Date
5-2000
Department
Seminary
Degree
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Chair
Frank Schmitt
Primary Subject Area
Religion, Clergy; Religion, General; Sociology, Organizational
Recommended Citation
Kang, Seung Il, "Prayer and Church Growth in the Korean Church" (2000). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 209.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/209
Abstract
This study contends that prayer is an indispensable element for church growth. Prayer brings spirituality, power and vitality to a church. Prayer is to be done with other elements of church growth. Prayer has a universal and unique character because no growth is possible without prayer even though other elements are performed well.
The two elements for church growth, personal and programs, are discussed in their relationship with prayer. The personal element includes pastors and laymen praying about their specific positions of serving. The program element of prayer provides something like an initial explosion in such programs as worship, evangelism, discipleship training and the like. To be successful these must be accompanied by prayer. Church growth is the natural outcome if the church prays and uses the other elements for church growth.
The writer supported the hypothesis by a questionnaire to the pastors of churches that were growing and churches that were stagnate (or growing at a very low level). The questionnaire asked the dynamics between the elements of church growth and prayer. He suggested that an the church members must pray to have a continuously growing church, and for this, various kinds of prayer meetings should be developed and managed.
