





































Ecclesial Futures
2023 – Volume 4 – Issue 1

48
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

A R T I C L E S

DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

Missional Discipleship in Post-Pandemic 
Korea: The Case of Suwonsung Church1

Bright Myeong-Seok Lee

Abstract
The decline in social trust in the Korean Protestant church is a significant social issue 
that requires attention and action. Despite being more involved in community service 
than other religions, trust in the church has fallen, and it is essential to understand 
why. This paper will examine the previous dominant method of discipleship training, 
which may have contributed to this decline. By using a case study of a Korean church, 
the study will analyze the effectiveness of the discipleship training and its impact on 
social trust. Then I will reflect on how the Korean church should respond to today’s 
situation characterized by VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) and the 
pandemic. This paper will suggest a new approach called missional discipleship, which 
seeks to create a more engaging and inclusive environment that inspires the church to 
lead and participate in community service.

Keywords: Pandemic; Korean church; Reliability; Disciple(s); Discipleship training

Introduction
Besides the mega trends of digitization and climate change, South Korea is rapidly 
aging and the birthrate is falling at an alarming rate. The world encountered a 
pandemic in February 2020 that tremendously changed the way of life. Today’s situ-
ation may be most aptly described by Yuval Noah Harari who said that humanity has 

1 This paper has been adapted from the author’s article originally published in Korean under the title 
“A Missionary Discipleship as an Alternative in the VUCA and Pandemic Era”, Theology of Mission 69 
(2023): 270–303. The author wants to recognize special gratitude to Dr Rebekah Lee, who translated 
this article. 



49
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

technologically developed a canoe into a galley ship then into a steam ship to finally a 
space shuttle, yet no one knows the direction humanity is headed (Harari 2015: 415).

In an uncertain, unpredictable, and rapidly changing world there is even less time or 
capacity to respond. According to Doris Märtin, the acronym VUCA (volatility, uncer-
tainty, complexity, ambiguity) best describes the first quarter of the twenty-first 
century (2021: 37).2 Perhaps one reason why the Korean church cannot find a way 
out of this turbulence is that, as Märtin pointed out, we continue to be like an ostrich 
with our head in the sand rather than facing up to the new reality that requires an 
openness to adapt to change (2021: 111).

The ministry strategies that once worked can no longer guarantee the sustainability 
of the Korean church. It is time for the Korean church to sincerely ask if we have the 
will to transform ourselves to be able to face the new challenges of our age. In this 
study I will consider reasons why the Protestant church has lost public credibility 
despite being actively engaged in community service, indeed more than any other 
religious groups. For this purpose, I will analyze the phenomenon of discipleship 
training that once dominated the Korean Protestant church. Based on the analysis I 
will consider ways for the church to respond to the age of VUCA and pandemic and 
suggest missionary discipleship as a solution.

Definition and usage of the term “disciple”
According to Theological Dictionary of the New Testament edited by Gerhard Kittel, 
the word “disciple” can be defined as a learner or a follower. To be a disciple means 
to personally draw close and follow after a teacher in all aspect of life (Kittel 1967: 
44). The etymology of the word “disciple” and its application in different historical 
periods should be reviewed.

“Disciple” in the Old and New Testaments
The word “disciple” is not clearly defined in the Old and New Testament but is merely 
used to name a group of people. In Isa 8.16 the word limud (לּמד) appears once, and 
it comes from the word lamad (לּמד) which means to learn, train and experience. In 
the New Testament Gospels, Matthew calls the crowds who follow Jesus Christ the 
disciples (Mt. 10.1), while Luke calls the same people apostles (Lk. 6.13). This implies 

2 VUCA is originally a military term to describe the unpredictable and constantly changing battleground 
situation, but now it is more often used to describe our complicated and uncertain reality that necessi-
tates swift response.



50
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

that in the first-century church community the terms were used interchangeably. 
The term apostle (apostolos) comes from the Hebrew word shaliach (ַח  to indicate (שִלי
one who was sent from Jerusalem with a specific mission to the Jewish community 
dispersed throughout the Roman Empire. According to Robert M. Johnston, these 
Jewish apostles were generally supported with funding from the Jerusalem temple, 
and worked through Jewish networks ( Johnston 2006: 2). For instance, Saul from 
Tarsus who appears in Acts 9.2 was one such apostle for Judaism until he was called 
to be God’s disciple.

