Korean Missionary Movement: Dynamics and Trends, 1988-2013

Product DescriptionThis book provides the most thorough, penetrating analysis of trends in Korean missions to date. Seasoned researcher Steve Sang-Cheol Moon maps the relatively recent rise and explosive growth of the Korean missionary movement, studying the mission force and significant themes in its experience over a twenty-five-year period. These articles and papers supply data on every facet: mission fields and ministry foci; finances; age, marriage, family, and general demographics; training and credentials; burnout and attrition; education of missionary children; leadership trends; and global partnership.These chapters do not merely catalogue statistics?they probe beneath the surface to ask hard questions and set priorities for Korean missions. Moon explores painful subjects such as the 2007 hostage incident involving short-term workers in Afghanistan, and chronic concerns like workaholism and missionaries? retirement. Ultimately, however, he finds much to commend and celebrate, tracing God's providence in making Korea, within the span of a few decades, a dynamic leader in global missions.ReviewThis volume is probably the best portrait available of what God has done through a young church, a church that itself was emerging from a series of national calamities. . . . It has been my joy to see the way Steve Moon has operated as a researcher during the past twenty-five years. . . . His work is based on hard data and is planted on solid ground. David Tai Woong LeeDirector, Global Leadership Focus, Seoul, KoreaReview?This volume is probably the best portrait available of what God has done through a young church, a church that itself was emerging from a series of national calamities. . . . It has been my joy to see the way Steve Moon has operated as a researcher during the past twenty-five years. . . . His work is based on hard data and is planted on solid ground.? David Tai Woong Lee Director, Global Leadership Focus Seoul, Korea ?Packed with statistics and numbers and percentages, trends and longitudinal studies and case studies, Moon?s research boldly and creatively mines the Korean church and mission movement, driving shafts deep into its golden missiological heart. . . . This book is perhaps the most serious analysis of any national mission movement, providing a template for other nations, both Global North and South.? William D. Taylor Senior Mentor, Mission Commission World Evangelical Alliance Austin, TexasAbout the AuthorSteve Sang-Cheol Moon has been serving as a missionary researcher with the Korea Research Institute for Mission since its inception in 1990, and as executive director since 1998. He received theological and missiological training from the Asian Center for Theological Studies and Mission (M.A.), Yangpyong, Korea, and from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Ph.D.), Deerfield, Illinois. He has been participating in the networks of the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission as an associate and is a contributing editor of the International Bulletin of Mission Research. He is the author of Global Cultural Exegesis for Christian Mission (in Korean; Seoul, 2009), has edited the Korean Mission Handbook (Seoul, 1990-), and has contributed numerous research papers to monographs and journals. Steve is married to Hee-Joo, who is a counselor serving missionary families. They have two grown children.