbolizes the primary appointed task of Israel, as well as, typifying the appointed task for Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
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it is important to have a harmonious relationship with God from a centripetal perspective. Afterwards, you can assume the centrifugal mission perspective and make disciples of all nations. First, one must become a disciple and continue to follow the ways of being a disciple and in this way the disciples can be made.161 The great commission of the Lord found in Matt. 28:18-20 is for the disciples of Jesus Christ who received his authority to share the life-saving gospel with all mankind in order to make them Christ’s disciples. In the process of this discipleship, it is essential to baptize the new converts in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit; and teach them to obey everything Jesus taught. The reason the Lord promised to be with his disciples until the world ends is because the Lord’s great commission cannot be fulfilled by one’s own effort, and is only possible through the Lord’s accompaniment.162 In conclusion, the Lord’s Great Commission described in Matt. 28:18-20, can be seen clearly as revealing the main subject, method, and final completion of world mission from the perspective of mission theology. It actually deals with some of the most important components of mission theology. David Bosch identified Apostle Paul as the first Christian missionary in the history of Christianity and its first missiologist.163 Furthermore, Bosch did not see the mission theology of Paul as a theory, but rather as a way of life and ministry: The theology and ministry of world mission of Paul is not of the idea that world mission evolves from theology; it is not simply a connection between ‘theology’ and ‘application’. Instead, his theology in itself is a mission theology. World mission was connected to the essence of Paul’s identity. Understanding Paul’s ministry of world mission is not based on some generic formula clinging unto an imaginary relief. ‘It is an analysis derived from his first experience that gave him 164 a brand new world view’.
The mission theology of Paul can be seen as a holistic mission theology which started out with his summons, then the appointed task to be an Apostle to Gentiles, his life as a missionary, and his ministry.165
161
Okoye, Israel and the Nations, 12. The city of Zion was the symbol of the original centripetal mission during the period of the Old Testament. An idea of going up there to worship God has changed to God-centred life as the author of this essay have described. 162 J. Ma, Mission Possible, 86-93. 163 David Jacobus Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2011), 126. 164 Ibid., 126. 165 The ministry of Paul was not just a direct mission of sharing the gospel and planting churches, he showed a comprehensive model of world missions through indirect missions from the perspective of cultural anthropology. A prime example is 1 Cor. 9:1922.
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Glasser saw the mission of Paul as the mission to Gentiles (Gal. 1:16). The method of Paul’s evangelism was a method he directly received from Jesus Christ (Acts 26:18).166 The first Gentile church, the Antioch Church, was structurally a congregational parish. It completed the role of the mobile missionary band structure, as well as supporting a missionary band.167 Furthermore, Glasser based Acts 14:21-23 as Paul’s method for world mission: spreading the gospel, discipleship, consoling and encouraging one another, and systematizating the church.168 George Martin saw Paul’s mission theology in three main ways. First was a terrible predicament of humanity, second was generic predicament, and the third was God’s perspective on a solution.169 First of all, the predicament of humanity was the fundamental problem of all men where every person is born with the original sin of being disobedient to God’s word. Because the end result of sin is death, without the gospel of Jesus Christ the individual is under the predicament of going to eternal hell. Such a predicament causes all men to be judged which is called a generic predicament.170 Therefore, Martin believed that the predicaments of all men can only be solved by God. The Book of Romans 3-6 (one is justified by faith in Jesus Christ) is considered Paul’s forthcoming theology. In other words, an individual is saved only by believing in Jesus Christ which frees him from all the predicaments of being a man. Scott A. Moreau saw the themes appearing in the Epistles of Paul as the themes of Paul’s mission theology.171 First, the mercy of God extends to every people (Rom. 1:5, 15:17-19; 2 Cor. 5:15; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9; Gal. 3:28). Second, world mission is through sharing the Gospel (Rom. 1:1, 3-4, 3:23, 10:3, 2 Cor. 5:11-12, 19, 21, 1 Thess. 1:9-10, Eph. 2:8-9, Gal. 2:21, Col. 2:812, Philemon 2:6-11, Eph. 1:20, 1 Cor. 9:22-23). Third, world mission confronts supernatural enemies (2 Cor. 4:4; 5:17; Gal. 4:3, 9; Col. 1:13, 2:10, 15-22; 1 Cor. 15:24-26; Rom. 8:15-17; Eph. 1:4-5, 2:1-3, 6:12). Fourth, God sovereignly accomplishes world mission (Rom. 8:15-16, 28-30; Gal. 4:4; 1 Tim. 1:17; Col. 1:17; 1 Cor. 1:25, 8:6, 14:33). Fifth, Christians are Christ’s ambassadors (Phil. 2:12-13; 1 Cor. 3:7; Eph. 2:8-10; Rom. 10:6-17, 12:21; 2 Cor. 5:18-21). Furthermore, the mission theology of Paul kept the perspective 166
Arthur F. Glasser, ‘Crucial Dimension in World Evangelization’, in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed., 149. 167 Ibid., 150. This can be seen as modality structure as a church and sodality structure as a missionary organization explained by Ralph D. Winter, ‘The Two Structures of God’s Redemptive Mission’, in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed., 244-53. 168 Glasser, ‘Crucial Dimension in World Evangelization’, 150. 169 George Martin, ‘Mission in Pauline Epistles’, in Terry, Smith, and Anderson, Missiology: Great War of Missiology, 134-38. 170 A representative biblical passage for the generic predicament of humanity is Rom. 3:23 and Heb. 9:27. 171 Moreau, Corwin, and McGee, Introducing World Missions, 102-105.
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of the Old and New Testaments’ mission theology for the salvation of all nations.172 This salvation is only possible through the faith in Jesus Christ. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit is world mission possible. God’s children, who are saved, are the ambassadors of Christ. After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit, they can fulfil the appointed task of world mission. David Bosch presented the following six subjects as the main themes of the mission theology: God Incarnate, the Cross, the Resurrection, the Ascension, Pentecost, and Parousia.173 On the other hand, Shenk introduced the following 6 subjects as the main themes of the mission theology: Dominion by God (Nations), Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Church, World, and End of the World.174 In conclusion, the mission theology revealed through the Epistles of Apostle Paul can be seen as inclusive of the necessary themes deciphered by the previous two theologians: God Incarnate, Jesus, Cross, Resurrection, Pentecost, Ascension, Church, End of the Earth, and Parousia. Modern Mission Theology Modern mission theology can be divided into two major points of view: first, the evangelical point of view, and second, the ecumenical point of view.175 Although ‘ecumenical’ can be translated the same as ‘united’, the word is used to differentiate it from evangelical mission theology, so ‘ecumenical’ is commonly used. The study of modern mission theology requires a knowledge of evangelical history and its definition, and then the missiology of evangelicals. Gerald McDermott noticed that the word, ‘evangelical’ came from the Greek word ‘euangelion’ (εὐαγγέλιον, good news).176 He also said the origin of evangelicalism is in the Protestant Reformation:177 After the sixteenth century, the word, ‘evangelical’ began to have a unique meaning of its own from the Protestant Reformation. Evangelicals were believers who wanted corrupt Western Protestant churches to reform, after the Middle Ages, to being Christ centred and Bible based churches. For this reason, the word, ‘evangelicals’ were often used along the same line as that of ‘Protestants’.
McDemott saw the history of evangelicals as the Religious Reformation. After the Reformation, the movement continued with the ‘Pietists’ in Germany: 172
‘All nations’ is represented by the Book of Revelation 7:9 which is a notion of countries, ethnics, nationalities, citizens, and language. It is the same concept as all tribes, all people, and the whole world expressed in the four Gospels. The word means all people living on this earth. 173 Moreau, Corwin, and McGee, Introducing World Missions, 127-28. 174 Ibid., 128. 175 Ibid., 102-105, Seungoh Ahn and Bohkyung Park, Survey of Modern Missiology (Seoul: Korean Christian Press, 2008), 284-85. 176 Gerald R. McDermott (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Evangelical Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 20. 177 Ibid., 21.
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Philip J. Spener (1635-1705), August H. Franke (1663-1723), and Ludwig N. Zinzendorf (1700-1760) who started the Moravian community.178 The missiology of evangelicalism has a close relationship with the faith of evangelicals. In 1531, Thomas More (1478-1535), who defended the Roman Catholic faith in England, first used the term, ‘Evangelicals’ to refer to those who favoured a religious reformation. This was the beginning of using the words, ‘Evangelicals’ and ‘Evangelicalism’.179 Evangelicalism emphasized the individual experience of salvation and the importance of spirituality which was in contrast to the formal religious life of the Roman Catholic Church. It refers to a movement and theology which returns to a biblical Christian life. From a modern mission movement’s point of view, the word, ‘Evangelicals’ originated from Evangelical Alliance which was established in 1846 in England.180 The Evangelicals’ mission theology started as an opposition to ecumenical mission theology. The World Missionary Conference which started in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1910, settled the past mission history as well as being a starting point for the new mission history. The Edinburgh mission conference gave birth to three movements which are similar in nature to the ecumenical movement: International Missionary Council, Life and Work, Faith and Order.181 The reason for creating such organizations was to do mission more efficiently. The organizers of the conference also demanded a comprehensive agreement by the churches. The main reason for how evangelical mission theology came to the forefront has a direct correlation with the formation of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism at New Delhi, India in 1961 when IMC and WCC (World Church Committee) joined forces.182 At the time, evangelical organizations of IMC were excluded from joining. Evangelicals were challenged by this move and made their stance clear that they did not accept the ideas of ecumenicalism which sparked the evangelical movement.
178
Ibid., 24-25. Thomas More was a devout Roman Catholic. He opposed Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church in England, and was beheaded in 1535. In the previous year, Henry VIII started the Anglican Church. 180 Evangelical Alliance (EA) began in England in 1846, which later evolved into World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) in 1951, embracing 600 million evangelical Christians in 128 nations. McDermott, The Oxford Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 28-30. 181 Eunsoo Kim , Flow and Subject of Modern Missions (Seoul: Korean Christian Press, 2001), 27-31. 182 After the Edinburgh World Mission Conference in 1910, a united movement for world missions began through the organization of International Missionary Council (IMC) in 1921, Faith and Order in 1927, and Life and Work in 1925. Afterwards in 1948, the WCC was formed when Faith and Order and Life and Work joined together. In 1961 at New Delhi meeting, India, the IMC joined the WCC to form the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME), thus establishing the ecumenical movement. 179
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To amass their power, evangelicals had their first meeting at Wheaton College in Illinois. At the meeting, church planting and direct evangelism with the gospel were emphasized as the priorities of mission, thus pointing out the errors of WCC and the ecumenical world mission movement that is based on Missio Dei (God’s mission) from a theological point of view. Karl Hartenstein, a bishop of Stuttgart in Germany, purported that this idea of world mission has a comprehensive goal of participating in the mission of God who sent his Son by placing Christ’s authority over all creatures who are saved.183 As this type of mission movement expressed human self-will under the guise of theology, it lost the conviction of evangelism, as well as replacing evangelism with the concerns for a better society. The common principles and convictions of Evangelicalism are divided into 6 different parts. First, it acknowledges the Bible as the most important authority as it is based on being the original source for the knowledge of God and Christian life. Second, it believes in the majesty and the glory of Jesus Christ who is an incarnate God and Saviour who saved sinners from their sins. Third, it believes in the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit who works both in heaven and on earth. Fourth, it acknowledges the importance of individual conversions led by the Holy Spirit. Fifth, it acknowledges gospel evangelism as the priority in the entire life of an individual Christian and the church. Sixth, it acknowledges the importance of the Christian community for spiritual growth and fellowship. A.F. Glasser, therefore, claimed that the identity of evangelicalism was established in 1974 at the Lausanne Conference in Switzerland.184 The character of missiology for today’s evangelicals can be summarized in seven ways. First is its closeness to the Bible in relations to the standard of life. Second is the emphasis on the salvation work of Christ. Third is the individual determination of faith (conversion). Fourth is its emphasis on building churches and evangelism instead of participating in societal work and dialoguing with other religions in regards to world mission. Fifth is recognizing itself as being separated from the missiology of ecumenicalism. Sixth is a strong attachment to world mission and zeal toward evangelizing ‘Unreached People Groups’. Seventh is for mission, a spiritual unity among Christians, and emphasis on 183
Hartenstein, ‘Theologische Besinnung’, in Walter Freytag (ed.), Mission Zwishen Gestern und Morgen (Stuttgart: Evang. Missionsverlag, 1952), 54; Seungoh Ahn, Eight Core Subjects of Modern Missions (Seoul: Christian Mission Publication, 2006), 20-21; Kiyoung Hong, Introduction to Mission Theology (Seoul, Korean Christian Press, 2001), 269-73. 184 E. Kim, Flow and Subject of Modern Missions, 275-76. Today’s Protestant mission is largely divided between the ecumenical camp, represented by WCC’s CWME, and the evangelical camp, represented by the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelism (LCWE), formed in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1974. The Lausanne Covenant can be seen as the basis of evangelical mission theology. See Winter & Hawthorne, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed., 764-68.
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prayer for the advent of God’s kingdom. These seven characteristics are the distinguishing characteristics of the missiology of evangelicalism. Such evangelicalism is based on missiology which focuses on the expansion and the advent of God’s kingdom on earth through evangelism and mission. The study of the mission theology of ecumenical believers also requires the definition of ecumenicalism and its history. The word, ‘ecumenical’ comes from Greek word oikoumenikos, and is interpreted as ‘unity of the church’. The background for a mission movement of church unity in regards to modern mission originally started with William Carey. Because the tendency of world mission was centred on missionary organizations, there was an increase in the wasteful spending and double investment by various denominations and missionary organizations in the mission fields, therefore, it was necessary to cooperate within the ecumenical context. Edinburgh Missionary Conference which took place in June 1910 in Edinburgh was the birth-place for the modern ecumenical movement. The three large modern day ecumenical movements, International Missionary Council (IMC), Life and Work, and Faith and Order were all incubated during the conference in Edinburgh. The outlook on missiology by the ecumenical camp is a much wider gospel. To be more specific, it is not just saving individual souls but respecting all humanity. It therefore incorporates opinions of ‘humanization’ and Missio Dei. Ecumenicalism has a character of liberal theology and does not limit the duty of mission to saving souls, but liberating people from the antimonies of society, politics, and structure.185 The ideology of ‘God’s Mission’ is especially rooted in the missiology of ecumenicalism. The phrase, Missio Dei was first used by Karl Hartenstein, Bishop of Stuttgart, in his report, Theologische Besinnung, of Mission Zwishen Gerstern und Morgen by Walter Freytag at the Billings Conference.186 Hartenstein defined God’s mission as, ‘Mission is not simply a conversion of an individual or absolute obedience to God’s word. It is also not just a duty toward one’s assembly of the community. Doing world mission means participating in God’s mission (Missio Dei) with a wider purpose of establishing Christ’s authority upon all creations’. However, Hartenstein passed away only a few months after making this statement, and was not able to explain his position more clearly. Furthermore, his opinion on the meaning of the word, Missio Dei in Latin began to unravel. George F. Vicedom, who is famous for disseminating the biblical theological notion of Missio Dei, interpreted Hartenstein’s idea of Misso Dei as a retrospective to saving souls. He elevated the importance of the church by explaining that ‘Mission is an 185
S. Ahn, Eight Core Principles, 74-100. Hartenstein, Theologische Besinnung, 55; S. Ahn, Eight Core Principles, 20-21. 186 Ibid., 22-24; Moreau, et al., Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, 446-47. Hoekendijk was born in Indonesia as a missionary child. His missiological point of view became the core of ecumenical missiology. 186
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elevated work of God that is between Christ’s ascension and his return. Therefore, the church has the assignment in the midst of public assembly to declare the perfect Christ and notify his Kingdom in a way that is continuing the work of salvation until his return’. Such a notion of Missio Dei was introduced into the centre of missiology by the WCC by J.C. Hoekendijk (1912-1975), a Dutch theologian. He emphasized the eschatological point of view at length by saying that God is fighting the world in order to build his kingdom, therefore, the church serves as the basis for apostolic mission. In the midst of this apostolic mission, the church becomes oriented towards mission. As a living hand of God for the world, the church needs to become a tool for mission, and work to save the world. Therefore, Hoekendijk concluded that the church should become structured like that of God, the world, and the church. Furthermore, the purpose of mission is to establish shalom on the earth, and this shalom is not only for individual salvation, but also for peace, community, justice, salvation, forgiveness, and happiness.187 Through this type of perspective on mission, the church’s involvement in society was seen through the eyes of mission and the emphasis on Christian’s conscientiousness for a societal responsibility became strengthened. Through such a missiological point of view, liberal theology, revolutionary theology, and other extreme involvements in society became relevant. Because evangelicalism understands service, education, mission, and fellowship as important duties of the church, evangelicals see mission as one of the primary duties of the church. However, the missiological point of view of the ecumenical camp considers all activities of the church as mission. The ecumenical camp sees mission from the perspective of the world and focuses on saving society rather than saving individuals. Therefore, ‘humanization’ is in high regard as the definition and the purpose for mission.188 The ecumenical camp sees Luke 4:18-19 as the basis for their mission theology. Such a point of view on mission by the ecumenical camp clearly contradicts the perspective for mission by the evangelical camp. Mission Theology of GKC GKC is affiliated to the Presbyterian denominations of Jesus Presbyterian Joint (‘Haptong’) which adheres to the evangelical mission theology of Reformed Theology. Therefore, GKC adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1648, which follows the Reformed Theology of John Calvin, who was a pioneer in the Reformation movement along with Martin Luther. GKC believes in the mission theology of sharing the gospel to all tribes and all nations of the
187 188
86.
S. Ahn, Eight Core Principles, 30-31. Dongjoo Lee, Modern Missiology (Seoul: Christian Mission Publication, 1998), 184-
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earth, and discipling them based on the Westminster Confession of Faith.189 Furthermore, GKC follows the mission theology of WEA with nine representative theological values:190 1) Bible’s full inspiration of the Holy Spirit and his authority 2) Individual’s right and freedom to hold opinions and interpret the Bible 3) Unity and separate existence of God in the Trinity 4) Complete corruption of man’s nature because of the fall 5) Incarnate Son of God, his atonement for the sins of humanity, and his intercessory rule 6) Sinners declared righteous only by faith 7) Sinners’ repentance and the works of the Holy Spirit during sanctification 8) Immortality of the soul, resurrection of body, everlasting joy of the righteous and eternal condemnation for sinners which is followed by the judgment of the world by Jesus Christ 9) Spiritual appointment for the task of Christianity, the ceremony of baptism, and the duty and spiritual quality of communion GKC has also accepted the Lausanne Covenant from the perspective of the evangelical mission theology that was adopted at the World Evangelical Mission Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1974.191 Therefore, the mission theology of GKC can be seen as accepting evangelical mission theology from the biblical missiologies and modern mission theologies to fulfil the great commission of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20), until the ends of the earth, after receiving the power from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).
189 Westminster Confession of Faith was made in 1643 by the theologians who gathered to work at the great Westminster Abbey in England. It was composed in order to be used as a common confession of faith by the Presbyterian parishioners of Scotland, England, and Ireland. Korean Presbyterians have formally accepted it with the utmost respect and humility. 190 McDermott, The Oxford Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 29. 191 Winter & Hawthorne, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed., 76268.
Chapter 3 Mission of Grace Korean Church
The practical world mission of GKC can be appreciated after studying the motivation and purpose of world mission and the specific conditions of world mission based on each continent, and the conditions of each mission division. Furthermore, the data for the mission of GKC, a summary of Christian history, a mission strategy towards natives with their main religions, and the mission strategy of GKC complete the survey. World Mission of GKC GKC was established in 1982 as a mission centred and mission oriented church. Kwangshin Kim, the founder, decided to spend 50% of the church’s total income for world mission since the church’s inception. His own conversion relates to his specific motivation behind world mission. Kim’s Conversion Experience Rev. Kim was born on January 2, 1935, in the city of Busan, South Korea. He was born into the fourth generation of a Christian family and received an infant baptism. However, he grew up without any clear conviction of faith. When he was fifteen years old, the Korean War broke out in 1950. He witnessed the atrocity of war and thought deeply about life and death while twice volunteering to serve in the Korean military.1 He became fascinated with philosophy as a college student that became a major catalyst for him in meeting God who is the solver of all fundamental problems of men. After graduating from Seoul University with English major, he became a teacher at an all girls’ high school and worked there for eleven years. In 1969, he emigrated to Argentina, then to the United States of America in 1970. He experienced prosperity and success as an immigrant in America. And then on August 20, 1977, Kim had his first encounter with God. He experienced the Holy Spirit while praying earnestly. This happened as a result of his best college friend, who later married his sister, sharing the gospel with
1 During the Korean War (1950-1953), he volunteered to join the military as a high school student. A few years later, he was able to be enlisted as a regular soldier. Afterwards, he went onto graduate from Busan Jr. High School and Masan High School.
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him.2 Afterwards, as Kim was praying for his son with an incurable disease, he decided to dedicate his life to being a pastor. In 1979, he enrolled at Talbot Seminary, Biola University.3 On May 9th, 1982, Kim rented an American church building in Fullerton, California to start a brand new church with three families.4 After his conversion on August 20, 1977, he was shocked while reading Luke 19:41 where Jesus Christ was weeping as he overlooked the city of Jerusalem. Jesus crying meant God was crying. He wondered why God was not able to save the lost souls. After praying on this issue, he realized through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that God wants to reward his children who are already saved and that he wants to use them to share the gospel with the lost. Sensing the heart of God became the starting point for him in actively doing mission.5 The following sermon is given in full in Appendix 1: The reason GKC does mission is because of the following four reasons. Of course there can be many other reasons, however, these four are the main reasons. First, world mission is most dear to God’s heart. Second, world mission is the ultimate purpose for the existence of the church which is Christ’s body on earth. This is why Christians have to do world mission. All the activities of our church can be separated into three different categories. The first is ‘Upward Activity’, which is an activity towards God. Second is ‘Inward Activity’, which is an activity with other saints. Third is an ‘Outward Activity’, which is for the lost souls. If God established the church in heaven instead of on this earth, activities toward God and saints would not be necessary, right? No, it actually would have been even more necessary. However, if the church is in heaven instead of the earth, ‘Outward Activity’, which is church’s activity towards the world would have been impossible. When I realized this fact, my thoughts settled. There are two big reasons Jesus Christ came to the earth in the flesh. The first was to carry the sins of all sinners who are perishing by the way of the cross; this was done to receive the punishment on our behalf. The second was for us to understand the heart of God which we could never understand on our own. If the first reason is from the perspective of salvation, the second is from the perspective of revelation. The only way that humans can see God is through seeing Jesus Christ. Does not the Bible support this point of view? When the Lord Jesus Christ was on the earth, he knew quite well that he had to die on the cross and be resurrected from the dead. If so, what can the future 2
Manyoung Ham, Kim’s best friend and a brother-in-law, shared the gospel with him, with God’s healing of his throat cancer. He later became a minister. Kim became a born-again Christian. See Seunghwan Baik, The Trace of Jesus (Seoul: Yaechan Publisher, 2009), 101-109. 3 Ibid., 116-27. 4 Ibid., 133-39. H. Park, Gara Ganda, 22-24. Kim was ordained at California Pomona Korean Church by Christian United Mission. 5 Fellowship with God in worship and prayer, and discipleship through Bible study have become the framework for church ministry and mission.
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generations see after Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension to realize about God’s heart? This is why Jesus wanted to establish his church on the earth. This does not mean we neglect worshipping God, discipling others, and fellowshipping with other saints. In fact, the first priority for the church is to worship God, the second is discipleship and fellowshipping with other saints, but the ultimate purpose for the church is to evangelize and do world mission. In other words, church can receive God’s grace from heaven if it succeeds in worship. Through the grace received, we who cannot love one another can love one another. God established his throne upon that love and reigns over us through the church. It is God through us, that evangelism and mission are to be carried out. This is how the church bears the fruits of evangelism and world mission. Therefore, a true church must have the true form of Jesus Christ who was on the earth. What is the primary impression our Lord showed his disciples? Is it not that Jesus suffered and died on the cross to save the lost souls? Thus, a true church needs to look like Jesus Christ who suffered on the cross to save the lost souls. This is why church needs to do mission not because it has the left over money to do so. After realizing this truth, I supported the mission ever since starting our church. Third, we do mission because it is the way that we store up our rewards in heaven. Apostle Paul confessed the following in 2 Cor. 5:9-10, ‘So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad’. Furthermore, he said in 1 Cor. 9:24, ‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize’. Fourth, we have to do mission because it is the way to become patriots in loving our countrymen. God wants to use Koreans as the leaders for the mission. This is why God scattered our countrymen all over the world, and had them raise up churches in various different parts of the world. Thing that I want the most is to see every person of my own nation get saved and go to heaven, however, even if this doesn’t happen, because of God’s mysterious way, our country has an opportunity to become a number one nation as well as our countrymen, so why should we lose out on such opportunity? Nevertheless, God never forces us to do mission if we do not want to do it. God can always use a different country and its people to do mission. This is why I wept and cried out to God in prayer, ‘Lord! Even if other churches do not understand your heart and don’t do the mission, as for me, I will do my best! Please do not move the lamp stand of world mission away from our country’. At that moment, I rededicated myself to the mission and have been working hard with everything I have until now.
This type of enthusiasm for world mission is comparable to Emil Heinich Brunner, a systematic theologian and missiologist from Switzerland, ‘Just like the flame which exists to burn, the church exists for world mission’.6 Likewise Kim followed Isa. 62:7 when he planted a church ‘and give him no rest till he
6
http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=915.
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establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth’. Despite so many trials and hardships, he never ceased to do his best for mission.7 GKC’s Goal for World Mission At the time of the church’s inception, Kim made the following pronouncement:8 The church is like the life of Jesus Christ. The reason Jesus came to earth in flesh was to help people understand God when they were not able to understand God. Since Jesus has resurrected and ascended, who can people see to understand God’s heart? It is through establishing a church where people can see the heart of the Lord. In other words, a true church clearly demonstrates the life of Jesus Christ. If so, what is the life of Jesus? It is suffering on the cross for the lost souls. In that sense, a true church should reflect the suffering of the cross for world mission.
He saw the purpose for the existence of church, as service to God, which is an ‘upward activity’, and activities between saints, as an ‘inward activity’, which includes education, fellowship, and ‘outward activity’, toward the world to find lost souls through evangelism and world mission. He saw world mission as a comprehensive ministry for the purpose of the church’s existence which is to save lost souls and disciple them. Furthermore, he saw the purpose of world mission as fulfilling God’s will which is revealed in the Bible. Apostle Paul clearly pointed out God’s will in 1 Tim. 2:4, ‘who wants all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth’. Therefore, the goal of world mission ministry is to fulfil Rev. 7:9-12: After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’. All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: ‘Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!’
7 Until his retirement in September 2004, Kim planned and led the mission ministry of the church. He underwent intestine cancer treatment and a kidney transplant. Then he moved to South Korea to established Seoul Grace Church in January 2005, which he served until January 2010. 8 H. Park, Gara Ganda, 23.
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Process of World Mission In order to understand world mission ministry of GKC, one must understand Kim’s perspective on church ministry and the mission. He considered himself as the labourer who entered the vineyard in the later part of the afternoon to work, thus he decided to dedicate himself entirely for the glory of God. For this reason, he made a mission’ oriented church ministry with a motto of ‘Mission is Prayer’, ‘Mission is War’, and ‘Mission is Martyrdom’. Kim’s world mission oriented church ministry was possible because of his perspective on the church ministry and its philosophy. His five main perspectives of church ministry are his views on the church members, lay pastors, world mission, church, and church growth.9 First, his view on church ministry had a goal of making the church members receive rewards in heaven. He based this on Dan. 12:3, ‘Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever;’ and 2 Cor. 5:10, ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad’. Second, his view on lay pastors was for them to become the best and the most successful lay pastors. For this to happen, one has to be a role model as the Lord’s servant by having a sound disposition and a self-sacrificing life, and give glory to God. The goal is to lead many church members to a life of sainthood and become the servant of God to please the Lord. Third, his perspective on world mission was to believe that God does the ministry of world mission through his people. The goal is to have all church members participate in world mission and fulfil their duty as priests and kings. Fourth, his perspective on church ministry was to make the church emulate the life of Jesus. Jesus healed the sick during his ministry, ministered to save the lost souls, and received all the sufferings on the cross in order to open the way for salvation. Therefore, he set up a goal to make a church that carries out the holistic ministry with the heart that carries the cross. Fifth and last, he had a perspective that world mission is the catalyst for church growth. He preached that when the Antioch Church designated Paul and Barnabas as missionaries and sent them out (Acts 13), by supporting mission, the church grew even stronger. As Matt. 6:33 says, ‘But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’, the church experiences amazing growth and God’s blessings as it does world mission instead of waiting for the church to grow before it starts doing it.10 9
Ibid., 25-29. GKC grew to 636 adult members in two years (by November, 1984), with an average weekly giving of $27,980. In the next five years (January, 1987), the church grew with the Sunday attendance of 1,265 and $31,069 weekly giving. Taichoul Yang (ed.), Grace Korean Church: To the Ends of the Earth after Receiving the Power of the Holy Spirit (Seoul: Doosan Dongah Printing, 2012), 56-57. 10
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Since the inception of the church, Kim decided to give 50% of the church’s total income for world mission. He emphasized that church members should live a life that is world mission oriented. He told the following anecdote:11 After the inception service at the church in front of three families, I said the following, ‘Now that we had our first formal service, there will be offerings coming in every week, whether or not the income is large or small, we are going to use 50% of it for mission. While everyone was in somewhat of a dubious mood, I said the following, ‘As we were about to start our church, the Lord has led me to a missionary who wants to serve in Guam, if it is possible, let us make him our first missionary and support him $1,200 a month’. A deacon, after hearing my proposal, was quite upset and made the following comment, ‘Pastor, you just started your first church, you are saying that out of inexperience. The church expense for world mission is not done the way you just said. We have to first look at the amount that comes in before setting an amount for the mission. Furthermore, we have to look at itemized list of expenses by the missionary before setting an amount of support for him. You don’t just set a certain amount for support, or else, we are going to have a lot of problems in the future’. This deacon who was a treasurer at another church before joining ours was giving me a firm advice with so much self-assurance. However, my thoughts were different than his. ‘Deacon Suh, there are hundreds of Korean American churches in the Los Angeles area. I want our church, which just finished our inception service to be different than all the rest of them. For that to happen, how our church spends its money has to be first different. When I say our church will give 50% of our total income and give $1,200 a month to support a missionary, I am not thinking about how much our church members earn and are able to give. I am thinking about the unlimited amount God has in his purse. God gives fully to those who pray and ask for their needs. As I start my first church ministry, I wish to have a firm faith in God who works that way. I believe that God will meet the amount that we set for the missionary and the rest of the needs for our church’. This is how our church started giving 50% of our total income to mission (in more instances than not, GKC gave 60% to 70% annually).
This is how GKC took its first step toward being a mission oriented church. It took on the seven perspectives on mission by Kim as the church’s foundation of doing world mission:12 First, he started with a perspective, ‘we are not helping missionaries, but missionaries are helping us’. Since missionaries are risking their lives in the mission fields, we are the ones who owe them a debt of gratitude. Therefore, the church should encourage, support, and serve missionaries. This is how the soil for the mission was naturally fertilized for the church to become mission oriented. Second, he had a perspective that ‘in the mission field, the missionary is first in command 11 12
S. Baik, The Trace of Jesus, 139-43. H. Park, Gara Ganda, 30-36.
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and the commissioning church is second in command’. This was as if the missionary was the field commander while the church that sent out the missionary was in the rear as a supporting command post. He wholeheartedly trusted missionaries and gave them the full authority to do mission. Third, he had a view that ‘the commissioning church should be fully responsible for the mission’s funds’. He made certain that once the missionary gets sent out the church would take care of him until the end. Fourth, he had a view that ‘we do not require regular reports from the missionaries’. He embraced the missionaries fully with his trust and gave them the opportunity to be focused only on their mission without having to look behind their backs to see how the church felt about what they were doing in the mission fields. Fifth, he had a view that ‘the supporting church will do its best to support the mission fields’. GKC became a mission oriented church through accepting the policy of giving its priority to the mission fields and the missionary who is serving in the mission field. Sixth, he had a view that ‘the supporting church and the shortterm mission teams exist to help missionaries to do their ministries’. This is how missionary centred short-term mission were established. Seventh, he had a view that ‘real estate purchased in the mission field will be turned over to the local church at no cost twenty years after the missionary had been there’. Through this mission policy of natives’ future autonomy, he laid the foundation for national believers and church leaders to eventually have their own selfreliance, self-government, and self-appointment. The progress of mission by GKC began with the church’s inception in May 1982. The meeting became fervent through the Bible study which continued with the praise and worship service. Tres Diás which began in 1986 at GKC allowed the church members to experience the love of God of mission. This led the church to give 50% of its total offerings to support mission. Thus, starting in 1986, GKC started sending out its own missionaries. The mission to the former Soviet Union began in 1990. Through the mission choir, the doors started to open. Afterwards, GKC’s mission in the former Soviet Union was in full swing. A major conference at Moscow in 1994 worked as a catalyst for the fire of world mission to burn brightly throughout the former Soviet Union. Kim knew well the importance of education in Christian mission. He therefore established Grace Seminary in Moscow in March 1992. The national workers of the former Soviet Union, who became Christians after hearing the gospel from GKC missionaries, devoted themselves to a community life. They were equipped to become the Lord’s servants through the seminary education and other spiritual training. Through them, many churches were planted throughout the former Soviet Union.13 This kind of training at the Moscow
13 Moscow Seminary which began in March 1992 was formally recognized by the Russian government as a theological college and seminary in 2003. In 2011, it received a permanent recognition of approval. Since 2013, the seminary graduated 2,250.
