Program Rational

In response to the RFP, WMU formed a task force to investigate the related issues and prepare this proposal. First, the university explored potential directions and consulted with professors in small group ministry majors. Next, we conducted interviews with local church pastors, with a focus on small group ministry. The findings provided a solid understanding of the issues and conflicts facing small group ministry today in the Korean church settings. As a result, WMU planned a program for the Thriving Congregations Initiative entitled the “Thriving Congregations Program” (TCP). 

The 21st century Western church is facing a crisis. The aftermath of postmodern culture encouraged relativism and pluralism of faith, and the rapid progress of scientific and technological civilization strengthened materialism and secularism. The Christian faith, which deems an invisible spiritual world and the sovereignty and providence of the Creator, was faced with an enormous challenge. According to the Gallup organization, which has regularly tracked Americans’ worship attendance since 1939, attendance in 2020 fell to its lowest number in 80 years.’ 

In the past three years during and following the Covid-19 pandemic, the church has struggled to carry out its traditional ministry, resulting in a destructive shaking of the Christian faith landscape. With the impending end of the pandemic, the recovery rate of believers returning to fellowship remains at 70-80%, with new forms of faith emerging such as “marginal Christians” outside the church and “floating Christians” who wander unsettled. The fact that thousands of churches are closed every year provides evidence of the seriousness of the situation. 

Author and missiologist Ed Stetzer recently analyzed and suggested a new trend in the American church following the COVID-19 pandemic. In “A Look in the Mirror” Stetzer observed while the American church is in serious decline, not all churches are. Instead, many churches are emerging with new vitality. These churches have scaled or right-sized their clergy, infrastructure, and Sunday-centered churches to a new vision for congregations, small groups, and daily life. From Stetzer’s perspective, the decline of institutional Christianity is related to the “collapse of cultural or nominal Christianity”. In addition, Stetzer argued that the flow of evangelical faith and practice was formed inside the church during this period.

In that respect, the vitality of the church is not over. Instead, the real battle has begun. Thom S. Rainer, a renowned church expert, shares similar perspectives as Stetzer, in which he anticipates trends for local churches in 2023. Rainer proposed that leaders should not minister in anticipation of shifting growth from cultural Christians or other churches. The church must begin with evangelism to make true disciples, rather than striving towards horizontal movement with members of other churches The Church must focus more on the basics, that is “the mission of the church, not a complex church centered on programs and events”

Through its School of Theology, WMU is in a unique position to promote, educate, and support gospel-centered living and evangelism as well as religious practices (acts of service) as new churches experience revival in this season. In other words, promulgating the ways and means for congregations to experience God more deeply through worship and teaching, while creating a ministry “flow” through which they can live out their faith in the world. 

Organizational change begins with personal renewal. From senior leaders to small group leaders, this should be distributed to congregations. When that happens, structural and ministry changes become possible. From this logic, to become a church that dynamically restores the faith of believers and changes the world, it must start with senior and mid-level leadership, then proceed to small group leaders who become active units of ministry. To achieve this, WMU envisions employing its capacity as an institution of higher learning to promulgate the following changes. 

Congregations who have met God through worship must move toward love and fellowship toward each other through small groups. The more technological civilization develops, the greater the potential for isolation and loneliness. The place where the thirst for belonging and connection can be healed is in community. In that respect, small church groups form a sense of community and become a venue for holistic healing through faith.  

The small group community not only restores the community of believers, but also becomes the core of practical faith. The church should prepare and send the congregations into the world so that they can be practical beings who can handle the role of light and salt in the world, not people who enjoy services and programs. 

The church must provide practical training for the ministry in the daily life of the congregations. Looking at young and dynamic churches today, there is a consistent emphasis on small groups combined with ministries to change the world. The modern church should focus on making believers who live out their faith in everyday life.

From that point of view, the ministry of the church requires apprenticeship-type small group leader training. If a prepared leader takes care of the congregations belonging to a small group and has a ministry structure that can meet and change the needs of the world with them, the church will make more dynamic believers.”

The TCP aims to address these concerns with attention given to a research-centered agenda recognizing that effective small group ministry cannot be a “one-size-fits-all” endeavor in today’s pluralistic culture in the United States. Nonetheless, small group ministry is a biblical mandate with historic frameworks for spiritual formation in the congregations. Congregations can thrive as small group leaders are better prepared and equipped to effectively reach their congregation. WMU believes that Korean American and Korean immigrant small group ministry in the Korean language can be substantially supported and improved through effective training and education of the small group leaders and ministers. Korean speaking congregations will benefit from well-equipped small group activities that engage in both traditional and non-traditional methodologies. 

WMU Small Group Leader Training focuses on the Biblical and theological principles of small group ministry, Coaching Leadership, evangelism, and community outreach activities. 

A key component of the success of TCP is Coaching Leadership, the purpose of which is to effectively train small group leaders in the competencies of coaching and counseling to promote strong relationships with its small group members. Training in Coaching Leadership serves to enable the members of the small group to become aware of neighbor’s mental health and engage practices in evangelism. WMU’s coaching program will employ the Lilly initiative funding to conduct research and study the effectiveness on how coaching can be used for evangelism and community outreach, then actively apply the results of the research to strengthen thriving congregations.