RAS Lecture Presentation
April 28, 2004
Wednesday 7:30p.m.


”Perspectives on Church Growth in Korea”

By Dr. Daniel J. Adams

The Auditorium of Daewoo Foundation Bldg, 8th Floor
( 대우 재단 빌딩, 강당 8층)



Sometimes referred to as “the Korean miracle,” the rapid growth of the Christian churches in Korea continues to puzzle many observers. It is estimated that up to twenty-five per cent of the population of Korea is Christian whereas only four per cent of Taiwanese are Christian and only one per cent of Japanese are Christian. Why has the church grown in Korea and what are some of the factors that have contributed to this growth?

The answers to this question are many, and include religious factors such as the dedication of Korean Christians as evidenced by their fervent prayer life, desire to evangelize others, and willingness to face martyrdom. Social and historical factors would include the early successes of medical and educational mission work, and the fact that Protestant Christianity came to Korean during a “window of opportunity” between the declining years of the Chosun Period and the imposition of Japanese colonial rule. Other factors are more in nature and include the sympathetic relationship between Neo-Confucianism and the conservative theology of the early missionaries and shamanism and the role of women. These and other factors have contributed to the uniqueness of the Korean context thereby making Korea a fertile ground for the growth of the church.

There are, however, two events which stand out as being of special significance for church growth. The first of these is the great revival of 1907 which focused on quantitative growth through the building up of the numerical membership of the church. The second of these events is the Independence Movement of 1919 which focused on qualitative maturity thorough the strengthening of national consciousness.
These two events are usually considered in isolation from each other. Taken together they can be understood as two rather different yet interrelated perspectives, the first of which was ecclesiastical in nature and was concerned with the institutional church, and the second of which was sociological in nature and was concerned with the recovery of national identity. The shift from the first to the second of these perspectives between 1907 and 1919 resulted in Korean Christianity becoming identified with the aspirations of the Korean people in a way that has no been duplicated in any other Asian country. This in turn has led to unprecedented growth of the Christian churches in Korea.

A similar shift in perspectives has taken place in more recent times from the aggressive church growth phenomenon of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, to the more quality of life approach in the mid-to late 1990s and continuing on into the present. Since this shift in perspectives is still in process, we can only speculate as to what direction church growth will take in the future.

Dr. Daniel J. Adams received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Seattle Pacific University and a master’s degree in divinity from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. He received a Ph.D. in theology from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in 1973 and a master’s degree in Chinese studies from Soochow University in Taipei, Taiwan in 1979. He taught for a number of years at Taiwan Theological College in Taipei and is now professor of theology at Hanil University in Jeobuk where he also serves as director of international studies at the Asia Pacific Graduate School of Theological Studies. He has held visiting professorships in the United States, Hong Kong, and Myanmar.

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R.A.S. 104th Annual Garden Party
Saturday, June 5, 2004
American Ambassador's Residence

Please note that invitations, special performance description and
book sale list will be sent to members who have paid membership fees only.
This is a good chance to introduce your friends about our society and
we are looking forward to meet you all together. Thank you for your cooperation!