The development of the term “disciple” in the early church can be further deduced 
from the Didache.3 George Cantrell Allen states that the term “apostle” was first only 
applied to the twelve who had personal relationship with Jesus during his lifetime 
(Acts 1.21), but as time went by it also came to mean ones who had been sent with a 
mission, or missionaries (Allen 1903: 21). So, by the time the Didache was written, the 
focus shifted from the importance of direct encounter with Christ toward discerning 
the true apostles from the false missionaries who called themselves apostles (Allen 
1903: 21). Johnston states that apostles are usually those who had been sent by an 
authority to carry out tasks on their behalf, while the term “disciple” was used specif-
ically for those who were with Jesus Christ in person ( Johnston 2006: 5).

In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul tells them, “Be imitators of me [Μιμηται 
μου], as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 11.2). The term “imitators of me” (Μιμηται μου) almost 
reminds one of the image of children imitating their father (1 Cor 4.16).4 This means 
to go beyond cognitive response to Paul’s teachings, to imitate Paul’s character and 
even his behaviour. This also expects of the teacher an ethical and exemplary life 
which the disciples would want to imitate.5

“Disciple” in the early church and Roman Empire
In the culture of the Roman Empire, a disciple was primarily a student, or someone 
who learns from a great teacher. An example of this use is found in the writings 
of Dio Chrysostom (ad 40–120), the philosopher and historian who lived in today’s 
Turkey. In his fifty-fifth Discourse, Chrysostom says even though one has not lived 
at the same time as a teacher, someone who wholly lives according to the teach-
er’s teachings must be called a pupil or a disciple (Chrysostom 1962: 383) Chrysos-

3 120 pages of handwritten Greek manuscript found in the Jerusalem monastery of Constantinople in 
1873 by Philotheos Bryennios, Bishop of Nicomedia.

4 I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me. (1 Cor. 4.16)
5 For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in 

Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. (1 Cor 4.15)



51
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

tom’s understanding of discipleship is the extra-biblical evidence of the widespread 
perception of discipleship in the first century, as Christianity was growing.

Justin Martyr (ad 100–165), the church fatherm tells of the interests of the earliest 
church members.

And on the day called Sunday there is a meeting in one place of those who live in cities 
or the country, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read 
as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the president in a discourse 
urges and invites [us] to the imitation of these noble things (Richardson 1953: 287).

Having the people “imitate the noble things” means to go beyond cognitive accept-
ance to imitate the actions of the teachers according to what has been written by 
the apostles and the prophets. This is in line with apostle Paul’s exhortation to the 
churches he founded to imitate Christ and live as disciples of Christ (Acts 20.35; Gal. 
4.12; 1 Cor. 11.1; Phil. 3.17–21).

Transforming discipleship
The Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, organized by the World Council 
of Churches (WCC) in Arusha, Tanzania from 8 to 13 March 2018 brought to the fore-
front a new perspective on discipleship for churches worldwide. With its theme of 
“Called to Transforming Discipleship”, the conference highlighted a novel approach, 
urging churches to embrace the notion of “transforming discipleship” ( Jukko and 
Keum 2019: 5–19). While the traditional understanding of discipleship is often limited 
to a relationship with Jesus, this conference emphasized the need for a proactive 
engagement in fulfilling Jesus’ mission in the world (Ross 2020: 18–20). Thus, what 
Pope Francis has termed “missionary discipleship” is, in essence, the concept of 
transforming discipleship (Francis 2013: 96–98).

The Arusha Conference sounds the alarm that the relentless exploitation of God’s 
creation to sustain our economic system is giving rise to circumstances of ecolog-
ical degradation and insists that ecological concern consists of an essential part of 
discipleship of the churches worldwide ( Jukko and Keum 2019: 9–11). The conference 
also emphasizes that “Mission from the Margins” involves validating the capacity of 
marginalized individuals, engaging in their battles and embracing their aspirations 
(2019: 11–12). This requires overcoming the tendency to marginalize, resisting and 
challenging the influences that promote exclusion in our respective contexts.

In this context, embracing transforming discipleship in the spirit of mission from 
the margins enables the church to re-evaluate our approaches to wielding power, 



52
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

distributing leadership, and collaborating for mission. It provides an opportunity for 
us to reset the church’s priorities and explore new avenues for fostering inclusivity 
and equity in our shared mission.

