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A
Strategy for North Korea Missions: Short and Long Term
from
Chapter 3 of "Re-examining North Korea Missions" by David
Lee, download entire thesis (185k, pdf)
C. Short-Term Mission Strategy
Many
mission efforts can be carried on under the banner of a strategy
for church planting in North Korea. We should not try to limit activities,
but encourage mission groups to take initiative in a broad scope
of activities. Various efforts can share cooperation and networking
under the same guiding purpose of church planting.
1. Awareness Movement
One
of the greatest needs in mobilizing people and resources for North
Korea missions is the lack of awareness among Christians about the
situation in North Korea. Therefore, a movement to spread awareness
for North Korea missions should be organized under the banner of
the establishment and expansion of the North Korean church. This
movement should include spreading awareness through churches, mission
groups, the internet, newspapers, radio and other forms of media.
Out of this awareness movement an intercessory prayer movement should
also be organized to pray for the different needs of the people
in North Korea. This type of movement will help raise people and
resources to facilitate all other short-term mission efforts.
2. Tentmaking
A mission
strategy for North Korea should encourage and develop avenues in
which people can enter North Korea as tentmakers. Existing tentmakers
doing ministry in North Korea should be equipped and supported by
the Church, though discretely. Further, Korean-Americans should
be encouraged to utilize their language and cultural skills, along
with their technical skills, to gain creative access into North
Korea.
3. Christian Radio
Christian
radio as a means of spreading the gospel and building up the North
Korea church must continue to be used as a short-term mission strategy.
The Far East Broadcasting Company ought to be applauded for their
efforts that have shown fruit through their radio ministry. However,
more radio and media access methods should be researched and developed.
4. Bible Distribution
Bibles can be used in two different ways. As a short-term strategy,
Bibles can be published and delivered, though at high risk, through
avenues that exist on the China-North Korea border. These efforts
should continue with the Church's support. Further, in the case
of the sudden collapse of the North Korea regime, Bibles for every
family in North Korea should be stored and made ready to be distributed
at a moment's notice.
5.
On the China Border
Efforts
on the China border to train Chinese and North Korean people who
have access to North Korea ought to be continued and developed.
Also, other avenues in which people can enter through the Chinese
border should be examined.
D.
Long-Term Mission Strategy
Long-term
planning and strategic activities should also be encouraged and
developed. By cooperating under the common theme of establishing
and propagating the North Korean church, long-term activities can
gain coherence and efficiency.
1. Church Planting Teams
Church
planting teams must be organized and trained to enter North Korea
at a moment's notice. In case of a sudden collapse of North Korea,
thousands of prepared teams need to enter immediately before cults
get a stronghold in the country. Teams should be mobilized and trained
together as if North Korea was going to collapse at any moment.
Even if North Korea does not collapse, the training and the mobilization
of people will lead to a healthy growth of research and awareness.
2. Research
Research
of North Korea, and especially of North Korea missions, should be
encouraged and fostered. Though much research is being carried on
by secular agencies, there is a severe shortage of people doing
Christian research of North Korea. Many topics and issues need to
be addressed, such as how to communicate the gospel to North Koreans,
how the mission efforts can fill the spiritual, social, psychological,
economic and personal needs of the people, what a contextualized
North Korean church should look like, and how to communicate the
gospel to those struck by massive famine.
3. Indirect Missions
Indirect
missions also need to be continued and fostered. Reaching out to
the people groups near North Korea can aid in the future evangelization
of the country. Also, reaching out to refugees and defectors can
help in the cause of North Korea missions as well.
E.
Coordinating Mission Efforts - An Internet-based Mission Movement
Strategy
The
present writer proposes an internet-based mission movement in four
stages to coordinate short-term and long-term mission efforts under
the united banner of church planting strategy. This movement will
spread prayer awareness and organize cooperation among mission groups
for church planting in North Korea.
Stage
One - Awareness
Goals:
to set up a "Web center" for North Korea awareness and
recruit local church representatives responsible for distributing
information.
In this stage, the first step is setting up a Web site to mobilize
awareness for North Korea. The web site will contain the following
sections:
1.
Call to involvement. A section on the urgent crisis in North Korea
and the call to awareness. Here, the vision of the web site and
movement is presented.
2.
Awareness resources. Included here are newspaper and journal articles,
pictures, pamphlets, video clips, etc., used to spread awareness
of the need in North Korea.
3.
Bulletin boards. Divided into different categories people can
dialogue with each other and share opinions and ideas on North
Korea.
4.
Prayer Room. Current prayer requests are recorded and prayer enlisted.
Prayer teams are organized.
