Book Description

Once considered as a Cinderella in church growth and mission in the post-Edinburgh Conference era, the Korean church is given its due in this book. As a guide to Korean Christianity, it contains more than thirty chapters, written by historians, missiologists, sociologists, mission practitioners, pastors, and church leaders. They come from a wide range of church traditions, and also from within and without South Korea. This volume assesses the legacy and place of Korean Christianity and its mission, provides insightful and self-critical accounts in topics ranging from theories, policies, practices, and prospects, and offers a useful overview of how the Korean church grew into a missionary church. As a non-western major mission force, it has been equipping itself and others for service by broadening the understanding of God's mission throughout the turbulent years of imperialism, post-colonialism and globalisation. The book, concluding with reflections on the future challenges and possibilities, is intended as an important gift to the Korean church and to world Christianity ""...excellent...and one of the most important of the Series: assuming a holistic definition of mission, it provides a panoramic view of the Korean missionary movement, in historical, missiological, and practical perspectives. Authors from multiple ecclesial traditions bring wide-ranging scholarship and experience... I highly recommend...and will use it in my classes."" Dana L. Robert, Truman Collins Professor of World Christianity and History of Mission, Boston University '... a significant effort for Christian mission in the twenty-first century, thus, highly recommended to every global mission leader'. David J. Cho, Founder of the Asia Missions Association, and the Third World Missions Association '...the breadth of the studies found in the book is astonishing, and there has been no resource of this magnitude in authors, themes, and perspectives'. Jung Woon Suh (from Foreword 1) 'For now, it is enough to say that the Korean churches and their missionaries are God's instruments ""for such a time as this"".' Jonathan J. Bonk (from Foreword 2) Wonsuk Ma is Executive Director and David Yonggi Cho Research Tutor of Global Christianity at Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, Oxford, United Kingdom. Kyo Seong Ahn is Associate Professor of Church History at the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, Seoul, South Korea.