Discipleship training in the Korean church: the case of 
Suwonsung Church (PCK Tonghap)
As is widely known, the new ministry paradigm called discipleship training in Korean 
churches started with Rev. Oak Han-heum of SaRang Church in the 1970s (Hong 2022). 
Oak was inspired by Hans Küng’s ecclesiology and apostleship of the laity during his 
study at Calvin Theological Seminary in the US (Park, E. 2013: 127). As he studied the 
training materials of the Korea Campus Crusade for Christ and the Korean Naviga-
tors, he recognized problems with the widely used doctrinal (catechistic) approach. 
Oak’s main idea was to implement discipleship training that revolves around small 
groups of lay members rather than church leadership. His book Called to Awaken the 
Laity was translated into ten different languages. He led 85 sessions of lay leadership 
seminars and trained 18,500 ministers on discipleship training (Kim, M., 2010). Oak 
poured himself into discipleship training to the point of terminal illness. This disci-
pleship training functioned as the rudder for a generation of the Korean church. Park 
Eung-gyu has this to say about the impact of Oak’s discipleship training programme:

One contribution of Oak Han-heum was to effectively imprint on the Korean church 
the truth that all saints, whether clergy or lay, have inherited the apostleship, and 
are called to share the gospel passed down in the church and to make disciples of all 
nations (Park, E. 2013: 127).

In this way, Oak’s discipleship training had at its core the recognition of apostleship 
of the laity. Discipleship training brought fresh change into the stagnant Korean 
church structure, and there is little doubt that it was the new paradigm that grew the 
Korean church since the latter half of the 1980s. The pastor of Suwonsung Church, 
in Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, early on adapted this new discipleship training para-
digm for his church.6

6 The rationale behind choosing Suwonsung Church’s discipleship training as the case study originates 
from the author’s first-hand participation in this training. This experience enabled the researcher 
to undertake pertinent research on the discipleship training methods implemented by Suwonsung 
Church.



53
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

The beginning of discipleship training in Suwonsung Church
In this section I will briefly examine the process of discipleship training in Suwon-
sung Church and its major characteristics to draw out lessons with which the Korean 
church may be revitalized in today’s changed society.

Pastor An Gwang-soo of Suwonsung Church first began discipleship training in 1987 
when the church was reaching its five-year anniversary. The first cohort of beginners 
class was conducted for five weeks from 9 June to 10 July, meeting twice a week for 
a total of ten sessions (Suwonsung Church Bulletin 1987). An says he was motivated 
to start the training based on his own experience of coming to Christ and attending 
church in his youth. He was frustrated that the church would not teach new believers 
the basics of Christianity and all he had to rely on was the pastor’s sermons (An 
2021). Based on An’s own experience of asking and searching for answers about God, 
he wrote a manual accessible to any new believer. He says he was able to use this 
beginners’ discipleship training class to answer questions new Christians may have 
about the basics of faith and strengthen their convictions.

He applied the insights he gathered from the beginners class to his sermons. A 
characteristic of his sermons is to proclaim the gospel message periodically. In his 
sermons the essential gospel message is preached at least once a month in ways that 
are easily understandable for new believers. This means his sermons are generally 
simple and clear (An 2016). These simple messages had an impact on new believers 
and other Christians who had not been rigorously trained. But these beginners 
classes focused on personal salvation and neglected the prophetic role churches 
should have fulfilled for the society in the 1980s and the 1990s. As Yim Hee-mo 
pointed out, Suwonsung Church’s discipleship training was similar to that of other 
Korean churches at the time, in that it tended to focus on personal spiritual salvation. 
If the Korean society is to accept the Korean church as a true and trusted companion, 
discipleship training in the church should also be renewed and integrated to get past 
its preoccupation with dualistic spiritual salvation (Yim 2021).

Impact and limitations of discipleship training in a 
multifaith society
Being aware of the diverse religious landscape in Korean society and the challenge 
of sharing the gospel, An Gwang-soo began teaching about the existence of God. 
His approach was different from traditional catechistic discipleship training used in 
mission organizations and churches in Korea. In the following, he explains the impact 
of his beginners’ discipleship training class.



