한국적 상황에서 “선교적 교회(missional church)”가 갖는 의미 연구 (The Meanings of “Missional Church” in the Korean Context)

The Korean Church is encountering three serious problems from a
missiological perspective. The first is the conflict between the evangelical
party and ecumenical one; in spite of the holistic and cooperative
movements between them, the institutional and theological antpathy
between them still exists. The second question is that the Korean church
growth has stopped, contrary to its expectation of the leveling off of
the size of churches after the great church growth period, and that the
polarization of the church is getting worse. Third one is the question
whether the local protestant churches are effectively evangelizing the
local community by fully understanding their culture.
In this situation, we are to serch for a ecclessiological paradigm which
projects a mission church that breaks through these problems. We may
ask three questions in more detail: how can we make a successfully
localized church which has its roots in Korean historical cultural
experiences. Is it possible to suggest an alternative paradigm that
terminates the conflict between the evangelical and ecumenical parties
and that consentrates on the mission tasks in mutual cooperative
relationship? However, what missiological role and direction can we
suggest in order to deliever the Christian message to the Christians and non-Christians effectively and persuasively in this rapidly changing
society and cultural values?
With regard to these questions, the discussion of the “missiological
church” that is developed by the North American scholars provides a
helpful insight to us in searching for an mission church models in this
Korean Christian circumstance. It is because the churches of the North
America and Korea share the similar questions and struggle to find a
breakthrough to be successful in evangelizing the gospel in the rapidly
changing local community and cultural values.
This discussion is made in two ways: one is theoretical missiological
approach and the other is practical one that approaches in light of
church growth. This article deals with these two aspects because the
question of how a church can do its evangelical mission in its local
community and its own situations, after the period of great church
growth in Norch American churches, is to be raised; it is so because
the theological perspectives of the evangelical and ecumenical parties
find their common insterests with regard to the question of
evengelization and culture.
Therefore, this article examines the question of whether the idea of
missiological church may work as a successful model that overcomes the
problems that the Korean church is struggling as mentioned above. It
will survey Choi Hyung-Gun’s arguments and Missional Church: A
Vision for the Sending of the Church. The background and the character
of the emergence of the missiological church will be dealt with, and
the possibility of application of this model to the Korean church and
its meaning will be examined with regard to the questions raised above,
especially in terms of three issues of church, gospel and culture.

The Korean Church is encountering three serious problems from a
missiological perspective. The first is the conflict between the evangelical
party and ecumenical one; in spite of the holistic and cooperative
movements between them, the institutional and theological antpathy
between them still exists. The second question is that the Korean church
growth has stopped, contrary to its expectation of the leveling off of
the size of churches after the great church growth period, and that the
polarization of the church is getting worse. Third one is the question
whether the local protestant churches are effectively evangelizing the
local community by fully understanding their culture.
In this situation, we are to serch for a ecclessiological paradigm which
projects a mission church that breaks through these problems. We may
ask three questions in more detail: how can we make a successfully
localized church which has its roots in Korean historical cultural
experiences. Is it possible to suggest an alternative paradigm that
terminates the conflict between the evangelical and ecumenical parties
and that consentrates on the mission tasks in mutual cooperative
relationship? However, what missiological role and direction can we
suggest in order to deliever the Christian message to the Christians and non-Christians effectively and persuasively in this rapidly changing
society and cultural values?
With regard to these questions, the discussion of the “missiological
church” that is developed by the North American scholars provides a
helpful insight to us in searching for an mission church models in this
Korean Christian circumstance. It is because the churches of the North
America and Korea share the similar questions and struggle to find a
breakthrough to be successful in evangelizing the gospel in the rapidly
changing local community and cultural values.
This discussion is made in two ways: one is theoretical missiological
approach and the other is practical one that approaches in light of
church growth. This article deals with these two aspects because the
question of how a church can do its evangelical mission in its local
community and its own situations, after the period of great church
growth in Norch American churches, is to be raised; it is so because
the theological perspectives of the evangelical and ecumenical parties
find their common insterests with regard to the question of
evengelization and culture.
Therefore, this article examines the question of whether the idea of
missiological church may work as a successful model that overcomes the
problems that the Korean church is struggling as mentioned above. It
will survey Choi Hyung-Gun’s arguments and Missional Church: A
Vision for the Sending of the Church. The background and the character
of the emergence of the missiological church will be dealt with, and
the possibility of application of this model to the Korean church and
its meaning will be examined with regard to the questions raised above,
especially in terms of three issues of church, gospel and culture.