Challenge 2005 Workshop: Identity in God (2) Prof. Jintae Kim, Ph.D. Alliance Theological Seminary http://www.all4jesus.net Jintae.kim@nyack.edu

Koreans in God’s Time

Miracle of Han river; a Member of OECD nations. Identity Korean Christians Powerful Diaspora 6 Mil in 151 nations; Over 600,000 Thousands each in U.S. (2.1 Mil), China (2.1 Mil), Japan, Russia. Unprecedented explosive church growth. In 100 years since mission - 1/3 of population - Christians; 70% of Koreans in US – Protestants. Unprecedented explosive economic growth Miracle of Han river; a Member of OECD nations. Praying people Early morning prayer; Prayer mountain. Mission-minded #2 in missionary sending.

Watch Koreans! Their strategic global location People with missionary quality Quantitative basis of mission Resources for mission: material, spiritual, and personal.

Their Strategic Global Location Powerful Diaspora: Over 6 Million residing in 151 nations. 600,000 and more Koreans in 4 most powerful countries: 2.1 Mil in US; 2.1 Mil in China; Japan; and Russia. Koreans are accepted well in 10/40 windows – Linguistic/ethnic affinity.

People with Missionary Quality Korean descendents are educated at the best schools in North America, Europe, Asia, Russia, and South America, and other regions of the world. Korean descendents, whether in Korea or overseas, are extremely resilient people, who are one of the most suffered people in the world.

People with Missionary Quality - continued They adapt well to a new culture; thus, live well and prosperous in any situations or circumstances. They are highly entrepreneurial and have pioneering spirit. Concerning the percentage of self-employed, no other ethnic group surpassed Koreans in US.

Quantitative Basis of Mission: Unprecedented Church Growth 1866 – Thomas, the first US missionary, martyred while smuggling Bible. 2004 - About 40,000 churches in Korea. 1/3 of Korean population are considered to be professing Christians. Missionary-sending nation since 1908: 9,133 as of Jan 16, 2001 (KWMA) .

Quantitative Basis of Mission - Koreans in US: Committed 1’st Generation & Able 2’nd Gen.

3737 Korean ministers are ministering outside Korea (2924 in US alone). Between ’77 and ‘97, 2,600 Korean congregations sprang up in the US. 70 % of Korean immigrants in US are Christians; and about 20-40% of new unbelieving immigrants become Protestant Christians in US (ex. Samuel Kim, Jintae Kim, Hyung Moon). Compared to 1 church for every 730 Americans, 1 church of every 300 Koreans in US.

Resource for Mission (Material) The most explosive economic growth in the shortest period in history. The miracle of the Han river came together with the explosive growth of churches. Highest utilization of communication mode such as cell phone and internet.

Spiritual Resources for Mission Koreans are praying people. No other ethnic group or nation can come even close to Koreans. Early morning prayer is ubiquitous, either in Korea or outside Korea. Prayer mountain is also ubiquitous.

Personnel Resources for Mission Koreans are one of the most mission-minded Christians in the world. Rapid Increase: 1,650 in 1990 9,133 as of Jan 16, 2001 (KWMA) – Total Asian Protestant Missionaries 13,607 in 2000 OW 6’th ed, 2001). The Onnuri church– 2000 missionaries by 2010 as its vision (bigger than the C&MA as a whole). Its current membership 30,000 plus with 30 Mil Dollar annual budget.

What do these mean? Koreans are strategically located in and sincerely committed to the world evangelization. Koreans are equipped with resources for mission such as man-power, money, and prayer. What they are still lacking is infrastructure of mission, which the C&MA has.

Divine Plan of God for Koreans Koreans have special calling to assume a leading role in world evangelization. But, they have to do it in cooperation with those who have built-in infrastructure for mission. Western countries will need to adopt a radical paradigm shift in their mission policy and seminary education that are relevant to the new era.