54
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

The beginners’ class became the foundation for our church. Once people became 
convicted of the existence of God and their own salvation, their spiritual life completely 
changed. You didn’t need to tell them to come to church, they just did.… This is our 
church’s greatest resource, our church’s uniqueness and strength, our everything 
(An 2021).

The fundamental principle of discipleship training at Suwonsung Church was the 
self-discovery of the laity and their role. In the 1980s and 1990s, the baby boomers 
born in the 1950s and 1960s took over church leadership just as the Korean church 
grew thanks to various political and economic factors. Like SaRang Church, Suwon-
sung Church aimed to form faithful volunteers in the church through its discipleship 
training.

However, by the late 1990s, the training that emphasized the role of Christians within 
the church showed limitations in its missionary function. This structural limitation 
was similar to what the discipleship training program at SaRang Church had experi-
enced. As a result, Suwonsung Church’s discipleship training took a new direction in 
the 2000s.

When one person changes, the world changes
An shifted the focus of discipleship training from church growth to world mission, 
inspiring some people to the missionary calling overseas. An recounts a decisive inci-
dent one year when only two people signed up for the evening slot of the disciple-
ship class. It was practically challenging for a senior pastor to devote evening hours 
regularly for three months just to train two people. But to make matters worse, one 
of them ended up withdrawing. He prayed whether to continue the training for only 
one person, and he heard a voice in his heart saying, “When one person changes, 
the world changes.” He chose to obey the voice and trained the remaining person to 
the best of his ability (An 2021). This experience led An to recognize the value of each 
soul and shift the focus of his discipleship training toward world mission.7

Han Guk-il calls An’s ministry approach “authentic passion” and “authentic lead-
ership”. He believes such an approach is necessary for the church to overcome its 
tendency towards local-church-centrism and to respond to the world’s disappoint-

7 This was the experience of this author as I underwent the discipleship training of Suwonsung Church. 
The training had a profound impact on my spiritual journey, ultimately resulting in my acceptance of 
Jesus, theological training and two decades of missionary work in Africa. This experience has been the 
subject of two separate publications (Kim Do-il 2018: 296–303 and Han Guk-il 2019: 279). 



55
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

ment with its lack of integrity. According to Han, An’s leadership style exemplifies the 
“missionary infrastructure”“ and “social capital” necessary for the Korean church to 
become a missional church (Han 2019: 380).

Weeping with those who weep (Rom. 12.5)
By 2009 Suwonsung Church’s discipleship training took yet another turn. The church 
adopted a social service missionary system to financially support civil society profes-
sionals and activists responding to social issues of the time (PCK World 2009; Park, J. 
2017). Most recipients have been Christian civil society organization workers strug-
gling to make ends meet while working for social causes. The church supports their 
living expenses as a way to participate in social service mission (An 2016: 221). This 
resolve to carry out the mission even when there is no immediately visible impact, 
and the resolve to work for justice and righteousness, shows that the church’s disci-
pleship training had reached a new level.

There was also another incident that led to the greatest change in the church’s disci-
pleship training. That was the Sewol Ferry shipwreck on 16  April 2014. The ferry 
embarked from Incheon to Jeju Island, many of its passengers being Danwon High 
School students from the city of Ansan. The ship sank in the waters near Jindo 
drowning 304 passengers. At the suggestion of Nam Gi-up who was a deacon and a 
social service missionary of Suwonsung Church, some church members visited the 
families of the deceased, then invited them to church to let the whole church hear the 
stories directly. Some more conservative church members at first interpreted this 
event as the pastor taking a political stance. But An persuaded even these churches 
members saying that obeying the command to “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 
12.15) and wiping the tears of those who have lost their children is a new mission the 
church must conduct for society.

The Korean church has for a long time tried to speak to society but it has rather 
neglected listening to society instead. This was one of the reasons why the church 
has lost its credibility in the eyes of the world. Now after the Covid-19 pandemic the 
Korean church needs a new kind of ministers. Unlike the previous generation’s minis-
ters who tried to cast grand visions for the direction of the church and charismati-
cally lead the church at its helm, the world today needs ministers to listen calmly and 
put their discipleship into action out in the world (Roxburgh 2006: 144). The case of 
Suwonsung Church shows that the world today calls for obedient and incarnational 
discipleship that listens to forgotten stories and empathizes with others’ suffering.



