지역사회에 대한 선교적(missional) 교회의 접근법 - 한국의 문화적 상황을 중심으로

Abstract

Korean societies nowadays is experiencing rapid changes. Traditional cultures based upon Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shamanism are currently mixed with modern and postmodern cultures. The processes of globalization turned the Korean society into a multicultural one. The revolutions in the area of internet and mobile network added diversity to the Korean society. The cultural differences between old generations and young ones are becoming greater. Many people in the society today are becoming more antagonistic towards Christianity than before. These rapid changes in Korean society produce new problems and needs in the Korean communities. Missional approach takes the cultural context in the communities seriously. Missional congregations recognize the cultural difference between the people in the churches and the people outside the churches. They took the incarnational posture when they reach the unbelievers outside the churches. They try to make contact with the unbelievers and take time to listen from them. When they can understand the viewpoints of the unbelievers, the encounter between the Gospel and the culture of the people in the community begins inside the minds of the congregations. At this moment, trying to find the commonalities between the Gospel and the culture becomes very important, as it is the commonalities that provide contact points to applicate the Gospel in the culture. Especially nowadays, Korean communities try to rehabilitate themselves with efforts like ‘village revitalization movement,’ ‘community business’ and ‘social enterprise.’ This atmosphere is good soil for the missional congreations to create and participate in the common projects for the community with diverse subjects like government, enterprises, social institutes, civil societies etc.But the more important aspects in the encounter between the Gospel and Korean culture are in the areas of differences beteen them. In these cases the missional congregations are required to repent from their positions of receiving the cultural influence and to renew their thinking based on the Gospel. Once these kinds of encounters between the Gospel and the culture happen inside the minds of the missional congregations successfully, they are prepared to reach out to the people in the communities. They are in the position to interprete the Gospel to the people in the community using their language and concept. They can translate the Gospel in regards to the main concerns and stories of the people in the communities. Korean churches have the urgent task of becoming ‘contrast societies’ where the authentic community is actualized in the sight of the people in the community like the ‘village in the mountain’ or ‘salt and light’ as Jesus mentioned in the Bible (Matt. 5:13-14). They have the mission to become the sign, the instrument, and the foretaste representing the rule of God in the community.