The Identity and Mission of the Korean American Church exemplifies the multifaceted role of an immigrant Christian community: toward its own ethnic group, for the well-being of the host church, and as a catalyst of Christian mission. Korean American Christianity also has a call to renew its mother church at home. This book's 360-degree view produces a unique spiritual narrative that can encourage other immigrant churches to have a close look at theirs. The book is a timely and valuable contribution!
The Identity and Mission of the Korean American Church
This volume interweaves contributions from a group of scholars brought together for the 2022 Korean Studies Center Symposium at Fuller Theological Seminary. The collection provides a forum for scholars of Korean American Protestant churches to address key challenges concerning the sociocultural and theological formation of identity and mission as these churches continue to navigate their place in society in relation to others, including Korean churches in South Korea, mainline churches in the US, other ethnic churches, and multiethnic churches. The chapters address the following issues: who the Korean American churches are; God's vision for the Korean American churches; how to interpret Korean Americans' journey in immigrant church history; how heritage sustained them and will keep them; what the immigrant church should know in this post-pandemic time; and the hopes of the next generation.
- Publisher Fortress Press
- Format Paperback
- ISBN 9781506496795
- eBook ISBN 9781506496801
- Dimensions 5.5 x 8.5
- Pages 234
- Publication Date July 2, 2024
Table of Contents
Introduction
In-between Korean Immigrant Identity Formation and the Positionality of Asian Immigrants: Reconstructing Leadership of the Korean Immigrant Church
Cooking Bahb and Missional Christian Education in the Korean North American Churches
Korean Christianity and the Korean War
Ascetic Spiritual Formation for the Mission of Korean Immigrant Churches in the Post-Pandemic Era
The Situational Role of Korean American Church in the History of the Korean American Society: From Community Centers to Bridges
The Paradigm of Diaspora Missiology and Missiological Implications for Korean Immigrant Churches in the United States
Race and the Korean American Church
Immigration and US Congregation: Contemporary Trends and Issues
Exploring Diaspora Mission in the Context of the Latin American Mission to North America with the Second Generation
Concluding Remarks: Identity and Mission of the Korean American Churches
Endorsements
Wonsuk Ma, executive director of the Center for Spirit-Empowered Research, and distinguished professor of Global Christianity, Oral Roberts University
An exceptional and timely volume on the subjects of identity, mission, and the Korean American church, authored by an impressive interdisciplinary group of scholars in missiology, theology, history, and the social sciences. A must-read for those interested in Korean American identity, missions, and its church in multiple local, national, and global contexts.
Rebecca Y. Kim, professor of sociology and director of the Ethnic Studies program, Pepperdine University; author of The Spirit Moves West: Korean Missionaries in America
Although Christianity faces steep declines in most western contexts, Korean American churches remain centers of vital faith. As with other immigrant churches, however, they face a variety of pressing issues related to race, cultural identity, and the second generation. These interdisciplinary theological essays are a model for any immigrant church seeking to move beyond the first generation aim of cultural survival and preservation, to a mission of radical hospitality and becoming a church for others.
Robert Chao Romero, associate professor, Departments of Chicana/o and Central American Studies and Asian American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
This collection of essays brilliantly captures the essence of the intersection of faith, ethnicity, migration, theology, and mission of Korean American Christianity, showcasing its history, community, triumphs, and struggles. The book displays a vibrant strand of the global Christian tapestry and offers many valuable insights for all immigrant communities globally. It is a testament to the missionary passion of Korean Christians and to the enduring spirit of Diaspora Christians in the remaking of Christianity worldwide. I am grateful to Sebastian Kim and Enoch Jinsik Kim for editing the proceedings of a Fuller Symposium to make it more widely accessible.
Sam George, director, Global Diaspora Institute, Wheaton College