56
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

Proposal: Discipleship training from the perspective of 
the Kingdom of God
The usual kind of discipleship training in the Korean church had a rather narrow 
soteriology and church-centered bias against the world. This discipleship training 
focused on gathering the world into the church rather than sending disciples out 
to the world. The church consequently experienced amazing growth, but it also 
neglected the command to be salt and light of the world. The church-centric disciple-
ship training also neglected the Kingdom of God that is wider than the visible church. 
The church closed its eyes to the world and did not tend to what it should have. As a 
result, the church lost its social credibility.

These same limitations were found in the discipleship training by Suwonsung Church. 
But to overcome the limitations they listened to the demands of the society and 
sought to practice incarnational discipleship, and these efforts took them to a new 
level. Based on this case I now want to propose some new principles of discipleship 
training for the Korean church as it works to recover its social credibility.

Sola Scriptura and Solo Scriptura
Much of discipleship training in the Korean church has focused on Bible study. Suwon-
sung Church’s discipleship training in the 1980s and 1990s also had this emphasis. 
The Korean church inherited the reformed church tradition of sola scriptura which 
privileges the Word of God as the sole authority for Christian behaviour. However, 
throughout church history scriptural interpretation has often relied too much on 
certain authorities, leading to negative consequences.

Kevin J. Vanhoozer has pointed out the problem of scripture-centrism and the danger 
of confusing sola scriptura with solo scriptura. The solo scriptura approach risks getting 
trapped in church traditions or neglecting the need to read scripture as a church 
community (Vanhoozer 2019: 178). Stanley Hauerwas argues that North American 
Christians have been taught to interpret the Bible for themselves without under-
going spiritual and moral transformation. Hauerwas goes so far as to say, “No task is 
more important than for the Church to take the Bible out of the hands of individual 
Christians in North America” (Hauerwas 1993: 15). He also argues that “each person 
in the Church” should not have “the right to interpret the Scripture” (Hauerwas 1993: 
16), meaning that scripture interpretation should not serve personal whims, but 
rather the church community should be the agent of interpretation. In the same 
vein, discipleship training in the Korean church must go beyond the simple intellec-
tual exercise of reading and interpreting the Bible.



57
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

Lamin Sanneh argues that Christianity is the only world religion that has spread in 
languages and cultures different from those of its founder (Sanneh 2003: 98). Sanneh 
emphasizes Christianity’s translatability and mentions the linguistic translatability of 
scripture and consequent changes to the power structure of the church. Sanneh’s 
argument for Christianity’s translatability is rooted in his own context of the African 
church that emerged from centuries of Western colonialism in which African culture, 
language and religion were deemed inferior to those of the West. The church has 
subsequently worked to recover its own identity, and language is a critical element in 
one’s sense of identity. When Sanneh as an African theologian writes of the scripture 
communicating its depths of meaning in his own language, and not just in a Euro-
pean language, this has more powerful impact. The process of Christianity spreading 
from Western Europe to Africa was a process of exploitation and destruction. Trans-
lation of the scripture into African languages was thus a momentous event. For disci-
pleship training in the Korean church, scripture interpretation must be understood 
from the perspective of the receiver, not just the sharer.

Therefore, for a church to produce proper interpretations, it cannot be sectarian. 
The Bible also reveals its full meaning when communities of different languages and 
cultural experiences read it together (Wright 2017: 117–206). This is the path that the 
Korean church must take in its discipleship training.

Sanctity and discipleship as stewards of creation
What made discipleship training trend in the Korean church in the 1980s was the 
principle of apostleship of the laity. Suwonsung Church’s discipleship training was 
also in this paradigm. This new perspective leveled the relationship between the 
clergy and the laity and called all believers to discipleship. But today the society has 
changed and there are new expectations for the church.

Constant connection to digital media is engendering problems especially after the 
Covid-19 pandemic. Preoccupied with digital media, people have no time to enjoy 
true rest, and the fall-outs are evident. Eun-Ah Cho observes, “The youth are too 
busy to take stock of themselves. They live disassembled lives.” In a such of temporal 
scarcity the youth ultimately fail to find their true identity from within and fall into 
depression (Cho 2022: 23–25). This situation can be remedied by recovering our 
sanctity.

