The Korean church has made great growth and development unprecedented in the history of the protestant Christianity. Turning in 1990s, however, it has stopped its growth and the stagnation is too serious to fail to recognize it. Nevertheless, new chu...
The Korean church has made great growth and development unprecedented in the history of the protestant Christianity. Turning in 1990s, however, it has stopped its growth and the stagnation is too serious to fail to recognize it. Nevertheless, new churches are being pioneered continuously. However, the trend of contemporary people who avoid planting churches and environmental and financial problems are working as restrictive factors in the growth of churches.
Then what should be dealt with importantly in order for churches to overcome such environmental factors and develop? As a pastor of a planting church, the author believes the most important thing is spirituality.
In general spirituality means a certain attitude or mentality causing human acts and a specific religious and ethical value. Spirituality in the sense of Christianity emphasizes the relationship between 'me' and God in front of God. A common point of growing churches is that they minister through spiritual training. This is a critical factor for the growth and development of a church not to mention its survival.
Spiritual training is wholistic training that helps trainees to imitate the life of Jesus Christ. It is systematic training to help trainees not only to confess Jesus Christ as their Lord but also to practice Jesus' life as if Jesus himself moves and lives. As spiritual training programs, this study dealt with the church growth through life training, spiritual experienced training, the training on small group, faith training, working training and leader training, but not covered practical life in the more active aspect of spirituality. What to be stressed as much as laity's spiritual training is spiritual training for the pastor. In order for the pastor to be able to teach believers, the son of God, using God's Word and all kinds of good methods, he must be spiritually disciplined first. When believers are restored as wholistic persons through spiritual training, the Korean church will keep growing.