지난주간 교회당에 오셨던 분들은 회의실에 “울산지역 개척을 위한 연구위원회 상황실”이라고 붙어있는 표지판을 보았을 것입니다. 이제 본격적인 울산복음화의 걸음을 내딛기 위해서 한 걸음을 내딛고 있습니다. 비록 팡파레도 울려 퍼지지 않고 현판식도 따로 없었지만 새로운 사역이 시작된 것은 틀림없습니다.
지난 월요일부터 울산지역 개척을 위한 조사연구팀장들 중심의 모임이 가동된 것입니다. 우선 백만이 약간 넘는 울산광역시를 울주군을 제외 한 네 개 구를 나누어서 기초자료 조사를 하기 위해서 네 팀을 구성했습니다. 중구는 김두삼 목사님, 남구는 한영덕 목사님, 북구는 옥재부 목사님, 동구는 남신호 목사님이 각각 팀장을 맡아서 고신대학교 신학대학원 교회문제 연구소 소속의 교회개척연구원의 책임간사인 신성욱 강 도사, 강선우 강도사, 심창섭 전도사, 차영희 자매 등이 월요일부터 매일 모여서 금요일 오후 5시까지 어떻게 활동할 것인지를 두고 전략회의를 했습니다.
내일 월요일부터 3주간 집중적으로 하게 될 일들을 대략 다음과 같이 확정한 것으로 듣고 있습니다. 먼저 울산 지역에 관한 문헌 조사, 설문지 조사, 인터뷰, 참여관찰, 교회실태조사, 자료분석 및 보고서 작성의 순서로 일들이 진행될 것입니다. 첫 주에는 문헌조사, 설문조사가 시작되고 둘째 주부터는 자료분석이 시작되면 그 결과로 울산지역 동별 종교 실태 지도 작성, 개척 지역선정 및 지역필요조사 등이 이루어지고 마지막에는 한 권의 책으로 모든 결과가 엮어져 나올 것입니다.
어느 지역에 교회가 꼭 개척되어야 할 것인지에 대해서라면 이런 연구 조사 없이도 부동산에 일가견이 있는 사람이라면 말할 수 있을 것입니다. 하지만 어떤 식으로 교회를 개척해야 할 것인지에 대한 논의는 다분히 성경적이고 신학적인 판단을 요하는 문제입니다. 말하자면 지금까지 대다수의 개척은 소위 말해 목 좋은 곳에 건물을 세워서 평행 이동하는 기존신자들을 수용하는 식의 개척이었습니다만, 이제는 그런 시대는 지나갔다고 보아야 합니다. 특히 울산처럼 대규모 인구유입이 중단된 곳에는 기독교인 비율은 높여 가는 전도 중심의 새로운 교회 개척이 필요하다고 봅니다. 그래서 지역민의 필요가 무엇인지를 파악하고 지역민의 필요를 채워주는, 말하자면 교회는 수퍼와 달리 지역에서 이익을 추구하는 단체가 아니라 한 지역이 살만한 곳이 되기 위한 하나님의 뜻을 펼쳐 가는 통로가 되어야 합니다. 이 거룩한 일을 위해서 기도와 관심, 특히 설문조사에 동참해 주시기를 부탁합니다.
Those who visited the church building this past week may have noticed a sign on the conference room door that read, “Situation Room for the Ulsan Regional Church Planting Research Committee.” We are now taking a deliberate first step to embark in earnest on the evangelization of Ulsan. Though there was no trumpet fanfare or plaque-unveiling ceremony, a new ministry has undeniably begun.
Starting this past Monday, meetings centered around the research team leaders for church planting in the Ulsan area have been set in motion. First, four teams were formed to gather baseline data across Ulsan Metropolitan City—with a population of just over one million—divided into four districts, excluding Ulju County. Pastor Doo-sam Kim took charge of the Jung-gu district, Pastor Young-deok Han for Nam-gu, Pastor Jae-bu Ok for Buk-gu, and Pastor Shin-ho Nam for Dong-gu. Along with them, the chief staff members of the Church Planting Institute within the Church Issues Research Institute at Kosin Theological Seminary—Preacher Seong-wook Shin, Preacher Seon-woo Kang, Evangelist Chang-seop Shim, and Sister Young-hee Cha—gathered daily from Monday through Friday until 5:00 PM to hold strategic planning sessions on how best to conduct their operations.
I understand that the tasks to be intensively carried out over the next three weeks, starting tomorrow, Monday, have roughly been set as follows: work will proceed through literature reviews regarding the Ulsan area, surveys, interviews, participant observation, field assessments of existing churches, data analysis, and report writing. During the first week, the literature review and surveys will begin. From the second week, as data analysis gets underway, the team will produce a neighborhood-by-neighborhood religious landscape map of Ulsan, select potential church planting locations, assess community needs, and ultimately compile all findings into a published volume.