The restoration of sanctity should be a core focus of Suwonsung Church’s disciple-
ship training, as well as for Korean churches in general, in light of the challenges 
posed by digital media and changing societal expectations in the post-pandemic 
era. In this regard, the term proposed at the Arusha Conference, “Christ-connected-



58
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

ness”, which emphasizes living our entire lives in close connection with Jesus Christ, 
is particularly relevant for churches in the digital age (Bevans 2018: 374).

As Miroslav Volf emphasizes, embracing our sanctity requires making space for 
others and inviting them in (Volf 1996: 129). This inclusive approach to sanctity recog-
nizes that “Discipleship is not primarily a matter of personal or corporate perfor-
mance or even the living out of the implications of doctrine, but something more 
deep-seated in desire and identity that is to do with the human longing for holiness” 
(Cherry and Hayes 2021: 331). It is through this deep-seated desire for holiness and 
connection with God that disciples are called to serve as stewards of creation and 
adopt a “discipleship as gardening” approach towards caring for their most vulner-
able neighbours in nature, as we have learned from the lessons of the pandemic 
(Ewell 2021).

Ethics and social participation
To be set apart from society while fulfilling its function, a Christian must remember 
to participate in society. Therefore, recovering the Christian sense of ethical and 
public responsibility is critical. Ethical standards that are agreed upon by the entire 
society, not just shared among Christians, should be implemented. The church is 
responsible for approaching the world in a language they can understand and doing 
good works so that people outside the church may know its good intentions.

Along with social inequalities, the sociopolitical divide between the conservative 
far-right and the progressive far-left is detrimental to society. These divisions cause 
the public commons to shrink, putting socially marginalized groups in precarious 
positions. The Korean church has remained too long in the private realm and has not 
been free of the persistent tendency long tendency in the Korean society to distin-
guish insiders and outsiders. Political partisanship has also seeped into churches to 
contaminate preaching from pulpits, and Christians have defended the powerful for 
their financial gain while neglecting the powerless in distress.

Since 2009, Suwonsung Church has been operating the social missionary system as 
the basis for nurturing new disciples. In the twenty-first century, we cannot return to 
the pre-Christendom era when Christians were a social minority, as Alan Kreider, the 
Mennonite historian of the early church, pointed out. However, we must seriously 
examine how the early church functioned in society as the true disciples of Christ 
(Kreider 2015: 22).



59
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

Suwonsung Church’s social service missionary system attempts to recover the sense 
of ethical responsibility of the early church community. By participating in social 
issues, churches can fulfill their prophetic calling and function as missional church.

Hospitality and empathy
Since the latter part of the twentieth century, Robert D. Putnam and others have 
warned that American society is disintegrating (Putnam 2000: 15–25). Putnam 
observes that Christians in the US have been building social trust by engaging in 
more social services and charities than non-Christians, thereby accumulating more 
social capital (CEMK 2020: 85). Similarly, Sanneh notes that Peter’s apostolic calling 
began when he broke down ethnic and national barriers. Sanneh states, “Peter’s 
insistence that true religion cannot be restricted to mere institutional adherence 
signals a radical shift to the idea of God as boundary-free truth, of God as one who is 
without partiality” (Sanneh 2008: 4).

The Korean church must now rediscover God’s acceptance and hospitality in the 
gospel rather than engaging in political strife and social division. As those who have 
been accepted and forgiven by God, we must make space for others. To this end, 
we must embody two things: embracing uncertainty and vulnerability and prac-
ticing self-denial. These two aspects must work together, like wagon wheels. The 
early church demonstrated this in words and loving action (Brady 1938: 68). In the 
third century, Cyprian, an early church leader in Carthage, encouraged Christians to 
develop embodied habits that he referred to as “patience” (Kreider 2015: 224). Disci-
pleship training should instil patient love as described in 1 Corinthians 13 so that it 
becomes a natural expression of Christian life.

Another challenge facing the Korean church is its inability to relate to society. More 
people are floating between the church and the world today because the church’s 
messages and interests do not address society’s challenges. Suwonsung Church’s 
discipleship training demonstrates that to be a true disciple of Christ, a church must 
empathize with those in despair outside the church and raise society’s capacity for 
empathy. According to Yim Hee-mo, this is precisely what it means to follow, imitate 
and obey Jesus Christ in incarnational discipleship, and this is what every Korean 
church must strive for. This is what it means to be a radical evangelical (Yim 2021: 248).

