Drew University Library : University Archives : Theses and Dissertations
    
author Kyungchan Jun
title Tong Story Sermon for Faith Growth: A Case Study of Okahandja Park Church, Namibia
abstract Namibia is a Christian country. Independent since 1990, 80 percent of this new country's population are Christian. Despite its short history, many churches have been established there and the existence of God, Jesus, and the holy spirit is well acknowledged in the African nation.

However, the preceding description of a Christian nation might not be all it is when examining closely. How many people attend church on Sunday? How many Christians keep their Bible near them? These are still in question in Namibia. Although it is a declared Christian state, people in Namibia have shown totally different aspects in real life and church. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to suggest concrete alternatives for restoring churches in Namibia. For satisfying the purpose, this study was conducted through 'Tong story sermon' based on 'Tong Bible.' The 'Tong Bible,' created by Ph.D. Byung-ho Cho is comprehensible by looking into the concept of 'Tong' and examining the way of 'reading through Tong Bible.'

Also, the study introduces 'Tong story sermon' based on 'Tong Bible,' through the case of Okahandja Park Church in Namibia where the researcher of this study works at.

It shows how preaching can influence the spiritual growth of the people of Okahandja Park Church when the believers hear 'Tong story sermon' based on 'Reading through Tong Bible.'

In particular, this program covers interviews with Christians and preachers as well, regarding a year of preaching about 'Tong story sermon' and 'Reading through Tong Bible.' The findings from the interviews indicate that the 'Tong story sermon' was highly effective. The 'Tong story sermon' has been a silver lining in the dark to the preachers in Namibia, where people's respect towards preachers almost faded away. In that year of hearing about the 'Tong story sermon,' the Christians were excited in every moment of preaching, taking a note when listening to it, and trying to engrave the Bible story on their heart. Furthermore, people started to try to understand the Bible not just through certain parts of it but through the whole context, comprehending it as one special story. From this result, it was confirmed that preaching has a huge impact on the spiritual growth of the Christians and preachers in Namibia. The researcher hopes Namibian churches overcome current challenges through the principles and methodology of 'Tong story sermon,' having a deeper understanding of the Bible and applying Bible stories to their real life. Since the effectiveness of the 'Tong story sermon,' which was based on the practical 'reading through Tong bible,' was confirmed, every Namibian church needs to pay attention to this program, proceeding with enthusiasm.

school The Theological School, Drew University
degree D.Min. (2021)
advisor Younglae Kim, Byoungho Zoh
full textKJun.pdf