Seoul Grace Church
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Seoul Grace Church(서울은혜교회) was established by Pastor David Kwangshin Kim(김광신) who is the president of Grace Ministries International (GMI).
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[edit] David Kwangshin Kim
David Kwangshin Kim was born in South Korea as a fourth generation Christian. He graduated from Seoul National University, the most prestigious school in South Korea and became a businessman in the USA. He went to church every Sunday but he met Jesus Christ at the age of 42. He abandoned his business and entered Talbot School of Theology. He led Bible studies as an elder and theology student.
[edit] Grace Korean Church in 1982
Grace Korean Church was found by Pastor David Kwangshin Kim in May 1982 with three families. Three years later, the church congregation grew to be about 1,000 members with an annual budget of $1,500,000. The growth of this church and its expansion of missions made an epoch in Korean American church history and was enough to draw attention from the entire American Christendom.
Appropriating 50% of the church budget for missions, Pastor David Kim declared Grace Korean Church as a world mission church. By the fifth year anniversary in 1987, the church budget exceeded two million dollars. Consequently, more than a million dollars was given to world missions. Through such enormous expenditures on world missions, Grace Korean Church considered itself church existing for mission which has been rare in the immigrant church history.
Under the slogan of "Mission is Prayer. Mission is War. Mission is Martyrdom" Grace Korean Church has committed to each mission field and commissioned missionaries through earnest prayers. The first missionary sent from Grace Korean Church was Missionary Hwang to Guam in July 1982. Since then, Grace Korean Church has dispatched many missionaries around the world, mainly to Africa, South America, China, and to past Soviet Union territories. As of 2004, Grace Korean Church has sent out 141 missionaries who successfully carry out the Great Commission of Jesus in 36 countries.
In the United States, Grace Church is considered to be doing the most mission work for an individual local church. More precisely, the size of its mission endeavors is more than double that of the second and third top American church missions put together.
[edit] Seoul Grace Church in 2004
In 2004 Pastor Kiyoung Han was commissioned as missionary to Seoul, South Korea. Two months later Pastor David Kwangshin Kim came to Seoul Grace Church and the First Sunday service was held on November 28, 2004 at Gangdong sanctuary. On May 15, 2005 Seoul Grace Church's Opening Service was held. As of 2006, Seoul Grace Church, together with Grace Korean Church in the USA and GMI, sent out more than 250 missionaries to more than 50 countries in the world. Through Grace Ministries International, churches have been planted all over the world--2,000 in Russia, 600 in Africa, 3,000 in China, 1,000 in Vietnam and many more in South America.
The church inaugurate GMI Missionary Training Center in April 2007 that will train 100 missionary volunteers who have graduated from theology school. The Center has a program that offers 4 months long oversea training as well as domestic training in real mission. Seoul Grace Church's policy does not require any membership of the church to the students who will have thus benefited by the financial. That is, all of the students are encouraged to work as members of other churches and other organizations.
[edit] Mission
Basket Operation, World Mission and Glow of Love are main missions in Seoul Grace Church.
[edit] Basket Operation
Seoul Grace Church has a special program called "Basket Operation". In order to accomplish the Great Commission of the Lord, the church operates Baseball Field Approach that is composed of 13 successive steps:
- Oikos Evangelism
- Cell Church
- Central Church
- Grace Encounter-10 weeks
- 1 to 1 Discipleship-16 weeks
- Tres Dias-3 days 4 nights
- Gifts Discovery Seminar-8 weeks
- Shepard Seminar-8 weeks
- Grace Freedom
- Shepard / G-12 Member
- G-12 Leader
- Leadership College-1 year and
- Ministry Involvement.
To efficiently operate Baseball Field Approach, the church operates Cell Church system and to vitalize Cell Church, the church operates G-12. This is called Basket Operation.In brief, every members in G-12 try to have their own G-12 members. This system was devised at the moment of the church members surpass 2,000 where ordinary church system found to be inefficient for such numerous members. Thanks to this system the number of members doubled without losing close relationship between members. In Seoul Grace Church, the ultimate goal of Cell Church is to be divided to form other churches. The average division period is about 6 to 9 months. To accomplish this goal the mentioned 13 steps are essential and helpful to the members.