Conclusion
The case of Suwonsung Church provides valuable insights into the challenges facing 
the Korean church and churches worldwide in the post-pandemic world. Traditional 
forms of discipleship training are no longer sufficient, and new approaches must 



60
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

be adopted. Scripture interpretation must move beyond intellectual exercises and 
embrace the translatability of scripture. It should be grounded in the church commu-
nity and read collectively by diverse communities with different contexts and cultural 
experiences to uncover its full meaning.

In light of the challenges posed by the rapidly changing digital media landscape 
and evolving societal expectations in this era, there is a pressing need for Korean 
churches to refocus their attention on the restoration of sanctity in their disciple-
ship training. A more inclusive approach to holiness is crucial as it recognizes that 
authentic discipleship is rooted in innate human desire for deeper connection with 
Christ (Bevans 2018: 374) and requires openness to others and a willingness to create 
space for them.

As responsible stewards of creation, disciples must adopt the “discipleship as 
gardening” mindset, which entails a compassionate approach to caring for the vulner-
able members of society, both human and non-human. Through this approach, the 
church can embody the incarnational discipleship of Jesus Christ and carry out its 
mission to uplift and empower marginalized and underserved individuals.

Society expects the church to practise true discipleship, which entails following the 
example of Jesus Christ’s incarnational discipleship. This involves reaching out to 
the sick at Bethany and responding to the requests of the diseased trapped around 
the pool of Bethesda. The Sewol Ferry tragedy subsequently catalysed Suwonsung 
Church’s social missionary services. In the current societal climate, the church must 
assume a larger role beyond its existing religious institution and expand its public 
outreach. This responsibility, however, is not exclusive to Suwonsung Church, but 
rather demands a collective effort from the broader Korean church community.

The church should prioritize individuals and society suffering social inequalities and 
unjust structures. To achieve this, the concept of discipleship and the practical imple-
mentation of its principles should transcend the traditional confines of the church 
and actively engage with those beyond its physical boundaries. Missional disciple-
ship is a critical element of a missional church’s work to uplift and empower the 
marginalized and the underserved. This type of discipleship aligns with the genuine 
discipleship that society expects of the church.

About the author
Bright Myeong-Seok Lee teaches at ACTS University in Korea. He previously served 
as an ecumenical coworker in Ghana, West Africa for two decades and is now the 



61
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

General Secretary of IAMS (International Association of Mission Studies) and a 
steering committee member of AMRIConnect (Alliance of Mission Researchers and 
Institutions). Additionally, he is the Co-President of the Korea IAMS Fellowship, which 
supports young Korean scholars in enhancing their international scholarly activities.
Contact: brightlee@acts.ac.kr

References
Allen, G. 1903. The Didache or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. London: Astolat Press.
An, G. 2016. “삶의 길에서 만난 행복” [Happiness on the Path of Life]. Seoul: PCK Book.
———. 2021. Interview by author. Suwon. (Suwonsung Church), 26 Nov.
Bevans, S. 2018. “Transforming Discipleship and the Future of Mission: Missiological Reflec-

tions after the Arusha World Mission Conference.” International Review of Mission 107 (2): 
362–77.

Brady, G. 1983. The Church at the End of the First Century; trans. P. Singleton. London: Sands.
Cherry, S., and A. Hayes. 2021. “Conclusion: The Authenticity of Discipleship”, In The Meanings of 

Discipleship. Norwich: Hymns Ancient & Modern, Kindle Edition: 326–40.
Cho, E. 2022. “VUCA세계 속 선교적 책무” [Missional responsibility in the world of VUCA]. 44th 

ACTS Mission Forum. Yangpyeong: ACTS University Institute of World Regions, 27  Oct.: 
21–27.

Christian Ethics Movement of Korea. 2020. “2020년 교회신뢰도여론조사발표세미나 자료집” 
[2020 church credibility survey results seminar source book]. Seoul: CEMK.

Chrysostom. 1962. Dio Chrysostom vol 4; trans. H. Crosby. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University 
Press.

Ewell, S. E. 2021. “Discipleship as Gardening: Reflections on Ecological Conversion”. In The 
Meanings of Discipleship. Norwich: Hymns Ancient & Modern, Kindle Edition: 293–308.

