next generation of leaders is through our Bible Institute Campus on Jeju Island. Korea is a greenhouse for reproducing reproducers" “ In September of 2010, the Jeju Word of Life Bible Institute opened and welcomed just over 30 students to study the Bible for one year in a fully-accredited school. Other ways we train leaders is through Local Church Ministries that began in 2003. One of the most effective tools we used was Church Camps, (also started in 2003) with Korean churches, both for evangelism and training. We would see more than 500 campers per year with 250 campers receiving Christ. Meanwhile the youth leaders were being trained simultaneously during the camp. The Priority of the Home A dramatic shift in the Korean youth culture began about ten years ago. Parents are no longer involved in their child’s moral training. Alarming rates of young people are committing suicide. (South Korea worldwide is second only to Lithuania in teen suicide per capita.) Entire families are dropping out of church, faith, and moral responsibility. The resounding cry from recent surveys among Korean pastors is for ‘family ministry’. In 2014, I started Family Foundations to equip parents with foundational truths and tools from Scripture. No society can survive without the bedrock of the foundational family structure. The Possibilities are Endless JackWyrtzen, founder of Word of Life, once said to me that the vibrancy and passion of the Korean people moved him. Koreans are highly motivated leaders who can accomplish difficult tasks and overcome incredible obstacles when their passion is channeled. Samsung, Kia, Hyundai, and LG are all Korean-made products. If we can move some of that ingenuity towards missions, the possibilities are endless! I am praying to that end!
The Prayer for a Miracle As we continued launching our ministry events such as Ping-Pong Marathons, Youth Leadership Conferences, Quiet Time Seminars, 3-on-3 Basketball Tournaments, and International Camps, we were praying for a miracle to become officially registered with the government. Other ministers in Korea shared how a ‘bribe under the table’ was the only way to make progress in becoming registered with the government. We were warned that if we failed the first time, it would be virtually impossible to try again. The odds were stacked against us. Not only was our Korean-speaking ability in infancy stage – we didn’t have any money, didn’t have a table to put it under, and obviously knew it was against Biblical and moral ethics to even think of bribing a government official. We needed a miracle. It was a normal day when I received a call from the Far East Broadcasting Company inviting us to a dinner sponsored by the Department of Culture and Sports. The exact leader of the Protestant Department ate with my brother, Steve, and God worked His miracle, enabling us through a series of events to become registered in 1995 as Word of Life Korea! The Powerful Tool Even though the events were life changing for many Korean teens who received Christ, we began to realize there was a fundamental piece of the proverbial puzzle missing, in that young rising Korean leaders were unwilling to commit to basic Biblical habits for spiritual growth. At the same time we were being bombarded with people begging us to teach them English. We began to realize English was a powerful ‘tool’ we had in our box and could use to further the ministry. At this point, my brother, Steve, began to design a 32-week discipleship training school in English. In January 2000, nine students came to be a part of the first class of SYME (School of Youth Ministry in English). Shortly after SYME opened, I launched ENGLISH CAMPS where we used the tool of English. Hundreds of Korean teens trust Christ every year in these camps. This ministry continues now, directed by our Korean nationals. The Plan for Training Leaders Korea is a greenhouse for reproducing reproducers. The future of Word of Life Korea is training national leaders for exponential growth on the home field, as well as greater Asia. One of the numerous ways in which we’re training the
SOUTH KOREA
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