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Seminary was assimilated into the seminaries in other continents of the world. Currently, there are twelve seminaries (eleven schools of theology and one missionary training centre) that are training future ministers of God.14 In October 1994, Gymnasia Christian Junior and High School was established in St. Petersburg, Russia, and another one in Kiev, Ukraine in November 1996. The schools served as the foundation for higher education and a better society.15 Kim also started a non-denominational missionary training centre in South Korea in 2007 where he has been training and sending out missionaries. In Korea, there are 35% Protestants, 21.2% Roman Catholics, 1.7% Orthodox Christians, 0.7% Anglicans, and 17.5% others. Kim since 2011 has been ministering to the North Korean defectors in South Korea through Tres Diás ministry.16 The world mission of GKC is ever growing through the cooperative efforts Kim and his successor, Han. To augment the strong mission focus of the church, Han has added mission to the unreached people groups (UPGs) and the Jews who are living in Israel. GKC’s Mission by Continent In 2001, GKC bought a large corporate property. Han became second senior pastor of GKC in September 2004, and he is working alongside Kim who is now the chairman of Grace Ministries International (GMI). As of October 2013, the church records 4,500 in Sunday attendance. Han also undertook a large construction project of a new sanctuary. GKC has a mid-term goal of wanting to send 1,000 missionaries by 2020 with the motto, ‘Vision 2020’. In order to accomplish this goal by increasing the church membership to 10,000 and discipling them, Pastor Han, assistant and associate pastors, church leaders, and the church members are working hard as a team. Through the graduates, 1,800 churches were planted, and today, around 1,000 churches are still in operation. 14 Among the 58 countries where the GKC missionaries serve, there are eleven training institutions: United States of America (1), Korea (1), China (3), Taiwan (1), Russia (1), Ukraine (1), Kenya (1), Argentina (1), and Peru (1). 15 Grace Gymnase (Christian junior and high school) began in 1994, and the class graduated in 1998. The total number of graduates to date is 214, who have all entered finest universities in the former Soviet Union. Currently, there are 113 students with grades 1-11. The other Gymnase School is in Kiev, Ukraine (which began in 1996). By 2012, 94 graduated. 16 Kim has the vision to minister to North Korea through evangelization and discipleship among 25,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea. Through the Tres Dias ministry, Kim is helping them to experience the love of God and God of world mission. Since 2011, Tres Dias for the North Korean defectors have been conducted twice annually at the Missionary Training Centre in South Korea.
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The major geographical areas and continents that are included in the mission fields of Grace Korean church are the former Soviet Union, Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, Central and South America, and the former Portuguese colonies. The following chart represents concise missionary conditions of different geographical areas where GMI/GKC mission are being conducted as of November, 2013: Description of the Mission Field Number of Countries Number of Missionaries
Former Soviet Union
Asia
Europe
Africa
North America
Latin/ Portugu ese
Total
8
17
9
9
2
13
58
41
112
22
24
24
33
256
Former Soviet Union As for the condition of mission by GKC in the former Soviet Union, the general condition of the former Soviet Union will be studied first, then the present condition of mission by GKC. In 1990, the former Soviet Union selfdestructed because of President Gorbachev’s reformation (Pestroika) and the open policy (Glasnost) which divided the nation into 15 Republics: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan. On January 1, 1990, the president of the former Soviet Union at the time, Yeltsin, declared all of them republics, or Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) except Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.17 The former U.S.S.R. was the largest country in the world, about 1/6 of the entire land mass on earth. Until 1991, Soviet Union bordered Afghanistan, China, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Finland, Hungary, Iran, Mongol, North Korea, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Turkey. After the WWII, the countries that became the satellite countries of the Soviet Union were Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Albania, and Yugoslavia. The government of the former Soviet Union may formally recognize the country as an atheistic nation, but one-third of the entire population of the former Soviet Union is religious. A majority of the religious population are Christians (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestants, and Anglicans), Muslims (Sunnis are the majority, Azerbaijanis are Shiites), and the religious minorities are the Jews, Buddhists, and Shamanists. The Russian Orthodox is the majority of Christians in the former Soviet Union then follows the Protestant Baptists, 17
After Turkmenistan joined the CIS in 1991, it withdrew its membership in 2005 and became an associate member. As for Georgia who joined the CIS in 1993, it also withdrew its membership in 2008 and is currently attending CIS as an associate member.
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Lutherans, Pentecostals, etc. The formal mission by the Protestants in the former Soviet Union began in 1990 with its open door policy and currently, there are about 2% Protestants.18 The Russian Orthodox Church is mainly found in Eastern Europe and Western Asia (Siberia, Central Asia), Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Moldova, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Macedonia, and 19 Cyprus. The Russian Orthodox Church began in 988 A.D. when King Vladimir I from Kiev received baptism from the visiting priests of the Eastern Roman Orthodox Church. The Slavonic language which they use was found by St. Cyril and St. Methodius who were sent to Moravia in 864 as Byzantine priests. The two brothers converted Slavonic words into the Cyrillic written 20 language which is more semantic and permanent. When the former Soviet Union as a communist nation self-destructed in 1990, and the open door policy began, GKC sent a 24-member choir (made up of college and high school students). This is how world mission ministry to the former Soviet Union began in July 1990. An evangelist crusade was held in Sakhalin, Khabarovsk, Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Almata (Kazakhstan), and Moscow. Over 10,000 people accepted Christ and five new churches were planted as ‘Grace Church’. Especially in 1993 and 1994, there were major conferences (St. Petersburg and Moscow) with 11,000 attendees (1,000 were team members) which caused the mission to expand. By November, 41 missionaries (including national and partner missionaries) are serving in eight countries in the former Soviet Union and in 24 different geographical locations in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. There are 30 missionaries serving in 16 different regions in Russia (24 of them have been commissioned by GKC, six are partner missionaries, and two are Russians). They are: in St. Petersburg, Kyungho Cho and his wife; in Nalchik, Sungkil Choo and his wife; in Rostov, Sungmok Choi and his wife; in Volgograd, Ikhyun Cho and his wife; in Novosibirsk, Kyungsoon Kim; in Omsk, Sangsoon Park; in Chelyabinsk, Kyungja Choo and Bongyun Kim; in Irkutsk, Sungwoo Han and his wife; in Khabarovsk, Sohnam Chung and his 18
Jason Mandryk, ed., Operation World 7thed. (Colorado Springs, CO: Biblica Publishing, 2010), 706. According to this book, the population of Russia in 2010 was 140,366,561. Among them Christians were 66.9% (64% Russian Orthodox, 2% Protestants, 0.6% Roman Catholics, 0.01% Anglicans), 19.2% Non-religious, 12.5% Muslims, 0.7% Buddhists, and 0.4% Shamanists, 0.2% Jews. 19 Charles Farhadian (ed.), Introducing World Christianity (Chichester: Blackwell Publishing, 2012), 80-81. According to this book, there are 76 million Russians who are Christian Orthodox while 2.8 million Ukrainians, 19 million Romanians, 7 million Serbians, 6 million Bulgarians, 9 million Greeks, and 2.5 million Georgians who are all Christian Orthodox. 20 Stephen Neill, A History of Christian Missions, 2nd ed. (London: Penguin Books, 1986), 75-76.
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wife; in Vladivostok, Keumsoon Suh; in Vlabovashensk, Sungshik Eun and his wife; in Sahalin, Byungki Chun; and in Republic of Altai, Jungjin Choi. Two native Russian missionaries are in Volgograd. As partner missionaries, Kiyul Lee and his wife are serving in Novosibirsk; Insik Kim and his wife are serving in Romanovsk; and Youngwon Kim and his wife in Harol. They consist of 16 families and 2 unmarried female missionaries. They are ministering at churches, seminaries, Bible schools, Christian schools (elementary, junior high school, and high school), technical/professional school, orphan ministry, addiction recovery ministry, and other charitable works. Outside Russia, there are 11 missionaries (9 commissioned, one partner, and one native) in seven different nations: Belarus, Ukraine, Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan), Afghanistan, and Moldova. Kyoyuk Kim and his wife, Dukjoon Choi and his wife, and partner missionary Younghwan 21 Kim are serving in Ukraine; and Changhyun Park in Moldova. For security reasons, details the missionaries serving in Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) and Afghanistan is not released. MOSCOW GRACE SEMINARY
The mission work of discipleship and planting churches in the former Soviet Union increased daily through the Grace Seminary in Moscow, which was established in March 1992. It became the first Protestant Christian seminary to be officially recognized and registered by the Russian government in March 2003 as a five-year theological college and graduate seminary. From 1992 to 2010, there have been enrollments of 2,483 students with 2,252 graduates of 23 classes. Numerous churches were planted by these graduates. Among the different regions of the former Soviet Union, the following is a list of the areas that produced the most graduates to the least. Belarus (506), Karaganda, Kazakhstan (412), Ukraine (241), Moscow, Russia (104), Tashkent, Uzbekistan (104), Volgograd, Russia (96), Almaty, Kazakhstan (93), Dushanbe, Tajikistan (88), St. Petersburg, Russia (84), Nalchik, Russia (71), Bulgaria (65), Sakhalin (59), students from USA, Korea, China, and Mongolia (52), Khabarovsk, Russia (42), Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (41), Altai, Tuva, and Kemerovo; Russia (35), Yekaterinburg, Russia (23), Chita, Novokuznetsk; Russia (23), Yakutat, Russia (14), Omsk, Russia (11), Telugu, Russia (11), Kaluga, Russia (8), Rostov, Russia (8), Chelyabinsk, Russia (7), Vologda, Belimo (6), Novosibirsk, Russia (6), Ussuriysk, Russia (6), Riga Latvia, Russia (6), Turinsk, Cheluketsk; Russia (5), Yibonov, Tula; Russia (5), Vladivosk, Russia (4), Kamchatka, Russia (4), Ulyanovsk, Russia (4), Moldova (3), and Blagoveshchensk, Russia (1). 21
Studies on the work of GKC missionaries in the former Soviet Union are: T. Yang, To the Ends of the Earth with the Gospel; H. Park, Gara Ganda; To Go to a Place of Calling (Seoul: GMI Training Center, 2008); Euikyung Yoo, Gospel to the Ends of the Earth (Seoul: Korea, GMI, 2006).
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The above graduates are from fifteen different nations: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Mongol, China, Germany, Korea, and the United States of America. GRACE JUNIOR AND HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE GIFTED, ST. PETERSBURG
In October 1994, GKC established Grace Gymnasia Junior and High School in St. Petersburg in Russia. The purpose for establishing the school was to share the gospel in all different levels of society in Russia as salt and light in transforming the entire society by creating Christian communities and training Christian leaders. The purpose of the education is a complete elite education in leadership to become disciples of Jesus Christ. Students live at the school dormitories, and receive a regular education as well as Christian education. Kyungho Cho and his wife (Mungsook), who have supervised Gymnasia School (Grace Christian Jr. and High School for the Gifted) since August 1997, summarize the school’s education process for students’ growth: The school began as a dormitory school for just boys, grades 8 through 11 on October 4, 1994. Because it is not common for students to transfer to another school in Russia where they study 1 through 11 grades, we needed the elementary school. In 2009, we received a license to operate an elementary school and opened the school for 1 through 11 grades along with opening the school for girls. From October 1994 to June 2003, we rented a building to operate the school, but in August of 2003, we purchased a building. Because inflation spiked in Russia, the school wasn’t operable only with the tuition and mission support fees from GKC. There was a way to receive monetary support from the government which required Russian education department to evaluate the quality of our education. Because this was a dangerous undertaking, most of the teachers firmly opposed. This meant our school had to be 100% honest about everything that happened and if the government finds anything wrong, we would be jeopardizing the school. At the time, Gymnsia school was misunderstood and not liked by the Russian education department because it was doing Christian education and was operated by foreigners. There was even a rumor that the school will be shut down by the government. Nevertheless, we had no choice but to receive additional funding by the education department to stay open. We also felt that it was an opportunity to share all the finances and efforts we had put into Gymnaise School for Russian students. We wanted our good works to be evaluated. The evaluation was very strict. They evaluated us for 18 months. They evaluated everything. The proficiency of teachers, students’ education proficiency, parents’ degree of satisfaction, number of graduates entering universities, proficiency of school administration, school facility, school’s expenses, taxes paid, etc…The evaluators came from different districts who did not know each other. They all did their best in evaluating our school. What they said last still lingers in my heart, ‘In Russia, there are many wealthy business men, however, none of them are interested in educating our young people, but we just realized that you as foreigners spent so much money on our Russian students for so many years. As a Russian, I have to
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bow my head and say, ‘Thank You’. I will do my best to help the school to grow’. This was from the Superintendent of Russian Education Department. The school received the accreditation as a government sanctioned school and started receiving $10,000 every month from the government. It was a big help at the time. Today, the school receives enough financial support from its graduates to be self-sufficient.
In 1998, the first class graduated. In 2013, it will be the sixteenth class that will be graduating. As there is a limit in the number of students: no more than fifteen in each class. 214 students have graduated so far. Every single graduate from the school went onto college. They went into prestigious universities, such as Moscow University, St. Petersburg University, and other foreign universities. The graduates of Gymnasia School up to the class of 2007 have gone onto graduate from post-secondary schools, and are now working in many different professions. The currently enrolled students are grades 1 to 12, and every grade is in operation. Since each classroom is limited to 15 students, every class on average has about 10 students. In 2013, there are 113 students in total. The Cho couple is currently contemplating about starting a pre-school. They are also praying and having a vision about establishing a college, therefore, making it a complete Christian education campus. A testimony from Yigai Yura who is a second year class graduate from Gymnasia School is as follows summarized by Cho: Yigai is from the second class of graduates at Gymnasia School, and he had much financial difficulties in going to college. He was working at a Japanese restaurant while being very concerned about his future. He continually prayed to God that he would learn from Gymnasia School. He wanted to start a Sushi restaurant but couldn’t because he had no money. For a twenty-one year old, it was a miracle for him to have someone who would invest in his first business venture. Yigai was able to open a Sushi restaurant and agreed to pay back monthly on the investment. His restaurant was a success. Russians loved his Sushi and Yigai was able to open many more restaurants. In ten years, over 180 branch restaurants were opened. When Yigai opened his first Sushi restaurant, there was no concept of opening franchise restaurants in Russia. A history in Sushi restaurant business was made by Yigai. He testifies it was not his ability but that it was God who helped him to open 180 restaurants in ten years. One night, Yigai had a dream. In the dream, he died and left a fortune to his son, however, his son became a prodigal and wasted all of his money. Thus, Yigai set a goal to use his wealth to help 150,000 orphans to be able to study at Gymnasia School. He has been financially supporting Gymnasia School ever since. All glory to God.
We pray that through Grace Christian Junior and High School for the Gifted in St. Petersburg, the former Soviet Union would be evangelized and become a society for Jesus Christ’s light and salt and hope that this appointed task will be fulfilled.
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UKRAINE HARVEST SEMINARY AND GRACE CHRISTIAN JUNIOR AND HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE GIFTED
Missionaries Kyoyuk Kim and Joosoon Kim were sent in August 1994 to Grace Christian Junior and High School for the Gifted and Harvest Seminary ministries. Harvest Seminary in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, was established in October 2005 as a theological college and seminary by these missionaries. It is a five-year theological college and graduate studies accredited by the government of Ukraine. To date, three classes have graduated, 16 in the first, 8 in the second, and 12 in the third classe. Currently, 48 students are enrolled. The Bible college requires three years of education. A freshman has to live in the dormitory for the first 8 months, while receiving theological education and spiritual training. Afterwards, second and third year college students receive education through extension. Every other month, they have to live one week in the community while receiving a concentrated education. For the rest of the time, they study the curriculum while doing ministry. Until now, all the education expenses have been covered by mission funds, and all students have studied under full scholarship. The two missionaries are praying for the theological school to be self-sufficient, since it has been getting harder to meet their operational costs. During the period when the two missionaries ministered in Ukraine (19962005), 241 Ukrainian students graduated from Moscow Grace Seminary. After Harvest Seminary opened in 2005, 36 students have graduated. Today, there are 170 churches all over Ukraine because of the graduates from both seminaries. Grace Gymnasia School of Ukraine (Grace Christian Junior and High School for the Gifted) is a seven-year Christian education programme. In November 1996, it was officially registered and accredited by the Education Department of Ukraine. Currently the elementary school was established (grades 1-4). Thus, grades 1-11 are being taught.22 In total, 98 students have 23 graduated (63 males and 35 females). For Harvest Seminary and Grace Christian Junior and High School in Ukraine, continued prayer and financial support are needed in order to evangelize Ukraine and make it a Christian society. RUSSIAN SAKHALIN GRACE CHURCH
Russian Sakhalin Grace Church was established on September 1990 by a missionary couple Byungki Chun and Sarah. This happened soon after GKC mission choir performed there in July 1990. After Moscow Seminary was 22 Most of the primary schools in the former Soviet Union are grades 1-4 for elementary and 7 years for junior and high school. Grace Gymnaise in Kiev is being operated on the second floor of the government-owned pre-school building. 23 Grace Gymnaise in Ukraine started in October 1994 with the same goal as the one in St. Petersburg: to prepare future Christian leaders for their society.
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founded, they supported 59 seminarians in the midst of their own financial challenges. Twenty-four churches have been established all over Sakhalin by the seminarians whom the Chuns supported. They have been leading the mission of evangelizing Sakhalin for more than two decades. The future vision of their ministry is ambitious. First, they want to take in 100 former prison inmates each year and help them become self-supported and transformed through three years of Christian community life. They also want to train them in biblical and theological knowledge, thus raising up 300 ministers to plant 200 new churches in Sakhalin. Their present ministry is motivated by this vision. Second, they help the ministers in Sakhalin to become selfsufficient through the well use of the 160 acres of land received from the government. They are planning to build community housing and use the rest of the land as a farm to raise pigs and chickens. Third, a Christian cultural centre is being built with the planned completion by the end of 2013. The current church in Sakhalin only seats 300 and they have four services every Sunday. They are eagerly looking to build a church that can seat 3,500 people. A property is being sought for this project. Fifth, a prayer centre is being built and 24 will be completed in the autumn of 2014. GRACE CHURCH OF VOLGOGRAD, RUSSIA
Volgograd is little bigger than Korean peninsula with the total population is around 2.7 million. There are three major cities in Volgograd: Volgograd city with 1.1 million inhabitants, Volsk with 400,000, Kawishin with 120,000, and Michael Obuka with 100,000. There are 33 ‘Raion’ (regions). The state of Volgograd is located in the southwest of Russia at the lower reaches of Volga River. It is a centre of industry and commerce as well as farming. Volgograd city is located in the central southern region of the state of Volgograd, which is the most industrialized city during the Stalin era. There are also 160 large plants (average 10,000 workers, an extra-large plant exists there with 20,000 workers) scattered all over the city. Europe’s largest electricitygenerating plant is also located in the city which is their pride as well as being a tourist attraction. There are nine universities and 22 technical colleges in the city of Volgograd with 59,000 students. The history of Protestants in Volgograd began in 1774 with the Lutherans (Germans). Afterwards, Baptists and Seventh Day Adventists came in 1870 followed by the Pentecostals from Germany. In 1944, Protestants were forced to move to Siberia. They came back in 1956 after many ordeals. Jehovah’s Witnesses also came to Volgograd in 1950. During the 1990s, Korean missionaries along with many other foreign missionaries came to Volgograd. Missionary Cho, Ik Hyun who was ministering in Sakhalin since 1991, began
24
All the possession (land, building, church equipment, etc.) of Grace Church of Sakhalin is registered with the Dept. of Religion.
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doing missionary work in Volgograd in 1994, and at that time, UBF (University Bible Fellowship) also started doing mission in Volgograd. The number of Protestants in Volgograd is around 5,000 and Roman Catholics are only a few hundreds. There are also Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. Although they are considered as cults, they are registered legally as religious organizations. Currently, 3,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses are in Volgograd. Moon’s Unification Church is also actively but secretly proselytizing. Missionaries Ikhyun and Moonja Cho began their missionary work in Sakhalin in 1991. In March 1994, they planted a church in Volgograd and started an organic farm ministry. Currently, there are 54 churches and 15 meeting places (69 in total). A total church membership is around 3,700. Pastor Alexis is the President of Volgograd Church Association, and the Chos are working closely with him. Tres Diás, ‘Volga Youth Spark of Love’, began in August 1995. Since then, there have been 14 graduating classes, and over 1,172 youths have experienced the love of God and made decisions to live for the glory of the Lord. Furthermore, Tres Diás for adults also began in May 2000. It finished its 10th class and over 1,914 adults have had their lives changed. In addition, seminars for ministers and church leaders of 48 churches and 96 graduates from Moscow Seminary have been conducted every spring and autumn since 1999. Cho’s future ministry vision includes building a large church and establishing a school of farming for Christian youths, and evangelizing Koreans in Russia. First, a new church building needs to have 700 seats, a fellowship hall, Sunday school classrooms (three each: these class rooms will also be used by the school of farming for Christian youths), office (3 each to be used for church offices and board meetings), library, kitchen, and restrooms. In March 1993 a project to build a new church started after the lease of a plot from Volograd City. In June 2004, a temporary building was completed, and other construction projects are being planned. Second, establishing a school of farming for Christian youth is in cooperation with Volgograd Church Association. We see this project as an important strategy for mission in Russia. The purpose of this project is to help youth manage the earth well which God has given to men, teach them to make a living from it, and raise them up as leaders through farming in order to share the gospel. Currently, many Koreans of the former Soviet Union are flooding into Volgograd because of the war in Tajikistan and for the children’s education from Uzbekistan. Therefore, the school of farming can be a great resource to introduce Jesus Christ to the Korean diaspora youths, and help them become the salt and light in the world, and secure their livelihood. Third, the Chos have an interest in the ministry of Korean Russians, because they understand the suffering and pain the Korean diasporas have had ever since the Chos have done missionary works in Sakhalin in 1991. There are 35,000 Korean Russian diasporas living in Volgograd. The goal of missionary
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Cho, for the rest of their lives, is to share the gospel with Korean diasporas and help improve their lives. Through the converted Korean Russians, the gospel can be shared with Russians, and in turn, the Russian church can share it with Caucasians, then cross the border to Grudziadz, then to Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. After evangelizing all the people in Oman, they can participate in the spiritual restoration of Jerusalem. The present condition for mission in the former Soviet Union is getting harder by the day. Since 1997, the laws regarding religions have continually changed to hinder the Protestant mission there. The influence of the Russian Orthodox Church and Muslims along with the fast pace of commercialization and secularism have made Christian mission more difficult. Consequently, the mission by GKC in the former Soviet Union must rely on the converted local Christians. Like the Pentecostal and Baptist Russians who kept their faith during the Soviet communist regime, the national ministers and believers of today have to become independent, self-sufficient, and self-appointing, while doing the work of God. It has become necessary to turn over the ownership and leadership of the church to Russian natives by GKC’s missionaries. Once again, GKC missionaries in the former Soviet Union should remember the four P’s of Ralph D. Winter: ‘Pioneers, Parents, Partners, and Participants’. We pray that our missionaries will partner with the national ministers and believers and give glory to God, and be used to advance God’s kingdom on earth. Furthermore, GKC’s mission to the former Soviet Union should be carried out with the Lord’s return in mind. Thus, the Unreached People Groups inside the former Soviet Union and the nominal Christians who belong to the Russian Orthodox Church must be reached with the gospel as well as Muslims in Central Asia. In order for this to happen, missionaries from GKC, their national workers, and local Christians should work together. Furthermore, evangelizing Israel should be supported through the ‘Aliyah Project’ where Russian Jews have been relocated to Israel. Such a perspective on mission should not be limited to GKC missionaries in the former Soviet Union but to all other missionaries around the globe. Asia In order to understand the present condition of world mission by GKC in Asia, the general condition of Asia will be discussed briefly, then the missionary training centre in South Korea, Grace Seminary in Taiwan, a ministry to UPG (Unreached People Groups), and the ministry to Israel. Jason Mandryk recorded the boundaries of the continent of Asia as Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Palestine to the West. As for South West Asia, the countries include Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. For Central Asia, they are Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrzikstan, and Turkmenistan. Central Asia includes India and Pakistan. Eastern Asia includes China, Korea, and Japan. South East Asia includes Taiwan, Indo-China (Vietnam, Laos,
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Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar), and Philippines along with 50 other countries. The total population of Asia is 4,166,000,000. As for total land mass, 25 it is 23.5% of total land mass of the earth. In Asia, there are 112 GKC missionaries (including local missionaries and 14 partner missionaries) who are currently doing mission in 17 countries that include China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar, India, Nepal, Japan, Bangladesh, Israel, Jordan, and the Philippines. Among them, the following will be the perspective on mission strategy by Grace Ministries International Missionary Training Center: Taiwan Grace Seminary, India’s ministry to the Unreached People Group, and the mission to Israel. TRAINING CENTERS
Grace Ministries International is located in South Korea where Kim serves as the president. After retiring as the senior pastor of GKC in America in September 2004, he wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to mission from Korea, and mission to North Korea. Therefore, he started a non-denominational missionary training centre in South Korea. For a long time, Kim and Han have been praying about establishing a missionary training centre around the 38 degree parallel near the North Korean border for the mission to North Korea and Korea’s mission to the rest of the world. The centre was completed in October 2010 as a non-denominational missionary training centre. Rev. Youngchur Kang and his wife Heyoung Kang are serving as the directors. The missionary training centre (MTC) of Korea began with a class of 51 trainees in the Chunbo Mountain Prayer Center located in Taereung City in April, 2007. It produced 43 graduates in March, 2008 where 24 graduates were commissioned as GMI missionaries. The second class (21 students) began their ten-month course in March, 2009, and all 21 graduated in December of that year. Fourteen of them were commissioned as GMI missionaries. The students from the first graduating class received one year of practical missionary training which included two months of theology education, one month of practical missionary training and field experience at GMI mission fields per quarter. The programme opened with the goal to provide realistic missionary 26 education appropriate for the mission fields. The third graduating class from March 2011 (an eight-month programme, included five months of training in Korea and three months in the USA) began with 26 candidates in October 2010 at GMI’s MTC with 23 candidates graduating from the programme (with eight Brazilians trained in Korea for five 25
Jason Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed. (Colorado Springs, CO: Biblica Publishing, 2010), 57-58. 26 Beginning with the second class, there has been a three-week long missionary training in the mission fields twice a year.
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months and fifteen Korean candidates received additional training in the USA for three months. They all graduated in October, 2011). Fifteen of the graduates went onto being commissioned as GMI missionaries. The fourth class of candidates, which began in March, 2012 went through a seven-month programme (with four months in Korea and three months in the USA), fifteen of them graduated in September, 2013. Plans are being developed of a non-denominational mission training programme for lay professional missionaries, and a training facility for North Korean mission (focusing on North Korean defectors who have studied theology and have dedicated themselves to be missionaries in North Korea), and a missionary training programme in English to be introduced in the next few years.27 The following is a current status of number of enrolled students, graduates, and commissioned missionaries who received missionary training at GMI’s MTC. Class
Enrollment
Graduated
Sent Out
Start Date
Student
Date
Student
Country
Student
First
June, 2007
51
43
10
23
Second
March, 2009
26
19
9
19
Third
March, 2011
27
15
8
20
Fourth
March, 2012
17
15
6
10
Fifth
March, 2013
16
March, 2007 December, 2009 October, 2011 September, 2012 September, 2013
15
10
13
Total
137
107
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Also Grace Seminary in Taiwan was established. For the third time in 2005, Mrs. Wang brought lay pastors from Taiwan and her staff members of 80 individuals to attend Spark of Love (Tres Diás) by GKC.28 When she visited GKC with her staff, Kim promised to support her work among churches in Taiwan. Specifically he made three promises: a seminary, Tres Diás, and 27
The program particularly targets 1) international immigrant workers in Korea (which numbers 1.5 million today) and Korean diaspora communities throughout the world. For this reason, the training program considers using Korean and English. Among the 2013 missionary candidates, one North Korean defector couple was included. 28 Prior to the official relationship, I mentored in 2004 Philemon Tien, an intern from Fuller Seminary. Through my weekly lectures and his experience in Tres Dias, he went through a radical change. When his mother, Mrs Wang, observed the changes in him, she decided to visit GKC and attended Tres Dias herself. Through her financial support, Grace Seminary in Taiwan opened its doors in June 2007. Since its inception until now, all the expenses of Taiwan Seminary including the missionaries’ cost of living expenses are paid for by her.
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Basket Operation Ministry to be applied to the churches in Taiwan. This delighted her and she decided to lead GMI mission in Taiwan. The first Tres Diás took place in Taiwan in November and December, 2006. Through the Taiwan pastors who attended the Tres Diás, Taiwan Seminary began in June, 2007. Grace Seminary of Taiwan is a two-year study programme. There are six two-week classes every year. The course teaches practical ministry and theological education. Instructors are from USA, Korea, and Taiwan. Each instructor teaches just one week. During the two weeks of training, the mid-day is spent with others in a community environment to grow one’s spirituality in depth. As for weekends, they serve at their churches. This allows the seminarians to learn the combination of both theory and applied ministry. Since June, 2007, Grace Seminary in Taiwan started its first class with 96 students. The following is the current status of enrolment and graduates of Grace Seminary of Taiwan. Class First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Total
Beginning June, 2007 June, 2008 June, 2009 June, 2010 June, 2011 June, 2013
Graduating April, 2009 April, 2010 April, 2011 April, 2012 April, 2013
Beginning Students 96 80 121 81 80 100 558
Graduated Students 92 69 82 75 76 394
Grace Seminary in Taiwan calls up the students for lectures six times a year for two weeks. In order to graduate, a student must attend twelve lectures in two years. The lectures take place in June, August, October, and December in the first year, and February and April in the following year. This basically means two weeks of lectures every six weeks. The first year lecture includes ‘the Laws and the Gospel’, ‘Basket Operation’ outline, and mountain prayer meeting.29 In August, ‘Grace Meeting’ and a curriculum on the Holy Spirit are taught; in October, the courses on church history, evangelism, and one to one discipleship; in December, reading through the Bible, and a course on grace and freedom; in the following year in February, systematic theology, discovering spiritual gifts, and a curriculum on assistant lay pastoring; in April, biblical leadership and creationism. Lectures, in the second year, in June, include interpreting the Bible, and intercessory prayer; in August, counselling and the Book of Romans; in October, the Gospel of John and Acts; in December, the Prophetic Books, the Holy Spirit, and the Book of Genesis; in February of the following year, the
29
For details of the Basket Operation, see www.gracemi.com.
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Pentateuch and the Tabernacle; in April, a preaching course, the Prison Epistles, theology of the church, and a course on General Epistles. The above curriculum is essential for ministers and church leaders of Taiwan who are actually doing ministry. While living a community life for two weeks, the students develop their spirituality and maturity through attending early morning prayer meetings, listening to lectures in the morning and afternoon, and attending evening service. They grow in knowledge of the ministry, and get to share the love of Christ through fellowship and friendship. The goals of Grace Seminary of Taiwan are revival, self-sufficiency, independence, self-appointment, mission to China and neighbouring countries of China, and carrying out world mission through self-volunteering for the churches in Taiwan. The mission in Taiwan can be seen as a very good role model for cooperative mission. This happened through the cooperative efforts of Mrs. Wang who has the vision and dedication in meeting the leaders of GKC. They have worked together with prayer, in the Holy Spirit, with love. It was strictly by the grace of God that 3,500 people of Taiwan attended Tres Diás since November of 2007, and 394 seminarians graduated out of 458 enrolled at Grace Seminary in Taiwan (recording an 86% graduation rate). The missionary work in Taiwan has been an exemplar of mission partnership between Kim, Han, the GKC missionaries in Taiwan, instructors of Grace Seminary of Taiwan, the prayers and financial support of many members of GKC in the USA, and the lay pastors and believers of the churches in Taiwan. The vision of Grace Seminary of Taiwan and the vision of dedicated ministers and church leaders of Taiwan is to evangelize the people of Taiwan and increase the number of Christians there, because only 3.8% out of 24 million people of Taiwan are Protestant Christians.30 The second vision of Grace Seminary in Taiwan is to challenge the churches in Taiwan to do mission in China, South East Asia and the Pacific Rim. A third vision of Grace Seminary in Taiwan is to have similar seminaries, where ministers and church leaders are trained in China, South East Asia, and the Pacific Rim by the pastors of Taiwan, where churches are planted to share the gospel. UPG (UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP) IN INDIA
India is one of the four great ancient civilizations of the world. Its civilisation was established between 3,000 B.C.E. to 1,500 B.C.E., and this period coincides with ancient Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. Furthermore, India is the home to the world’s four major religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. India is the second largest populous nation in the world with approximately 1.2 billion people. India has 3,372 different languages and dialects. Among them, there are 216 languages which at least 100,000 or more people speak. The constitution of 30
Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., 259.
