Becoming a Disciple-Making Church

171 Pages·2014·6.83 MB·English

by  Hyuk Lee

Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary

BECOMING A DISCIPLE-MAKING CHURCH:
A STRATEGIC TRANSITION FOR DONGSHIN APOSTLE COMMUNITY

A Thesis Project Submitted to
The faculty of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Ministry

By
Hyuk Lee

Lynchburg, Virginia
April 2014
Copyright 2014 Hyuk Lee
All Rights Reserved
Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary

Thesis Project Approval Sheet

Mentor
Dr. Charlie N. Davidson
Director, Doctor of Ministry
Assistant Professor of Counseling

Reader
Dr. Rod Dempsey
Director, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry
Associate Professor of Educational Ministries
BECOMING A DISCIPLE-MAKING CHURCH: A STRATEGIC TRANSITION FOR
DONGSHIN APOSTLE COMMUNITY
Lee, Hyuk
Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary, 2012
Mentor: Dr. Charlie Davidson

Dongshin Apostle Community (DAC) transitioned from being a traditional church of 210
members to a hybrid church of 700 members through an organic movement called Jesus Hope
Movement (JHM). In recent years, however, DAC has also plateaued in its growth due to the
limitations of its institutional structure. In order for DAC to become a healthy growing church
once again, it must become a disciple-making church that implements strategic biblical steps of
transition that will push the church to become more organic.
This thesis project will examine diverse organic factors within DAC that enabled its
growth and transition to a hybrid model and, through a comparative analysis of some healthy
churches in America and Korea, suggest the next set of steps that DAC must take to become
more organic, thereby providing strategic biblical steps that any institutional church can
implement to become a disciple-making church.

Abstract length: 145
Dedication

I dedicate this thesis project to my wife Eunjin,
who encouraged me to challenge this study and prayed to carry it out,
and to my disciples and friends, who have been powerful supporters.
Without them, this project would have never reached its destination.
Thank you!
Contens

Illustrations ................................................................................................................................... ix

Chapter I: Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1
Statement of Problem and Limitations ................................................................................ 3
Statement of Problem .............................................................................................. 3
Terminology ........................................................................................................................ 5
Statement of Limitations ..................................................................................................... 8
Theoretical Basis ................................................................................................................. 8
Biblical Basis .......................................................................................................... 8
Historical Basis ..................................................................................................... 10
Theological Basis .................................................................................................. 14
Statement of Methodology ................................................................................................ 17
Literature Review .............................................................................................................. 18
Scripture Review ............................................................................................................... 23

Chapter II: Dongshin Apostle Community ............................................................................... 26
Phase I: Genesis of Dongshin Apostle Community (1979-1999) ..................................... 26
Background of Dongshin Apostle Community ..................................................... 26
Process of Discipleship within Dongshin Apostle Community ............................ 28
Dongshin Apostle Community: An Organic Body ............................................... 29
Phase II: Plateaued Growth of Dongshin Apostle Community (2000-2005) ................... 31
Organic Vs. Institutional ...................................................................................... 31
Dongshin Apostle Community: A Preaching-Centered Institutional Church ....... 32
Diverse Attempts for Transition ............................................................................ 33
Phase III: Exponential Growth of Dongshin Apostle Community (2006-2008) .............. 35
Transitioning from an Institutional Model to a Hybrid Model ............................. 36
Jesus Hope Movement .......................................................................................... 45
A Successful Church Merger ............................................................................... 46
Phase IV: Declining Growth in Dongshin Apostle Community (2009 - Present) ............ 48
The Limitation of Dongshin Apostle Community as a Hybrid Church Model ..... 49
Towards a Healthier Church ................................................................................ 51
vi
Chapter III: A Healthy Evaluation of Dongshin Apostle Community ................................... 53
Healthy Factors ................................................................................................................. 53
Intensive Prayers ................................................................................................... 53
Reproducing Process ............................................................................................. 55
Spiritual Family-Based Small Group .................................................................... 57
Spiritual Maturity Focused Curriculum ................................................................ 60
Missional Movement ............................................................................................. 61
Unhealthy Factors ............................................................................................................. 63
Numerical Growth Focused Vision ...................................................................... 63
Invitation Oriented Evangelism ............................................................................ 65
Managerial Leadership ......................................................................................... 67
Pastor-Centered Ministry ...................................................................................... 69
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 71

Chapter IV: Nine Organic factors for Dongshin Apostle Community .................................. 72
Examination: Organic Factors within Four Healthy Churches ......................................... 72
Segero Church ....................................................................................................... 73
Northwood Church ................................................................................................ 75
New life Church .................................................................................................... 79
Grace City Church ................................................................................................. 82
Identification: Nine Organic Factors for Dongshin Apostle Community ......................... 86
Common Organic Factors ..................................................................................... 86
Distinctive Organic Factors ................................................................................... 88

