According to a recent count by the Korea World Mission Association (KWMA), 227 mission departments of Korean church denominations and mission organizations have dispatched 27,436 missionaries (excluding double affiliations) to 170 countries around the globe, as of the end of 2017. This number is an increase of 231 persons over the previous year.
KWMA held its 28th general assembly on January 8 at Antioch Holiness Church (Rev. Shin Hwa-seok) in Deokyang-gu, Gyeonggi-do, and announced its annual report of data on Korean missionary dispatches. The region that received the largest number of missionaries was Northeast Asia (6,319 persons), followed by Southeast Asia (5,893) and North America (3,075).
As for kinds of ministry, church planting marked the highest number (14,624 missionaries in 153 countries), followed by disciples training (9,663 in 141 countries), welfare and development (2,017 in 82 countries) and campus ministry (1,954 in 63 countries). Multiple answers were allowed in this count.
KWMA said, “Since 2000, Korean mission circles have focused on achieving a balance between quantitative and qualitative growth. Now we need to join our energy and resources to elevate the quality of our mission, going beyond mere sensitivity to increases and decreases in missionary numbers.”
At the general assembly on this day, Rev. Shin Hwa-seok was inaugurated as the 2018 KWMA president.
Reporter Jaechan Park (jeep@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Original Article in Korean:
선교사 170개국 2만7436명 파송… KWMA 지난해 말 현재 현황 공개: 교단·단체 227곳 참여… 전년比 231명↑
Related Article:
For First Time, Number of Korean Missionaries Stays Same Two Years in a Row
KWMA: Korean Churches Dispatched 27,436 Missionaries To 170 Countries Last Year
2018-01-14 12:30
