Biblical foundations for the cell -based churches applied to the urban context of Seoul, Korea.

摘要

This dissertation is on how to make the Korean urban churches grow again. First, I surveyed the churches in Seoul, which have played leading roles in church growth, even though their growth is now stagnating. Second, I diagnosed the problems of these churches through the window of the cell group. Most churches in Seoul are cell-based churches, in need of a new philosophy and method for urban ministry in the rapidly changing urban context of Seoul. My contention was to renew cell group ministry in Seoul in order for churches in Seoul to grow, which will impact the growth of urban churches in Korea.;In order to find important strategic principles for cell group ministry in the churches in Seoul, four research questions are asked: "What are the theological and biblical foundations for cell group ministry?"; "What are the urban characteristics that are relevant for cell group ministry in Seoul"; "What are the cultural characteristics that are relevant for cell group ministry in Seoul?"; and "What are the features of the current cell group ministry of the churches in Seoul?";To answer these questions, I examined the relationship between ecclesiological foundations, biblical insights, and urban and cultural relevance for cell group ministry from the Bible and other books. I utilized field research for the evaluation of cell group ministry of the churches in Seoul.;Based on these studies, I suggested some strategic principles for cell group ministry in Seoul: to re-establish the concept of both the cell group and the cell-based church, to reshape their present structures from a status-oriented one to a function-oriented one, to reshape its present cell group composition from a region-based one to a relation-based one, to train cell leaders so that they can make and multiply their own cell groups, to endeavor to win souls, rather than attracting the transferred, and to regain the credibility from the community.