Bishop Kim and Kwanglim South

I should blog on Korea a great deal more than I am going to. The fact of the matter is, I'm running a bit short on time and my memory bank must have hit overload--with the excess falling to the floor of Atlanta Hartsfield Airport.

But, I do remember some things. Below you see a picture of Bishop Kim. He's the one who got the Kwanglim Methodist Church growing. He's a disciple of Arn and McGavarn from the old Church Growth school of thought. Kim shared his 10 Principles of Leading a Church with us during an almost 2 hour session on our last day in Korea (see the end of this entry for a quick summation of the 10).He "retired" to Kwanglim South, which is a new branch of Kwanglim in a new area of suburban Seoul. The church building appears to be a special retirement project of Kim's. He keeps an office there. The church building was spendy--$30,000,000. It's a beautiful building.Bishop Kim also has a study at the main Kwanglim campus in downtown Seoul. He was gracious enough to receive us there, too. This is where he first mentioned to us that he is preparing to lead a worship service/mission project in Japan. This is especially significant when we remember that Japan was the occupying power of Korea when Kim was a boy. They would not allow him to speak Korean. He had to speak entirely in Japanese as a boy.

"Now," he said, "I am taking words that were forced upon me and using those very words to go back to Japan and share the word of Life--in their own language."

He is an exceptional man.This is his prayer cell that adjoins his office.
He obviously casts a long shadow in the Korean Methodist Church. The preacher at Kwanglim South looked a bit jumpy to me. Perhaps having the godfather of Korean Methodism looking over your shoulder makes life a bit stressful? Bishop Kim comes to his church almost everyday. Below is the Kwanglim South pastor, with an interpreter who is from Maryland and, beside being the first American to hold a government office in Korea, she is on a weekly television show called "Chattering Beauties."Kwanglim South prepared an amazing meal for us--probably the best one of the entire trip. It was an excellent going away present. These folks were among the most hospitable I've encountered.

10 Principles on Incarnational Church Leadership, by Bishop Kim

1. Vision Driving Ministry (money isn't a problem, have a big vision)
   
2. Relational Ministry (build relationships between God, humans, and nature)
   
3. Personal Ministry (do not dehumanize worship, listen to people)
   
4. Response to Grace Ministry (God is the one who initiates)
   
5. Holy Habits Ministry (inspiriational preaching, music, liturgy, and USHERS!)
   
6. Positive Faith Ministry (thanksgiving, create abundance, be positive)
   
7. Self-Discipline Ministry (without self discipline the congregation will never grow up)
   
8. Concentration Ministry (focused on mission)
9. Testimonial Ministry (tell what God has done for you)
   
10. Giving Ministry (we give, we don't take, and we don't manipulate)