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India recognizes 18 languages while Hindi and English are the most widely used languages. India gained independence from Britain on August 15, 1947. India’s economy is thriving and its per capita income is $1,592. The history of world mission in India can be divided into three stages. The first is the mission by Apostle Thomas which has come down from an oral tradition. The second is the mission by the Roman Catholics since the sixteenth century. The third is the mission by Protestants from 1706: Bartholomew Ziegenbalg who was a graduate of Halle University of Germany, and William Carey who belonged to the Baptist Missionary Society. Roberto de Nobili who belonged to the Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic Church served fifty years as missionary in India from 1605 until he died, and William Carey who is known as the ‘Father of Modern Mission’ served 41 years as a missionary in India from 1793 until he died. A countless number of missionaries have dedicated their lives for India since these two missionaries, and have gone to be with the Lord. There is much nostalgia for mission in India, and there are three major important factors for mission in India which has such a great mission history.31 In April, 2011, five elders of the Mission Department of GKC (Hyuksuk Kwon, Daekyu Kim, Sungwoong Kim, Sukkoo Hong, and Hochul Hong) and two staff members (Kwangho Lee and Taichoul Yang) made a trip to India to establish a strategy for the UPG mission in India. We also visited Lucknow, Chandigarh, Deradun, and Delhi where over 200 GKC members had previously been for short-term mission where ten GKC missionaries are serving. It was a significant occasion, as we assessed our mission work in India, and openly shared each others’ concerns and ideas about the future direction of GKC’s mission in India. Missionary Taesoo Park accompanied us on this trip, and we had an opportunity to briefly meet Paul Ashman, the Vice-President of Campus Crusade for Christ, International and the creator of the ‘Jesus Film Project’. In October and November of 2012, a team of 72 members of GKC, led by Han, visited West Bengal and Punjab on short-term mission. They did the ministry with the GKC missionaries serving in India and Pakistan, along with missionary Taesoo Park. Through these short-term mission, GKC helped to establish two churches in India, one in Calchini, West Bengal, and the other in Atari, Punjab.32 In July and August of 2010, 200 members of GKC shared the gospel in India in cooperation with CCCI (which changed its name to CRU in 2011) and Finishing the Task. Han’s missionary vision is to continue Kim’s mission legacy, and incorporate UPGs in GKC’s mission strategy. Through the mission in India, GKC wishes to do mission with the rest of the UPGs. India’s significance is enormous in GKC’s mission.
31
Pierson, The Dynamics of Christian Mission, 203-204. These are the first two of 7,000 UPGs churches that Gihong Han, Senior Pastor, envisions to establish in India. Both churches were constructed in November, 2012. 32
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First, India has 2,083 UPG which represents 32.3% of the 6,450 UPG in the world. This makes India the largest single country for world mission towards the UPG. The total population of UPG is 1.5 billion, although the figures vary from one report to another.33 The people of India are Hindus (82.5%), Muslims (12.5%), and Buddhists (0.8%). The Christians (Protestants, Catholic, Orthodox, Anglicans, etc.) is less than 2.4%. Second, India is the birthplace of one of the four major ancient civilizations, and one of the third ancient ‘Silk Roads’. Thus, India holds one of the three main routes toward Israel for the ‘Back to Jerusalem’ mission movement. To the North of India, there are Muslim countries, towards the East, there are China and South East Asia, and Indo-China where Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam are practiced. To the West of India, there are Iran, Iraq, Syria, and other Middle Eastern Muslim countries. Because of the geographical proximities with all these nations, India is strategically positioned for mission.34 Third, India is ideal for long-term and short-term mission training, because of its languages, culture, and religions. A national minister can easily be trained to do ministry, and it serves as a rich soil for receiving missionary training by foreign missionaries. Furthermore, from the perspectives of geopolitics and mission strategy, India is located in a very important place. In order to complete the mission mandate, mission should be focused among UPG of ‘World A’ (1.5 to 2 billion), and ‘World C’ of nominal Christians (1.3 billion). The UPG consist of 40% Muslims, 26% Hindus, 10% Buddhists, 20% tribal religions, and 4% the rest.35 If we add nominal Christians to this number, approximately 80% of the entire population of the world is not saved. Therefore, the ‘World C’ is critical. They are primarily found in the former Soviet Union, Latin America, and Europe. A majority of them are Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Protestants who do not have the assurance of salvation. Currently, 80% of today’s missionaries (400,000) are doing mission in ‘World C’. Thus, many of them need to be rededirected to ‘World B’ and ‘World C’. Furthermore, the future missionaries should dedicate their lives to do mission in ‘World A’ and ‘World B’.36 Since India is ideal for doing short-term mission by churches, it is important to continuously support the mission to UPG there with prayer, finance, and short-term mission. Because of these reasons, GKC will continue to have shortterm mission in India, and it is our hope and prayer that through the seven missionaries of GKC, an increasing number of Indian indigenous workers will evangelize the nation. 33
www.finishingthetask.com http://www.silkroaproject.org/Education/TheSilkroad/tabid/175/Default.aspx 35 Out of 2.3 billion Christians in the world, nominal one are estimated to be around 1.3 billion. 36 http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resource/documents/statusofglobalmission.pdf 34
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MISSION IN ISRAEL
To many mission minds, the independence of Israel is a sign like the parable of a fig tree found in Matt. 24:32-33 that the summer is coming soon. Even today, Jews believe Jerusalem to be the belly button of the world. Israel is seen from a perspective of being the end of the earth in mission (Rom. 11:25-28). For this reason, mission for Israel is critical. A complete number of Gentiles being saved and the restoration of Israel are like the two sides of a coin. Therefore, the mission to UPG has to be done as well as the mission in the ‘World A’ and the ‘World B’. Modern Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948 on the back of the Zionist movement.37 However, on the next day, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia who were known as the ‘United Force of Arabs’ invaded brand new Israel. This was the first Middle East War that Arabs call ‘the Palestinian War’ of 1948 and Israel calls ‘the Independence War’. Ever since then, wars have continued with the Middle East War II (‘Suez War’ of 1956 or ‘Sinai War’), the Middle East War III (‘War of June’ in 1967, ‘Six Days’ War’), the Middle East War IV (‘Ramadan War’ of 1973), and ‘Yom Kipper War’ (War of Atonement). Through these wars, the borders around Israel were established. Especially during the first Middle East War, when just 650,000 Israel soldiers won the battle in six days. This allowed Israel to gain 50% more land than was originally assigned to them by the United Nations’ resolution. Afterwards, Israel went on to occupy the Golan Heights, West Jordan, Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula as well as most of Palestine.38 With the advent of Israel as a nation, 900,000 Palestinians exited their homeland, creating the Palestinian refugee crisis. After losing their homes, they have been wandering around the neighbouring Arab nations. Thus, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed with a goal of independence for Palestinians. The PLO has been fighting Israel through terrorism around the globe. In 1982, Israel attacked the headquarters of the PLO. Since the 1960s, the two nations have been at war with each other.39 Today, the tension between these two groups runs high, although Israel has offered independence back to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Even after Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, they established new settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Over 500,000 Jews resettled there which aroused the Palestinians to rebel. A total population of Israel is now little over 8.09 million: 75.1% are Jewish, 20.7% Arabs, and 4.3% other 37 The start of Zionism centres on Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) who lead the Zionist Congress in Basle, Switzerland in 1897. Barry Rubin, Israel: An Introduction (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012), 3-4. 38 Ibid., 30-37. 39 Yasser Arafat (1929-2004) since 1960 was the chairman of the PLO. In 1994, because of the Peace Treaty of Oslo, he received the Nobel Peace Award with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin. Claire Thorp, Countries Around the World: Israel (London: Raintree, 2012), 11.
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ethnics. Among the Jews, 76% were born in Israel and the rest were born abroad.40 The formal languages in Israel are English, Hebrew, and Arabic. When the populations of Israel, West Bank, and Gaza are combined, it is somewhere between 9 to 10 million people. The capital is Jerusalem, even though the largest city is Tel Aviv. The total population of Jews who are scattered all over the world is approximately 14 million. The following are the ten countries where they live the most and their populations according to 2012 statistical report: 41 Jews in Israel (6 million), USA (5.44 million), France (480,000), Canada (320,000), England (260,000), Russia (210,000), Argentina (180,000), Germany (120,000), Brazil (110,000), and Australia (100,000). Out of the total population of Jews, Messianic Jews are estimated to be around 300,000.42 The number of Jews living outside Israel, diaspora Jews, is estimated around 8 million. A movement to relocate diaspora Jews back to Israel is called the ‘Aliyah Movement’. The movement was started by Prime Minister Ben Gurion in 1980 when he declared, ‘Let us make room for one million to live here’. Aliya is a biblical term, ever since the days of Moses, when Jews were accustomed to travelling to Jerusalem to celebrate their religious festivals such as Yom Kippur, Feast of Tabernacle, etc., the word they used to describe themselves going up to Jerusalem was Aliyah. The word literally means, ‘Going up to that land’. Today Aliyah is used to describe Jews returning to their homeland of Israel. Jesus prophesied in the Bible that Jews living outside Israel will return to Israel when it is time for his return. The representative verse of this prophecy is Isa. 43:5-6. The number of Jewish Christians in Israel is about 20,000, and the total number of Jewish Christians is about 300,000 in the world.43 Because of the close relationship between mission to Israel and mission to diaspora Jews, mission work with them has to be approached from the perspective of mission strategy. Mission in Israel, therefore, should include 6 million Jews living in Israel (both those who were born there after its independence and diaspora Jews who have resettled in Israel through the ‘Aliyah Movement’) and 1.67 million Arabs living in Israel. In order to share the gospel with the Jews, it is necessary to study 4.3 million Jews, excluding the 1.7 million diaspora Jews. These Jews can be categorised into traditional Jews, Reformed Jews, and conservative Jews.
40
Ibid., 106. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish-diaspora. 42 http://christianity.about.com/od/messianicjewishmovement/a/what-Is-MessianicJudaism.htm. 43 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messianic Judaism. 41
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First, the traditional Jews separate themselves as ‘Haredim’ or traditional Jews who are divided again into Hasidim (‘pious’) and Haredim (‘progressive’) although in nearly all aspects, they are the same.44 The Torah and Mishneh, oral laws, are unique religious standards that they still have to follow. Traditional Jews have struggled for many years against the modern Jews who oppose such religious standards, and have vigorously observed every day in service to God, the dietary laws, traditional prayer and customs, the regular and thorough study of the Torah, and the separation of males and females sitting in the synagogue. Furthermore, they strictly observe the Sabbath and all religious festivals, and do not play any instruments during their service. Second, Reformed Jews have revised and abandoned many of the traditional laws and customs. They have tried adopting the modern societal changes in politics and culture. Reformed Jews have modernized every aspect of the Jewish service and similar to Korean Christians they have preaching and singing. They are very open to their synagogue members. If Hasidim is ultra conservative, then Reformed Jews can be seen as liberals. Third, conservative Jews are good at observing all the religious customs. They are pious people who have services at the synagogue every Sabbath. Conservative Judaism is a religious movement to preserve the fundamental tenets of Judaism. They have allowed the modernization of religious customs without being radical like the Reformed Jews. There are two matters of importance in regards to the mission strategy toward Jews in Israel. First, mission work with them should be done by Messianic Jews. This would be an autonomous mission. This can centre on a minimum 150 or more churches (with 20,000 members) sharing the gospel with Jews inside Israel. Second, the mission strategy for the Jews should target Jewish Christians in foreign countries for the mission work in Israel. Examples can be a short-term ‘English Camp’, and community development including education, medical care, charity, technology training, and wells for water. Furthermore, a Christian seminary should be established in Israel which is conducted in English in order to disciple young Jews who are dedicated to Jesus Christ living in Israel. They can then share the gospel with other nonChristian Jews. It is also important to do mission with the 1.67 million Arabs living in Israel for the benefit of evangelizing Muslims in the 22 Arab nations in the Middle East and North Africa. It is forbidden by law and strictly enforced that foreigners do not evangelize Arabs in their nations. Therefore, it is a good mission strategy to have Christian Arabs in Israel do mission with Arabs there. Christ’s love should be shared with the Arabs living in Israel who have historically experienced much suffering. It would be an important and very effective mission strategy to have them share the gospel with the Jews in Israel and go to the Arab nations to share the gospel with other Arabs. 44
Rubin, Israel: an Introduction, 131-32,161-65.
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Two most important matters in regards to the mission strategy towards Jewish diaspora are mission to 8 million Jewish diaspora throughout the world, and mission to Jews in Israel by Christian Jewish diaspora in foreign countries. First, the Israeli government estimates 14 million Jews living in different parts of the world (2012 report). Among 6 million Jews in Israel, 1.7 million have relocated to Israel in recent years through the ‘Aliyah Movement’ primarily from the former Soviet Union.45 In the United States, around 5.45 million Jews are living, while for the rest of the world, it is estimated around 2.56 million. A number of Christian Jews (‘Messianic Jews’) is believed to be around 300,000.46 Furthermore, it would be an important mission strategy to share the gospel with Jews in a variety of ways. A good example would be to share such a vision with the children in Christian homes and have them share the gospel with Jewish children in their schools, such as, pre-school, elementary, junior and high school, college, military, work places, etc. Afterwards, young Jews who have become Christians can go on to share the gospel with their family members and friends. Second, numerous Christian Jews from the former Soviet Union have resettled in Israel and are continuing to do so through the Aliyah Movement. They can share the gospel with the Jews in Israel. However, as they are limited in Hebrew, they should first share the Gospel with fellow non-Christian Jews who have resettled in Israel from the former Soviet Union. In turn, their children can go on to learn Hebrew and share the gospel with their native Jewish friends and co-workers. The native Jews who received the gospel can then share with their family and friends. The basis for the mission strategy toward Israel by GKC is to carry out the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, using Romans 11:25-28 as a reference to complete the number of Gentiles being saved and restore Israel. GKC is doing mission in World A with the UPG along with World B where people are opposed to Christianity, and World C where most of the Christians are only by name. GKC is committed to the mission in Israel for their salvation in conjunction with Jewish diaspora. As a more specific mission strategy, GKC is utilizing the Moscow Seminary. Through its graduates, Jewish diaspora are receiving the gospel in the former Soviet Union. Grace Seminary has trained existing native Russian ministers and lay church leaders who have discipled Russian Jewish diaspora. They in turn have relocated to Israel and are sharing the gospel with the Jews and Arabs in Israel. Two missionary couples from GKC who have served in Russia for many years are now travelling back and forth from America to Israel 45
Rubin, Israel: an Introduction, 137, 140-42. http://christianity.about.com/od/messianicjewishmovement/a/what-Is-MessianicJudaism.htm. It is estimated that there are 200,000 to 250,000 Messianic Jews living in the United States of America. 46
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for this task. A second class of graduate of Moscow Seminary (graduated in February, 1993) who is a disciple of one of the two missionary couples is currently conducting Tres Diás, the discipleship programme, and leadership ministry in Israel in cooperation with his spiritual mentor, a Korean American missionary of GKC. The first Tres Diás in Israel was conducted in August, 2009 in Russian in Jerusalem. There were 62 candidates and 65 volunteers. Since then, there had been four more Tres Diás. Until now, there have been a total of 305 candidates and 335 volunteers. In May, there was a first seminar in Jerusalem for pastor couples who are serving in Israel with 26 candidates and 19 volunteer team members who served the pastor couples. A second seminar for pastor couples took place on, 2013 with 52 candidates and 14 volunteers. The ultimate goal for this ministry is to first share the gospel with Russian Jews who resettled in Israel and then have their children share the gospel with the native Jewish children and Arab children in Israel. Thus, Israel can be evangelized through these children who adapt rather easily to the new language and custom of Israel. GKC, therefore, is conducting mission in Israel in Russian with the Jewish diaspora from the former Soviet Union, and is planning to conduct ministries in English with the children of Jewish diaspora from the former Soviet Union, native Jews of Israel and young Arabs in Israel. In order to grow this ministry, a Russian Grace Church in Los Angeles, California has been helping GKC. Europe Today, Europe is a complex entity with 47 countries with 730 million people (2010 statistics). It worked as a seedbed for the first Christians.47 In ethnicity, Slavs are 33.6%, Germans (15.4%), Anglo-Celts (8.4%), Italians (8.1%), French (7.2%), Spanish (5.4%), Romanians (3.1%), Scandinavians (2.6%), Hungarians (1.6%), Portuguese (1.6%), Greeks (1.6%), Finno-Ugric (1.3%), other Europeans (4%), and non-Europeans (6.1%).48 There are 435 different ethnic groups in Europe and they use 269 different languages. From them, 69 languages have Old and New Testament translations, and 31 languages have New Testament translations only. Only parts of the Bible have been translated in 61 languages. Currently, there are 23 languages in Europe where the Bible is being translated. But still, there are 73 languages where the Bible has not been translated. As for the religious status, there are 71.3% Christians, non-religious (21.5%), Muslims (6.1%), Buddhists (0.4%), Jews (0.3%), and Hindus (0.2%). 47 Operation World (2010) reports Europe as 47 countries. However, Todd M. Johnson and Kenneth R. Ross (eds.), Atlas of Global Christianity (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2009), 275 reports as 50 countries. 48 Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., 73-74. This material contains Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus.
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Christians consist of Catholics (33.5%), Orthodox Christians (24.1%), Protestants (9.9%), Anglicans (3.15%), and others (0.5%).49 From Europe, 132,800 missionaries have been sent out, while 90,000 missionaries are serving in Europe.50 The current world mission in Europe by GKC as of 2013 has 22 missionaries (including two national missionaries) in nine countries: Sweden, Norway, Austria, Germany, France, England, Italy, Albania, and Bulgaria. Their ministries are serving local churches, Tres Diás, and child adoption.51 Their ministry is focused on awakening the spirits of nominal Christians (commonly found among Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, and other churches), helping them to experience the gospel, restoring their identity as Christians, and have their children live a dedicated Christian life. GKC missionaries are also evangelizing many Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and people who oppose Christianity. Through these converts, their families and friends are evangelized. This is an important mission strategy of the twentyfirst century which is in line with the mission strategies for diaspora, ethnic minorities, and future generations. Furthermore, Europe has the appointed task of being the cornerstone for the mission to Africa, South and Central America, the former Soviet Union, Asia, and Israel along with the Jews. This is God’s calling upon all the Korean Christian diaspora and their children in Europe as well as for the rest of all Korean Christians. In order to adhere to God’s call, missionaries of GKC in Europe, along with their Korean immigrant churches, and the national ministers of the respective countries where they reside are working hard to awaken the spirits of so many sleeping churches in Europe, and breathing life into their workers. They are also praying and doing ministry for the revival to take place in European churches, evangelizing countless opponents of Christianity in Europe and their multi-ethnics, and for all the European Christians to do world mission.52 49
Ibid., 74-75. Johnson & Ross, Atlas of Global Christianity, 275. 51 Europe Tres Dias worked as a catalyst for the growth in European mission. It began in April 1988 by missionary Taewon Kim and his wife in Sungnau in Germany. Since then, there have been 62 Tres Dias programs with over 2,800 participants. Many of them later became pastors, missionaries, and church leaders, including myself. Missionary Yoonhee Chung has been doing missionary work in Europe with Koreans once adopted into Europe families. 52 As a specific example, Grace Church in Frankfurt, Germany (pastored by Changmo Yang and Okkyung couple) has embraced the missions to Turkish diasporas in Europe. They are planning the first Tres Dias for the Turks in Europe. Missionary Sanghyun Park and his wife, Byunghe have purchased a plot of land in Italy to build a seminary for all of Europe. Paris Grace Church in France (pastored by Sukbae Song and his wife, Eunyoung) established 12 video churches (with around 500 congregants) where Korean foreign exchange students and immigrants gather to hear the gospel. They have a vision to reach the increasing number of Muslims in France and other religious and ethnic migrants. They are also ministering to French-speaking African nations. 50
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Africa Africa as a continent consists of 58 countries with a population of one billion (2010 Census Report), 800 different tribes, and approximately 1,000 different languages. It is one of the particular regions in the world where the gospel is being spread very rapidly. In the last century, 270 million Africans converted to evangelical Christianity. This is a remarkable accomplishment in the history of Christianity.53 Today, out of approximately one billion people, 48.8% are Christians (Protestants, Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglicans, etc.), 41.5% Muslims, 8.3% indigenous religious, 0.25% Hindus, and 1.0% non-religious. Among Christians, Protestants are 24.2%, Catholics 15.9%, Anglicans 4.8%, and Orthodox Christians 4.5%.54 One serious problem with African churches is not having enough Christian workers who have received adequate level of theological training. As a result, there are many cults combining Christianity with indigenous religions. Therefore, the strategy of mission in Africa is to re-train the pastors in theology, and provide a good theological and ministerial education for new workers. Considering its weak economy and meagre infrastructure, the ministry of community development is also vitally important. In other words, ministry in Africa needs to be holistic in its approach. Currently, GKC missionaries who are ministering in Africa are 24 Korean missionaries in nine countries (Morocco, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, and South Africa). They are doing seminary ministry, church planting ministry, school ministry, medical ministry, and relief ministry. There are twelve video churches in French-speaking countries (with around 500 church members).55 Among the missionaries in Africa, missionary Wonkeun Park works in Malinda, Kenya along with his wife, Eunsook. In their first two years, they served in the city of Nairobi. Afterwards, they started a brand new ministry in Malindi. They are currently doing the ministries of seminary, church planting, and sharing the gospel in the remote villages of Kenya. Grace Seminary in Malindi in Kenya is providing excellent education to African pastors who never had a formal education. The curriculum is the same as that of an accredited seminary’s curriculum from the USA. It is a two years’ diploma course. If a student finishes 37 courses (biblical theology, and pragmatic theology) in two years, he can graduate with a diploma. The method of education is two weeks of intense studying every two months. The lectures are given in English, and there are 82 hours of lectures for two weeks. This completes 3 required courses. In two years, students are required to assemble 53
Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., 29-30. But Atlas of Global Christianity, 267 counts 60 countries in Africa with 10 billion people. 54 Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., 32. 55 Among 58 countries in Africa, 23 speak French.
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12 times, and the amount of time they spend together in study is 24 weeks in total. When all is done, 110 units are completed. The school that began in April, 2005 with 56 students, and in 2013, it graduated its fifth class. There are a total of 250 graduates (200 males, 50 females). They are all working hard as ministers and missionaries in different regions of Kenya and the rest of Africa. The school is now very famous in the Eastern part of Africa and many are coming and wanting to study there but because it is limited in classrooms and accommodation, the school can only accept 100 applicants at a time. Currently, there are total of 85 students. Among them 70 are living in the school dormitory. Every student is required to attend 5:30 am for early morning prayer meeting, and they have to study until 9 pm. Nearly all graduates are serving in the mission fields of Africa as ministers, church leaders, and missionaries. Most of them are in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. A few graduates serve in Sudan, Ruanda, and Ethiopia. The prayers of missionaries Park are: first, every day operational costs need to be met; second, the need to build larger school offices, classrooms, and lecture halls; and third, the right students need to come and receive training. In doing mission in Africa, denominational affiliations are important. In Africa, it is not just cities but in many different regions and tribal villages where churches are constantly being planted by national workers. While celebrating this proliferation of local congregations, it also comes with challenges. There is no standard to guide these new churches on how to operate, to manage finance, or to build. Furthermore, most of these pastors have not been educated or have received any type of formal training in ministry. Many of them declare themselves as a ‘pastor’ and go into their churches creating many problems. The only thing that the government does with these many self-appointed ministers and their problematic churches is that if the church does not belong to any denomination, the government applies certain restrictions. However, whenever a new church gets formed in a village or a city, close family ties and friendships cause many to gather. In order to make the church holy, someone has to properly manage and lead the church to grow. Thus, it is very important for the missionary to embrace these churches and help local pastors. For such reasons, denominational ministry is very important in Africa. Missionary Park, therefore, established two denominations in Africa. The first is Grace Ministries International Africa (GMIA) for Kenya, and the second is (Grace Ministries International Tanzania (GMIT). The headquarters for GMIF is in Malindi, and there are 70 affiliated churches in eight districts. They are: Marafa District (with 25 churches), Kwale District (20), Mpeketonyi (3), Malindi District (3), Kilifi (5), Voi (8), Taveta (5), and Kipini (4). The headquarters for GMIT is in Moshi, Tanzania. There are ten churches in Moshi and another ten in Arusha district. For financial support, spiritual growth and
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the dedication to these churches, Korean missionaries and their national pastors are working very hard. A church planting ministry is for the regions in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and other UPG areas of Africa that are strategically important. It is conducted by the mission headquarters in Malindi, Kenya. Workers are appointed to advance God’s kingdom through this important mission ministry. The graduates of Grace Seminary of Malindi are especially called upon to plant churches. Until now, there have been 26 church plants. Many of the new churches in Kenya and Tanzania who are affiliated with GMI denomination started in villages without any financial support. Most of them do not even have plans to build a church. They usually start under a tree with a few wooden chairs. Because church members live in dire poverty, it is impossible for them to raise the funds to build a church. On average, the church giving by 40-50 members is around $5 to $6. This is why most churches meet under a tree. However, whenever there is a rain, they cannot have services. Therefore, building a church in the villages of Africa is an important ministry. The denomination headquarters provides financial support to build churches in African villages. The members usually do everything they can to build while the rest is provided for by the headquarters. The outreach ministry in remote villages of Africa is like a revival meeting and compassion ministry combined. For the revival to take place among the scattered GMI churches in Africa, and to support their ministry, denominational headquarters sponsors the outreach ministry through medical mission and other means. In most cases, through the request by denominational churches, and the planning by the headquarters, revival services take place. It consists usually of seminars for pastors, mass gatherings, children ministry, and watching ‘Jesus’ movies. Each revival meeting lasts four days and three nights. Currently in Africa, approximately two million people are dying of malaria and another two million are dying because of AIDS every year. In the case of malaria, it only costs $5 worth of medication to save lives but people are still dying because of no money. It is a fact that the majority of Africans do not receive any type of medical care. Therefore, a medical mission team being there and giving medical care to Africans, sharing the love of Jesus and the gospel is a very precious ministry. Other ministries of missionaries Park ministry at the headquarters are training ministry and oversight over churches. There is a congregation at the headquarters in Malindi, Kenya ministered by missionaries Park. Although not every missionary is expected to pastor a local church, it is also advisable for the missionary to establish churches. Through these churches, the ministry of the denomination can be supported, and the nationals will learn how to pioneer a new ministry. That is exactly what the Parks did. In many of the mission fields, the missionaries are the senior pastor of local churches. But in Africa, the missionary usually appoints an African pastor as the senior pastor and works behind the scenes at the headquarters.
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On a regular basis, missionary Park are conducting short-term ‘spirituality discipleship’ or the ‘pastoral training course’ for the spiritual growth of existing national ministers. The training is typically one week long, and takes place at the individual churches or at the headquarters every year. In the case of Africa, national workers do not become pastors of a church after receiving formal ministry training. In fact, many of them have little knowledge of church management and rituals or ceremonies. The Parks invited all the national ministers to the missionary headquarters and taught them how to conduct baptism, sacraments, and communion, so that they can properly administer the sacraments. The prayer of theirs is to grow a successor to provide leadership over the ministries in East Africa and to spend the rest of their lives doing pioneering missionary work in West Africa. Their mission work for more than a decade in Africa after dedicating themselves to becoming missionaries in the later years of their lives has become a model for other missionaries. Two of GMI’s third graduating class, Eunshim Kim and Jihae Won have been assisting the Parks since January 2012.
North America After Kim’s retirement, Rev. Paul Gihong Han, one of his disciples, has taken the mantle and continued Kim’s missionary vision. Together, they have created an excellent model for a missional church. The Department of World Mission at GKC is the headquarters for all the mission of GKC throughout the world. The following is the general status and the mission status of GKC in North America. North America consists of the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon. The entire North American population is
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roughly 350 million people. Of the countries, Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a former colony and now an autonomous region of France with a population of about 6000. Bermuda is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom with a population of about 64,000. Greenland is an autonomous nation under Danish influence. Its population is 57,000, although its land mass makes the twelfth largest country in the world. The United States is the third largest country with a population of 314 million. Canada is a multi-ethnic nation like the USA and Australia. Its 120 million speak over 169 different languages, and among them, there are 86 native to Canada. Of them, there are four languages where the Old and New Testaments are translated, ten languages where only the New Testament is translated, and seven languages where the Bible is partially translated. Currently, the Bible is being translated into nine more languages. Christianity is the dominant religion (72.1%), followed by non-religious (19.1%), Muslims (2.9%), Buddhists (1.1%), Jewish (1.1%), and Hindus (1%). Among Christians, 40.1% are Catholic, 10.1% Protestants, 3.0% Orthodox, 1.9% Anglican, and 17% other types of Christianity. The total population of the United States of America is approximately 315 million (2013). There are 176 languages being spoken, and among them, the Bible has been translated into 17 Native American languages, 26 native languages have the New Testament, 61 languages have partial translations, and 12 languages are currently being translated. America’s religions are 77.6% Christians, 16.5% non-religious, 1.7% Jews, 1.7% Muslims, 0.8% Buddhists, 0.5% tribal religious, and 0.4% Hindus. As for Christians, Protestants are 56 35.3%, Catholics 21.2%, Orthodox 1.7%, Anglicans 0.7%, and others 17.5%. For GKC’s mission work North America, there are two in Canada, and twenty-two in USA (12 commissioned, 10 partnership missionaries). In total, 24 missionaries are serving in North America. The ministries can be divided into several categories. NAVAJOS INDIAN MISSION
The Navajos are one of the American Native Indian tribes that live in the southwestern region of the country. There are about 300,000 in number, the most numerous among 565 different American Native Indian tribes. They consider their tribe as a nation, thus they call themselves the ‘Navajo Nation’, and they self-govern their own territories. Their capital is Window Rock in the State of Arizona. Most Navajo Indians are able to speak both their native language as well as English. Navajo mission began in May 2005 by missionary Won-il Baek who was sent out by GKC. He began to approach them with Taekwondo (Korean martial art), Tres Diás with the young people as well as other community works. In October, 2011, missionaries Youngkwan Kim and his wife Myungsoon joined 56
Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., 193-94.
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Baek’s ministry. The vision of the Navajo Indian mission is to evangelize young people and disciple them, so that they can share the gospel with adult Navajo Indians as well as 564 other native American tribes (approximately two million). DEPARTMENT OF WORLD MISSION, GKC
The ministry of GKC’s Department of World Mission can be divided into four major areas. First, the overall management of GKC’s world mission involves selecting, training, sending out, supporting, and managing missionary. Second, managing the mission fields of GKC includes GKC missionaries, seminaries, Christian schools, churches, and other ministries of the mission fields. Third, assisting the ministry of Kim (GMI) and Han (GKC) involves mobilizing church members for mission, educating mission, coordinating short-term mission teams, as well as financial support. The fourth is public relations and cooperation with other ministries for mission. GKC’s Department of Mission has eight elders who head eight different regions of the world for financial support. I have been working as the pastor of world mission and team leader in charge of the Department of Mission at GKC since December 2001. The following is the organization and the ministry of administrators at the Department of World Mission at GKC: GKC Mission Department Name
Taichoul Yang
Hyunjung Yang
• • • • • • • • • • •
Hyesuk Park • • • • Sungbum Park, Sungchul Lee
• • • •
Description of Designated Ministry Mission Team Leader in Charge of Department Mission Priority, Mission Education and Training, Mission Administration, Mission Research, Mission Cooperation (KIMNET, etc.) Lecture on Missiology and Lead Mission Seminar Coordinate the Entire Mission Team (GKC, and others) In Charge of Finance for GKC Mission Manages Clergy Mission Department Secretary of GMI Chairman Internal Care and Management of Mission Housing (Mission Houses #1, #2, #5) and Church Bulletin P.R. Prepare & Manage Mission School, Mission management (English) and General Administration (Cooperation) & Short Term Mission, Data Management, Communication & Bulletin Advertisement Short Term Mission Coordinator (Airfare, Visa, Itinerary, data, etc.) Mission Field Seminary Speakers Management (invitation Visa, Airfare, Contact Information) Missionary Care (Medical, Social Security, Other Cares) Mission General Entire Administration (Arrange Prayer subject, Mission Director Contact, etc.) Mission Data Computer Filing & Support Management Coordinate Various Mission Activities Support Mission School Administration Receive Article and Manage Grace Life (Description of Manuscript: Assigned by Mission Director)
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Yongjun Kim
Wangu Ham
Younghwan Kim
Jay Cho
Jay Cho
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Support and Manage European Mission Support Mission Field (Example: BAM, etc.) Visit mission field during business (encourage missionary, financially supporting, etc.) Coordinate mission support Manage mission warehouse Short Term Mission Support & Manage (During the service appearance) Introduce Missionary During Service, Take Pictures Support Mission Administration (Mission School, Various activities, etc.) UPG Mission in Asia, North Korea, Exile Support Support and Manage Mission to Africa Manage Missionary Data (including computer data) General Administration of Mission Support and Manage N. America UPG Mission Management & Support General Administration of Mission & English Administration (Translation, etc.) Transportation Management Support Social Work for Missionaries Support Missionary Social Work & Set Up (inside Department of Mission)
Central and South America Central and South America (including the Caribbean Islands) is made up of 46 countries with approximately 590 million people (according to 2010 census report) speaking 550 different languages (2010 report) by 1,024 different people groups. The current pastoral ministry and church circumstances of Central and South America is very similar to Africa. Preserving the holistic, purest form of Christianity and its lifestyle from the local religions and their practices is an urgent need. There are many characters, events, and words that surface as we think about world mission in Central and South America which has been working as a hub in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries mission in the global South (Asia, Africa, and South America). For example, there is Christopher Columbus who discovered the new continent in 1492, the colonial rulers, Encomienda, the Jesuits, Barthomew de Las Casas, the movie, Mission, Protestantism, Evangelism, Pentecostalism, Spiritualism, Syncretism, Contextualization, five missionaries of New Tribal Mission martyred in Bolivia in 1943, another five missionaries martyred in Ecuador in 1956, and the ‘Drug Wars’.57 To understand the mission to Central and South America, it is necessary to acquire a general knowledge of Central and South America, the call of Korean 57 Stephen Neill, A History of Christian Mission, trans. Chimo Hong and Mahnkyu Oh (Seoul: Sungkwang Publications, 1980), 209-13. Encomienda refers to the authoritarian rule where Spain settlers received certain number of South American natives in order to receive their tributes or labour with an excuse of protecting the natives and sharing Christian faith with them. However, this rule caused serious abuses.
