| dc.description.abstract | The main purpose of the study is to develop a wellorganized
welfare ministry program for the aged in Korean
Union Conference. To achieve the purpose of this paper, a
biblical and contextual study was conducted to establish a
comprehensive foundation. For the biblical foundation, both
the Old and New Testament were explored including the
philosophy of Ellen G. White regarding welfare ministry. For
the context, the history, background, and social problems of
Korea were studied using historical documents. To determine
the current needs and relevance of the social welfare
ministry program, a need assessment was also done to
complement the biblical and historical data.
The biblical data showed that welfare ministry and word
ministry are closely related and are strongly supported by
the Bible, White and some Ante-Nicene Fathers. Interestingly,
the Old Testament indicates that welfare ministry is related
to Sabbath and has eschatological connections. In the New
Testament, the early church considered it as a non-optional
service to the community.
The context reveals that senior welfare is a great
demand in Korea. Both data from historical documents and
need assessment reveal that doing welfare ministry by the
church can be done in 2 ways. It can be done in an
independent way or in cooperation with the government.
Based on the biblical and contextual data, a Social
Welfare Ministry Formation (SWMF) was introduced to cater a
new welfare ministry program approach. The SWMF proposes a
comprehensive program for the aged with special focus on 3
important dimensions of ministry~education, care, and
service. These 3 dimensions touch on the mind, heart, and
physical needs of the aged. The SWMF has its organizational
structures, facilities, human and financial resources, and
linkages to ensure its viability and sustainability in
achieving its social and religious goals.
To further strengthen and establish a more
comprehensive social welfare ministry in Korea, the
following are recommended: namely, developing programs for
small size churches, fostering combined program by district
churches, settling the deficiency of financials resources,
and a comparative study of the consigned welfare centers in
Korea. | en_US |
