A case study of the contemporary church renewal movement in Korea

This dissertation is a study of the church renewal movement that has recently been happening in Korea using a case study approach. The Korean church has said that it is in crisis not only because it has spiritual problems, but also because it lost good social credibility in Korean society. In this situation, several renewal groups and renewing churches have shown up and argued that the Korean church must be renewed. In this study, the contemporary church renewal movement in Korea is analyzed and examined through interaction between Howard Snyder's renewal theory and the Korean context. This study will bring development of the contextual renewal theory for the Korean church considering its religious, cultural, and social contexts.;Chapter 1, "Characteristics of the Korean Protestant Church" is a foundational study for the chapters which follow. Some characteristics of the Korean church which have been formed throughout its history are introduced. In the religious-cultural aspect, shamanistic and Confucian characteristics are studied. In the theological aspect, evangelical and conservative characteristics and a futuristic understanding of the kingdom of God are dealt with. In the socio-political aspect, secularization along with economic growth is discussed.;Chapter 2 explores the problems of the Korean church which makes the Korean church aware of a need for renewal and presents the research questions and methods for this study. As a theoretical framework, Snyder's theory of church renewal, particularly its ten marks of a mediating model, is introduced.;In chapters 3 and 4, two case study groups are dealt with---the Korean National Association of Christian pastors (KACP) and the Christian Alliance for Church Reform (CACR). These two groups are both representative of the Korean church renewal movement even though they have different characteristics. Their motivations, goals, activities, and patterns of renewal are introduced.;From chapters 5 to 8, four selected churches, Yein, Didimdol, Nadulmok, and Holy Light Kwangsung, are studied as cases of the renewal movement in Korea. The four selected churches are different in many aspects of ministry, but they all have the same recognition of the problems facing the Korean church and they are trying to do their ministry differently from existing churches. They are also studied in terms of their motivations, goals, characteristics, and patterns of renewal efforts.;In chapter 9, these six cases are analyzed in four categories; motivation for renewal, theological foundation, goal of their movement, and renewal patterns. In particular, the renewal pattern is analyzed through Snyder's mediating model. Overall, each of these six cases satisfies the pattern Snyder suggests. However, they each have their own strength and weakness. In addition, they have to be uniquely understood in terms of the Korean context. Finally, some new renewal patterns are found beyond Snyder's theory in its unique context.;To finish my study, chapter 10 suggests a theory of the renewal pattern of the church in Korea modified from Snyder's theory in Korean context. This theory will provide a tool to evaluate and analyze the renewal movement in Korea and a pattern to follow for the renewal of the local churches in Korea. This theory will be followed along with a general conclusion and future study suggestions.