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immigrant Christians and Korean missionaries. Central and South American mission can be a stepping stone for the mission to Europe, Muslims, and Jews. Central and South America is a strategically important place for world mission for its history, geography, race, language, and religion. CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
The history of Central and South America can be divided into four major eras. The first is the pre-Columbian period: the ancient past to 1492. Around 20,000 B.C.E., Asian migrants crossed the Bering Strait all the way down to the Central and South America where they resettled. Three great civilizations existed when Columbus discovered America: Aztec (High Lands of Central Mexico, established in 1427 C.E.), Maya (Yucatan Peninsula in Southern Mexico and Guatemala established around fourth to eighth century B.C.E.), and Inca (thirteenth century C.E. in the Andes region). The second period was ‘the Conquest and Colonization of 1492-1821’. On a positive note, the technology, civilization, and culture of Western Europe were introduced and adopted to improve upon the civilizations of Central and South America. The new education and languages (Spanish and Portuguese) were also acquired, as well as natives being evangelized to become Catholics. However, the conquest and colonization destroyed the local culture, exploited the natives, and spread European diseases which killed millions.58 The third period was ‘the Age of Sudden Change’ (1821-1930). From 1824 to 1880 was the period in which the colonies became independent and settled. 1880 to 1930 was a period of peace and development, as well as being a period in which government became centralized and where socialism and military governments were in power. The fourth period is ‘the Modern Period’ (1930s to the present). During the 1960s and the 1970s, the extreme right wing military dictatorships were accompanied by economic collapse. The 1980s and 1990s was a period of modernization. Today, most of the nations of Central and South America are developing securely.59 The entire Central and South America can be divided into two regions. Latin America was originally made up of 19 countries that speak Spanish or Portuguese. Today, it is made up of 24 nations that include Belize (Spanish and English), Surinam (Dutch), Guyana (uses English), French Guyana (French), and the Falkland Islands (English). Included in the number above are Central American nations: Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica,
58
As an example, the population of Mexican natives was 16,871,408 in 1532, but in 1608, it was reduced to 1,069,255. In 76 years, 15,800,000 died. 59 Moreau, Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, 554-55. Emilio A. Nunez and William D. Taylor, Crisis and Hope in Latin America: An Evangelical Perspective, rev. ed. (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1996), 48-96.
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Panama and Belize. West Indies are a group of Caribbean nations with twelve independent countries, and ten dependent states.60 There are five major ethnic groups in Central and South America. First the Euro-Americans, who are the most populous with 40.5% of the entire population and second, the mixed race of 39.1%. These statistics apply to nine major nations of Central and South America.61 Among them include Mestizo of South America, and Lanino of Central America. These two races are a mixed race of American Indian and European. The third race is Mulatto, a mixed race of European and African. The fourth race is Amerindian. They are the native Indians and they comprise 10.2% of the total population and are scattered throughout Central and South America. This is the group that suffered the most during the Conquest due to forced labour and the disease from Europe.62 The Afro-Americans, the fifth race, who make up 9.1% of the total population, are the descendants of slaves who came from Africa to Central and South America. They mostly live in the island nations of the Caribbean, and Brazil. Out of 1.1% Asians, South East Asians and Indonesians settled mostly in Central and South America which were colonies of Britain and the Netherlands in the nineteenth century. It was in the twentieth century that Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese volunteered to emigrate to Central and South America. In Guyana, Surinam, and Trinidad the Asians are the most populous.63 In light of the language distribution of Central and South America, among the 46 countries with 1,024 people groups of 590,000,000 (2010 report) inhabitants, there are 550 languages in use. From these languages, 34 of them have the entire Bible translated, 31 languages have been translated into the New Testament, and 130 languages have a partial translation and 283 languages are in the process of being translated.64
60
The independent countries are Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua and Barbados (English), Haiti (French), Puerto Rico (Spanish). The dependent state islands are Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks & Caicos Islands (British territory), Guadeloupe, Martinique (territories of France), Aruba, Netherlands Antilles (territories of Netherlands), Virgin Islands of the USA (territories of USA). 61 As the majority of population, Euro-Americans comprise 40.5% of the entire population. They are in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, and Mexico. 62 Before the Spanish conquistadors arrived, the population of native Indians in Central and South America was around 15 million to 100 million (670 to 700 tribes), a median number is around 50 to 60 million. Nunez & Taylor, Crisis and Hope in Latin America, 27. 63 According to Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., Guyana (population: 87,000, 49.4% are Asians). Surinam (population: 420,000, 51% are Asians), Trinidad and Tobago (population: 1,300,000; 40.3% are Asians). 64 Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., 45, 47. The Caribbean has 73 tribes (speaking 47 languages). 951 tribes in South America speak 503 different languages.
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The total population of South America is 546 million. Among them, 92.1% are Christians (Protestants 18.7%, Catholics 77.4%, Anglicans 0.1%, Orthodox 0.1%), non-religious 4.2%, tribal religious 2.7%, Muslims 0.2%, Buddhists 0.2%, and Jews 0.1%. In the Caribbean, 82.9% are Christians (17.2% Protestants, 59.8% Catholics, 1.45% Anglicans, 0.1% Orthodox) out of a 42 million total population. The non-religious are 8.9%, tribal religious 6.8%, Hindus 0.8%, and Muslims 0.3%.65 The mission of Central and South America began with the Catholics when Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492 and the Conquest commenced. There were two giants during the Period of Discovery when Christopher Columbus discovered a brand new continent and Vasco da Gama travelled around the Cape of Good Hope of South Africa to reach Calicut, India in 1497. Such discoveries expanded Europeans’ mind-set and their perspective on mission. Through such great voyages and discoveries, the gospel was heard by races that were previously unknown. The force of Christianity which was undermined by the aggression of Muslims for 800 years finally combatted Muslim influence.66 Especially the priests from the Jesuit order who were outstanding in mission in Central and South America trained the nationals to be obedient and loyal to the Roman Catholic Church through the Conquest and the settlement.67 At the time, the goal of the mission for Central and South America was to make uncivilized and pagan natives into Roman Catholic Christians. For this cause, the priests created churches and schools for the Indians in order to convert them. Before the Society of Jesus, the Order of Franciscans and the Order of Dominicans led the Catholic mission.68 Therefore, for example, Santo Domingo the capital of the Dominican Republic since 1511, was the first district of control West of the Pacific Ocean. By 1522, eight more districts of control were established. Peter of Ghent, who was of the Franciscan Order and one of the first pioneering Catholic missionaries, described the active scene of mission in his letter in June, 1529:69 I along with a brother baptized over 200,000 natives in this region of Mexico. In fact, because of the countless number of people, I can’t be exact. It was very common to baptize more than 14,000 in a day. Some days, we baptized 8,000 to 10,000 in a day. 65
Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., 45, 47. Neill, A History of Christian Mission, 171-72. 67 Ibid., 181-82., Moreau, Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, 837-39. After Martin Luther started religious reform in 1517, Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) started a Counter-Reformation inside the Catholic Church with the Society of Jesus. They decided to use all means possible to re-convert Protestants and heretics back to Catholic religion. Due to corruption, it dismantled on July 21st, 1773. At the time, there were 22,589 members with 11,293 priests. 68 The three main orders of Franciscans, Dominicans, and the Jesuits contributed a great deal to Catholic missions worldwide. 69 Neill, A History of Christian Mission, 209. 66
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However, the Catholic mission that was in full swing came to an abrupt end because of the ‘Encomienda’ policy whereby Spanish settlers exploited native Indians. Furthermore, the corruption of priests also hinder Catholic mission (the Jesuit Order was dismantled for this reason). Another hindrance to the Catholic mission was allowing only three native Indians to become priests until 1794. Catholic mission in Central and South America therefore largely remained a foreign religion. On the other hand, the theory of accommodation and adaptation in the mission fields revealed through the Catholic order of propaganda (SPCF) in 1659 left an important theoretical basis for mission in a foreign culture, even for today’s Protestants.70 However, it also opened the doors to syncretic religion, thus showing both sides of the coin from the previous theory of mission. PROTESTANT MISSION
As for Protestant mission in Central and South America, it officially began sometime in the nineteenth century. However, from 1821 to 1930 was a period of rapid change in Central and South America from the colonies to becoming independent nations. It was a period of radical as well as rapid change. This period was the beginning of peace, development, and settlement, as well as, central authoritarian socialism and military regimes. With the end of colonization, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church diminished. On the other hand, it was also the time when American Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists started doing mission and evangelizing nominal Catholics in Central and South America.71 Azusa Street Revival of Los Angeles in 1906 started the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. In the Third World countries, this movement gained a tremendous momentum. After 1960, Pentecostals and Charismatics are the mainstream Protestants in the Central and South America.72 As an example, among the 46 nations of Central and South America, Puerto Rico has the most 70
Ibid., 219-25. Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, SCPF was established in 1622 by Pope Gregory in order to mobilize world mission by the Roman Catholic Church. It was made up of 13 cardinals, one secretary, and two directors of monasteries. 71 Nunez & Taylor, Crisis and Hope in Latin America, 154-55. According to this data, the following is when North American denominations started missions in Central and South America: Presbyterians (Argentina; 1823, Colombia; 1856, Brazil; 1859, Mexico; 1871, Guatemala; 1882), Methodist (Brazil; 1835, Argentina; 1835, Uruguay; 1835, Mexico; 1872, Chile; 1877, Bolivia; 1901), and Baptist (Mexico; 1870, Brazil; 1881, Argentina; 1881, Bolivia; 1895). 72 Patrick Johnston, The Church Is Bigger Than You Think (London: Christian Focus Publications, 1998), 113-14. According to this report, since 1960, Pentecostals and Charismatics have been growing rapidly in numbers: its growth rate per annum was 6% in 1960, and then 10% in 2000. As for Charismatics, they were 3% in 1960s, and 4.8% in 2000s. There is a total of 91.7% Christians in Central and South America, among them, 10.6% are Protestants (70% Pentecostals and Charismatics).
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number of evangelical Christians not only in Central and South America, but in the entire world if it is measured by a number of evangelical Christian per square mile.73 Richard Hillsman pointed out the status of the Protestants’ rapid growth in Central and South America in his book, Understanding Contemporary Latin America: in a 450 million total population, there are 10% Protestants.74 Among the Protestant denominations, the Assemblies of God has risen as the number one Protestant denomination with 10 million registered members in Central and South America. Despite such a positive outlook on mission in Central and South America, there are also huge obstacles to overcome: spiritualism, and its offspring, syncretism, and liberal theology.75 The nominal Roman Catholics and their religious lifestyle, opposition against the gospel, various types of politics, economics, culture, and moral issues are also obstacles to the gospel. The future mission for Central and South America should have a direction where a strategy is made for it to play a role in mission. Taylor evaluated mission in Central and South America in the following ten ways which indicates the status of mission in Central and South America.76 1) The rapid growth in numbers. The percentage of Protestants in Central and South America is 10.6%, and among them, 75% are Pentecostals and Charismatics. A growth in numbers is a good sign, however, a majority of them lean towards spiritual gifts rather than the Word of God, thus they lack in proper Christian discipleship. Because of the rapid growth, the government, which is kept in check by the Catholic Church, restricts and oppresses the Protestant church. 2) A majority of Pentecostals and Charismatics who make up 75% of all evangelicals in Central and South America has a tendency to prefer only the acts of the Holy Spirit in the Bible instead of studying the entire Bible. They also emphasize blessings from God and prefer not to participate in Christ’s suffering. 73 Bill and Amy Stearms, 2020 Vision (Bloomington, IN.: Bethany House, 2005), 172. According to this study, among 3.5 million (1998 report), one million are evangelicals with 7,000 churches, and 10,000 pastors. There are nine Christian television stations, 13 Christian radio stations, 130 Christian schools, and 350 Christian related organizations. Over 1,000 young men and women want to be missionaries to Muslims and are in training. They call themselves, ‘Las Catacumbas’ (‘the ones who have come from the graves’), and are living a righteous life with total dedication to the Lord. 74 Richard S. Hillsman, Understanding Contemporary Latin America, 3rd ed. (London: L. Rienner Publishers, 2005), 308-309. 75 Ibid., 313-17. There are 280 different tribal religions in Central and South America that worship Satan. A prime example is Voodoo (Umbanda, Candomble, Vaudou). These religions incorporate black magic from Africa, and native spirit possession and magic. Today, it is combined with Satanism and has evolved into a mixture of Spiritualism. Other religions include the occult depending upon the area’s language, tribe, and culture. 76 Nunez & Taylor, Crisis and Hope in Latin America, 163-84.
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3) As 75% of all church pastors in Central and South America have not received any formal seminary education, they have to be educated and re-trained as ministers of Christ. This is necessary for them to properly teach the Word of God and lead their disciples to live a better Christian life. 4) There is a sincere need for unity among Protestant denominations in Central and South America. This is a need not only for Central and South America, but for the rest of the world as well. All Christians have a duty to fulfil mission, and should unite in power (resources, strategies, prayers). 5) Evangelical Christians should provide service to society and Christian duty towards the world. This is not the direction preferred by liberal theology; it is for sharing the gospel that relief efforts and service should be provided by Protestants in Central and South America. 6) Through the mission field’s condition (contextualization) of the Protestant churches in Central and South America, it is necessary to have a vision of growing the churches to be self-sufficient and independent. 7) Biblical theology is needed for the mission in Central and South America. It is a priority for the believers to return to biblical theology from the liberation theology which is a combination of Marxism, socialism, and capitalism. 8) A clear position must be made by the Protestant church in Central and South America toward incidents happening in the world.77 9) In the midst of 70% to 80% of the total population in Central and South America believing they are Catholics, it is important to have courage, love, and perseverance to embrace them and share the gospel with them where the Catholic Church uses government authority to suppress Protestants. 10) Protestants who are 18% of total population of Central and South America, 1,000 Korean missionaries, and 102,000 other ethnic missionaries throughout Central and South America should conduct themselves as disciples of Jesus Christ who live a life of martyrdom.78 Central and South America mission can also be analysed from two major points of view: interior mission and exterior mission. An interior mission perspective is a mission towards people who never heard the gospel (World A, B) and those who have heard but did not understand (World C: nominal Catholics, Orthodox believers, Anglicans, nominal Protestants). An exterior mission perspective is a mission to the rest of the world in Europe, Middle
77 Nunez & Taylor, Crisis and Hope in Latin America, 181. For example, homosexuality, abortion, socialism, communism, church involvement in society, urbanization problems, industrialization, political involvement by church, etc. The church should have a clear biblical stand on all of these issues of the world. 78 Johnson & Ross, Atlas of Global Christianity, 279.
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East, and Asia (especially Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.) through the Christians of Central and South America. Protestant Christians are about 18% of the total population of Central and South America (2010 report). Even if those ‘born-again’ believers among Catholics, Orthodox, and Anglicans are counted, the total number would still be less than 20% of the whole population of the continent. It is an assumption that approximately 80% of Central and South Americans do not have the assurance of salvation. It is a fact that they are lost souls. Therefore, the importance of mission to save their souls who have been abused historically, culturally, and religiously cannot be over-emphasized. Since most of the Catholics are ready souls who already know about the Bible and Jesus Christ, they are easier to evangelize and do mission with than those who believe in more than 10,900 different native religions, atheists, spiritualists, agnostics, and the rest that are not saved. The mission in this continent is also important for the descendants of native Indians who were abused historically, socially, and culturally, as well as the descendants of Africa, and the mixed race with Europeans. They have lived with deep inner trauma, while they have courageously kept their languages, cultures, and religions. They all need to receive the gospel and be saved for inner healing from their past wounds. For all this to happen, individual relationships and direct evangelism (relief, service, education, medicine, Bible translation, technical skills) are required. Evangelism among UPGs, in cities, farms, prisons, nursing homes, orphanages, schools, military establishments, and industrial plants is necessary. Mission in Central and South America has a further dimension of importance: to prepare the nations for their own missionary work to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the rest of the world. It is equivalent to God dispersing the people of Israel throughout the world as diasporas in order to share the gospel. Likewise, God has made a panoramic mosaic with the immigrants all over the world with their interracial marriages. This was all for the purpose of fulfilling the mission which was a providence of God.79 The whole continent has drawn people from a wide variety of places, and from different walks of life. They are immigrants, natives, mixed races, foreign exchange students, foreign business workers, entrepreneurs, embassy workers, missionaries, etc. They came and now life with different languages, races, cultures, and religions. This has uniquely prepared people for multi-cultural living, tolerance towards differences, and incredible cultural flexibility. These 79
Jews from Northern Israel who were taken as captives to Babylonia can be seen indirectly as diasporas. In 533 B.C.E., Zerubabel led some of the Jews to return to Jerusalem which was the 1st exiles from returning to Israel. In 458 B.C.E., Ezra led a second group of exiles to return. In 70 C.E., Roman general Tito destroyed Jerusalem and the Jews scattered all over the world. By 135 C.E., Jews had completely scattered. Through T. Hetzel along with Jews from Eastern Europe created the Zionism movement which led Jew to regain their independence of Israel in 1948.
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are important qualities for Christian mission. A specific example of this will be illustrated next through the role of Korean missionaries. KOREAN MISSION
There are two major roles for the Korean missionaries working in Central and South America. The first is their role towards Korean diasporas who are living in Central and South America, and the second is for the people of Central and South America, and the multi-ethnic diasporas. Korean immigrants began settling in Central and South America after 93 Korean immigrants arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii in January, 1903. This was the first Korean immigration to America. Two years later in May, 1905, 1,031 Koreans arrived in Salinacruz, Northern Mexico. After they processed their immigration, they moved to Veracruz.80 After this, Korean immigration continued in Central and South America with Dominican Republic (1962), Brazil (1963), Paraguay (1965), Argentina (1965), and Chile (1970). Church planting by these Korean immigrants not only inspired the faith of the immigrants but their children as well. They shared the gospel with the host people. Their church played an important role as a mission centre as new generations are born.81 They took it as a serious call to help their children to continue Christian faith 1960, the ministry of missionaries expanded consistently to include Korean immigrants, exchange students, business people, business workers, embassy workers, and military police. The children of immigrants are bi-lingual and bi-cultural. The world mission through them is possible not only in Central and South America, but also in Europe and the rest of the world. So, even for a short period, if all the Koreans living in South America receive the gospel and are reared as Christ’s disciples, they can go further as missionaries or support world mission. Wherever they go, they can fulfil the Great Commission of the Lord as a lay minister, or a lay missionary. For them to carry out world mission, Korean missionaries should raise them up spiritually with a mission strategy and motivate them to serve God well. A second important role of Korean missionaries serving in Central and South America is doing mission with the native Indians, mixed races, and the diasporas from Europe and the rest of the world. Furthermore, national leaders and pastors who undertake actual ministry should be trained, empowered and given leadership opportunities. From a historical point of view, Central and South America can be seen as a continent made up of immigrants from all over the world. This means it can be 80 S. Chung, Korean Diasporas, 44-53 (on Hawaiian immigration), and 176-84 (on Mexico immigration). 81 Ibid., 53 (Hawaiian Christ United Methodist Church, established in November, 1903); ibid., 183 (Mexican Korean Church, in October. 1966); ibid., 195 (Brazil Korean Church, in October. 1963).
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the seedbed for mission to the world, a headquaters for world mission, as well as being a strategic base camp. For this, the re-education and re-training of national workers should be the most important priority for missionaries, including Koreans. If the three-self indigenous principle introduced by John Nevius to the Korean church in 1890 is applied to Central and South America, then a similar healthy growth of Christianity can take place. For this to happen, the Korean missionary’s role in this continent is important.82 Also evangelical Christians and their children should be encouraged to share the gospel with the multiethnic immigrants and their children from all over the world. They in turn should be supported with prayers and materials so they can participate in mission. Studies inform us that immigrants and ethnic minorities have more openness to the gospel. Considering the whole continent full of immigrants, ages ago for many, evangelism and discipleship is an important mission strategy. In conclusion, Korean missionaries who minister in Central and South America have an opportunity to coordinate, mobilize, provide, and share a vision with national workers, and raise them into leadership positions. The Christians in the continent can become a powerful missionary force. Korean missionaries also have to pray and prepare 102,000 other ethnic missionaries serving throughout Central and South America. This can be seen as a call that God has placed upon Korean churches, pastors, missionaries, and believers. I pray that the missionaries of GKC in Central and South America will faithfully fulfil this calling. GKC’S MISSION IN ARGENTINA
In regard to GKC’s mission status of Central and South America, Grace Seminary in Argentina, and Tres Diás ministry have become the foundation for mission. Grace Seminary in Argentina has become an important mission work of GKC in the region. Understanding that the circumstances of Central and South America were quite similar to Africa, Kwangshin Kim sent missionary 82
Neill, A History of Christian Mission, 320-22, 142-49. John Nevius (1829-1893) worked as a missionary to China for 40 years from 1853. On an invitation by the Korean Presbyterian Church, he spoke on ‘A Plan for Missionary Work’, and ‘Establishing Mission Church and Its Growth’ for two weeks. He introduced three-self policies: ‘selfgovern’, ‘self-evangelism’, and ‘self-support’ for the churches in Korea. His ideas played a big role in the foundation of mission policy in Korea. The four methods of John Nevius are as follows: 1) all Christians should remain in their work place and be self-sufficient, and share the gospel with their neighbours; 2) the methods and organization of church as it grows must be the responsibility of the Korean church; 3) the church should acquire the ultimate nature, bring out the person it can support, appoint him officially as the minister so that he can work; and 4) church building should be built by Korean Christians in a Korean manner with self-generated funds by Christians.
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Taewon Kim and his wife to Buenos Aires, Argentina in February 2000. They soon invited the local pastors to the Tres Diás (‘Glow of Love’) in order to teach them God’s love and implant a vision for mission. The seminary was established in order to re-train the local pastors.83 Given the circumstances under which they work, two weeks of extensive on-campus theological training was provided every two months for two years. During this two-week training, the programme starts at 5:30 a.m. and runs until 10:30 p.m. The food and lodging are free and study materials are provided. The participants must have had the experience of Tres Diás (which is called, ‘A.F.A’. in Argentina). Participants are also pre-screened, and only those who are willing to go through a rigorous training are allowed. Already, there is a mission association formed by the graduates of this programme. The mission of Central and South America is growing because of the success of this training. Children of national workers and leaders are also encouraged to receive the training at Grace Seminary. Currently, trainees come from Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and Peru at the Grace Seminary in Argentina. There are five characteristics of Grace Seminary in South America: 1) spiritual growth (experiencing Holy Spirit and the Word); 2) practical education and learning new skills; 3) acquiring general studies; 4) fostering faith and integrity; and 5) discipling the student to be emotionally sound and demonstrating Christian behaviour. Since November 2000, there have been 11 graduating classes with 437 graduates. Currently two classes (12th and 13th classes) with 33 students are in training. In January, 2007; a missionary couple Seungkeun Han and Taeshil replaced missionary couple Kim. Tres Diás, seminary, and G-12 are the three core ministries of GKC, which are bearing many fruits in many nations.84 As Tres Diás is very appropriate for the people of Central and South America in culture and language, it contributed a great deal to the missionary work in Central and South America. Elder Sungbae Lee, mission support director of GKC, along with members of the church, have contributed much to the establishment of the Tres Diás programme in Central and South America. As a prime example, Tres Diás (‘America Fuego de Amor’ in Spanish) is bearing the following fruits. What is most common among many Christian workers (around 85%) of Central and South America is the lack of any formal ministry education or training. Therefore, they experience many changes 83 The Central and South American missions formally began with missionary Jaehan Kim and his wife, Grace, in Venezuela in 1989, after missionary Soonsung Kim died in Venezuela in 1986. The seminary in Argentina that began in 2000 by missionary Taewon Kim and his wife, Ida, expanded the mission. The couple also started a seminary in Peru in 2008. Since 2013, they are also ministering in Chile. 84 Seminary training is always done by pastors and ones who have received a ministry calling that have already gone through Tres Dias. GKC’s ministers are also encouraged to incorporate G-12 ministry to theirs.
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through Tres Diás ministry. First, their attitude changes from ‘Can’t do’ to ‘Can do’. Second, their vision for ministry and mission has broadened to embrace not only Argentina but the whole world. Third, their ministry foundation is now based on Christ’s love. Fourth, their sanguine personality of not wanting to study has changed to wanting to diligently study in the seminary. Finally, they are now able to lead the open service in word, worship and praise. Tres Diás which took place since 2000 to 2013 has produced 2,059 graduates (in 27 classes). Among them, 1,384 ministers make up 67.2% of the total participants. Almost all the ministers who participated said their ministry improved as a result. Furthermore, Tres Diás for young people and leaders has been continuing as well. MISSION IN PORTUGUESE SPEAKING COUNTRIES
There are eleven nations that speak Portuguese throughout the world. This came about after the sixteenth century when they became the colonies of Portugal.85 Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) was formed in 1996, and they share common bond of friendship as sister nations with a total population of nations who speak Portuguese is 223 million. CPLP currently has eight nations as full members: Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, and East Timor. Three are associate members: Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, and Senegal.86 Brazil is the largest and most populated country among all the Portuguese countries. It gained its independence from Portugal in 1822. Out of a total population of approximately 200 million (2010 Census), 3.9 million live in the capital Brasilia, and 20 million in the major metropolis of Sao Paulo. As a race, 50.2% are mixed European descent, 38% mixed (Mestizo and Mulatto), 6.4% African descent, 5.6% Asians, and 0.4% native Indians who belong to 275 different tribes. The number of tribal native Indians is approximately 700,000. As for religion, 91.4% are Christian, 5.4% tribal religions, 2.2% nonreligious, 0.3% Muslims, and 0.3% Buddhists. Among the Christians, 72.8% are Catholics, 26.8% Protestants, 0.07% Anglicans, and 0.09% Orthodox.87 There are two GKC missionary couples serving in Brazil. In Sao Paulo, Sungmahn Nam and his wife Hasun have been working alongside national
85
Vasco da Gama (c.1460-1524) in 1497 led 170 explorers to sail the African coasts to Indian Ocean, and pioneered a new sea route to Asia. Through his efforts, Portugal became an international sea-faring nation. 86 CPLP began in 1996 with Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, while East Timor joined in 2002. Equatorial Guinea and Mauritius joined as associate members in 2006 and Senegal in 2008. 87 Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., 162-63.
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workers since July 2001. In Rio de Janeiro, a Inseung Han and his wife Sunhee are also working alongside national pastors.88 A five-year plan has been adopted for Portuguese mission by GKC.89 The gospel will be shared with a majority of Portuguese speakers who for the most part practice Roman Catholicism and Shamanism. The direction and strategy of world mission for the Portuguese countries are to re-educate existing ministers, and educate and train their future pastors and missionaries, especially for sharing the gospel with UPGs. The operation of schools, mission centres, G12 ministry, and Tres Diás are the specific mission strategies. Tres Diás, Grace Encounter, and Grace Freedom are conducted two times per year. Seminaries, church planting, and the operation of mission centres are in progress.90 Details of the five-year plan are as following. First, in 2014, a vision for church ministry and world mission will be planted in the hearts of 500 participants who attend the seminar for ministers, and Tres Diás in Brazil. Second, in 2015, a short-term seminary and a mission centre will be established, training selected seminarians to be missionaries. Furthermore, through the establishment of mission centre, a strong community can be formed, with effective and continuous support, and a place of rest. Third, from 2016 to 2018, a church plant and mission will be inaugurated by the local pastors. They will be dispatched and supported throughout the entire region of Portuguese influence. Fourth, through amending and supplementing the entire ministry, support method, and strategy of Portuguese mission in 2019, a foundation will be laid for a continuous, successful ministry of world mission, and a healthy community for the next twenty years for the locals. These plans will be accomplished through the vision and strategy of the two missionary couples and their families in Brazil, cooperating with local ministers, lay leaders, and the believers.
88 Missionary Sungmahn Nam and Hasun have been working as lay missionaries since 2001. In September, 2012, missionary Hasun was ordained for ministry. Missionary Inseung Han and Sunhee are first graduates of the GMI Mission Training Center. He was appointed as GKC missionary in the same city where he had been ministering for 6 years. Yang, To the Ends of the Earth, 125-26. 89 The information is from Elder Sungwoong Kim, in charge of Portuguese mission at GKC. 90 ‘Grace Encounter’ is the first step of G-12 ministry. Through this ten-week course, new converts encounter Jesus in the meeting. ‘Grace Freedom’ is a 2-3 day program where participants experience grace and freedom.
Chapter 4 Mission Strategies of GKC, Evaluation and Future
Mission Strategies In order to apply the strategic perspective of mission to the mission, a brief survey of Christian mission history is introduced, followed by a discussion on mission strategy to various religions. Then we will turn to GKC’s mission strategy. Through the brief study of 2000 years of Christian mission history, the flow and direction of the entire world mission can be understood, while at the same time, it will help establish the direction of mission for GKC. History of Mission Christian mission history has been made along with the history of the church. The history of the church began with the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus Christ who were praying wholeheartedly (Acts 2). A church was established in Jerusalem centred on the disciples of Jesus Christ. It was in Antioch, Syria that the followers of Jesus Christ there were first called, ‘Christians’. The first Christian world mission began with Paul and Barnabas who went to preach the gospel to the Gentiles and in Europe (Acts 11:25-26, 13:2-3). The gospel spread widely through Apostle Paul and his three mission journeys in Asia Minor and Rome. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 and 134, thus causing the diaspora and the spread of Christianity to Europe and many other places throughout the world.1 The oppression by the Roman Empire against Christianity began with Emperor Nero and ended with Emperor Constantine through the Milan Edict of 313. When Emperor Theodosius I decreed the Roman Empire as a Christian empire (380) to unify the religions of the Eastern and Western Roman Empire, it enabled Christianity to spread throughout the world.2 Although barbarians caused havoc in Europe and the Roman Empire fell to the Goths (in 410) and
1
Pierson, The Dynamics of Christian Mission, 42. Ibid., 57. The Edict of Milano by Emperor Constantine caused Christianity to receive all the rights of other religions. Christians for the first time were able to buy real estate.
