Bright Myeong-Seok Lee’s paper explores the changing discipleship training model utilised by South Korean churches. The last few years – in particular the Covid19 pandemic, shifts to digital technologies, and climate change – have changed the way churches engage in training models for upcoming leaders.
Lee noticed a gap between the traditional training methods and the needs of the Korean church in light of challenges. This motivated them to study this difference and investigate ways that discipleship could be done in more holistic ways that focus on responding to and solving societal concerns. This includes exploring the relationship between church and society, and the need for the church to extend beyond personal salvation to addressing the social issues of a rapidly changing world.
Lee used the Suwonsung church as a case study – considering their approach to discipleship training and considering how it could inform the Korean church’s discipleship strategy.
Lee hopes this research will prompt future conversations within Korea and beyond about how the church can help respond to societal challenges in ways that are reflective and adaptive. Lee hopes to continue conversation with church leaders, practitioners, and researchers about how churches in Korea and in other cultures can respond to the unique challenges of the twenty-first century and build contemporary training programs for leaders.
READ THE ARTICLE HERE: https://ecclesialfutures.org/article/view/13755