Chapter V: Strategic Steps of Transition for Dongshin Apostle Community ....................... 92
A Framework for Transition ............................................................................................. 92
Step 1: The Foundation for 3Disiple-Making System ...................................................... 95
Kingdom Vision .................................................................................................... 95
Participative Ministry Method .............................................................................. 96
Symbiotic Reproduction ........................................................................................ 97
Step 2: Disciple-Supporting System ............................................................................... 100
Focal Prayer ........................................................................................................ 100
vii
Supportive Curriculum ........................................................................................ 102
Step 3: Disciple-Making System ..................................................................................... 104
Authentic Evangelism ......................................................................................... 104
Empowering Leaders .......................................................................................... 105
Step 4: Disciple-Multiplying System .............................................................................. 112
Incarnational Mission .......................................................................................... 112
Missional Small Groups ..................................................................................... 114

Conclusion: Recommendations for Churches Desiring to Become an Organic Church .... 117
Organize the Great Commission .................................................................................... 118
Rebuild the Foundation of the Biblical Discipleship ...................................................... 119
Get a Good Start with the Holy Spirit ............................................................................. 120
Apply the Seven Habits of the Influential Disciple-Making ........................................... 121
No Evangelism, No Disciple Maker ............................................................................... 122
Instill Disciple Multiplication Movement ....................................................................... 123
Cooperate within 3Disciple-Making System .................................................................. 124

Appendix A ................................................................................................................................ 126
Appendix B ................................................................................................................................. 131
Appendix C ................................................................................................................................. 151
Appendix D ................................................................................................................................. 154
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 155
Vita ............................................................................................................................................. 162

viii
Illustrations

Figures
1. Discipleship Process of DAC (1979-1999) ............................................................................... 28
2. The House Structure of DAC (2000-2005) .............................................................................. 34
3. Funnel-Shaped Process of DAC (2006-Present) ....................................................................... 40
4. Curriculum of DAC’s Training & Education ........................................................................... 43
5. DAC’s Organization in 2009 .................................................................................................... 49
6. DAC’s Summer Semester Curriculum in 2009 ........................................................................ 50
7. DAC’s Sunday Worship Service Attendances (Mar-Aug 2006) .............................................. 54
8. DAC’s Membership I (Jun 2006-Dec 2007) ............................................................................. 55
9. The Retention Rate of DAC’s New Member (Jan 2006-Mar 2008) ........................................ 56
10. DAC’s Small Group (Jun 2006-Apr 2009) ............................................................................. 58
11. DAC's Curricular Classes (2007-2009) ................................................................................... 60
12. DAC's Membership II (Jan-Dec 2008) ................................................................................... 62
13. New Membership Classification (2006-2008) ........................................................................ 66
14. Membership: Classified by Condition (2006) ......................................................................... 68
15. The Framework for Transition ................................................................................................ 94
16. DAC’s System Transition: From Funnel-Shaped Process to 3DS .......................................... 97
17. The Seven habits for Making Disciples ............................................................................... 107
18. Making Discipleship Group from Small Groups and New Member Classes ....................... 115

Tables
1. A Comparative Evaluation of DAC’s Values (1979-2009) ...................................................... 64
2. A Comparative Evaluation of DAC’s Leadership: Lay Leaders Vs. Pastors .......................... 70
3. Trinitarian Aspect of 3DS ......................................................................................................... 99
ix
Chapter I: Introduction

During the last two decades, Protestantism in South Korea experienced continuous
stagnation and decline in their growth, which were results of negative social perceptions and
images planted into society by spiritual leaders who lead with non-biblical models that focused
only on numerical and materialistic growth of their churches. In order to reverse this stagnation,
every church in South Korea must return to biblical church models that will enable the believers
to serve their local communities like Jesus Himself, as the salt and light of the world.1 They must
practice biblical church models that will bring natural growth by empowering the believers to
make disciples who make disciples.
Since Sohrae Church, the first Korean church planted in 1883, was founded by one of the
early Protestant Korean, the Protestant Church of South Korea has grown to more than 58,000
churches and eight million members over the last 130 years.2 In average, 460 churches have been
planted every year in South Korea and over 70,000 souls became born again Protestants every
year. South Christian Koreans have overcome severe persecutions and oppressions to restore
more than 22 percent of the nation’s spiritual territory back to the Kingdom of God. Such rapid
growth has provided the South Korean churches a great opportunity to reach other countries with

1 John 13:14-15. Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptural citations are taken from the English Standard

2 Gyeongjin Park, “Sangryo Seo, who was a pioneer of Korea Protestant,” A Pilgrim who has a dream-
personal Blog, accessed December 19, 2012, http://blog.daum.net/kjpark/180. John Maclntyre, who was Missionary
from Scotland Unite Presbyterian Church, baptized Sangryo Seo who was first baptized in1879. He also built the
first Korean Church with his brother Kungsuc Seo who was the first pastor in their church; “Statistics of Religious
Population in Korea 2008,” Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, accessed December 19, 2012,
http://www.mcst.go.kr/web/notifyCourt/press/mctPressView.jsp?pSeq=9726. According to this research, Protestant
church numbers were 58,306 in Korea; “2005 South KOREA Census: Sex/Age/Religion,” Korean Statistical
information Server, accessed December 19, 2012, http://kosis.kr/nsikor/view/statViewMain10.jsp?task=viewStat
Tbl&hOrg=&act=new&tblid=DT_1IN0505&orgid=101&language=kor&conn_path=E1&vw_cd=MT_ZTITLE&list
_id=A11I1. In the year 2005 Protestantism population was taken counted 8,616,438 by the census.
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