Page 39 - A Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy

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conversion. Present statistics indicate that planting a church is becoming increasingly difficult;
survival rate of newly planted churches is 4 percent. The conclusion to the matter is that the

Korean Church is facing a crisis in spiritual maturity and numeric growth.

Early missionaries had a principle they used in their mission, namely “Preaching is

planting a church.” These workers stressed evangelism through preaching and by utilizing this

strong ministry of the Word, the Korean church expanded. At least one study indicated that

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preaching is the most significant component for church growth in Korea. If such an indication
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is true, then “the crisis of the [Korean] church is the crisis of preaching.”

For a considerable time, Korean preachers received staunch criticism that claimed their

homilies contained unbiblical topics. In response, the Korean homiletic arena offered two

suggestions for revising preaching style in the mid 1980s: expository preaching and lectionary

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preaching. Korean preachers, then, who perceived a sense of crisis responded by preaching the
biblical message through expository preaching. It was laudable effort. Unfortunately, and quite

enigmatically, the Korean church still fails to experience restoration, revival, or growth. The

relevant question, then, and the central concern of this dissertation is “why?”. In order to answer

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Byeon Kwan Chung, “Diagnosis and Counter Suggestions from Church Growth
School’s Perspective against the Growth and Stagnation of the Korean Church,” Sinhak Jinam
(Theology Review) 256 (Autumn 1998), 133.

57 Oe-Shik Kim, Mokhoe Junmunwha-wa Hanguk Kyohoe Yebae (Professionalism of
ministry and worship in the Korean church) (Seoul: Methodist Theological Seminary Press Co.,
1994), 163, 172. He reports that 88.9 percent of his respondents agreed that preaching is the most
important task in the ministry and 72 percent answered that preaching has decisive influence on
church growth.

58 In Kyo Chung, “The Changing Situation and Shaking Position of Preaching,” Geu
Malseum (The Word) (October 1994), 97. :94-98

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Unyong Kim, “Faith Comes from Hearing,” 35.