Next,
a representative in as many churches as possible is recruited.
This person can be a lay person or clergy. This person must have
an interest in North Korea and missions. He or she will be the
link to spread awareness among their congregation. The web site
will be responsible for providing the representative with resources
to pass on to the church via the internet (ie., pamphlets, pictures,
prayer requests, etc.) The representative will check the web site
on a regular basis (monthly, bi-monthly, etc.) and is responsible
for distributing information.
Stage Two - Building a Base
Goals:
to build a base of information distribution and dialogue and
to begin mission training.
In
stage two, the web site and local church representative network
is developed and strengthened. The web site becomes consistent in
providing monthly (perhaps even bi-weekly or weekly) updates and
resources for local church representatives to distribute to their
congregations. A system of confirmation and feedback from representatives
is also developed to improve the system. \
Also,
the web site is advertised and promoted among the Christian community.
Dialogue is encouraged through bulletin boards. A movement to gather
and store Bibles for North Korea is started. Specific prayer for
towns and cities in North Korea is arranged. The Web site also provides
a channel for information exchange on North Korea and missions.
Fundraising is also promoted.
Further,
stage two includes the beginning of North Korea mission training.
On-line seminars are offered (perhaps even real seminars also).
Issues such as language, culture, discipleship, and current events
will be addressed. Cooperation is fostered between mission groups
as resources on North Korea missions are shared with each other.
The Web center then begins to act as a center for North Korea mission
training.
Stage Three(a) - Filling the Vacuum
Goals:
in case of a sudden collapse of the North Korea regime, to quickly
gather, train, and send out as many missionaries as possible.
In
this stage, a scenario of a sudden collapse the regime and the granting
of religious freedom in North Korea as a result is considered. In
such a case, there will be a great need of missionaries to be quickly
mobilized, trained, and sent out. The process is as follows:
1.
With the news of religious freedom in North Korea, an urgent SOS
call to mobilization is sent out through all the local church
representatives via the internet. Pamphlets are distributed to
every local church in the network calling all those interested
in North Korea missions to training.
2.
A date of training is set, and people all over the country/world
converge. After their training they are sent out in teams to different
areas.
3.
Next, mission activity is coordinated through the web site to
prevent overlap by missionaries. All (at least, as much as possible)
North Korea mission activity is monitored as the information gathered
via the Web site. The Web site then acts as a recruiting center
for more missionaries and also helps coordinate existing mission
work.
4.
The Web site also enlists prayer support of local churches. Churches
are updated on up-to-date North Korea mission activity through
their local representative. Answers to prayer requests are also
distributed and shared.
Stage Three(b) - Creative Access Missions
Goals:
in case that the North Korea regime does not collapse, to encourage
creative access mission opportunities, continue prayer awareness,
and further mission training and coordination efforts.
In
the case where the North Korea regime does not sudden collapse but
rather gradually opens to religious freedom, mission training will
be offered continuously and avenues for creative access will be
looked into. Some creative access opportunities may include:
1.
Business opportunities, especially in the free trade zones.
2.
Teaching opportunities, especially in English and computers.
3.
Social development opportunities such as farming development and
relief work.
4.
Radio broadcast opportunities, such as those being carried out
by the Far East Broadcasting Company.
5.
Training Korean-Chinese in China on the North Korea border who
have free access into North Korea.
The
time period of this stage where North Korea does not open it is
undetermined. It could be from months to decades. In fact, there
is a possibility that North Korea could move in the direction
of China in setting up a government-regulated Christian church.
As a result, we must take advantage of all creative access mission
opportunities.
Stage Four - Towards a self-sustaining North Korean Church
Goals:
to coordinate mission activity and prayer support for a self-sustaining
North Korean Church..
In
stage four, people are already in North Korea active in mission
work. Here, the web site provides a channel of communication and
coordination among mission agencies and churches in the following
ways:
1. Recruiting needs are advertised through the web site. Long-term,
as well as short-term missionaries are recruited. Needy areas
are suggested via the Web site, though freedom to go where the
individual wishes is granted.
2.
The prayer needs of North Korea mission activity are made known
to local churches. An intercessory prayer movement is developed.
Video, audio, and pamphlets are regularly distributed through
the local church representatives for distribution to local congregations.
3.
Ongoing mission training is organized and coordinated. Mission
training is offered on-line through the internet, but also seminars
and training sessions are given through the cooperation of mission
groups.
4.
Mission activity is coordinated. A forum is provided for missionaries
to gather and agree upon a strategy for church planting. Training
of indigenous leaders is done in cooperation. Resources are shared
and successful church planters are given an opportunity to share
their methods.
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