Francis (Pope). 2013. Evangelii Gaudium: Apostolic Exhortation to the Bishops, Clergy, Conse-
crated Persons, and the Lay Faithful on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World (EG). 
24  November 2013. Vatican Press. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_
exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.
pdf  (accessed 4 Mar. 2023).

Han, K. 2019. 선교적 교회의 이론과 실제 [A theory and Practice of missional church]. Seoul: Presby-
terian University and Theological Seminary Press.

Harari, Y. 2015. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. New York: Harper.
Hauerwas, S. 1993. Unleashing the Scripture. Nashville: Abingdon.
Hong, S. 2022. “변혁적 제자도의 선교신학적 연구” [Missiological study of transformative disciple-

ship]. Theology of Mission 65: 340–89.
Jukko, R., and J. Keum (eds). 2019. Moving in the Spirit: Report of the World Council of Churches 

Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, 8–13  March 2018, Arusha, Tanzania. Geneva: 
WCC Publications.

Johnston, R. 2006. “Leadership in the Early Church During Its First Hundred Years.” Journal of 
the Adventist Theological Society 17 (2).

Kim, D. 2018. 더불어 건강하고 행복한 생태계를 만들어 가는 가정·교회·마을 교육공동체. [Family, church, 
and village education community for a healthy and happy ecosystem for all]. Seoul: Dongyeon.

Kim, M. 2010. “옥한흠 목사가 ‘제자훈련’과 ‘사랑의 교회’ 통해 남긴 것” [Pastor Oak Han-heum and what 
he left behind with his discipleship training and SaRang Church]. In News Mission. https://

mailto:brightlee@acts.ac.kr
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.pdf
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.pdf
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.pdf
https://usaamen.net/bbs/board.php?bo_table=john&wr_id=91&sca


62
Ecclesial Futures – DOI: 10.54195/ef13755

usaamen.net/bbs/board.php?bo_table=john&wr_id=91&sca=정보&page=11 (accessed 
4 Nov. 2022).

Kittel, G. (ed.). 1967. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament vol. 4; trans. G. Bromiley. Grand 
Rapids: Eerdmans.

Kreider, A. 2015. “Patience in the Missional Thought and Practice of the Early Church: The Case 
of Cyprian of Carthage.” International Bulletin of Mission Research 39 (4) (17 September).

Märtin, D. 2021. 엑설런스 [Excellence]; trans. M. Bae. Seoul: Dasan Books.
PCK World. 2009. “사회도 선교대상” [Society as target of mission]. PCK World 28 April.
Park E. 2013. “은보 (恩步) 옥한흠 목사의 선교적 교회론과 제자훈련목회” [Rev. Oak Han-Heum’s 

missional ecclesiology and discipleship training ministry]. Mission and Theology 65: 103–52.
Park, J. 2017. “대형교회가 시민단체활동가 지원하는 이유” [Why a megachurch is supporting civil 

society activists]. News&Joy 27 May.
Putnam,  R. 2000. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: 

Simon & Schuster.
Richardson, C. 1953. Early Christian Fathers. Philadelphia: Westminster Press.
Ross, K. 2020. Mission Rediscovered: Transforming Disciples: A Commentary on the Arusha Call to 

Discipleship. Geneva: WCC Publications & Globethics.net.
Roxburgh, A. 2006. The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World; San 

Francisco: Jossy-Bass.
Sanneh, L. 2003. Whose Religion Is Christianity? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
———. 2008. Disciples of All Nations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Suwonsung Church Bulletin. 1987 June 7, November 15.
Vanhoozer, K. 2019. Hearers and Doers: A Pastor’s Guide to Making Disciples Through Scripture and 

Doctrine. Bellingham: Lexham.
Volf, M. 1996. Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Recon-

ciliation. Nashville: Abingdon.
Wright, B. 2017. Communal Reading in the Time of Jesus: A Window into Early Christian Reading 

Practices. Minneapolis: Fortress.
Yim, H. 2021. “하나님나라를 세우는 성육신적 제자도 선교” [Incarnational discipleship mission that 

raises up the kingdom of God]. Theology of Mission 63: 221–62.

https://usaamen.net/bbs/board.php?bo_table=john&wr_id=91&sca
http://Globethics.net

