Title I am a missionary/Romans 1:14
Contents I am a missionary/Romans 1:14
If there is one thing that the Korean church is most grateful to God for, it is probably its missionary work. It was found that the number of missionaries in the Korean church exceeded 14,000 as of the end of 2005. This is a survey conducted by the Korea World Mission Society (KWMA) through 26 major denominations and denomination missions in Korea and 108 mission agencies.
The words missionary or missionary are no longer as unfamiliar as in the past. Why is there still a sense of distance? Perhaps this stems from a misunderstanding of missions and missionaries above all else. It is true that up until now, missionaries have been associated with Westerners or thought of as exclusive to the clergy. And the general idea is that ‘going out as a missionary is a path of hardship’ and ‘you have to be fluent in a foreign language or at least have an English level above the level’.
In addition to that, it is because there are various conditions ahead such as 'to go out as a missionary, you have to be young and the family must also be simple.' In other words, 'I am a layman', 'Is my English proficiency below average and my age is Saojeong?' These various conditions do not match, so those who think that they should be satisfied as 'sending missionaries' even if they cannot become so-called 'going missionaries'. It wasn't just one or two.
What is the direction and reality of modern missions? In fact, 60% of current Korean missionaries are professional missionaries. Lay missionaries usually have their own jobs and work in the field of missions. Of course, we must not overlook the fact that the Lord's call is predicated, but we must not give any other reason.
In John Steinbeck's novel 'The Grapes of Wrath', a tenant who has been deprived of tenancy rights tries to find the creators of the land and shoot them to death. First, we found the local bank manager. Later, they went to the New York headquarters, but they consistently said they were not responsible and told them to visit the shareholders. No one could shoot. Disappointed, he said, "Everyone says someone else is to blame. But they are not responsible for my misfortune.”
There is no royal road in missions. It is the best way for me to go out on the path of mission as a debtor of the gospel like the apostle Paul.