The Basket Operation has the following symbolic meanings:
- Handle: G-12
- Basket: Cell Church
- Fruits: Baseball Field Approach
[edit] World Mission
For Seoul Grace Church believe that the primary reason for the church in general to exist is its mission, which is the intensive Great Commandment of Jesus. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.(Matthew 28:19~20)" Through Grace Ministries International, Seoul Grace Church and Grace Korean Church churches have been planted all over the world--2,000 in Russia, 600 in Africa, 3,000 in China, 1,000 in Vietnam and many more in South America. GMI sent more than 250 missionaries in about 50 countries. In the United States, Grace Church is considered to be doing the most mission work for an individual local church. More precisely, the size of its mission endeavors is more than double that of the second and third top American church missions put together.
[edit] Glow of Love
Also known as Tres Dias, this 3 nights/4days program has had produced many fruits in the lives of the candidates that have participated. Because many of the aspects of Glow of Love have surprising features, they are never described in detail by those that have graduated from it because it could spoil their effect. As the name of the program suggests, it is said to be filled with God’s love. There are more than 10 Glow of Loves prepared by Grace Church all over the world--including France, German, Spain, Russia and its surrounding countries, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Africa.
[edit] Glow of Love in 2007
- 72nd GSGL (Seoul): 1.30 (Tue) - 2.2 (Fri)
- 73rd GSGL (Seoul): 4.17 (Tue) - 4.20 (Fri)
- 74th GSGL (Seoul): 7.31 (Tue) - 8.3 (Fri)
- 75th GSGL (Seoul): 10.2 (Tue) - 10.5 (Fri)
- 76th GSGL (Seoul): 12.11 (Tue) - 12.14 (Fri)
- 3rd CTD (Seoul): 2.26 (Mon) - 3.1 (Thu)
- 1st Dominica TD (Santa Domingo): 3.19 (Mon) - 3.22 (Thu)
- 2nd Taiwan TD (Taipei): 3.26 (Mon) - 3.29 (Thu)
- Khabarovsk TD: March
- 2nd New Zealand (Auckland): 4.10 (Tue) - 4.13 (Fri)
- 3rd Spain (Madrid): 5.8 (Tue) - 5.11 (Fri)
- Africa (Kenya): May
- 39th EGL (Paris): 6.4 (Mon) - 6.9 (Thu)
- Irkutsk TD: August
- Volgograd TD: August
- Sakhalin Youth TD: August
[edit] Seoul Grace Church History
- 1982.02.27: 35 church members gathered for the first Bible study
- 1982.05.09: 77 church members gathered for the first Sunday service
- 1982.07.02: Opened a Sunday School for children
- 1982.10.24: Rev. David Kwangshin Kim joined as Sr. Pastor
- 1983.01.09: First general meeting; decision to designate 50% of finances to missions
- 1985.02.11: Held first Missionary Convention
- 1986.10.29: Held first Grace Tres Dias
- 1988.01.02: David Kwangshin Kim started TV broadcast ministry
- 1988.08.01: Held first "European Tres Dias" in Frankfurt, Germany
- 1990.07.10: First Youth Mission Choir traveled throughout Russia with Rev. Kwang Shin Kim
- 1992.03.02: Moscow Grace Seminary opened with 156 students
- 1993.08.08: '93 Grace Festival in St. Petersberg
- 1994.08.01: '94 Grace Festival in Moscow
- 1994.10.01: Gymnase Grace Christian School opens in St. Petersberg
- 1999.10.05: World Mission Conference and 84th GMI Conference
- 2004.08.05: Rev. Kiyoung Han is commissioned as missionary to Seoul
- 2004.09.21: 98th GMI Missions Conference
- 2004.11.23: Rev. Kwangshin Kim comes to Seoul Grace Church
- 2004.11.28: First Sunday service at Gangdong sanctuary
- 2005.05.15: Seoul Grace Church Opening Service
- 2005.06.13: Mission trip to Kenya Africa
- 2005.07.17: Medical mission for foreign workers
- 2006.01.19: Foreign Workers Conference
- 2006.04.25: Held first "European Tres Dias for European Pastors" in Madrid, Spain
- 2006.05.07: Sunday worship services moves to Hyang Goon Hall
- 2006.05.21: Seoul Grace Church first Anniversary Service