2
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then to the Huns (476),3 mission to these barbarians formally started through monasteries.4 The basis for the mission in Europe centred on St. Patrick (known as the ‘Apostle of Ireland’) and St. Columba who received training from St. Patrick at his monastery. They evangelized the Celts of Ireland, the Picts of Scotland, and the Angles and Saxons of England.5 St. Columba established a monastery in Iona training many missionaries, and contributed a great deal to evangelizing Europe. Notable representatives of such priests were Willibrord, Boniface, Ansgar, Kirillo, and Methodios. Through them, mission in Scandenavia and Eastern Europe became possible.6 Islam which began in 622 became a major challenge to Christian mission. The Crusades (1096-1272) and a war against Muslims to recover Jerusalem, became the biggest rallying cry against Christian mission by Muslims. It is also seen as the cause for the Dark Ages.7 In 1054, due to the differences in religious doctrines, ecclesiastical authority, language, and culture, the Christian church divided into the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Western Roman Catholic Church.8 Afterwards, the Roman Catholic Church was mired in corruption. From fourteenth to fifteenth century, Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, John Huss, among others planted seeds
3
Franks, Bugundians, and Goths from Germany were the principal groups and Romans called them, ‘barbarians’. 4 Winter & Hawthorne, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed., 216-17. 5 St. Patrick (c. 385-461) was born into a wealthy clergy home. However, when he was 16 years old, he was captured by slave traders and sold to Ireland as a slave for 6 years. He met the Lord in those years while tending sheep. He experienced a deep spiritual awakening. He fled to England and became a free man again. He received training as a priest there. In 430, St. Patrick had a dream where a man from Ireland begged him to return. St. Patrick spent next 31 years as a missionary in Ireland ministering to the Celts. The monasteries he established in Ireland became the mission centre which produced countless missionaries throughout Europe. Pierson, The Dynamics of Christian Mission, 70-74. Jon M. Sweeney (ed.), Ireland's Saint: The Essential Biography of St. Patrick (Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2008), 41-70, 97-107, 185-94. 6 Pierson, The Dynamics of Christian Mission, 81-85. St. Columba (c. 521-87) was called by the people of Ireland ‘the Apostle of Scotland Picts and Ancient Scots’. He was trained in the monastery established by St. Patrick, in order to evangelize Scotland, and arrived in Iona in 563. There, he established Iona Abbey, and trained priests who became missionaries all over Europe. Rosalind K. Marshall, Columba’s Iona: A New History (Highland: Sandstone Press, 2013), 1-35. 7 Pierson, The Dynamics of Christian Mission, 102-105. 8 Ibid., 103, a difference in theology was the biggest reason why the church split into the churches of East and West. A theology on the Holy Spirit was the problem. Roman Catholics of the West believed that the Holy Spirit came from the Father and the Son. Eastern Orthodox Church believed that the Holy Spirit only came from the Son. Nevertheless, the real issue was greed in regards to who is to be charge of water burials. Difference in language and culture played a role in the split as well.
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for religious reform and Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Huldrych Zwingli started the Protestant Reformation in 1517.9 After the Reformation, there was a war between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants (30 Years War, 1618-48). While there was upheaval in society, the Pietist movement started by Philip Spener, and continued by August Francke, and Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf had a great impact on modern 10 mission as did the Puritans in England. Zinzendorf who was the founder of the Moravian Mission made a great contribution to mission. He started 100 years of 24 hours’ prayer (beginning in January 1728, similar to today’s ‘24 Hours/7 Days Prayer’) that influenced John Wesley, George Whitfield, William Carey, and John Mott.11 William Carey who is known as ‘the Father of Modern Mission’ preached from Isa. 54:2-3 on mission in Nottingham before Baptist ministers in 1792. He went on to establish the Baptist Missionary Society, and dedicated himself to mission for forty-one years. He was a great role model for mission as he devoted himself to mission in India until he died there.12 Similarly in China, Hudson Taylor established the China Inland Mission in 1865 as a faith mission.13 The Student Volunteer Movement was started in 1888 by John Mott who served as the President of the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910. He established a need for the unity in mission that greatly influenced modern mission.14 The first World Evangelistic Mission Conference took place in Lausanne, Switzerland centred on Billy Graham. It was Ralph Winter at the conference who summarized the notion of UPG from the Hidden People Group of Donald A. McGavran and the ‘Hidden Linguistic Group’ of William C. Townsend.15 9
Ibid., 111-15, 130-31, 135-49. Ibid., 179-86. Puritanism was a movement against the oppression of the Anglican Church that began by Henry VIII who exited England from the influence of Roman Catholic Church. It was a movement to return to the spirit of the Reformation. John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress is a prime example of the Puritan movement. On the other hand, 102 Puritans in 1620 were led to move to Newfoundland for religious freedom. 11 International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri started by Mike Bickle on September, 1999 is a good example of 24-hour prayer movement inherited from the Moravians’ 24-hour prayer movement. In South Korea, GKC missionary Youngeui Kim started a 24-hour continuous prayer at Open Doors Prayer Centre since April 2003. In the USA, GKC opened doors of Grace World Prayer Centre in October, 2009 where 24hour prayer is taking place. 12 Ibid., 199-206. Among the sermons of William Carey, ‘Attempt Great Things for God; Expect Great Things from God’ is his most famous. 13 Ibid., 243-45. Hudson Taylor spent combined 46 years (1854-1860, 1865-1905) until he died in China. CIM changed its name to Overseas Missionary Fellowship in 1964 and continues mission in and for China. 14 Ibid., 246-49, 261-67. 15 Ibid., 245 Winter & Hawthorne, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th ed., 274-78. 10
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Today, world mission needs to be holistic as well as being bi-directional (centripetal and centrifugal), and a ‘priesthood for all believers’. In order to fulfil the Great Commission of the Lord, the gospel must be shared with all nations (Matt. 24:14), and be discipled (Matt. 28:19).16 According to Operation World (2010), there are 6.9 billion people in the world with 16,350 different tribes (Joshua Project) speaking 472 different languages (2009 Ethnologue report). Currently, the Bible in its entirety has been translated into 457 languages, 1,202 languages in New Testament only, and partially translated in 953 languages.17 For the benefit of translating the Bible, several mission organizations who translate professionally came together in 1999 and declared, ‘Vision 2025’. It was a declaration that they will work together in trying to translate more than 2,252 different languages of UPGs and UUPGs by 2025. Furthermore, a population of unsaved (80% of world’s total population of 7 billion) is estimated to be around 5.5 billion, Muslims are 1.6 billion (28.1% of all unsaved), Hindus are 950 million (17.2% of all unsaved), Buddhists are 470 million (8.5% of all unsaved), non-religious are 640 million (11.6% of all unsaved), Tribal Religious are 260 million (4.7% of all unsaved), agnostics are 140 million (2.5% of all unsaved), New Agers, Jews, Chinese Traditional Religious are 590 million (10.3% of all unsaved), and the rest of the unsaved religious are 940 million (17.1% of all unsaved).18 According to the above statistics, non-religious and atheists are 14% of world’s total population. Excluding them, approximately 54% of the world’s peoples are Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. Approximately 32% are tribal religious, traditional religious, New Age, and others. Since 58 countries where GKC is doing mission have many of these types of people, we will study the mission strategy to share the gospel with the unsaved. In doing so, GKC missionaries can better understand the religion, worldview, and culture of these people. The goal here is for GKC missionaries to do mission more effectively for Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists.19 Mission to Other Religions MUSLIMS
Islam is widely spread all over the world in over 57 countries (including traditional Muslim countries, there are 143 countries out of 238 that have declared themselves Muslim). 1.8 million Muslims are working today 16
All saved believers have to carry out the Great Commission of the Lord (Rev. 7:9-12). Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed. 18 Todd M. Johnson, David B. Barrett, and Peter F. Crossing, ‘Christianity 2010: A View from the New Atlas of Global Christianity’, International Bulletin of Missionary Research 34:1 (Jan 2010), 29-34. 19 Kenneth Ross approximates 10% of all Anglicans to be genuinely committed and practicing Christians, an interview on May 22, 2013 in Edinburgh. 17
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exclusively to propagate their religion throughout the world. Muslims have an agenda to make a Muslim world. Currently, there are 1,550,000,000 Muslims in the world (as of December 2010). Muslims do not believe in the Christian doctrine of Trinity but propagate believing in their God, ‘Allah’, which is easier than to believe in the three ‘Gods’ of Christianity. The following is the Christian mission strategy towards Muslims: Approaching Muslims with love, instead of arguing with them over doctrine or theology, have close human contact with them, and provide service when they ask for it. It is important to make a personal relationship with Muslims.20 While challenges and opportunities prevail, suffering and troubles are working in the Muslim countries as an opportunity to do mission. For example, the Gulf War of 1990 caused Muslims to have hatred towards the Western world. Soldiers however passed out tracts in Saudi Arabia and other parts of Arab countries. Furthermore, the people of Kuwait who abhorred Hussain were shown a Jesus movie and given tracts. It was an example of doing relief work while sharing the gospel effectively. A mission to the natives by Christian natives in the Muslim mission field, and adapting to their culture can be seen as a mission strategy to Muslims. This is because Muslims are strongly inclined to their community. It is a society in which family ties are very strong. Allah can work as a contact point and the gospel of Jesus Christ can be progressively told. This is effective because Jesus is mentioned 19 times in the Qur’an. As Islam does not require salvation, Muslims do not have a notion about sin or judgment because of sin. Therefore, from a biblical point of view, original sin, and sins of volition and their results can be shared with a view of Christ’s atonement. Research on mission to Muslims should be in terms of cooperation. Muslim research centres for mission and missionary training centres for Muslims should be established for sharing the gospel. World mission is like mosaic, orchestra, and war. This is how world mission is expressed. In other words, world mission requires ‘unity in diversity’. It is necessary for mission strategies to be applied by all the churches (modality) along with all parachurches (sodality of mission organizations, seminary, education facilities, charities, etc.). Especially for the mission to Muslims, local Christians, Diaspora Christians (Muslims who converted to Christianity) should do the mission along with the mass media, and internet. If all this is done in a cooperative manner, Muslims from a total of 1.55 billion that includes 60% to 70% nominal Muslims could convert to Jesus Christ. Another effective mission strategy toward Muslims is getting rid of the prejudice toward
20
Martin Cogan and John Littleton (eds.), Theology for Today: Christianity and World Religions (Dublin: Priority Institute, 2007), vol. 2, 62-63. Vivienne Stacey, Practical Lessons for Evangelism among Muslims, rev. ed. (London: Interserve Press, 1988), 714.
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Muslims as in for example ‘Muslim mission is impossible’. ‘Muslims are dangerous!’ ‘Muslims are not worthy to be saved’. HINDUS
The worldview of Hindus is in the light of good and evil being relative, so that anything that helps is good and anything that hinders is bad, and a human being can become righteous through devotion, meditation, good deeds, and selfrestraint. In other words, without the help of others, one has to undertake penance, good deeds, meditation, etc. to achieve moksha (deliverance). It is therefore important to let a Hindu know that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and God for evangelism and mission. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a difficult matter for a Hindu to understand. Hinduism teaches that Jesus Christ was one of many great teachers, and they do not believe that they need to be saved because they do not have any sin that would cause them to go to hell. According to the Vedanta, ‘We do not reject atheist, monist, polytheist, agnostic, or theist’. To share the gospel with a Hindu, one must have patience and teach him from the Bible about Jesus Christ being a Messiah, salvation through the cross and the resurrection, and the judgment. A Hindu needs a discipleship through the Bible.21 India is a society made up of 3,000 different tribes with 600,000 or more villages. There is a strong bond that exists among the tribal members and family members. If an individual accepts Christ, he has to leave his village and has to be taken care of by the church or the mission department. Therefore, it would be wise and effective to share the gospel with the leader of the tribe, and under his approval, share it with the rest of the tribe and family members. (This is a formula of homogeneity and reception of group conversion by Donald A. McGarvran). In other words, in a tribal society, effective evangelism is to first share the gospel with the leader.22 Indigenization means that the church is established and operated by the locals applying the gospel to their own culture. It is an effective methodology as well as a strategy for mission in all mission fields. The reason India is very sensitive about indigenization is because they have been for many years opposed to British colonial rule. They are strong on preserving their culture and rights. Furthermore, one of the indigenous mission strategies for India is to establish a Christian seminary there, and use it for discipling nationals to make them become self-sufficient (‘Three Self-Policy’ of self-supporting, selfgoverning, and self-evangelising by Henry Ben, Lupus Anderson, John Nevius). This type of indigenization from a biblical perspective is important. The Protestant mission in India has grown through church unity and appropriate indigenization, where there is syncretism in society and a culture with pluralistic religious views. 21 22
Cogan & Littleton, Theology for Today, 2:98. http://www.missionmagazin.com/main/php/search_view.php?idx=102.
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The diaspora of Indians (immigrants who left their mother country) is counted as 25 million (2010 UNDP statistic). USA has 2.8 million, and Canada has 1.1 million. It is important to do short-term and long-term mission using various mission strategies through churches and mission organizations directed toward Hindus. For example, mission (correspondence seminary, Christian broadcasting, internet mission, graphic mission, publication mission, cultural mission, medical mission, and technology mission) can be a good mission strategy toward Hindus in India, Nepal (23 million Hindus), Bangladesh (approximately 14 million Hindus), Indonesia (approximately 3.3 million Hindus). Furthermore, various mission strategies can be done in conjunction with Indian Christians. For example, national ministers inside India (CCCI and Gospel for Asia), indigenous mission organizations, and India mission through cooperative mission with local ministers, short-term mission in conjunction with them, and local mission support ministry (church plant, seminaries, schools, hospitals, orphanages). In a Hindu or Buddhist society, a missionary should personify a good character with integrity and generosity. As Hendrick Kraemer pointed out, the character of the missionary should be the point of contact in order for the mission to be possible in the mission field. In other words, from the perspective of the locals, if the missionary does not show self-restraint, the missionary is not approved of God and it will be very difficult for the missionary to bear any fruit. Use the similar points between the mind-set and doctrines of Hinduism and Christianity as a point of contact for sharing the gospel. This is not to compromise Biblical teachings, but to help them to understand through Bible study. Furthermore, power evangelism is necessary, as well as power encounter evangelism. The devotion of Hindus, their interest in the spiritual, self-denial, forsaking the world, meditation, incarnation, karma, etc. can be used as the contact points for the gospel. BUDDHISTS
Before discussing the mission strategy for the Buddhist, it is necessary to study first their Buddhist religion as well as understanding their worldview as a point of contact. It is not an over-statement to say that mission for Buddhists begin with the character of the missionary. A missionary has to personify kindness, mercy, self-control, and a modest lifestyle in order to gain Buddhist’s trust and have a point of contact. This is because Buddhists consider a missionary to be a religious teacher. He reminds them of a Buddhist monk who is on a journey of religious penance. A wholistic mission approach is important. The terms and doctrines of Buddhism need to be the contact points for the gospel, so their terms and ideas should be understood. In other words, a missionary should be trained in the knowledge of the culture and language of Buddhism. This will allow the gospel to be properly shared even from the
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Buddhists’ worldview, for it takes a long time for them to be receptive.23 Buddhists are well versed in Buddhist sermons, practice, and culture. A missionary should understand well the structure of Buddhist society, for just like the Hindus, Buddhists are family-oriented. A mission toward Buddhists is similar to a mission toward the people who follow Shamanism. It requires power evangelism. Buddhism can be considered atheistic, but in reality, it is polytheistic and polydemonic like Hinduism where many demons, evil spirits, and other spirits are worshipped. Therefore, gospel evangelism accompanied by the Holy Spirit’s power is necessary in order for the mission to be effective. For Korea to be in the front line of mission, it is important to evangelize Buddhists in Korea (Korean Protestants are 18.2% of all Koreans, 11.8% Catholics, and 23.7% Buddhists). Buddhism in South Korea has the most followers of all religions. According to 2010 report by Operation World, there are 11.5 million Buddhists living in South Korea. Out of the total Buddhist population of 48.5 million in the world, 23.7% of them live in South Korea.24 TRIBAL RELIGIOUS
Tribal Religion is also called ‘Folk Religion, Primal Religion, Ethnic Religion, and Traditional Religion’. Its origin is not certain, but it probably began with the awareness of natural phenomenon and the human limitations of sickness and death. Human burials by the official tribal religious began in the Chalcolitic Age. Scholars of religion believe that a formal pattern for God was made after traversing through animism, totemism, and shamanism. The Lausanne Committee which met in Pattaya, Thailand in 1980, proposed the following five mission strategies for traditional religious in Asia and Oceania.25 First, use creationism as a point of contact with them in terms of theology by illustrating God as the Creator and man as his creature. Second, share the stories of the Old Testament because traditional societies have similarities with Old Testament culture. Third, because these traditional religions emphasize the supernatural power of (evil) spirits, it is important to demonstate to them the power of God which is more powerful. Fourth, because animism from time to time has the notion of atonement for sins, a reconcilable mechanism using the analogy of Jesus Christ as a channel of salvation is emphasized. Last, such a society of traditional religion is not a society in which individual choice is possible. It is a group-oriented society, thus research must be done on the group conversion type of evangelism. The committee recommended a mission strategy where a course of discipleship is valued over an instant decision.
23
Cogan & Littleton, Theology for Today, 2:103-36. Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., 509. 25 http://www.lausanne.org/en/documents/all/pattaya-1980.html. 24
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This kind of mission strategy also applies to Shamanism. Instead of Shamans, Jesus Christ who is the true intermediary between God and man needs to be shared. Furthermore, it is important to improve upon the power evangelism that emphasizes the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the theology of the Holy Spirit. Indigenisation needs to be sincerely applied. Furthermore, it is important to see that the aforementioned mission strategies for Tribal Religion require the complete work of the Holy Spirit. General Mission Strategy The Great Commission of the Lord on this earth which is the completion of world mission will happen when the gospel is witnessed to all nations and is spread throughout the whole world just like the words of Matt. 24:14. When that happens Jesus will return, the Bible proclaims. The Lord Jesus said that day and hour only God the Father knows (Matt. 24:36). Jesus specifically warned that many false prophets will mislead the masses before the end of the world. Apostle Paul in Rom. 11:25-28 said that the salvation of Israel will be fulfilled when the number of Gentiles is completed. At that time, everyone was a Gentile beside the Jews, thus the complete number of Gentiles and the salvation of Israel reveal the completion of the mission. As every believer, young and old, clergy and lay, has been given a call to mission, we have to leave behind notions of inadequacy and the complaint about the size of our church in order to fulfil the great commission. Under such a premonition, there are five strategies to be highlighted as the responsibility of the church for world mission: sharing the gospel with the unreached people groups, diaspora, multi-ethnic and minority groups, lay people’s mission, and the churches (small, mid-size, and large while including the local churches of the mission field) to be in co-operation for mission. World mission can be compared to a mosaic, an orchestra, war, and the human anatomy. The ‘unity among diversity’ would be the common theme throughout such comparisons. Likewise, world mission is the common goal for every saved child of God in modality (agent of the church) and sodality (supporter of the church). Mission is achieved through the cooperative efforts of different churches with various gifts. Therefore, reaching the unreached people group with the gospel as well as the diaspora, multi-ethnic and minority groups, laymen, and the cooperative efforts for world mission by individual churches (small, mid-size, and large) is one of the responsibilities for a strategic world mission. UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP
In light of two thousand years of church history and world mission, sharing the gospel with the unreached people group is like harvesting the cream of the crop or conquering the final bastion. The mission field for the unreached people group is classified as ‘World A’ in missiology. According to the illustrative definition made at the Unreached People Group Mission Conference held at
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Chicago in 1982, ‘The unreached people are those of the native tribes who do not have their own independent Christian organization which can save the lost’. The meaning of the unreached people group is inclusive of the language, religion, ethnicity, location, occupation, social status, financial status, or the combination thereof. In other words, the unreached people group is a big organization of individuals who have a mutual relationship with one another. In addition, the unreached people group was more specifically defined in 1997 as a group of at least 10,000 people, have 5% or less Christians, have 2% or less evangelical Christians, or are unable to proclaim the gospel. The number of unreached people group is different based on different surveys; nevertheless, there are 6,500 unreached people groups according to the Finishing the Task missionary organization’s report posted in December 2011, that is approximately 1.5 billion people with 3,300 unreached people group who are considered to be Unengaged Unreached People Group (UUPG), which means there are 600 million people in the world where the gospel has not reached. Out of the entire Unreached People Group, 2,252 unreached people groups (300 million) do not have a Bible in their own language. Therefore, a number of different Bible translation missionary organizations have come together in 1999, and set a goal to complete the research into the languages of UUPG, and began the translation process commencing in 2025 which is titled, ‘Vision 2025’. In 1974, Ralph D. Winter (1924-2009) at the Lausanne World Mission Conference specifically pointed out the importance, justification, and urgency of reaching the unreached people group. This began a new era in world mission. Furthermore, Luis Bush, the president of Lausanne World Mission Conference, and Thomas Wang in 1989 at the second Lausanne World Mission Conference in Manila, Philippines started a new group prayer movement for the unreached people group. More importantly, Thomas Wang established ‘2000 AD and Beyond Movement’ which is a specific mission and prayer movement for the territories of ‘10/40 Window’. Furthermore, ‘Call2All’ world mission movement began in 2008 at Orlando, Florida was to encourage all Christians to participate in the Lord’s great commission.26 This movement received its original from and was greatly influenced by the ‘Table 71’ world mission conference of 2000 held in Amsterdam. Furthermore, world mission for the unreached people group is the great commission of the Lord that must be fulfilled by every child of God who has been saved. Whether the church is big or small, reaching the unreached people group is a strategic responsibility for all churches in regards to world mission. Therefore, small, mid-size, and large churches must carry out this great commission of the Lord. How GKC has carried out the strategic responsibility
26
‘Call 2 All’ is a missionary movement started in 2008 by Mark Anderson of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) to mobilise every believer for mission.
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for world mission to the unreached people group will be dealt with in part two of this study. DIASPORA MISSION STRATEGY
Out of seven billion people in the world, over 80% of them are considered unsaved. From the total population of the world, 200 to 250 million people are considered belonging in the diaspora group who left their mother country to live in a foreign country.27 They comprise 2.9% to 3.6% of the entire population of the world. From world mission’s perspective, evangelizing the diaspora group who are already Christian or candidates to become Christians can prove to be the most effective, strategic way of fulfilling the great commission of the Lord. In the case of Koreans, the modern diaspora occurred in late 1850 to early 1860 according to Mahnyul Lee, the acting president of National Institute of Korean History. During the period of 1860 to 1910, a number of Koreans left their homeland for Siberia and Manchuria because of severe famine and drought. However, the official documented Korean diaspora occurred with 121 native Koreans leaving Incheon seaport for Hawaii in 1902.28 Since then, Koreans have emigrated to China, Russia, U.S.A., Japan, Brazil, and other parts of the world.29 According to the 2010 statistical report, there are estimated 7.3 million Koreans living abroad in 175 different countries.30 A strategy for reaching the diaspora groups can be compared to dandelion seeds being carried by the wind while being scattered to become rooted in new ground. Like the ‘scattered seed’ meaning of the word, the strategy for world mission for diaspora is to have the believers who have the life-blood of the gospel to be scattered all over the world, and then to live in a foreign land to share the gospel and the love of Christ. Such can be seen as a general idea of world mission. Christians who have a sense of duty can share the gospel through their lives and work with the nationals of their adopted country after acquiring the new language, culture, habits, and worldview. As a member of a diaspora, an individual can also instil the same vision in the hearts and minds of the children. Thus, it is also a strategy to achieve world mission through the future generations. In addition, the responsibility for the strategic world mission of the Korean churches as diaspora throughout the world can be summed up in 3 ways. First, the gospel should be shared with non-believers in the foreign country where Korean diaspora members reside, for evangelizing one’s local city and country 27
Mandryk, Operation World, 7th ed., 14. S. Chung, Diaspora of Koreans, 45-53, S. Oh, Immigrant Theology, 215-16; Joonsang Cho, Migration of Koreans (Seoul, Hanminjok, 2003), 286-89. 29 S. Chung, Diaspora of Koreans. 30 According to Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trades in December 2010, there are 7,268,771 Koreans in 175 different countries. 28
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is the first appointed task. Second, the vision and the appointed task for world mission ought to be shared with Christians in one’s local city and country, thus having them share the gospel with the natives. Third, the gospel needs to be shared with the other ethnic minorities in the same country of residence by the Korean diasporas. These three appointed tasks must be carried out in order to fulfil the Great Commission of the Lord. Whether the church is small or large, the three appointed tasks must be carried out in light of the overall perspective of the strategy for world mission. MULTI-ETHNIC AND ETHNIC MINORITIES
The two structures of God’s mission of salvation by Ralph D. Winter were ‘centrifugal mission’ and ‘centrifugal mission’. The centrifugal mission provides more freedom and efficient condition, because so many multi-ethnic and ethnic minority people migrate.31 Especially for the areas where the gospel cannot be reached, or people who live as an ethnic minority, there is a strategic responsibility for all churches to share the gospel with the multi-ethnic and ethnic minority people who themselves have moved into areas where they can hear the gospel more freely. In particular, the churches in the United States of America, Australia, Europe, and Central America where the country is made up of multiple ethnic groups, it is their strategic responsibility for world mission. For example, the church that this author attended when I was getting re-trained and doing work as a missionary in Australia, the City Life Church, formerly known as the Waverley Christian Fellowship Church, can be seen as a good example for a multi-ethnic church. In 1999, there were about 4,500 people attending this church who were originally from 60 different countries and it was the second largest church in Australia. The church was founded by Pastor Richard Holland in 1967 and then in 1986, Pastor Kevin Conner, a world renowned systematic theologian, pastored the church for ten years. Now, Pastor Mark Conner who is the son of Pastor Kevin Conner has been pastoring the church since 1995. One of the unique features of this church is that it is doing evangelism and world mission with the immigrants from 60 different nations on a strategic level.32 In lieu of all this, sharing the gospel with many people of the diaspora living in North America, Central America, Europe, and Korea and for them to share the gospel with their native people is a responsibility for the small, mid-size, and large churches which are ministering multi-ethnic and ethnic minorities.
31
Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, Mission Perfect, trans, Bae-ok Chung, 4th ed. (Seoul: YWAM Press, 2010), 403-15. 32 City Life Church (formerly Mt. Waverley Christian Fellowship Church) is a good example of a multi-ethnic church to which I attended for two years. The church was ministering at a strategic level to the immigrant members from 60 different countries. See www.citylifechurch.com.
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Furthermore, co-operation among the churches for such a task is absolutely necessary. ‘EVERY BELIEVER’ MISSION STRATEGY
Considering how 99% of the total number of Christians today are laity, a lay person’s mission engagement can take various forms, such as being a resident or non-resident businessman, by a self-supported Christian professional, a short term mission, and a retired teacher engaging in missionary work. And their active involvement would be the most effective strategy as well as being the responsibility for carrying out the Lord’s great commission on earth. Discovering a lay person who can support himself to do world mission and have him receive training at a professional mission organization, then have him serve short-term, mid-term, or a long-term mission would be the responsibility of all small, mid-size, and large churches. In the case of a tentmaker who supports himself financially in doing world mission, the word ‘tentmaker’ is found in 1 Cor. 9:7 where Apostle Paul first used the term. In other words, a person who is doing missionary work abroad without receiving monetary support from his mother country, because he works, fits into this category.33 Seungho Ahn used the phrases like ‘a Christian lay missionary who embraced the world in his heart’, ‘working missionary’, and ‘self-funded missionary’.34 Apostle Paul did not ask for financial support for his missionary work because he built tents in order to fund his missionary efforts.35 Furthermore, self-funded missionaries are mostly lay people who keep their day jobs in order to supplement their income while doing missionary work. The advantage for the lay person who is a self-funded professional missionary is that firstly, he does not have to worry about his own financial needs while doing missionary work. Secondly, a self-funded professional missionary can minister in places where most career missionaries cannot. As a member of an embassy, military, and other professional or even as an expert in some business, a self-funded professional missionary can naturally create ways to share the gospel where career missionaries cannot. Thirdly, a self-funded professional missionary can not only experience fulfilment with ministry work while pursuing his career, but also he is well funded while being able to land a job when he returns home from mission.36 Although the above mentioned advantages apply to a self-funded professional missionary, there are some precautions he needs to be aware of 33
Bum Sung, Self-supporting Missionaries: Theories and Practice (Seoul: Jangmak, 2004), 11-12. 34 Seungho Ahn, 28 Mission Themes in the Book of Acts (Seoul: Korea Christian Literature Society, 2008), 178. 35 Acts 18:3, 20:34; Hoosoo Nam, Paul and Korean Missionary (Paju, Korea: Korea Academic Information, 2007), 69-70. 36 H. Jun, Missiology, 154-56.
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and be ready for. First, he needs to correctly understand the mission field and the people. Second, he needs to have the attitude of Christ who was an incarnate God. This means forsaking the prosperity of this world in order to humbly serve the people in the mission field, which is having an attitude of loyalty until death for the Lord.37 Third, as you are doing the business inside or outside your mission field for advancing God’s kingdom, you must be honest and have a life which is that of the salt and light unto the world in order to reflect God’s glory. From the point of view of the priesthood of all believers, 1 Pet. 2:9 can serve as a biblical reference. Martin Luther as the reformer of the church said there are three authorities assigned to every believer: First, all believers share a common dignity, second, a royal summons and third, a special privilege.38 It is our hope that many self-funded professional missionaries will come from the churches, and make a greater impact on world mission. PARTNERSHIP IN MISSION
In light of Matthew 24:14, ‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come’. In order to complete all the strategies for world mission, cooperation is the most important element. In today’s world of Christian mission, we are accustomed to seeing mal-distribution and multiple distributions of investments and resources in many mission fields. Cooperation, therefore, is the key in order to dissolve wasteful, multiple spending for the mission to be more professional and effective. The true co-operational world mission confirms the good work of our identity as a unit and the common goal we all have in Christ. For we have all been called to be ‘working with God’ (2 Cor. 6:1), ‘the one who is trusted with God’s secrets’ (1 Cor. 4:1), and as the ‘Body of Christ’ (Rom. 12:5). In order to fulfil the great commission, all the churches in the world desperately need to cooperate with one another as churches, missionary organizations, and as missionaries. As a specific example, if GMI (Grace Ministries International) spends 20% of its total budget for world mission on churches, missionaries, and mission organizations who are doing the work which the department of world mission of GMI cannot handle. We must understand that world mission cannot be accomplished by the efforts of a single person or a single church. All Christians should know that in these latter days, the Lord wants to use the Korean churches in a most important way for world mission. In order for the Lord to use us as a great vessel, we first have to become clean, enlarge our capacity, and be emptied of ourselves. We need to have an attitude that is willing to learn from others and acknowledge others.
37
Sung, Self-supporting Missionaries, 33-49. Kookil Han, Mission That Embraces the World (Seoul: Presbyterian Seminary Publisher, 2004), 119-20. 38
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In the airfields of the United States of America, there are approximately 5,000 airplanes in the air at all times. The reason these airplanes are safe in the air is because there is a network of 570 different radars which are tracking and sharing information about the airplanes with one another. Another good example is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California which began its operation in 1937. The height of the bridge is 227.4 metres, the width being 27.4 metres with six lanes, and the length is 2,737 metres. What holds the bridge are the iron cables which are 129,000 kilometres in total length with each cable being 92.4 cm in thickness. But as you examine each iron cable, it is made up of 27,572 very small pencil lead size iron wires. Of course each wire can easily break, however, when you bunch 27,572 wires together, it can hold up the enormous Golden Gate Bridge with up to 100 kilometre strong wind, 8.4 metre movements on each side, and 5 metre movements on both top and bottom. As we cooperate and work together, the great commission of the Lord for world mission can be accomplished as in Eccl. 4:12 and Matt. 24:14. Likewise, all small, mid-size, and large churches can come together in agreement, love, will, and heart (Phil. 2:2) to fulfil the responsibility of carrying out the Lord’s great commission. The world population reached 7 billion in October, 2011. Urgency for strategic thinking and action in mission is every increasing. During the Korean War, a French war hero from the battle of Lisbon, General Ralph Monclar, who recovered from 18 battle wounds during World Wars I and II with 18 medals of honour volunteered to demote himself to Lieutenant Colonel in order to lead a troop in the Korean War. He and his French troop risked their lives to defeat the Chinese army in critical battles. The strategic responsibility for world mission is fulfilled when the church, whether small or large, does its duty like General Ralph Monclar with humility and self-sacrifice. In other words, the strategic responsibility for world mission is fulfilled when all the churches are willing to lay down their lives for the Lord’s great commission with the modern approach for world mission that includes ministry toward the unreached people group, diaspora, multi-ethnics and the minority groups, lay people’s ministry, and the cooperation with other missionary organizations. The church ministry and world mission is the giving of one’s life as well as saving lives. Therefore, as Charles T. Studd (1860-1931) who spent 46 years as a missionary in Africa testified, ‘The strategic responsibility for world mission is fulfilled when a person has the heart that is ready to lay down his life’.39 39 He is the forefather of the college evangelistic movement as one of the famous ‘Cambridge Seven’. He established Heart of Africa Mission in 1910, which became the embodiment of World Evangelization for Crusade (WEC, 1913), now called World Evangelization for Christ. There are currently 1,800 missionaries serving in 50 different countries, particularly in Unreached People Group mission fields. His famous quote is,
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Church’s Role in Mission Every church is different, and so its resources and gifts. What are strategic responsibility of world mission for the small, mid-size and the large churches? As the famous Swiss missiologist Emil Bruner (1888-1966) said, ‘As the flame is to burn, the church exists for world mission’. The following are the three most important strategic responsibilities of the small church for world mission. The first is establishing a biblical outlook on world mission with the church members. The second is establishing a biblical vision for world mission (such as vision, commitment, strategy, declaration). And the third is multi-denominational, cooperative intercessory prayer and short-term mission to and for the mission fields and the missionaries. In other words, the correct biblical outlook on world mission and prayer by the senior pastor is the cornerstone for establishing the foundation for world mission by a small church. Regularly attending missionary schools and seminars on world mission as well as going on short-term mission which is lead by the senior pastor can be seen as the strategic responsibility for world mission. In other words, such action could be seen as the church building its foundation on world mission. A strong and healthy foundation will be laid when the aforementioned five strategic responsibilities for world mission are kept in mind as the church applies the principles accordingly. For a mid-size church where the foundation for world mission was laid ever since it was a small church, it would be its strategic responsibility to operate a department for world mission whose sole responsibility would be for world mission. From this point on, the church should select missionaries, train them, send them out, sponsor them, manage them, and manage sponsors, as the church establishes a systematic organization and standards. It would be the strategic responsibility for world mission to realistically send out and manage its own missionaries. Furthermore, the church should broaden its views on world mission as a professional missionary organization by working with other missionary organizations. For this to happen, the church should have seminars, conferences, and short-term mission. At this point, the senior pastor and the church elders must be completely devoted to world mission. In other words, a predisposition towards world mission where world mission takes priority would be the strategic responsibility of a mid-size church. It is very important to accept and apply the aforementioned specific five strategies for world mission. A mid-size church is like the 1.5 generation caught between the first generation and the second generation. It needs to fulfil its responsibility as a model for strategic world mission. From an objective point of view, the responsibility of the large church for world mission is much greater than the small or mid-size churches. However, if the foundation for world mission was not laid properly, it is difficult to grow as ‘If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifices can be too great for me to make for Him’.
