Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

1993

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Robert M. Johnston

Second Advisor

Douglas R. Kilcher

Third Advisor

P. Richard Choi

Abstract

Problem. An evaluation of my past ministry in Korea revealed that there is a tremendous need for change in the role of the laity in fulfillment of the gospel commission. The issue of the layperson is emerging as an important matter of concern for the church in Korea today. This project was to examine the significance of the layperson's role in the church and to study the importance of discipleship training from the biblical perspective with the purpose of devising a strategy for implementing discipleship through small groups in the local Seventh-day Adventist church in Korea.

Method. The project consisted of two parts: a theological paper and a professional paper. The first paper provided a theological basis for the ministry of the laity and deals with discipleship as the ideal model for the training of the laypersons in the church. The second paper presented the small-group strategy as the most effective way to implement discipleship and provided a practical method to implement it through small groups in the local church.

Results. It was determined that the best hope for the Korean Seventh-day Adventist church is the ministry of discipleship. It was also pointed out that there is no difference in status or rank between a layperson and a clergy. Discipleship was presented as the ideal model for the laity as the desirable direction and standard of lay training. It was emphasized that small groups not only are the most effective vehicle for discipleship training, but also provide situations in which the cooperative ministry of the laity and clergy can be developed. The practical steps were designed to implement discipleship training through small groups in the local church.

Conclusions. It is important to remember that what was presented in this project is only a method, not the method. However, I am convinced that if the Korean church adopts the discipleship strategy presented in this project it will bring church renewal and revitalization. The discipleship training is not a special strategy for a certain specific target group, but a biblical ministerial method that must be practiced in every local church. In that sense, the church should become an equipping center where the people of God can be trained.

Subject Area

Discipling (Christianity), Evangelistic work--Korea

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dmin/186/

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