선교적 교회 관점에서 ‘다음세대’를 위한 선교방안 연구

Abstract

Taking seriously the reality that mission for the next generation is urgent, the researcher sought to find missional approaches to the next generation both inside and outside the church from a perspective of the missional church. This study actively utilized the positive aspects of generational discourse through a multifaceted understanding of the next generation to develop missional plans for and with the next generation. In this study, the expressions ‘a next generation’ and ‘the next generation’ are used separately. The former expresses a simple sequence, while the latter refers to a special, specific generation. Therefore, in this paper, the researcher uses the expression ‘the next generation’ to emphasize the specific generation living here and now. Additionally, the researcher intentionally distinguished between inside and outside the church from a perspective of the missional church. Although missions are generally regarded as church activities or programs carried out outside the church, in light of the missional church, mission is understood as the essence and identity of the church since the triune God is the subject of mission and, as such, mission begins within the church. Therefore, every local church is to participate in God’s mission, but each of them may have a different understanding and interpretation of God’s mission in its own context. It is natural that the mission of the next generation of the church begins from within the church. However, at the same time, because the situations inside and outside the church are different for each church, missional plans for the next generation are bound to be different. This study found that the next generation is not limited to Sunday school students, but also include the MZ generation, future generation, youth generation, digital generation, etc., showing that the age range is wide and that there are socially and culturally diverse people among this generation. Based on this, the researcher suggested that missional plans for the next generation within the church were to ‘recover the home as a space for education and worship,’ ‘create an emotional/physical space where the next generation can actively participate,’ ‘create originality and diversity unique to the church,’ and ‘communicate through the language and culture of the digital generation,’ and missional plans for the next generation outside the church were to ‘enable the next generation to do missions for the next generation outside the church,’ ‘do missional activities in the digital world,’ ‘utilize cooperation networks,’ and ‘empathize with and resonate with the pain of the next generation.’ In conclusion, from a perspective of the missional church, the mission of the next generation requires each church to have its own understanding of the next generation and develop not only mission for the next generation but also mission with the next generation.