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a large church just as a building which crumbles because the foundation is not strong. Therefore, a large church must first examine if its foundation is on world mission. If there are any weaknesses, they must first be strengthened for the benefits in the long-term. If the foundation is well laid, it is better to allow the department of world mission to be independent in its operation from the church. However, it should be done according to the condition of the church, such as personnel, and material resources. As it operates independently, it should be done as a professional missionary organization with the church having to balance the ministry of both the church and world mission. As a senior pastor of several thousand members, his time is limited in visiting mission fields and doing research on world mission, therefore, it would be wise to have a professional director for world mission and work with him. As the church becomes big, it usually ends up at a crossroads of building a large church or supporting world mission. Because the church decides more often than not on building a large facility, the ministry of world mission gets jeopardized. In such cases, the senior pastor and the leaders of the church need to clearly discern the biblical points of view on the ministry for the church and the ministry for world mission. In other words, the church needs to ask itself what would be the strategic responsibility for world mission. The strategic responsibility for the large church for world mission is to carry out the great commission of the Lord through its commitment with the personnel, materials, spiritual devotion, etc. At the same time, the large church needs to be a catalyst for many small and mid-size churches for world mission. Therefore, the large church should not think about itself only, but always remember the strategic responsibility for world mission and fulfil its duty. GKC Mission Strategy Flow and Direction of GKC’s Mission Strategy In regards to the strategic responsibility of large, mid-size, and small churches for world mission, and in light of the strategic point of view for world mission, we looked at the mission toward unreached people and diaspora, lay people’s missionary work, and the cooperative mission strategy for world mission. By using the GKC as an example, we want to look at the strategic responsibility for world mission from the point of view of the small, mid-size, and large churches. As a conclusion, I wish to share the following as a proposal for the strategic responsibility of the small, mid-size, and large churches for world mission. GKC has a goal of sending out 1,000 missionaries by 2020 with a motto, ‘Vision 2020’, and increasing its membership to 10,000 who will be discipled. Along with Senior Pastor Paul Gihong Han who is involved in world mission as well as the church with other associate pastors, church workers, and lay leaders, their team ministry is currently thriving.
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When GKC became a mid-size church with 500 members, it began sending out its own missionaries who were independently trained beginning in 1986. Missionary work for China, North Korea, and Europe officially began. At the same time, the church started a ‘Spark of Love’ movement which was meant to restore, train, and have the members re-dedicate themselves to the Lord. Many members specifically met the God of love and mission in a short period of time, and thus dedicated themselves to world mission. Furthermore, the church began a Bible school of its own, and many devoted members were able to receive training in theology and ministry.40 This served as a starting point for the church to become very large as well as igniting the fire for world mssion. When the former Soviet Union opened its doors to world mission in 1990, many devoted and trained members volunteered to go there as missionaries. At the time, Kim especially challenged the members for world mission through the Wednesday night Bible study. He then visited the mission fields with church members and set strategies for world mission while being guided by the Holy Spirit through fervent prayers. He especially emphasized the motto of GKC: ‘Mission is Prayer’, ‘Mission is War’, ‘Mission is Martyrdom’. Through fervent prayer to achieve ‘Wholesome Holiness’, and ‘Absolute Devotion’, the GKC was able to carry out its responsibility for world mission. Beginning with world mission to the former Soviet Union in 1990, GKC went into orbit as regards to world mission. With Sunday attendances of over 1,000, it became a large immigrant church in the front line of world mission. Until Kim retired in September, 2004, the entire church was focused on world mission. Especially the church planned and carried out the ‘Grace Festival’ in 1993 and 1994 at Saint Petersburg (former Leningrad), the event that united the hearts and minds of all the church members for world mission.41 At the time, 600 volunteers were from the Grace Korean Church and 300 volunteers from Korea, and 100 volunteers from Europe. Out of 30,000 participants from Russia, 10,000 of them assisted in the preparation and conduct of the conference. Since the inception of the church, Rev. Kim guided the church to be mission oriented. As a small church, GKC began its ministry for world mission, and even when the church grew to a mid-size and then a large-size church, the church became even more focused on world mission. The church bore many fruits because of the vision of the leader and the determination to accomplish the vision, and the unity of the church members based on world mission and the work of the Holy Spirit. 40
The Bible College of Grace Korean Church changed its name to G.M.U. (Grace Mission University). It became T.R.A.C.S. member in April 2012 and is in the process of joining A.T.S. and A.B.H.E. It is well on its way to becoming a prestigious theological seminary with B.A., Masters, and Doctorate degrees. 41 Two major conferences were held in Russia, and the number of churches in Russia doubled after these conferences.
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In September 2004, Han became the second senior pastor after Kim retired. As a disciple of Kim, he is pastoring the church with the motto ‘Joyful Church’ (Matt. 11:28), ‘Rewarding Church’ (Rev. 22:12), and ‘The Church Which Completes World Mission’ (Matt. 24:14). By aiming at establishing 7,000 churches in strategic locations for the unreached people group of 6,500 different tribes, GKC wants to be robust in church ministry and world mission. In other words, GKC wants to reignite the flame for world mission to reach the current 4,800 unreached people groups in the GKC mission fields which would be carrying out the Lord’s great commission, as well as inspiring countless churches around the world for world mission. As an immigrant church, its strategic responsibility for world mission should improve upon world mission’s work of the former church leaders so that the church’s good work will continue. Furthermore, the church should communicate well with the other small, mid-size, and large churches, as well as cooperating with them for world mission. Specific examples are ‘Know How’ through seminars on world mission, world mission training and the cooperation for a short-term mission, and cooperation in the mission field. In general, the strategy for world mission by the GKC applies to the unreached people group, the diaspora, multi-ethnic and minority groups, lay people’s world mission, and cooperative world mission in order to fulfil its responsibility as a large immigrant church to advance God’s Kingdom on earth. In addition, GKC shares experiences, resources, and data on different strategies for world mission with other small, mid-size, and large churches. More specifically, GKC needs to cooperate with C.R.U. (formerly known as CCC) which is a part of FTT, in order to acquire their model to apply world mission to the unreached people group. The following is the specific agenda for world mission to the unreached people group formulated by Han in June, 2011: • All short-term mission to the unreached people group should be carried out after the consent by world mission’s committee and the approval of the senior pastor. • The priority for world mission to the unreached people group will be the current missionary and his mission field of the GKC as well as the missionary’s national co-worker, and establishing the church thereof. As for individual support, it must go through the church. • The cooperative world mission with FTT team (including CCCI) and other missionary organizations will be carried on within the boundary, and individual support for the associate missionary described above can be done within the boundary of the individual’s ability, and the support must be done through the church and the associated missionary organization. • Adopted persons from the unreached people group must be from the existing mission field first, and the adopted person from the unreached people group will be researched, visited, interceded for, developed as a missionary worker, and supported.
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• The collected data for world mission for the unreached people group as well as from the short-term mission, and missionary training will be shared with all missionary organizations that can cooperate in the future. As GKC sent out missionaries to 58 different countries, therefore, the church has the strategic responsibility of sharing the gospel with the Korean diaspora in those countries, as well as the gospel being shared with the locals by its missionaries and their children. Until now, only the nationals in the mission field have been evangelized. However, from a strategic point of view, it is now better to evangelize not only the locals but also the Korean diasporas. GKC not only has a large church capacity with several buildings, but 1,200 members who speak English very well. They have the strategic responsibility for world mission to share the gospel with the multi-ethnic and minority groups. Therefore, the church should create services in order to reach mulitethnic people as well as allowing minority groups to have churches in their buildings. It is the responsibility to share the vision for world mission as well as to challenge the multi-ethnic and minority groups. For example, it would be a strategic responsibility for world mission for GKC to share its vision with the Hispanics in the United States to do world mission in Latin America and South America, and likewise for Europe and other parts of the world through cooperative efforts with the multi-ethnic and minority groups. This strategic responsibility for world mission belongs to all English departments within the church and independent English Korean churches.42 The world mission of GKC can be seen as the ministry by the lay people. Based on 1 Pet. 2:9, Kim emphasized ‘the priesthood of all believers’. The church therefore commanded its members to dedicate their lives to be a missionary or to be one who sends a missionary(s). Therefore, the church belonged to lay people as well as doing world mission. The church divided the entire world mission into six different continents, and then assigned six different elders from the world mission department to each of the continents. Through the six elders and other lay leaders with the support from each of the cell groups, the ministry for world mission went very well. It is the strategic responsibility for world mission of the GKC to share how the lay people dedicate themselves to world mission as well as cooperatively working with other churches for world mission. As an evaluation is made about a particular church or a missionary organization, there can be many different standards for the evaluation. One of the key standards would be to evaluate if the cooperative efforts for world mission is being carried out. The overall health of the organization can be made with such standards of evaluation. This would include personnel, materials, resources, and strategic cooperation. One of the cooperative responsibilities for world mission by the GKC is working with the missionary or missionary 42
Hispanics make up 15.1% (45,500,000) of the total population (3 billion 1.6 millions) in America. It is the largest ethnic minority group in America.
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organization which GKC could not do. As a specific example, the church can decide to give a part of its entire funding for world mission to a cooperative missionary organization, learn from their experiences, and cooperate with them for world mission. If 10% to 20% of the total amount for world mission is used for cooperative mission, it would be a good example to many churches as well as accomplishing an effective world mission. Assessment The evaluation of mission by GKC and the future of its mission have been reported objectively by the author who has worked over two decades 43 experiencing much as a missionary and a minister of the gospel. Only the Lord can make the true evaluation of GKC mission, however, having an intense research at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in England, my desire is to help the great missionary work of GKC even more effective in coming years. The evaluation of GKC world mission is on the basis of three elements: 1) biblical and theological foundations laid by Kwangshin Kim as he founded and developed the church and its mission programme; 2) the Moravian movement as a historical reference framework to review GKC’s mission; and 3) various practical and ministerial expressions of GKC mission and their effectiveness. BIBLICAL FOUNDATION FOR GKC MISSION
Kim saw the will of God revealed in the Bible as the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37-40) and Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). The Great Commandment is to love God with all of one’s heart, life, and will, as well as loving one’s neighbour. He saw loving God as loving others in the way of saving the souls of others and helping them to live as the disciples of Christ. God is of love who is saddened with tears (Luke 19:41-42) over human beings, who are created in the image of God, while at the same time, God is of justice who has to punish sinners. Furthermore, because he saw the loving God as sharing the gospel with others and leading them to the path of salvation, the most important purpose of the church is saving souls, in other words, evangelism and mission. He saw such a purpose for the church and its ministry in three major ways. The first is activity toward God (upward activity) through worship. The second is activity among members inside the church (inward activity) through discipleship, fellowship, serving, charity works, etc. The third is activity toward lost souls (outward activity) through evangelism, mission, relief ministry, and service. Because he understood the will of God as all people being saved and understanding the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), he caused the saints (inward people) to share the gospel with the non-believers (outward people). 43 While this author was studying in France, I experienced Tres Dias in April 1989. It is what sparked a relationship for me with GKC. Starting with the video GKC in Strasbourg, I have been serving at GKC for over 24 years.
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He saw the purpose of the church as helping the ones who received the gospel to live their lives as saved children of God who render service unto God (upward people). Thus, he saw evangelism and world mission as the purpose for the church’s existence. Kim gave the following four reasons why the church should do mission.44 Firstly, world mission is what is most dear to God’s heart; secondly, mission is the ultimate reason why church which is the Lord’s body exists on the earth; thirdly, mission is the way for the believers to store up rewards in heaven; fourthly, mission is the way to love one’s country. With such biblical missiology as the foundation, Kim further defined the mind-set of GKC mission in four specific ways. First, ‘mission is prayer’. Because the God of the Trinity is the One who initiates and completes mission, it must start with prayer, do it in prayer, and finish it with prayer. The mission is based on Acts 1:8, ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’. Because he saw mission as possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit, he saw prayer as the most important for the Holy Spirit’s leading, work, and help. Second, ‘mission is war’. In order to win the spiritual war, the armour of God in Eph. 6:13-18 must be worn. Furthermore, all servants, missionaries, and saints have to live as Christ’s soldiers fighting in the spiritual battlefield. Third, ‘mission is martyrdom’. As Christ died on the cross and shed all his blood and water for our sins, Christians who believe in Christ and follow him are to live as the witnesses of Christ, as well as being his disciples and martyrs. Fourth and last, in order for such a mission to be accomplished, ‘pure holiness and complete devotion’ must follow. With such a mission mind-set, the mission of GKC began. Through the self-sacrificial leadership of the two leaders, the dedication of missionaries and national ministers and believers, and prayers, offerings, and devotion of GKC members, ministers, and church workers, what we see today is possible. However, it is important to recognize that God’s mission continues until the return of the Lord. The missiology and mission mind-set of Kim has become the missiology and mission mind-set of GKC. This is very close to the mission attitude of World Evangelization for Christ (WEC), a British international mission organization established in 1913 by Charles Thomas Studd (1860-1931). While working exclusively among the UPGs, faith, sacrifice, holiness, and fellowship became the primary spiritual value for him and his mission movement.45 44 Pastor Kim’s sermon title, ‘Why Should We Do Missions?’ is believed to be the motivating factor behind GKC becoming a mission oriented church. See the appendix for the full text. 45 Glenn Mayers and Brian Woodford, eds., Serving Together without Falling Apart: A Guide to Surviving and Thriving in a Multicultural Missionary Team (Bulstrode: WEC Press, 1997), 19.
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Furthermore, the missiology of GKC was built upon a biblical foundation. Ezekiel 18:23 reveals the saddened heart of God, ‘He lends at interest and takes a profit. Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head’. This perspective and the heart of Jesus revealed in Luke 19:41, ‘As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it’. This perspective is also found in 2 Pet. 3:9, ‘The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance’. And also in 1 Tim. 2:4, ‘who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth’. These perspectives have given the missiology of GKC a well-balanced biblical foundation. Furthermore, Acts 1:8 guided GCK mission to rely on the power and leading of the Holy Spirit: ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’. The mission history of GKC is only over three decades. But its intense commitment to mission through the prayer and support of the entire church has resulted in an impressive list of missionaries and ministries. How GKC is supporting all these missionaries and institutions is an eye-opener. The fact that several thousand successful churches have been planted all over the world through GKC will be remembered in the history of modern mission. MORAVIAN ANALOGY
The world mission of GKC can be compared to the Moravian Mission which ignited 100 years’ prayer movement in 1728. The Moravian Mission began in 1722 when a small group of Protestants from the Moravian region of Bohemia fled the religious persecution of Catholics to resettle in the territory owned by Nocolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700-1760). Count Zinzendorf used his nobility and inherited fortune for the refugees who fled for religious freedom. He made a Christian community for them and called it, ‘Herrnhut’. The meaning of this name is ‘the Lord’s Watch’. Today, it is the official name of that region.46 The Moravian community experienced a strong outpouring of the Holy Spirit like the Day of the Pentecost on August 13, 1727 during an allnight prayer meeting. From that day on, the Moravian church was born. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, beginning on January 1, 1728, one hundred years of continuous prayer began for mission.47 Indebted to the power of intercessory prayer, the Moravians sent lay professional missionaries to the West Indies, and to the Inuits of Greenland. For example, from 1728 to 1760 when Count 46 Paul E. Pierson, Christian Mission Movement Seen from the Perspective of Missiology, trans. Yoontaek Im (Seoul: Christian Mission Publication, 2009), 399-400. Today, there are 5,000 living in the Herrnhut community. 47 Ibid., 401-402. It was a prototype of today’s 24/7 prayer. For 100 years, a man and a woman prayed one hour in a relay format. Moravians interceded for world mission.
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Zinzendorf passed away, the Moravians sent 226 missionaries to 14 countries in 32 years. This number exceeds the number of missionaries sent out by entire the Protestant churches since the time of Reformation in 1517 until William Carey who is known as the ‘Father of Modern Mission’ officially started modern mission in India in 1792. In 275 years, the Moravians sent out more missionaries than all the Protestant churches combined.48 There are three reasons why I am comparing GKC mission with the Moravian mission of Germany from a historical perspective. The first is the commitment to mission by the spiritual leader. Like Zinzendorf, the spiritual leader of the Moravians, who had passion and dedication toward mission, the passion and dedication for mission by Kim was the cornerstone of today’s world mission by GKC. Secondly, the power behind the Moravian mission was one hundred years of intercessory prayer for mission. Likewise, it was the prayer for world mission by Kim, Han, and many missionaries, ministers, church workers, and believers which was the power behind GKC’s world mission. In order to intercede continuously for mission, GKC established Grace World Prayer Center on the second floor of its new sanctuary (Vision Center) in October, 2009. In the Center, ‘24/7’ prayer and three daily services for world mission continue.
Thirdly, the mission of GKC is the counterpart of the Moravians because their missionaries are willing to die in the mission fields. On the other hand, GKC missionaries should learn from the Moravian missionaries when it comes to self-supporting mission as a professional, identifying with the natives and assimilation; cultural accommodation and adoption, and indigenousness and localization.49 Just as the Moravian mission made a big impact on world mission, the mission of GKC has provided the motivation for many Korean 48
Moravians belonged to the Lutheran Church. Until 1930s, they sent approximately 3,000 missionaries all over the world. Most of them were lay professional missionaries who self-supported their ministries. Most of them served their entire life in the mission field and were buried there. 49 In the mission field, a missionary needs to learn the local language, culture, and worldview. The life and attitude of the missionary should be like the comforts of the locals. The missionary and his ministry should be a long-term unity with the locals which is indigenization. This is a requirement for all missionaries, as well as for their life and attitude in every mission field.
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churches to do world mission, as well as making a contribution to mission strategy. PRACTICAL APPROACHES
The mission of GKC follows the biblical methods of Jesus’ preaching, teaching, healing, and caring. From the modern missiological perspective, preaching and teaching can be seen as a direct mission while healing and caring are an indirect mission. Like Jesus, GKC mission must do these two ministries. Jesus in three and half years of his ministry shared his life with the disciples. As Jesus accomplished God incarnate discipleship ministry, the mission of GKC can be seen as the missionaries doing Spirit-incarnate discipleship ministry with the locals. When Kim of GKC started mission, he carried out the following three strategies: Tres Diás, seminary ministry, and church planting. There follows an evaluation of these ministries of GKC. First, through the ministry of Tres Diás, which is a four day and three night spiritual programme to cultivate the mission field, locals and national ministers can specifically experience the God of love and the God of mission. They are also helped to live a life of discipleship. Tres Diás ministry beginning in 1986 was amended as a self-sustaining church ministry, and still continues in the majority of the 58 countries where GKC is doing mission. Tres Diás ministry is not only building an important foundation for ministry in the mission field because the members of GKC are directly involved, but also plays an important role in the ministry and mission perspectives of GKC. At present, Han is carrying out this ministry after Kim retired from GKC. Second, through Tres Diás, dedicated locals who specifically experienced the God of love and the God of mission can be sent to the seminary of GKC in the mission field. They can be trained to become God’s servants and carry out ministry. This can be seen as the prime example of GKC’s mission strategy. In other words, a seminary can be built in the mission field, where national ministers can be trained to go out and plant churches and share the gospel. Currently, the seminaries of GKC are in China (3 institutions), in Taipei, Taiwan (1), Moscow in Russia (1), Kiev in Ukraine (1), Malindi in Kenya (1), Lima in Peru (1), Buenos Aires in Argentina (1), Fullerton, California in USA (1), and in Jeongok in South Korea (1), making a total of seven theological training institutions. The ministry of seminary and missionary training in the mission fields by GKC can be compared to the discipleship ministry of Jesus, the discipleship ministry of Apostle Paul at Tyrannus, a discipleship and missionary training at a monastery by St. Patrick (c.387-c.460) and St. Columba (521-597), and a
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discipleship and missionary training at Halle University in Germany. This should be seen as an important mission strategy.50 The seminaries of GKC in the mission fields started by Kwangshin Kim, and the discipleship ministry through the missionary training centre are biblical. It has been proven through mission history that they have been effective mission strategies. Especially, Grace Mission University in the USA is registered with the U.S. Department of Eduation for B.A., Masters, and D.Miss. degrees, as well as being a seminary. It has been playing a vital role in preparing many members of GKC as the Lord’s trained servants, as well as providing long-term education for missionaries of GKC. The University is currently operated as a non-denominational education centre. Third, church planting by local workers who were trained at seminaries established by GKC missionaries in the mission fields, and spreading of the gospel through local churches can be seen as an important mission strategy. In the case of the former Soviet Union, Moscow Seminary has 2,252 graduates, who have gone on to establish 1,800 churches. At present, 1,000 of those churches are still carrying out their duty. Through many thousands of churches in the mission fields of GKC in 58 countries, the gospel is being preached today. This can be seen as one of the important mission strategies in the history of Christianity and its mission. Therefore, the three mission strategies of GKC are biblical, and can be evaluated as effective mission strategies when seen from the historical and practical perspectives of the church and mission. Future The future of GKC’s world mission can be seen as a continuation of the past and present mission of GKC. The future is bright for GKC’s world mission if the resolve and dedication are still there for fulfilling the Lord’s great commission for the world exemplified Kim. It has been encapsulated in the motto: ‘Mission is prayer, war, and martyrdom’. Han’s commitment to the founder’s passion for mission gives this expectation likely. In fact, he has been 50 Paul’s discipleship ministry of two years at the lecture hall of Tyraneus (Acts 19:910) serves as a good model for today’s seminary. St. Coumba who received training at the abbey established by St. Patrick in Ireland went to Iona in Scotland in c. 563 and established Iona Abbey. Many were trained and sent out as missionaries all over Europe. Halle University was established in Germany in 1681. It was responsible for establishing Danish Halle Mission, and played an important role as a missionary training centre for missions in Europe and the rest of the world. Currently, it is called, ‘University of Halle-Wittenburg’ since 1817 while fulfilling its role. Wittenburg college of Germany which began in 1502 and Halle University merged in 1817. Danish-Halle Mission in Denmark which was influenced by Halle University sent Heinrich Pluetschau (c.1676-1752) and Bartholomew Ziegenbalg (1682-1719) to India as the first Protestant missionaries. Count Zinzendorf who found the Moravian Community and led their church and missions also studied at Halle University. A.H. Francke, the spiritual leader of Count Zinzendorf, and a disciple of Philip Spener who started the Pietist Movement also graduated from Halle University. Pierson, Mission Movements, 384-99.
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mobilizing all the missionaries, clergy, church workers, and believers to the church’s focus on mission. The following are three considerations for the future of GKC’s world mission. The first is a recommendation that the current vision and strategy of GKC for world mission be implanted in the hearts of the next generation. The first generation immigrants worked hard to survive, and to realize God’s call for mission. The newer generation has grown up in a different environment, and the process of nurturing this missionary vision will take a different route from the previous generations. One sure way is for the current generation to continue this mission focus. Under Han’s leadership, GKC has been intensifying its missional ministry with the dream of being a ‘Happy Church’, a ‘Rewarding Church’, and a ‘Church Which Completes World Mission’. Han has set the direction of GKC’s world mission specifically towards reaching the UPGs. He set the specific goal of establishing 7,000 strategic centre churches among 6,500 unreached people groups. The ministry towards UPGs is being conducted through the existing missionaries of GKC and their national protégés, along with other professional world mission organizations. Such work is being carried out in India, Laos, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Venezuela, and Peru. Among them, India can be seen as the primary example. The visions for world mission by GKC are as follows. 1) To be a missioncentred church which is a leader among churches that fulfil the Lord’s Great Commandment; 2) To be a mission church which motivates other churches to do mission by overcoming obstacles; 3) To have a vision to be a unifying church for mission by helping all churches (modality) and para-churches (sodality) to cooperate. As seen throughout GKC’s mission history, the continuation and expansion of the three core mission strategies will be important. First, through Tres Diás, the members of GKC should continue to be motivated to involve in mission. The second strategy is through the development of training institutions/programmes in the mission fields, to prepare national believers into ministerial vocation. A steady supply of prepared and trained workers is essential for a continuing growth of the church. This will allow existing ministers to receive further training. As a third strategy, through the growth of Missionary Training Center in South Korea, an increasing number of committed missionary candidates should receive training and be sent out to fulfil their calling in many different parts of the world. For the current mission of GKC to be effective, a balance should be maintained between mission toward the Gentiles (World A, B, C regions) and the mission toward the restoration of the Jews. Second, a general care for missionaries of GKC should be planned and applied professionally, wholistically, and from a long-term perspective. There should be different levels of care: before going out as a missionary, while in the mission field, and after serving in the mission field. Specific guidelines need to be drawn on how
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they will be applied. The following is to add further strategic perspectives to world mission ministry toward UPGs. To further develop GKC’s mission to the UPGs, a long-term three-pronged mission strategy may be considered. The first is to train all missionary candidates who wish to be sent out as the missionaries of GKC through GMI MTC (Grace Ministries International Missionary Training Center). During the training, courses should be developed to expose the candidates to various UPGs, their cultures, religions, challenges and tested approaches. Special provision should be made as they enter a mission field, language-learning, and cultural adjustment. Professional skills training can be always useful. After the comprehensive training, they will be ready to serve long-term which is the goal of this strategy. Especially for those who are going into remote areas where Bible translation is needed, the missionary can receive language training for one to two years at Wycliffe Bible Translators (which is now called Wycliffe Global Alliance) or Summer Linguistic Institute. A second mission strategy is to reinforce mission education and training for the UPGs though the seminaries in the mission fields by the missionaries of GKC. While this would provide a continuing education to the missionaries in UPG areas, national Christian workers are also prepared towards the same ministry. In the course of training, those who are dedicated for mission toward UPGs can be selected. A special mission training and preparation should be made available for them at least once a year. This training should be taught by the experienced missionary sent to that country and instructors from the outside. After the candidates have been trained, they can be sent out as longterm national missionaries to the UPGs. When a further training is required that is not offered by GKC mission, the missionary should identify a suitable programme, and the cost should be borne by the churches in the mission field and their members. This approach will also provide a positive opportunity for the local church to support their own missionary. The church will grow into maturity. A third mission strategy is to share the gospel with the surrounding UPGs who have a similar language, culture, and worldview by the local workers trained by missionaries. Always new dedicated workers among converts of UPGs must be identified. They should be trained (discipled and become ministers) so that they can share the gospel with their own tribe and neighbouring UPGs. Through the short-term mission team(s) of the GKC, the field missionaries, and their national partners, a short-term mission strategy can be fulfilled. Since 2010, a short-term mission in India has been conducted in conjunction with the Campus Crusade for Christ along with national ministers and church members. The strategy is to visit UPGs in the mission field and do ministry there when it was already prepared by the GKC missionaries of GKC and the national ministers.
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The ministry to the UPGs during short-term mission must be prepared and be led by the missionaries of GKC in the mission field. The short-term mission team of GKC must be aware that their purpose is to serve the long-term missionaries of GKC and the national ministers in the mission field. The organization of GKC for mission to the UPGs are handled by the directors of different areas of mission (the former Soviet Union, Africa, Europe, Asia, Central America, Portuguese territories, and North America), the coordinators of different areas for mission, and English Ministry Team (EM) of GKC. In other words, when it comes to mission to the UPGs, the directors of GKC for different regions of mission are in charge while being assisted by the ministers of the world mission department of GKC as their coordinators. In regards to adopting a tribe from the UPG in the mission field, interceding, and for financially supporting them, many different groups of GKC will work together as in a team ministry. As for the short-term mission toward UPGs of different regions of mission fields, it should be centred on different networks of each region and group, and all church members should be involved to recruit short-term mission team members. Afterwards, the mission department will be in charge of educating and training the team members. A minimum of six weeks will be the training period for the team members to do the short-term mission for the UPGs. The schedule and curriculum for all the training and education shall be carried out by the mission department. If there is a need, outside instructors can educate and train team members up to two times. A world mission toward UPGs requires professional preparation and training. This is not only needed by the long-term missionaries who work in the mission fields among UPGs, but also for church members on short-term mission to the UPGs. Therefore, from a long-term perspective for the mission to UPGs, cooperative work with other professional missionary organizations for UPGs is required. Among many national and international mission organizations, Wycliffe Bible Translators, New Tribe Mission, World Evangelization for Christ (WEC), Serving in Mission (SIM), and International Mission Board have been GKC’s mission partners, particularly among the UPGs. In addition, Campus Crusade for Christ International and Youth with a Mission have been ministry partner in UPG areas, especially for short-term ministries. There is a perspective of lending support by the professional missionary organization for UPGs to GKC in the areas of ministry to the UPGs which GKC could not handle without the cooperation by other missionary organizations. This means receiving information and data, education and training, as well as other advice in regards to short-term and long-term mission to the UPGs from outside missionary organizations who do professional mission toward UPGs. This is applicable to GKC and the mission fields of GMI. On the other hand, the ministries which GKC cannot handle (i.e, translating the Bible, ministry to the illiterate, ministry in remote areas of the
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Third World, ministry to extreme Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.), from the perspective of carrying out the Great Commission of the Lord, GKC should prayerfully and financially support outside missionary organizations and missionaries that specialize in such ministries. The world mission is a ministry that should be done together by all saved children of God and their churches. Establishing a mission training centre for UPGs is an important mission strategy. A mission training centre can be viewed in two separate ways. First, in the existing courses taken by the missionary trainees, additional courses can be reinforced for the mission to the UPGs. Second, the missionary training centre can be operated as a non-denominational missionary training centre for UPGs. In the first case, a missionary training centre can add new courses and application labs for mission to the UPGs. GMI’s Missionary Training Centre (MTC) in South Korea is a good example. From early days, as part of the programme, a two-week course for mission to UPGs was added. After two weeks of instruction, trainees spent three weeks in India among UPGs where they applied what they had learned. A new missionary training centre for UPGs should be operated non-denominationally. It should be located in a Third World country. And it should maintain quality training programme, which should include language, culture, religions, and worldviews. They are all essential for sharing the gospel and preparing disciples among UPGs under very difficult circumstances. The mission to UPGs must be carried out in the context of spiritual battle. Therefore, commitment to prayer for the mission to the UPGs is critical, as much as for churches to adopt a tribe from UPGs. Second, comprehensive missionary care must be planned and carried out by GKC in a professional and long-term manner. Comprehensive mission regulations are required to cover all stages of missionary life: the beginning stage before a missionary is sent out, while he is in the mission field, and after the missionary retires. These guidelines should include the role of GKC as a missionary sending church, as well as taking care of the task of missionaries as they plan and do ministry in the mission fields. This should include their role in taking care of national missionaries and ministers. Third, I would suggest establishing, ‘Grace Mission Village’ (GMV) by GKC. Like the Moravian Mission Village in Herrnhut, Germany, it can be a spiritual training community which can accommodate missionary training up to the missionary’s retirement. It will be a mission community filled with God’s love and fellowship among its inhabitants. I suggest a development of the current prayer centre of GKC to have a missionary training centre, missionary retirement homes, facility for holding Tres Diás, rooms for various seminars, an orchard, vegetable garden, sports centre, recreation centre, and a park. The main purpose for GMV is to take good care of missionaries. Furthermore, the future of mission for GKC is to manage the fruits of the mission from the last three decades, and pass on the baton to the next generation through wholistic, systematic, and long-term planning and application. In simple terms, the future of GKC’s mission depends on whether it is continued by our next generation.
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For this outcome, continued inner and outer church growth is necessary, as well as more mission investment for the next generation, more participation on short-term mission and other types of mission by church members, and the continuation of balanced mission. Furthermore, a biblical motivation for mission needs to be maintained. As GKC’s expressed motto for mission, ‘Mission is prayer, war, and martyrdom’ to accomplish the Lord’s Great Commission for the world by the senior pastor, all missionaries, clergy, church workers, and members, the future of GKC’s mission is very bright.
