| abstract |
This dissertation addresses the contemporary crisis of evangelism in the Korean church, seen in sustained membership decline, the rapid expansion of very small congregations, and the erosion of public trust. Although churches employ many outreach programs, the deeper problem is structural: evangelism is frequently practiced as event-centered recruitment driven by growth metrics, a reduced "decision" gospel, weak post-conversion discipleship, and compromised ethical credibility.
In response, the study proposes Tong-jeondo (holistic-evangelism) as a biblically grounded and contextually transferable model for Korean congregations. Methodologically, it brings biblical theology and practical theology into dialogue. Evangelism is examined canonically within the redemptive-historical storyline—creation, fall, covenant, exodus, kingdom, exile, restoration, Christ, church, and mission—highlighting evangelism as participation in God's mission (Missio Dei) and as a kingdom-centered practice that forms disciples who embody and announce God's reign.
As a hermeneutical resource, the dissertation draws on Cho Byung-ho's Tong Bible theology, which reads Scripture as one coherent story centered on the kingdom of God, while also critically evaluating its practical constraints. On this basis, Tongjeondo is defined not as a technique for securing decisions but as a reproducible cycle: gospel proclamation that calls for allegiance and obedience, formative discipleship that shapes character and public integrity, congregational participation in mission, and the multiplication of disciple-witnesses.
The dissertation develops a staged formation pathway—assurance of the gospel, growth, discipleship, ministry, witness, and reproduction—designed for implementation in ordinary church life, including small congregations. A field application in a local setting, accompanied by a survey of program completers, indicates gains in biblical understanding, faith practice, and commitment to disciple-making reproduction. The study contributes a theologically integrated framework that reunites evangelism and discipleship, reframes evangelism as kingdom-centered mission, and offers a sustainable practical alternative for the renewal of Korean church evangelism.
|