Anyone with an eye for real estate might be able to suggest where a church should be planted even without this kind of thorough research. However, discussing how a church ought to be planted is a question that calls for deeply biblical and theological discernment. To put it another way, most church plants up until now have simply meant securing a building in a prime location to absorb existing believers moving laterally between churches, but we must recognize that such an era has passed. Especially in a city like Ulsan, where large-scale population influx has ceased, we need a fresh paradigm of church planting centered on evangelism that steadily increases the proportion of Christians. Therefore, we must discern the community’s genuine needs and serve to meet them. Unlike a supermarket, a church is not an organization seeking profit from a neighborhood; rather, it must serve as a conduit for unfolding God’s will so that the community becomes a truly livable, thriving place. I earnestly ask for your prayers, your keen interest, and especially your participation in the survey for this holy endeavor.
Diegene wat die afgelope week by die kerkgebou was, het moontlik die bordjie op die konferensiekamerdeur opgemerk wat lui: “Situasiekamer vir die Navorsingskomitee vir Gemeentestigting in die Ulsan-streek.” Ons gee nou 'n eerste daadwerklike tree om die evangelisasie van Ulsan met erns aan te pak. Al was daar geen trompetgeskal of amptelike onthullingsplegtigheid nie, het 'n nuwe bediening ongetwyfeld begin.
Vandat verlede Maandag aangebreek het, het die byeenkomste rondom die navorsingspanleiers vir gemeentestigting in die Ulsan-streek begin funksioneer. Eerstens is vier spanne saamgestel om basiese data in te samel oor Ulsan Metropolitaanse Stad—met 'n bevolking van net meer as een miljoen—verdeel in vier distrikte, uitgesluit Ulju-distrik. Ds. Doo-sam Kim het as spanleier opgetree vir Jung-gu, ds. Young-deok Han vir Nam-gu, ds. Jae-bu Ok vir Buk-gu, en ds. Shin-ho Nam vir Dong-gu. Saam met hulle het die hoofpersoneel van die Instituut vir Gemeentestigting verbonde aan die Instituut vir Kerkvraagstukke van Kosin Teologiese Seminarium—proponent Seong-wook Shin, proponent Seon-woo Kang, evangelis Chang-seop Shim en suster Young-hee Cha—van Maandag af daagliks tot Vrydagmiddag om 17:00 vergader om strategiese beplanning te doen oor hoe die werksaamhede aangepak moet word.
Ek verneem dat die take wat vanaf môre, Maandag, vir drie weke intensief uitgevoer sal word, min of meer soos volg vasgestel is: werk sal vorder deur 'n literatuurstudie oor die Ulsan-omgewing, vraelyste, onderhoude, deelnemende waarneming, 'n veldonderoek na die huidige toestand van kerke, data-ontleding en verslagskrywing. In die eerste week sal die literatuurstudie en vraelysonderoek begin; vanaf die tweede week, sodra die data-ontleding begin, sal 'n godsdienskaart van Ulsan volgens wyk opgestel word, voornemende gemeentestigtingsareas aangewys word, die behoeftes van die gemeenskap bepaal word, en uiteindelik sal al hierdie resultate in 'n enkele boek saamgebind word.
Enigiemand met 'n goeie oog vir eiendom sou waarskynlik sonder so 'n deurtastende navorsing kon sê waar 'n gemeente geplant moet word. Maar die gesprek oor hoé 'n gemeente geplant behoort te word, vereis 'n deurtastende Bybelse en teologiese oordeel. Anders gestel: tot nou toe was die oorgrote meerderheid gemeentestigtings bloot gerig daarop om 'n gebou op 'n goeie ligging op te rig en bestaande gelowiges te absorbeer wat horisontaal tussen gemeentes skuif, maar ons moet besef dat daardie era verby is. Veral op 'n plek soos Ulsan, waar grootskaalse bevolkingstoevloei tot 'n stilstand gekom het, benodig ons 'n nuwe soort gemeentestigting wat op evangelisasie gefokus is ten einde die persentasie Christene te laat groei. Daarom moet ons vasstel wat die plaaslike inwoners se behoeftes is en daarin voorsien. Anders as 'n supermark, is 'n kerk nie 'n organisasie wat wins uit 'n woonbuurt jaag nie; dit moet eerder dien as 'n kanaal waardeur God se wil ontvou sodat 'n gemeenskap 'n werklik leefbare plek kan word. Ek vra u gebede, u hartlike belangstelling en veral u deelname aan die vraelys vir hierdie heilige werk.