Postscript
The missionary journey of GKC as a community of believers is unique in many ways. The church has been known as ‘obsessed in mission’. The single focus on mission from the founding of the church owes much to the vision of its founder. The foregoing discussion has explored its theological motivations, and practical aspects of GKC’s mission. Although Kim began with firm conviction towards mission, the church went through a learning process through its history. And this will continue as new generations take leadership, and the church will be influenced by its social context. When it comes to practical details in mission fields, plenty of learning was expected. In this way, GKC was, is, and will be a learning missional church. In order to fulfil the call of being a missional church, Kim decided to give 50% of GKC’s annual income to mission ever since the first year the church began. This annual commitment worked as a catalyst for GKC starting a specific mission of its own. To do any effective missionary work, various components need to come together: a personnel resource including missionaries, spiritual resource, intercessory prayer of saints, a material resource for mission funding, strategic resource for mission, information resource such as mission data, and a general care for missionary. The material (mission funding) alone cannot do mission, but without materials (mission funding), it is impossible to do mission. Thus, securing church funds for mission is an important matter. 50% of the total income spent on mission, whether the church is small or large, is not an easy thing to do. In the case of GKC, supporting mission with 50% of its total annual income bore many fruits in their mission and was a major contributing factor to their success. Kim applied the three mission strategies: Tres Diás ministry, seminary ministry, and the church planting ministry. Through these three ministries, missionaries were sent out all over the world. These strategies can be viewed as the discipleship ministry of Jesus Christ. It was a mission strategy, in which locals planted the church through the ministry of discipling nationals, operating the church and sharing the gospel through local disciples (pastors) and church members. It was a mission strategy which emphasized self-support, selfgovernment, and self-propagation. As for the seminary ministry of GKC, there are now ten institutions fulfilling their roles. Through the non-denominational missionary training centre and Grace Mission University of USA, the Lord’s servants and missionary candidates are continuously being trained. GMU provides missionaries of GKC to have a continuing education up to doctoral
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levels. Such mission infrastructure and resources of GKC have been critical for the ongoing missionary work for the last three decades. An uninterrupted application of such a continued mission strategy is a distinctive characteristic of GKC’s mission. As a final remark, the mission of GKC was about carrying out the Lord’s Great Commission. It was a world mission with strategies in place and balance for ‘World A’, UPGs’ regions, ‘World B’, regions opposed to Christianity, and ‘World C’, Christian nations. It is accomplishing the overall mission to complete the number of Gentiles being saved and the restoration of the Jews to Christ. For the sake of ‘Mission is prayer, war, and martyrdom’, GKC is fulfilling its duty with holy and complete devotion to God.
Appendix 1 ‘Why Must We Do Missions?’ 2 Cor. 5:9-10 (Sermon of Kwangshin Kim, 2005) Rather than what work we do, the Lord seems to be more interested in the motivation and purpose of the work. It is recorded in John 1:38 as the following: ‘Turning around, Jesus saw them following and ask, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi, where are you staying?”’ These are the first words spoken by our Lord when he publicly claimed to be the Messiah. Of course Jesus tells his parents in Luke 2:49 as a young child, but he had yet to public claim to be the Messiah. After completing his forty day fast in Matthew chapter 4, the words of Jesus to Satan are also recorded. At this time, Jesus already had the public identity of Messiah, but his words were directed to Satan and not mankind. The first words spoken to mankind as the Messiah were the ones just quoted in John 1:38. Here is a brief background of that verse. John the Baptist is a prophet who was born six months before Jesus in order to introduce him to the people of Israel. During his ministry of the baptism of repentance, it seems a few disciples followed John the Baptist. Among them, were ones that we know as his best disciples, Andrew and John. At last Jesus showed up where John was baptizing. Looking at John chapter 1, it seems Jesus came to the place John the Baptist was baptizing at three different times. It looks like Jesus first went to the place John was baptizing to look around because it is written as follows in John 1:26-27: ‘“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”’ This was John’s reply to people sent by the Pharisees who asked why he was baptizing if he was not the Christ or a prophet. The next day, Jesus returned to John the Baptist and was baptized. When John the Baptist baptized Jesus and saw the Holy Spirit come upon Jesus in the form of a dove, he realized Jesus was the Messiah and witnessed, saying, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’, elaborating as follows. ‘And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit’ (John 1:33). The third instance Jesus came to John the Baptist is recorded in John 1:3536: ‘The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”’ The Greek word used for ‘the next day’ can be translated as ‘the day after’, but it can also be translated as ‘morning’. I think ‘morning’ is the correct translation here because between
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the second time Jesus approached John the Baptist and the last time Jesus approached John the Baptist were the 40-days’ fast and testing by Satan. In any case, it seems that on the last occasion Jesus visited John the Baptist, he encouraged his two disciples Andrew and John to follow Jesus. When Jesus was leaving, Andrew and John went to follow after him. As Jesus looked behind him he spoke these words in John 1:38, ‘Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Jesus did not ask them, “Who are you following?”’ It was selfevident who they were following. Rather, the Lord asked about the purpose, their motive for following him. The Lord’s interest does not lie in what kind of work we are doing, but for what we are doing the work, meaning he is interested in our motive. The same goes for church service. The Lord is not interested in whether we have service or not, but in the things we are seeking during service. It is the same for prayer, praise, and serving. The Lord is not interested in whether we do missions or not, but he is more interested why, for what reason we are doing missions. The truth is, when we do missions with the right motive, the Lord will prepare for every need for missions. The following are four reasons why Grace Church does missions. Of course there are many other reasons, but these are the main reasons. First, God’s aching heart is for missions. Testimony of this truth was briefly mentioned in the beginning of this book, but I would like to explain it once again. Love is the foundation of Christian faith. The Bible tells us, no matter what faith-based activities we do or no matter what service we give, if love is not the foundation of it, it is of no use. What do the well-known verses from 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 say? Let’s look at 13:1. ‘If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal’. What does this mean? Does it mean that no matter what talent we use to serve the Lord, but love is not the motive, it does not mean anything? Let’s look at verse 2. ‘If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing’. What does it mean? When a pastor or church member has deep understanding of the Word and teaches it well, we call him godly and respect him. But the Bible clearly says that if there is not love in his heart, there is no worth. Also, when a church member prays and heals those that are ill, casts out demons, and moves mountains, how envious were we of his great faith? Of course our church members need that sort of faith. However, what does the Bible say? Despite all those works, if there is not love in their hearts, again, does not the Bible say it is worthless? Let’s look at verse 3. ‘If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing’. What does this mean? As we live out our faith, no matter how many neighbours we help and give up our own selves for the sake of others, if it is not because of love, it means it does not help gain any rewards in heaven.
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We know very well the will of God towards us. Let’s read Matthew 22:3738, ‘Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment’. What is a commandment? It is the will God has towards mankind. What does it mean to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind?’ It means not to put limitations when loving God. As I mentioned before, I began to read the Bible day and night from the moment I met the Lord at age 42 and realized that the Bible was God’s letter to me. However, I had a lot of difficulties understanding some verses in the Bible. Some of the most difficult to understand were the verses we just read in Matthew 22:37-38. At that time, I had this thought. A respectable person would accept another person’s gratitude if he did something for that person and he expressed thankfulness, but he would not forcefully ask for the other person to be grateful. Since my sins have been washed by the blood of Jesus, I want to love God to the best of my ability, but isn’t it a bit much for God to straight away tell me to love him ‘with all my heart and all my soul and with all my mind?’ If my heart, my soul, and my mind are taken from me, what would I have left? Our Father must be a respectable God, but how can he be so selfish and straight forward? However, I could not ask this question to others. Asking others that question seemed as though I was speaking ill of my Father, and I could not get the words out of my mouth. I also could not pray about the question. Wouldn’t it be terrible if the Lord answered, ‘Why can’t you just believe? Why do you nag so much?’ I hid away that question deep in my heart and continued to live out my faith as if I never had that question. However, that question still resided deep in my heart after I became a pastor and began ministry. It was approximately four months since planting the church. I ended up giving a sermon with those verses as the main passage. While praying for the day’s sermon and service in the office, that question hidden in my heart suddenly came to mind. I thought I should really solve this question today and began praying. It was to express, ‘This is not a serious question, so if the Lord wants to answer, he can. But if he doesn’t want to, it’s fine as well’. ‘God, since I have received salvation and eternal life through the blood of Jesus, I want to love you with all my heart, my soul, and my mind. Even so, isn’t it too much for you to ask of me to love you with all my heart, my soul, and my mind? What would be left if you took away my heart, my soul, and my mind? How can our Father be so straight forward and selfcentered?’ I was mumbling my prayer, when suddenly the moving of the Holy Spirit came upon me! I tensed up and anxiously waited. The Lord called my name at the time and I don’t think I had ever been so broken, torn, and repentant as I was at the time. In my twenty-three years in ministry, I always began with that sermon on that Sunday, but I could not give the sermon because of the cries that kept welling up. I had to step down from the podium after just crying instead of giving the sermon.
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The words the Lord spoke as he called my name were as follows. ‘By whom do you want to be loved?’ The moment I heard the Lord’s voice, I was taken back to my high school days. While attending high school, there was a female student who liked me. Since dating between boys and girls were not allowed at the time, she always made an excuse to my parents in order to come to our house. Because my parents knew what was going on, they always prepared a table for two when she came over and set it in my room and told us to eat and play together. Every holiday, a present with pretty wrapping paper was placed in my desk drawer without me knowing when she came by. If a girl was so straight forward in liking me, I should feel a bit proud, but I didn’t. That student was such a burden to me. So if I saw her from a ways off, I would run away to another street. But something happened right before I went into my first year of high school. The first day I followed my father to church I saw a girl playing the piano. Not only was I enamored with her, I was bewitched by her. I felt as if every movement stopped, every sense stopped, and my thought stopped. I was hit by Cupid’s arrow that day. But in those days of my high school years, it was considered to be an inferior person if one expressed their feelings even if he saw someone and loved her. From that day, my diary turned into letters to her. Though I deeply and wholeheartedly loved her, since I could not express it outwardly, it would be called unrequited love? I loved that girl for two years and it was so difficult that I often said, ‘If you have not experienced unrequited love, you can’t discuss life!’ In the winter season, I would come out of the room while studying and would go to a snowfilled field in the mountain without a jacket and stay there on my knees all night without budging from that spot. When coming down the mountain in the morning, my body was so frozen I had to crawl for about twenty minutes in order for the blood to circulate in my legs. Why did I do that? It was because I wanted my physical pain to alleviate the pain in my heart due to unrequited love. When the Lord asked, ‘Who do you want to be loved by?’ I was transported back to the two years I had a crush on that girl. If there was one thing I wanted in those two years, what could that have been? It would have been to receive her love. If a person loves someone, he wants the love from the person he loves, not from someone else he is not interested in. For example, let’s say that I was working during a hot summer sweating and my son of six or seven years old came to me with a glass of cold water saying, ‘Dad! How thirsty you must be! Have some cold water’. On the other hand, let’s say a neighbour’s kid that has nothing to do with me comes with a glass of water and says, ‘Mister! How thirsty you must be! Have some of this water’. Who would you be more thankful to? Logically, we must be more thankful to the kid from the neighborhood. It is because I have not done anything for that kid. But all parents know. There is more gratitude for the water that is brought to you by your own child. This is because parents love their children, and it is a joy to receive love from them.
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This is the same with God. Because he loves us, God so desires to receive love from us. God did not ask the angels to love him nor did he ever require love from Satan or evil spirits. God only asks us the weak and insufficient humans to love him in return. The scripture says, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’, we do not hear God saying, ‘I love you with all of my heart, all of my soul, and all of my mind’. How can we know that God loves us with all of his heart, all of his soul, and all of his mind? We may be able to give up everything, but we cannot give up our children. We can even give up our lives, but we cannot give up our children. But didn’t God love us so much that he gave up his only Son to die on the cross for us? If we say we truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, yet doubt God’s love for us, it would be a contradiction. Understanding that God loves us with all of his heart, all of his soul, and all of his mind, and for us to respond to that love by loving God with all of my heart, all of my soul, and all of my heart, that is the right way to live a Christian life. However, if we truly love someone, we will also feel the troubles and pain in the heart of the person we love. When two lovers are together, they are able to feel the troubles and strains the other person has in his heart without saying a word. Even friends who have tea together are able to feel each other’s pain without saying a word. Therefore, if we truly love God, we must be able to feel what makes his heart ache. In the sixty-six books of the Bible, God’s aching heart toward us is recorded in Ezekiel 18:23, ‘Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? Declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?’ The heart of God whom we love, aches the most towards the wicked people who are dying. God ached for people dying in wickedness so much that he sent his only Son to die on the cross in order to save them? As I said before, I was greatly shocked when I read Luke 19:41-42. God was weeping over the lost souls. At the same time, God loves us Christians who believe in him, and wants to give us the reward for helping lost souls to become saved. After understanding this truth, I decided to give my life to spreading this precious Gospel, and run towards that goal. As I was doing missions, there was an incident I cannot forget. Among the places we went to do missions, the most difficult place was with the Yanomami tribe in the jungles of Venezuela in South America. According to anthropologists, the Yanomami tribe is the only people group in the world that are still living in the Stone Age. To this day, they cannot work with metal, and still make their tools and weapons with wood, stone, and bones from animals or fish. They live in the hot jungle where they are born and die with a group of 60, 80, 100, 120, or 150 villagers. Their largest village is made up of approximately 250 people. They still live today without wearing so much as a single thread. The same goes for women. The journey to share the Gospel to them was not a comfortable one. In order to get there from Los Angeles, I had to take a flight to Caracas, the capital of
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Venezuela, then take a domestic flight for about two and a half hours toward the Equator, and arrive at a town named Puerto De Ayacucho, which was at the entrance to the jungle. There were no other cities or villages near that town. It is a town joined by a wilderness which bordered a jungle. The temperature there was very high, the first time I visited there was April. The heat was not as intense, but the moment I stepped off the airplane, I thought that I was stepping into a steam sauna. Sweat continued to pour down on my face, and a groups of small mosquitoes the size of gnats kept attacking my sweating face and neck. I felt small pricks, and then after about an hour or two, the areas where I was bitten were very swollen. A missionary from our church was commissioned there a month before our visit, and I had made fun of the missionary’s face which was swollen like a pumpkin. Now, my face also turned into a pumpkin within two days after the arrival. In order to reach the first village of the Yanomami tribe, we had to travel 50 kilometres per hour on the Orinoco River for four full days. Sharing the same source as the Amazon River, the Orinoco River is a large river flowing to the Northeast while the Amazon River flowed toward East and Southeast. This means the Yanomami tribes live in places deeper than the deep places of the Amazon River. The ride was not smooth. The width of the river averages approximately 1,000 metres and they say there is no way of survival if the boat ever flips because of hitting a reef. This is because the water is filled with cannibalistic fishes while the edge of the river is inhabited by crocodiles. One of our missionaries named Soon Sung Kim was returning from spreading the Gospel in a Yanomami tribe village in 1986 when his boat hit a rock. The boat flipped, and when his body was found two hours later, and twothirds of his body was already gone. He was buried with only a third of his body. While I was getting ready to travel to see the Yanomami tribe, a lady deacon from our church who just finished forty days of fasting and had gone up to the prayer mountain for a midnight service came to me. She was one of our church members who could not read the Bible in Korean. While growing up, her family was very poor and she could not even attend an elementary school. But her faith was great, so she became a deacon who deeply loved the Lord. She said, ‘Pastor, Jesus wanted me to relay a message to you’. ‘What is it?’ I asked. She told me this story. On the thirty-eighth day of her fast, she heard a voice from the heavens saying, ‘Come up here!’ then her spirit left her body and she went up to a paradise. During her visit to heaven, there was a great commotion at the prayer mountain for about thirty minutes because the people thought the deacon had died while fasting. In heaven, she had a conversation with Jesus about different important matters, and the Lord said, ‘Look over there’. When she looked down, she was able to see anything she wanted to on earth. Then the Lord looked some where and said, ‘Look over there’. When the deacon turned to where the Lord was looking at, she noticed people living in a jungle, while being naked like animals. As the Lord was looking at them, he shed large tears
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and said, ‘The people living there were not been able to receive any type of education, therefore, they can not understand the Gospel. Not a single person among them is saved. In a few days, Pastor Kim will be visiting the place. Tell him not only to give them clothes and provide medical treatment, but also establish a school for them to get educated, so that they could be saved’. I took the words of the Lord through the deacon to my heart. Second, world mission is the ultimate goal for the existence of the physical church, so we must do missions. I met the Lord at age forty-two and entered the seminary at age forty-four. At the time, I had a strong desire to become a successful pastor. After fininshing a year of the Master of Divinity programme, I was meditating on the miracle of the five loaves of bread and two fishes. I realized the following truth. The miracle of creating food was like me who was trying to have a successful ministry at such later years of my life. It was like the twelve disciples feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fishes. But after feeding 5,000 people, which was impossible, there were twelve baskets leftover. In other words, the twelve disciples who were in a place of need were transferred over to a place of sufficiency. What was the main cause for the disciples going from being in a place of need to a place of plenty? The only cause was the fact that the Lord gave thanks and blessed the five loaves of bread and two fishes. From this lesson, I realized a simple truth that if my ministry is not blessed, I cannot succeed. But if I want my ministry to be blessed, I must at least know the ultimate reason why the Lord established the church on this earth. ‘When I give my all to fulfil that purpose, wouldn’t the Lord decide to bless my ministry?’ is what I thought. From that point on, I began wondering about the Lord’s ultimate goal of establishing the physical church on this earth. The first purpose of Jesus coming to this earth was to take up the cross for all people who were destined for destruction. Then why did Jesus put off dying on the cross for three and a half years even with his public status as the Messiah? At times, our Lord even hid inside the temple in order to avoid Jewish opponents who tried to stone him (John 10:39), and at other times, he left Judea and went to Galilee in order to avoid conflict with the Jews (John 4:3). Why did the Lord stay on this earth for those three and a half years? Was it not because he needed to raise up his twelve disciples in order to establish the church on this earth through them? If he so desired to establish the church, we must know the reason behind the purpose for establishing the church. However, at first, it was very confusing as to why the Lord wanted to establish his physical church. In one way, it seemed the church was established to worship God, and in another way, the church seemed to be existing in order to protect believers from this evil world, and yet in another way, it seemed the church was established to save lost souls. It was difficult in coming to a conclusion. Suddenly, about a month before graduating from the seminary, a thought came to me. Every one of our church activities can be classified in three categories. The first is an upward actvitiy which is geared toward God.
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The second is an inward activity which is geared toward other believers. The third is an outward activity which is geared toward lost souls. Even if God had established his church in heaven instead of on this earth, it wouldn’t affect the work of the church geared toward God or other believers. Wouldn’t it be more efficient? However, if the Lord’s church was established in heaven instead of earth, activity geared toward the world, or the outward activity would be impossible. At that moment, I had this thought. There are two main purposes why Lord came to earth in his physical form. The first was to carry the sins of mankind which was destined for destruction, and the second was to help us understand the heart of God. If the first is a restrictive aspect, the second shows more of an aspect of revealing or revelation. John chapter fourteen showcases this revealing aspect. Before his death, the Lord shares these words to his disciples who will be facing a time of confusion. ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am’ (John 14:1-3). At that time, a very critical and realistic Philip replied, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us’ (John 14:8). Philip’s response can be interpreted in the following way: ‘Lord, don’t just make bountiful promises. If you are truly the Son of God, can’t you introduce your Father to us? If we are able to see God just once with our own eyes, wouldn’t we all believe without you telling us about God the Father so many times?’ What was our Lord’s response to this request of Phillip? Let’s read John 14:9, ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’. What does that mean? ‘Haven’t I come on this earth in a form you can see since your eyes cannot see God due to your corruption? And so seeing me is seeing God. How can you ask to see more?’ Doesn’t the Bible assert that the only way we humans can see God is through seeing Jesus? When our Lord came on this earth, he knew very well that he would die on the cross and be resurrected. If so, after the Lord ascended into heaven, what would the coming generations see, and what would help them understand the heart of God? This is why our Lord so desired to establish his church on this earth. This, of course does not mean we should neglect worshipping God, nurturing believers, or fellowship. On the contrary, the primary purpose of the church is to worship God, and secondary purpose is to nurture and have fellowship with believers, and the church’s ultimate purpose is to evangelize and do world mission. In other words, the church is blessed by God from heaven when the church service is successful, and when the church is able to love unlovable people because of that love, the love is enthroned, the Lord sits within that church, he evangelizes and does missions through us, and the church is able to bear evangelical and missional fruit. What is the greatest impression our Lord showed to us on this earth? Wasn’t it the pain of being on the cross in order to
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save the lost souls? A true church must possess the impression of the Lord’s pain of being on the cross in order to save lost souls. So the Lord’s church should not do missions from leftover funds, but through tightening its belt. Understanding this, I stepped into missions while planting the church. Third, missions must be done because it is the way the believers can store rewards in heaven. Before meeting the Lord, I was a high school teacher for eleven years in Korea. In the beginning of every school year, I thought, ‘As long as I am the teacher of these students, I am not going to take away their chance to learn from a better teacher? In order for me to become the best teacher for my students, it is not about doing well, but it is all about meeting the basic obligations of teaching’. And so I tried my best to become the best teacher in my own way. When opening Grace Church in May 1985, I had the same thought. ‘When I open Grace Church, the church members will not get the opportunity to be nurtured by other, more qualified spiritual leader, so I must be the best pastor for them’. So I contemplated and prayed about what type of pastor would be the best for our church members. Is a good pastor one that helps the packing and lifting process of a church member who is moving? Is a good pastor one that prays by ill people and becomes friends to the lonely? I made my conclusion after much contemplation. ‘Our believers are already going to heaven. The best pastor would be one who helps them store up as much rewards in heaven by the time of Christ’s judgment. To be saved means we will go to heaven if we die today. Then why would a God who loves us want us to live on this earth instead of going straight to heaven?’ We all know heaven is a wonderful place. There is a funny story. A believer’s time to go to heaven was approaching after living his Christian life. He may have been a believer who was greedy for material possessions. He asked the Lord, ‘Lord! I won’t ask for much, but please let me take just one bag to heaven!’ He pleaded so much that the Lord allowed it out of annoyance. ‘You can’t bring two bags. Just bring one’. The believer became very excited and bought a large piece of luggage. From that day, he sold his house, his car, got his finances in order, and purchased shiny bricks of gold. He stuffed his luggage with gold and came up to the gates of heaven. As he tried entering through the gates of heaven, Peter the Apostle stopped him and said, ‘Stop! You can’t take anything to heaven! What is it you’ve got there?’ The believer replied, ‘Apostle Peter, please contact Jesus. The Lord allowed me this bag to be entered’. When Peter called Jesus, he said, ‘Oh, I allowed it, please let him through’. The believer who received a permission to enter was ecstatic as he passed through the gate. Watching him from behind, Peter became curious and asked, ‘Can you show me what it is that you brought?’ The believer smiled and opened the zipper, and showed the shiny gold bricks. Seeing this, Apostle Peter said, ‘Why did you bring asphalt to heaven?’ The gold may seem like the most precious thing in this world, but in heaven it is so common that it is used like asphalt for the ground.
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Why would God who loves us so much keep us here on earth instead of taking us to be with him in heaven? Isn’t it to give us the opportunity to create the work of faith here on earth? Why do we need the work of faith? When we go to heaven, our rewards will be given before Christ’s judgment. That is why Apostle Paul confessed in 2 Corinthians 5:9, 10, ‘So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad’. Also, 1 Corinthians 9:24 advises, ‘Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize’. The prize we receive before the judgment of Christ is different from the award we receive at graduation through studying hard. The prize at a graduation may be a watch or a dictionary, but the prize given at the judgment of Christ is one that decides our ranking in eternal heaven. Some believers may ask why our rank matters in heaven when we will all be going to heaven as children of God. Honestly, I don’t know the reason. But the Bible we believe in clearly tells us that our ranks will be different in heaven. For example, let’s look at the parable of the ten minas from Luke 19:12-26. It is a parable given by our Lord himself. A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. He gave each servant a mina and told them to put the money to work. Upon returning home as king and accounting the money with the servants, didn’t he give the servant who earned ten minas the authority to take charge of ten cities, the servant who earned five minas the authority to take charge of five cities, and took the single mina from the servant who did not earn anything and give it to the servant who had more? In the Middle East at that time, districts were formed by fortresses. The authority of one who was lord over ten fortresses was completely different from the authority of the one who was lord over 1 fortress. We, of course, don’t even need to discuss the status of a normal citizen who was not a lord. The Bible we believe in clearly tells us that our status will be different in heaven. The Bible tells us that in order to receive more rewards at the judgment of Christ, our believers need more works of faith, and in order to create those works of faith, we are living on this earth. Missions must be done because it is the way for the believer to receive more rewards. Fourth, missions must be done because it is the way in which one loves one’s country. In the month of January 1971, I left South Korea. Nearly eighteen years afterwards in 1988, I returned to Korea. It was because I was asked to lead a gathering by the Kumbo Methodist Church in Korea. Looking through the window of the airplane while in the air over South Korea, tears were endlessly falling down my cheeks. The Korean landscape when I had left eighteen years ago was desolate, but now the Korean landscape was clothed in green. I was so moved. Upon arriving in Seoul, I stood alone on the street for two or three hours, watching my fellow countrymen pass by. When I left my homeland, people walked by with their shoulders drooping down because they
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were so fatigued from poverty, now people’s faces were full of laughter and energy. The faces I was seeing after returning to Korea were lovely. I made a big mistake the second day after arriving in Seoul. A church member from Korea invited me to go look around the Lotte mall. Guided by the church member, I went to the Lotte mall which was located in front of the city hall. I was taking the stairs to the second floor, as I excitedly watched the energetic people go in and out in waves, I didn’t realize I was holding a hand of a beautiful woman in front of me. The startled lady looked behind her and found an old man holding her hand! She thought I had mistaken her for someone else and just kept going up the stairs. If I were any younger, I may have been slapped across the face. Any time I had between the church gatherings, I went up to my hotel room to pray and cry out to the Lord. The following is the reason. During the 1970s, economists could not analyze the cause for Korea’s economic boom and simply called it the miracle of the Han River. However, if you look with the eyes of faith, you can clearly understand the reason behind the economic boom. God never stops in the middle of his work. God’s work is missions. And God has his way of doing world missions. This can be seen when looking back at church history. God always raised up a nation in every period to do world missions. The Early Church through the people of Israel and Romans from the fourth century was used as the forerunners of world missions. After the Reformation, the Germans were used, then the Anglo-Saxons, and from the latter half of the 1830, USA was used for world missions. The fact that the passion for missions by the American church is dying is acknowledged by all the churches. What does it mean that the passion for missions by American church is dying? Doesn’t it mean God is preparing a nation to use after America? Looking back upon church history, nations that were used as forerunners for missions had seven factors. First, a nation was filled with the Holy Spirit. Second, its national prayer movement was widely spread. Third, they had the motto of ‘Only Jesus’, meaning the people of a nation had the willingness to give up their lives for Jesus. Fourth, the nation had a crowd of young people who desired and studied in seminaries to become servants of the Lord. Fifth, the nation recognized Christianity as its most important religion. Sixth, the nation entered the ranks among advanced countries. Seventh, the nation had a high education level where the people were able to work as leaders no matter where they lived. Beside our nation of South Korea, no other country today fulfils these seven conditions. No one should take this as simply subjective thinking. We can easily see that by simply looking at the few truths above that the Lord wants to use Korea today as a forerunner for world missions in this present era. For example, it was difficult to find Koreans while traveling the world just twenty or twenty-five years ago. But today, you can go anywhere in the world, and there is hardly a place where Korean immigrants do not live. Wherever you go in America, or anywhere in Europe, you can meet Korean immigrants, and
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even in Africa, Central and South America, the Koreans are there. Even in the Northernmost part of Alaska, where there is a restaurant being operated in an ice cave, it is being run by a Korean immigrant. According to the latest statistics, Koreans are the ones living in the most number of countries. Of course the highest number of nationals in a foreign country belongs to the Chinese immigrants. Although a greater number of them live in foreign countries, they do not live in as many different countries as Koreans. The number of countries that Koreans live is unparalleled. What kind of people are Koreans? We are not the people of a nation who are tied down to living in our own country as five-thousand years of our history proves.
Appendix 2 Age and Gender of the Missionaries of GKC (2013)
Years of Service the GKC Missionaries by Gender (2013)
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Park, Kye-young (2004). ‘Koreans in the United States’. In Melvin Ember, Carol Ember, and Ian Skoggard (eds.). Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures around the World. New York: Kluwer Academic. Park, Youngkyu (2000). The Pyongyang Revival. [In Korean]. Seoul: Tyrannus. Pelikan, Jaroslav, and Valerie Hotchkiss (eds.) (2003). Creed and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition. New Haven: Yale University Press. Penny, Sylvia (2010). Arminianism or Calvinism? Reading: Open Bible Trust. Pierson, Paul E. (2009). The Dynamics of Christian Mission: History through a Missiological Perspective. Pasadena, CA: William Carey International University Press. Rosalind, Marshall K. (2013). Columba's Iona: A New History. Highland: Sandstone Press. Rubin, Barry (2012). Israel: An Introduction. New Haven: Yale University Press. Rutgers, L.V. (1998). The Hidden Heritage of Diasporas Judaism. 2nd Ed. Leuven: Peeters. Senior, Donald (2008). ‘Beloved Aliens and Exiles: New Testament Perspectives on Migration’. In Daniel G. Groody (ed.). A Promised Land: A Perilous Journey: Theological Perspectives on Migration. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press. Shaw, S.B. (2002). The Great Revival in Wales. Pensacola, FL: Christian Life Books. Stacey, Vivienne (2003). Practical Lessons for Evangelism among Muslims. Rev. Ed. London: Interserve Press. Stearms, Bill and Amy (2005). 2020 Vision. Bloomington, Minn.: Bethany House Publishers. Stott, John R. W. (1986). Christian Mission in the Modern World. Eastbourne: Kingsway Publications. Sung, Bum (2004). Self-supporting Missionaries: Theories and Practice. [In Korean]. Seoul: Jangmak. Sweeney, Jon M. (ed.) (2008). Ireland's Saint: the Essential Biography of St. Patric. Brewster, Terry, John M., Ebbie Smith, and Justice Anderson (eds.) (1998). Missiology. Trans. Evangelical Missiology Society. Seoul: Christian Literature Mission. Thorp, Claire (2012). Countries around the World: Israel. London: Raintree. Verkuyl, Johannes (1991). Summary of Modern Missiology. Trans. Jungmahn Choi. Seoul: Christian Publisher. _____ (2009). ‘The Biblical Foundation for the World Mission Mandate’. In Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne (eds.). Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. 4th Ed. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. Webster, John and Kathryn Tanner, and Iain Torrance (eds.) (2007). The Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Winter, Ralph D. (2009). ‘The Two Structures of God’s Redemptive Mission’. In Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne (eds.). Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. 4th Ed. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. Winter, Ralph D., Steven C. Hawthorne (eds.) (2009). Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. 4th ed. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.
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Scripture Index Gen. 1:28, 28, 47 Gen. 2:16-17, 47 Gen. 9:8-17, 54 Gen. 12, 28 Gen. 46:27, 32 Ex. 12:40, 32 Num. 11:17, 10 Deut. 10:19, 34 1 Sam. 2: 27, 10 1 Sam. 16:15, 10 1 King 12:22, 10 2 King 17:6, 29 2 Chr. 32:1-2, 29 2 Chr. 36:22-23, 29 Psalm 51:11, 10 Psalm 67, 55 Eccl. 4:12, 129 Isa. 1-39, 56 Isa. 11, 10 Isa. 42:1-9, 10, 56 Isa. 54:2-3, 117 Isa. 61, 16 Isa. 62:7, 69 Isa. 63:10, 11, 10 Isa. 66:18-24, 56 Ezek. 2:2, 10 Ezek. 18:23, 55 Dan. 12:3, 71 Hos. 9:7, 10 Joel 2:28-32, 10 Jonah 1-4, 56 Mic. 3:8, 10 Matt. 1:17, 31, 32 Matt. 6:33, 71 Matt. 8:2-4, 11 Matt. 8:28-34, 11 Matt. 9:1-8, 11 Matt. 9:27-31, 11 Matt. 11:28, 9, 133 Matt. 22, 22, 26, 32, 57, 135 Matt. 24:14, 1, 4, 9, 11, 40, 118, 123, 129, 133 Matt. 24:36, 123 Matt. 28:18-20, 26, 57, 58, 65, 135 Matt. 28:19, 11, 49, 118
Matt. 28:19-20, 11 Mark 5:25-34, 11 Mark 16:19, 48 Luke 2:49, 149 Luke 3:38, 47 Luke 4:18-19, 64 Luke 4:40-41, 11 Luke 5:12-13, 11 Luke 7:11-17, 11 Luke 8:49-56, 11 Luke 11:14-28, 11 Luke 19:12-26, 158 Luke 19:41, 22, 68, 135, 137, 153 Luke 19:41-42, 135, 153 Luke 22:19-20;, 49 John 1:26-27, 149 John 1:33, 149 John 1:35-36, 149 John 1:38, 149, 150 John 3:5, 11, 49 John 4:3, 155 John 5:1-9, 11 John 7:35, 29 John 9:1-12, 11 John 10:39, 155 John 11:1-44, 11 John 14:1-3, 156 John 14:8, 156 John 14:9, 156 Acts 1:8, 11, 16, 33, 65, 136, 137 Acts 2, 10, 11, 33, 48, 59, 115 Acts 2:37, 47 Acts 4:12, 48 Acts 8:38, 49 Acts 11:25-26, 115 Acts 13, 71 Acts 14:21-23, 59 Acts 16:31, 48 Acts 17:30, 48 Acts 22:21, 33 Acts 26:18, 59 Rom. 1:1, 3, 33, 59 Rom. 1:14, 33 Rom. 1:5, 59 Rom. 3:23, 59
170 Rom. 4:25, 48 Rom. 5:12, 47 Rom. 6:3, 49 Rom. 8:15, 48, 59 Rom. 8:15-16, 59 Rom. 8:15-17, 59 Rom. 8:16, 11 Rom. 8:30, 48 Rom. 8:34, 48 Rom. 10:4, 48 Rom. 10:6-17, 59 Rom. 11:13, 33 Rom. 11:25-28, 90, 123 Rom. 12:5, 128 Rom. 14:11, 49 1 Cor. 1:1, 3 1 Cor. 1:25, 59 1 Cor. 3:7, 59 1 Cor. 4:1, 128 1 Cor. 9:22-23, 59 1 Cor. 9:24, 69 1 Cor. 9:7, 127 1 Cor. 11:23-25, 49 1 Cor. 11:23-26, 44 1 Cor. 11:26, 49 1 Cor. 12:14, 4 1 Cor. 12:20, 4 1 Cor. 12:24-25, 4 1 Cor. 12:27, 4 1 Cor. 15:24-26, 59 2 Cor. 1:21-22, 11 2 Cor. 4:4, 59 2 Cor. 5:10, 71 2 Cor. 5:11-12, 19, 21, 59 2 Cor. 5:15, 59 2 Cor. 5:18-21, 59 2 Cor. 5:9-10, 69, 147 2 Cor. 6:1, 128 2 Cor. 9:7-8, 49 Gal. 1:1, 3, 59 Gal. 1:16, 59 Gal. 2:21, 59 Gal. 2:8, 33 Gal. 3:27-28, 49 Gal. 3:28, 59
Called Out for Witness Gal. 4:3, 9, 59 Gal. 4:4, 59 Eph. 1:18, 48 Eph. 1:20, 48, 59 Eph. 1:3-6, 48 Eph. 1:4-5, 59 Eph. 2:8-10, 59 Eph. 2:8-9, 59 Eph. 3:1, 33 Eph. 3:6, 33 Eph. 4:24, 47 Eph. 6:13-18, 136 Phil. 2:12-13, 59 Phil. 2:2, 129 Col. 1:10, 48 Col. 1:13, 59 Col. 1:17, 59 Col. 2:11-12, 49 Col. 2:8-12, 59 Col. 3:10, 47 1 Thess. 1:9-10, 59 1 Thess. 5:17, 48 1 Tim. 1:17, 59 1 Tim. 2:4, 1, 56, 59, 70, 135, 137 2 Tim. 4:8, 49 Titus 3:5, 49 Philemon 2:6-11, 59 Heb. 9:27, 59 Heb. 10:24-25, 49 Heb. 13:14, 34 James 1:1, 29 1 Pet. 1:1, 29, 48 1 Pet. 1:15, 48 1 Pet. 1:2, 48 1 Pet. 1:8, 48 1 Pet. 2:9, 49, 55, 128, 134 1 Pet. 3:21, 49 1 Pet. 5:10, 44 2 Pet. 3:9, 59, 137 1 John 5:3, 22 Rev. 7:9-12, 70, 118 Rev. 21:1-7, 49 Rev. 21:8, 49 Rev. 22:12, 9, 133
Sung-wook Hong Naming God in Korea The Case of Protestant Christianity 2008 / 978-1-870345-66-8 / 170pp (hardback) Since Christianity was introduced to Korea more than a century ago, one of the most controversial issues has been the Korean term for the Christian ‘God’. This issue is not merely about naming the Christian God in Korean language, but it relates to the question of theological contextualization - the relationship between the gospel and culture - and the question of Korean Christian identity. This book demonstrates the nature of the gospel in relation to cultures, i.e., the universality of the gospel expressed in all human cultures. Hubert van Beek (Ed) Revisioning Christian Unity The Global Christian Forum 2009 / 978-1-870345-74-3 / 288pp (hardback) This book contains the records of the Global Christian Forum gathering held in Limuru near Nairobi, Kenya, on 6 – 9 November 2007 as well as the papers presented at that historic event. Also included are a summary of the Global Christian Forum process from its inception until the 2007 gathering and the reports of the evaluation of the process that was carried out in 2008. Young-hoon Lee The Holy Spirit Movement in Korea Its Historical and Theological Development 2009 / 978-1-870345-67-5 / 174pp (hardback) This book traces the historical and theological development of the Holy Spirit Movement in Korea through six successive periods (from 1900 to the present time). These periods are characterized by repentance and revival (1900-20), persecution and suffering under Japanese occupation (1920-40), confusion and division (1940-60), explosive revival in which the Pentecostal movement played a major role in the rapid growth of Korean churches (196080), the movement reaching out to all denominations (1980-2000), and the new context demanding the Holy Spirit movement to open new horizons in its mission engagement (2000-). Paul Hang-Sik Cho Eschatology and Ecology Experiences of the Korean Church 2010 / 978-1-870345-75-0 / 260pp (hardback) This book raises the question of why Korean people, and Korean Protestant Christians in particular, pay so little attention to ecological issues. The author argues that there is an important connection (or elective affinity) between this lack of attention and the otherworldly eschatology that is so dominant within Korean Protestant Christianity. Dietrich Werner, David Esterline, Namsoon Kang, Joshva Raja (Eds) The Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity Theological Perspectives, Ecumenical Trends, Regional Surveys 2010 / 978-1-870345-80-0 / 759pp This major reference work is the first ever comprehensive study of Theological Education in Christianity of its kind. With contributions from over 90 international scholars and church leaders, it aims to be easily accessible across denominational, cultural, educational, and geographic boundaries. The Handbook will aid international dialogue and networking among theological educators, institutions, and agencies.
David Emmanuel Singh & Bernard C Farr (Eds) Christianity and Education Shaping of Christian Context in Thinking 2010 / 978-1-870345-81-1 / 374pp Christianity and Education is a collection of papers published in Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies over a period of 15 years. The articles represent a spectrum of Christian thinking addressing issues of institutional development for theological education, theological studies in the context of global mission, contextually aware/informed education, and academies which deliver such education, methodologies and personal reflections. J.Andrew Kirk Civilisations in Conflict? Islam, the West and Christian Faith 2011 / 978-1-870345-87-3 / 205pp Samuel Huntington’s thesis, which argues that there appear to be aspects of Islam that could be on a collision course with the politics and values of Western societies, has provoked much controversy. The purpose of this study is to offer a particular response to Huntington’s thesis by making a comparison between the origins of Islam and Christianity. David Emmanuel Singh (Ed) Jesus and the Incarnation Reflections of Christians from Islamic Contexts 2011 / 978-1-870345-90-3 / 245pp In the dialogues of Christians with Muslims nothing is more fundamental than the Cross, the Incarnation and the Resurrection of Jesus. Building on the Jesus and the Cross, this book contains voices of Christians living in various ‘Islamic contexts’ and reflecting on the Incarnation of Jesus. The aim and hope of these reflections is that the papers weaved around the notion of ‘the Word’ will not only promote dialogue among Christians on the roles of the Person and the Book but, also, create a positive environment for their conversations with Muslim neighbours. Ivan M Satyavrata God Has Not left Himself Without Witness 2011 / 978-1-870345-79-8 / 264pp Since its earliest inception the Christian Church has had to address the question of what common ground exits between Christian faiths and other religions. This issue is not merely of academic interest but one with critical existential and socio-political consequences. This study presents a case for the revitalization of the fulfillment tradition based on a recovery and assessment of the fulfillment approaches of Indian Christian converts in the preindependence period. Bal Krishna Sharma From this World to the Next Christian Identity and Funerary Rites in Nepal 2013 / 978-1-908355-08-9 / 238pp This book explores and analyses funerary rite struggles in a nation where Christianity is a comparatively recent phenomenon, and many families have multi-faith, who go through traumatic experiences at the death of their family members. The author has used an applied theological approach to explore and analyse the findings in order to address the issue of funerary rites with which the Nepalese church is struggling.
J Kwabena Asamoah-Gyada Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity Interpretations from an African Context 2013 / 978-1-908355-07-2 / 194pp Pentecostalism is the fastest growing stream of Christianity in the world. The real evidence for the significance of Pentecostalism lies in the actual churches they have built and the numbers they attract. This work interprets key theological and missiological themes in African Pentecostalism by using material from the live experiences of the movement itself. David Emmanuel Singh and Bernard C Farr (Eds) The Bible and Christian Ethics 2013 / 978-1-908355-20-1 / 217pp This book contains papers from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies’ quarterly journal, Transformation, on the topic of Christian Ethics. Here, Mission Studies is understood in its widest sense to also encompass Christian Ethics. At the very hearts of it lies the Family as the basic unit of society. All the papers together seek to contribute to understanding how Christian thought is shaped in contexts each of which poses its own challenge to Christian living in family and in broader society. Martin Allaby Inequality, Corruption and the Church Challenges & Opportunities in the Global Church 2013 / 978-1-908355-16-4 / 228pp Why are economic inequalities greatest in the southern countries where most people are Christians? This book teases out the influences that have created this situation, and concludes that Christians could help reduce economic inequalities by opposing corruption. Interviews in the Philippines, Kenya, Zambia and Peru reveal opportunities and challenges for Christians as they face up to corruption. Paul Alexander and Al Tizon (Eds) Following Jesus Journeys in Radical Discipleship – Essays in Honor of Ronald J Sider 2013 / 978-1-908355-27-0 / 228pp Ronald J. Sider and the organization that he founded, Evangelicals for Social Action, are most respected for their pioneering work in the area of evangelical social concern. However, Sider’s great contribution to social justice is but a part of a larger vision – namely, biblical discipleship. His works, which span more than four decades, have guided the faithful to be authentic gospel-bearers in ecclesial, cultural and political arenas. This book honors Ron Sider, by bringing together a group of scholar-activists, old and young, to reflect upon the gospel and its radical implications for the 21st century. Cawley Bolt Reluctant or Radical Revolutionaries? Evangelical Missionaries and Afro-Jamaican Character, 1834-1870 2013 / 978-1-908355-18-8 / 287pp This study is based on extensive research that challenges traditional ways of understanding some evangelical missionaries of nineteenth century Jamaica and calls for revision of those views. It highlights the strength and character of persons facing various challenges of life in their effort to be faithful to the guiding principles of their existence.
Isabel Apawo Phiri & Dietrich Werner (Eds) Handbook of Theological Education in Africa 2013 / 978-1-908355-45-4 / 1110pp The Handbook of Theological Education in Africa is a wake-up call for African churches to give proper prominence to theological education institutions and their programmes which serve them. It is unique, comprehensive and ambitious in its aim and scope. Hope Antone, Wati Longchar, Hyunju Bae, Huang Po Ho, Dietrich Werner (Eds) Asian Handbook for Theological Education and Ecumenism 2013 / 978-1-908355-30-0 / 675pp (hardback) This impressive and comprehensive book focuses on key resources for teaching Christian unity and common witness in Asian contexts. It is a collection of articles that reflects the ongoing ‘double wrestle’ with the texts of biblical tradition as well as with contemporary contexts. It signals an investment towards the future of the ecumenical movement in Asia. REGNUM STUDIES IN MISSION Kwame Bediako Theology and Identity The Impact of Culture upon Christian Thought in the Second Century and in Modern Africa 1992 / 978-1870345-10-1 / 507pp The author examines the question of Christian identity in the context of the Graeco–Roman culture of the early Roman Empire. He then addresses the modern African predicament of quests for identity and integration. Christopher Sugden Seeking the Asian Face of Jesus The Practice and Theology of Christian Social Witness in Indonesia and India 1974–1996 1997 / 1-870345-26-6 / 496pp This study focuses on contemporary holistic mission with the poor in India and Indonesia combined with the call to transformation of all life in Christ with micro-credit enterprise schemes. ‘The literature on contextual theology now has a new standard to rise to’ – Lamin Sanneh (Yale University, USA). Hwa Yung Mangoes or Bananas? The Quest for an Authentic Asian Christian Theology 1997 / 1-870345-25-5 / 274pp Asian Christian thought remains largely captive to Greek dualism and Enlightenment rationalism because of the overwhelming dominance of Western culture. Authentic contextual Christian theologies will emerge within Asian Christianity with a dual recovery of confidence in culture and the gospel. Keith E. Eitel Paradigm Wars The Southern Baptist International Mission Board Faces the Third Millennium 1999 / 1-870345-12-6 / 140pp The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest denominational mission agency in North America. This volume chronicles the historic and
contemporary forces that led to the IMB’s recent extensive reorganization, providing the most comprehensive case study to date of a historic mission agency restructuring to continue its mission purpose into the twenty-first century more effectively. Samuel Jayakumar Dalit Consciousness and Christian Conversion Historical Resources for a Contemporary Debate 1999 / 81-7214-497-0 / 434pp (Published jointly with ISPCK) The main focus of this historical study is social change and transformation among the Dalit Christian communities in India. Historiography tests the evidence in the light of the conclusions of the modern Dalit liberation theologians. Vinay Samuel and Christopher Sugden (Eds) Mission as Transformation A Theology of the Whole Gospel 1999 / 978-18703455-13-2 / 522pp This book brings together in one volume twenty five years of biblical reflection on mission practice with the poor from around the world. This volume helps anyone understand how evangelicals, struggling to unite evangelism and social action, found their way in the last twenty five years to the biblical view of mission in which God calls all human beings to love God and their neighbour; never creating a separation between the two. Christopher Sugden Gospel, Culture and Transformation 2000 / 1-870345-32-3 / 152pp A Reprint, with a New Introduction, of Part Two of Seeking the Asian Face of Jesus Gospel, Culture and Transformation explores the practice of mission especially in relation to transforming cultures and communities. - ‘Transformation is to enable God’s vision of society to be actualised in all relationships: social, economic and spiritual, so that God’s will may be reflected in human society and his love experienced by all communities, especially the poor.’ Bernhard Ott Beyond Fragmentation: Integrating Mission and Theological Education A Critical Assessment of some Recent Developments in Evangelical Theological Education 2001 / 1-870345-14-9 / 382pp Beyond Fragmentation is an enquiry into the development of Mission Studies in evangelical theological education in Germany and German-speaking Switzerland between 1960 and 1995. The author undertakes a detailed examination of the paradigm shifts which have taken place in recent years in both the theology of mission and the understanding of theological education.
Gideon Githiga The Church as the Bulwark against Authoritarianism Development of Church and State Relations in Kenya, with Particular Reference to the Years after Political Independence 1963-1992 2002 / 1-870345-38-x / 218pp ‘All who care for love, peace and unity in Kenyan society will want to read this careful history by Bishop Githiga of how Kenyan Christians, drawing on the Bible, have sought to share the love of God, bring his peace and build up the unity of the nation, often in the face of great difficulties and opposition.’ Canon Dr Chris Sugden, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. Myung Sung-Hoon, Hong Young-Gi (Eds) Charis and Charisma David Yonggi Cho and the Growth of Yoido Full Gospel Church 2003 / 978-1870345-45-3 / 218pp This book discusses the factors responsible for the growth of the world’s largest church. It expounds the role of the Holy Spirit, the leadership, prayer, preaching, cell groups and creativity in promoting church growth. It focuses on God’s grace (charis) and inspiring leadership (charisma) as the two essential factors and the book’s purpose is to present a model for church growth worldwide. Samuel Jayakumar Mission Reader Historical Models for Wholistic Mission in the Indian Context 2003 / 1-870345-42-8 / 250pp (Published jointly with ISPCK) This book is written from an evangelical point of view revalidating and reaffirming the Christian commitment to wholistic mission. The roots of the ‘wholistic mission’ combining ‘evangelism and social concerns’ are to be located in the history and tradition of Christian evangelism in the past; and the civilizing purpose of evangelism is compatible with modernity as an instrument in nation building. Bob Robinson Christians Meeting Hindus An Analysis and Theological Critique of the Hindu-Christian Encounter in India 2004 / 987-1870345-39-2 / 392pp This book focuses on the Hindu-Christian encounter, especially the intentional meeting called dialogue, mainly during the last four decades of the twentieth century, and specifically in India itself. Gene Early Leadership Expectations How Executive Expectations are Created and Used in a Non-Profit Setting 2005 / 1-870345-30-9 / 276pp The author creates an Expectation Enactment Analysis to study the role of the Chancellor of the University of the Nations-Kona, Hawaii. This study is grounded in the field of managerial work, jobs, and behaviour and draws on symbolic interactionism, role theory, role identity theory and enactment theory. The result is a conceptual framework for developing an understanding of managerial roles.
Tharcisse Gatwa The Churches and Ethnic Ideology in the Rwandan Crises 1900-1994 2005 / 978-1870345-24-8 / 300pp (Reprinted 2011) Since the early years of the twentieth century Christianity has become a new factor in Rwandan society. This book investigates the role Christian churches played in the formulation and development of the racial ideology that culminated in the 1994 genocide. Julie Ma Mission Possible Biblical Strategies for Reaching the Lost 2005 / 978-1870345-37-8 / 142pp This is a missiology book for the church which liberates missiology from the specialists for the benefit of every believer. It also serves as a textbook that is simple and friendly, and yet solid in biblical interpretation. This book links the biblical teaching to the actual and contemporary missiological settings with examples, making the Bible come alive to the reader. I. Mark Beaumont Christology in Dialogue with Muslims A Critical Analysis of Christian Presentations of Christ for Muslims from the Ninth and Twentieth Centuries 2005 / 978-1870345-46-0 / 227pp This book analyses Christian presentations of Christ for Muslims in the most creative periods of Christian-Muslim dialogue, the first half of the ninth century and the second half of the twentieth century. In these two periods, Christians made serious attempts to present their faith in Christ in terms that take into account Muslim perceptions of him, with a view to bridging the gap between Muslim and Christian convictions. Thomas Czövek, Three Seasons of Charismatic Leadership A Literary-Critical and Theological Interpretation of the Narrative of Saul, David and Solomon 2006 / 978-1870345-48-4 / 272pp This book investigates the charismatic leadership of Saul, David and Solomon. It suggests that charismatic leaders emerge in crisis situations in order to resolve the crisis by the charisma granted by God. Czovek argues that Saul proved himself as a charismatic leader as long as he acted resolutely and independently from his mentor Samuel. In the author’s eyes, Saul’s failure to establish himself as a charismatic leader is caused by his inability to step out from Samuel’s shadow. Richard Burgess Nigeria’s Christian Revolution The Civil War Revival and Its Pentecostal Progeny (1967-2006) 2008 / 978-1-870345-63-7 / 347pp This book describes the revival that occurred among the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria and the new Pentecostal churches it generated, and documents the changes that have occurred as the movement has responded to global flows and local demands. As such, it explores the nature of revivalist and Pentecostal experience, but does so against the backdrop of local socio-political and economic developments, such as decolonisation and civil war, as well as broader processes, such as modernisation and globalisation.
David Emmanuel Singh & Bernard C Farr (Eds) Christianity and Cultures Shaping Christian Thinking in Context 2008 / 978-1-870345-69-9 / 271pp This volume marks an important milestone, the 25th anniversary of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (OCMS). The papers here have been exclusively sourced from Transformation, a quarterly journal of OCMS, and seek to provide a tripartite view of Christianity’s engagement with cultures by focusing on the question: how is Christian thinking being formed or reformed through its interaction with the varied contexts it encounters? The subject matters include different strands of theological-missiological thinking, socio-political engagements and forms of family relationships in interaction with the host cultures. Tormod Engelsviken, Ernst Harbakk, Rolv Olsen, Thor Strandenæs (Eds) Mission to the World Communicating the Gospel in the 21st Century: Essays in Honour of Knud Jørgensen 2008 / 978-1-870345-64-4 / 472pp (hardback) Knud Jørgensen is Director of Areopagos and Associate Professor of Missiology at MF Norwegian School of Theology. This book reflects on the main areas of Jørgensen’s commitment to mission. At the same time it focuses on the main frontier of mission, the world, the content of mission, the Gospel, the fact that the Gospel has to be communicated, and the context of contemporary mission in the 21st century. Al Tizon Transformation after Lausanne Radical Evangelical Mission in Global-Local Perspective 2008 / 978-1-870345-68-2 / 281pp After Lausanne '74, a worldwide network of radical evangelical mission theologians and practitioners use the notion of "Mission as Transformation" to integrate evangelism and social concern together, thus lifting theological voices from the Two Thirds World to places of prominence. This book documents the definitive gatherings, theological tensions, and social forces within and without evangelicalism that led up to Mission as Transformation. And it does so through a global-local grid that points the way toward greater holistic mission in the 21st century. Bambang Budijanto Values and Participation Development in Rural Indonesia 2009 / 978-1-870345-70-4 / 237pp Socio-religious values and socio-economic development are inter-dependant, inter-related and are constantly changing in the context of macro political structures, economic policy, religious organizations and globalization; and micro influences such as local affinities, identity, politics, leadership and beliefs. The book argues that the comprehensive approach in understanding the socio-religious values of each of the three local Lopait communities in Central Java is essential to accurately describing their respective identity.
Alan R. Johnson Leadership in a Slum A Bangkok Case Study 2009 / 978-1-870345-71-2 / 238pp This book looks at leadership in the social context of a slum in Bangkok from a different perspective than traditional studies which measure well educated Thais on leadership scales derived in the West. Using both systematic data collection and participant observation, it develops a culturally preferred model as well as a set of models based in Thai concepts that reflect on-the-ground realities. It concludes by looking at the implications of the anthropological approach for those who are involved in leadership training in Thai settings and beyond. Titre Ande Leadership and Authority Bula Matari and Life - Community Ecclesiology in Congo 2010 / 978-1-870345-72-9 / 189pp Christian theology in Africa can make significant development if a critical understanding of the socio-political context in contemporary Africa is taken seriously, particularly as Africa’s post-colonial Christian leadership based its understanding and use of authority on the Bula Matari model. This has caused many problems and Titre proposes a Life-Community ecclesiology for liberating authority, here leadership is a function, not a status, and ‘apostolic succession’ belongs to all people of God. Frank Kwesi Adams Odwira and the Gospel A Study of the Asante Odwira Festival and its Significance for Christianity in Ghana 2010 /978-1-870345-59-0 / 232pp The study of the Odwira festival is the key to the understanding of Asante religious and political life in Ghana. The book explores the nature of the Odwira festival longitudinally in pre-colonial, colonial and post-independence Ghana - and examines the Odwira ideology and its implications for understanding the Asante self-identity. Also discussed is how some elements of faith portrayed in the Odwira festival can provide a framework for Christianity to engage with Asante culture at a greater depth. Bruce Carlton Strategy Coordinator Changing the Course of Southern Baptist Missions 2010 / 978-1-870345-78-1 / 273pp This is an outstanding, one-of-a-kind work addressing the influence of the non-residential missionary/strategy coordinator’s role in Southern Baptist missions. This scholarly text examines the twentieth century global missiological currents that influenced the leadership of the International Mission Board, resulting in a new paradigm to assist in taking the gospel to the nations. Julie Ma & Wonsuk Ma Mission in the Spirit: Towards a Pentecostal/Charismatic Missiology 2010 / 978-1-870345-84-2 / 312pp The book explores the unique contribution of Pentecostal/Charismatic mission from the beginning of the twentieth century. The first part considers the theological basis of Pentecostal/Charismatic mission thinking and practice. Special attention is paid to the Old Testament, which has been regularly overlooked by the modern Pentecostal/Charismatic
movements. The second part discusses major mission topics with contributions and challenges unique to Pentecostal/Charismatic mission. The book concludes with a reflection on the future of this powerful missionary movement. As the authors served as Korean missionaries in Asia, often their missionary experiences in Asia are reflected in their discussions. Allan Anderson, Edmond Tang (Eds) Asian and Pentecostal The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia 2011 / 978-1870345-94-1 / 500pp (Revised Edition) This book provides a thematic discussion and pioneering case studies on the history and development of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches in the countries of South Asia, South East Asia and East Asia. S. Hun Kim & Wonsuk Ma (Eds) Korean Diaspora and Christian Mission 2011 / 978-1-870345-89-7 / 301pp (hardback) As a ‘divine conspiracy’ for Missio Dei, the global phenomenon of people on the move has shown itself to be invaluable. In 2004 two significant documents concerning Diaspora were introduced, one by the Filipino International Network and the other by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. These have created awareness of the importance of people on the move for Christian mission. Since then, Korean Diaspora has conducted similar research among Korean missions, resulting in this book Jin Huat Tan Planting an Indigenous Church The Case of the Borneo Evangelical Mission 2011 / 978-1-870345-99-6 / 343pp Dr Jin Huat Tan has written a pioneering study of the origins and development of Malaysia’s most significant indigenous church. This is an amazing story of revival, renewal and transformation of the entire region chronicling the powerful effect of it evident to date! What can we learn from this extensive and careful study of the Borneo Revival, so the global Christianity will become ever more dynamic? Bill Prevette Child, Church and Compassion Towards Child Theology in Romania 2012 / 978-1-908355-03-4 / 382pp Bill Prevett comments that ¨children are like ‘canaries in a mine shaft’; they provide a focal point for discovery and encounter of perilous aspects of our world that are often ignored.¨ True, but miners also carried a lamp to see into the subterranean darkness. This book is such a lamp. It lights up the subterranean world of children and youth in danger of exploitation, and as it does so travels deep into their lives and also into the activities of those who seek to help them.
Samuel Cyuma Picking up the Pieces The Church and Conflict Resolution in South Africa and Rwanda 2012 / 978-1-908355-02-7 / 373pp In the last ten years of the 20th century, the world was twice confronted with unbelievable news from Africa. First, there was the end of Apartheid in South Africa, without bloodshed, due to responsible political and Church leaders. The second was the mass killings in Rwanda, which soon escalated into real genocide. Political and Church leaders had been unable to prevents this crime against humanity. In this book, the question is raised: can we compare the situation in South Africa with that in Rwanda? Can Rwandan leaders draw lessons from the peace process in South Africa? Peter Rowan Proclaiming the Peacemaker The Malaysian Church as an Agent of Reconciliation in a Multicultural Society 2012 / 978-1-908355-05-8 / 268pp With a history of racial violence and in recent years, low-level ethnic tensions, the themes of peaceful coexistence and social harmony are recurring ones in the discourse of Malaysian society. In such a context, this book looks at the role of the church as a reconciling agent, arguing that a reconciling presence within a divided society necessitates an ethos of peacemaking. Edward Ontita Resources and Opportunity The Architecture of Livelihoods in Rural Kenya 2012 / 978-1-908355-04-1 / 328pp Poor people in most rural areas of developing countries often improvise resources in unique ways to enable them make a living. Resources and Opportunity takes the view that resources are dynamic and fluid, arguing that villagers co-produce them through redefinition and renaming in everyday practice and use them in diverse ways. The book focuses on ordinary social activities to bring out people’s creativity in locating, redesigning and embracing livelihood opportunities in processes. Kathryn Kraft Searching for Heaven in the Real World A Sociological Discussion of Conversion in the Arab World 2012 / 978-1-908355-15-7 / 142pp Kathryn Kraft explores the breadth of psychological and social issues faced by Arab Muslims after making a decision to adopt a faith in Christ or Christianity, investigating some of the most surprising and significant challenges new believers face. Wessley Lukose Contextual Missiology of the Spirit Pentecostalism in Rajasthan, India 2013 / 978-1-908355-09-6 / 256pp This book explores the identity, context and features of Pentecostalism in Rajasthan, India as well as the internal and external issues facing Pentecostals. It aims to suggest 'a contextual missiology of the Spirit,' as a new model of contextual missiology from a Pentecostal perspective. It is presented as a glocal, ecumenical, transformational, and public missiology.
Paul M Miller Evangelical Mission in Co-operation with Catholics A Study of Evangelical Tensions 2013 / 978-1-908355-17-1 / 291pp This book brings the first thorough examination of the discussions going on within Evangelicalism about the viability of a good conscience dialogue with Roman Catholics. Those who are interested in evangelical world missions and Roman Catholic views of world missions will find this informative. Alemayehu Mekonnen Culture Change in Ethiopia An Evangelical Perspective 2013 / 978-1-908355-39-3 / 199pp This book addresses the causes and consequences of culture change in Ethiopia, from Haile Selassie to the present, based on thorough academic research. Although written from an evangelical perspective, this book invites Ethiopians from all religions, ideological, and ethnic backgrounds to reflect on their past, to analyse their present and to engage in unity with diversity to face the future. Godwin Lekundayo The Cosmic Christ Towards Effective Mission Among the Maasai 2013 / 978-1-908355-28- 7 / 24pp This book reveals a complex interaction between the Christian gospel brought by western missionaries and the nomadic Massai culture of Tanzania … an important insider’s voice courageously questioning the approach to condemn some critical Maasai practices, particularly polygamy, and its missionary consequences. This is a rare study from a Maasai Christian leader.
REGNUM RESOURCES FOR MISSION Knud Jørgensen Equipping for Service Christian Leadership in Church and Society 2012 / 978-1-908355-06-5 / 150pp This book is written out of decades of experience of leading churches and missions in Ethiopia, Geneva, Norway and Hong Kong. Combining the teaching of Scripture with the insights of contemporary management philosophy, Jørgensen writes in a way which is practical and applicable to anyone in Christian service. “The intention has been to challenge towards a leadership relevant for work in church and mission, and in public and civil society, with special attention to leadership in Church and organisation.” Mary Miller What does Love have to do with Leadership? 2013 / 978-1-908355-10-2 / 100pp Leadership is a performing art, not a science. It is the art of influencing others, not just to accomplish something together, but to want to accomplish great things together. Mary Miller captures the art of servant leadership in her powerful book. She understands that servant leaders challenge existing processes without manipulating or overpowering people.
Called Out for Witness The Missionary Journey of Grace Korean Church
Daniel Taichoul Yang (D. Min. in Missiology), a Korean-American minister ordained by a Korean Presbyterian church, currently serves as Director of World Mission Department of Grace Korean Church, Fullerton, California. He previously served as a missionary to Russia and Australia. He travels extensively throughout the world, while serving various world-wide mission networks. He lives with his wife, Esther Hyunjung, and has a daughter, Hyojoo.
Grace Korean Church (GKC) was established in 1982 by David Kwangshin Kim in Fullerton, California. From the very beginning, Kim led the church into a robust missionary engagement, which is being continued and even intensified by his successor, Paul Kihong Han. Throughout its three-decades of history, the church has invested more than 50% of its total income to supporting and maintaining its mission operations (with more than 250 missionaries in close to 60 countries).This book investigates the theological motivation for GKC’s missions: pneumatological missiology, theology of revival, diaspora theology, Reformed theology, Presbyterian theology, and mission theology. The book also shows the extent of the church’s mission engagement by continents. Finally, the book turns its attention to the future with an evaluation of the church’s missionary journey. I recommend this book because PastorYang wrote it under the auspice of Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in England as their visiting scholar. The book has enough merits to be trusted from a missiological perspective.The start of GMI’s world mission and its entirety are well explained in this book. I hope to see the whole world coming to know more about the world mission of GMI through this book. David Kwangshin Kim President of Grace Ministries International Called Out for Witness offers a systematic study and interpretation of the missionary engagement of this remarkable congregation. Anyone wishing to keep abreast of the shape and direction of Christian mission in the contemporary world will want to take account of this original and ground-breaking book. Kenneth R. Ross , Former General Secretary, Church of Scotland Board of World Mission
regnum www.ocms.ac.uk/regnum
Called Out for Witness by Taichoul Yang is an inspiring case study of the amazing missionary journey of Grace Korean Church in Fullerton, California. In 2013, the church had 256 missionaries serving in 58 countries. It has applied 50% of its annual income to support its missionaries and their mission activities since its inception three decades ago. It has ten seminaries and one missionary training center on various continents producing thousands of pastors and missionaries.. This is a must read to learn how a single congregation can become a powerful instrument of global outreach. Tetsunao Yamamori, Senior Fellow, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California This book is a deeply insightful examination of one congregation, the Grace Korean Church.This book is about a kind of church that is perhaps unique to Korea. A church whose raison d'être is proclamation of the Gospel where it has not been proclaimed. Jonathan J. Bonk, Executive Director Emeritus Overseas Ministries Study Center, New Haven, CT