living word strategy

How will Living Word carry out the mission statement above?
Where will we begin? What will be our focus?

In answering these questions, we should probably begin with a little history.

Living Word began as a mission church of The Korean Church of Dallas. Almost right from the beginning, we attracted non-Korean members. And we were so excited about this, because the Gospel is not about race or even culture. The Gospel breaks down barriers, and joins diverse peoples into one loving family of faith.

While we welcomed new members from many different backgrounds, we also saw a continuing need in the Korean American "second generation" community. As we moved out from under the wing of The Korean Church of Dallas to be an independent congregation, we were mindful of our unique position. We were the first English Ministry outside of the Northeast and California to do such a thing.

We decided we would adopt a "progressive" approach to crossing ethnic and cultural lines, much the way the early church did. Our model for this is seen in Acts 1:8, where Christ tells His disciples:

"You shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

We will begin with our Jerusalem, the people God has already placed in our circle of influence. On this personal level, we will share the Good News of God's love and forgiveness without thought of race or culture. Everyone is welcome at Living Word.

At the same time, we do not want to neglect the opportunity to reach out to the Korean American second generation. This is our Judea, the people we may not know personally, but with whom we share a common background. So many of them attended Korean-speaking churches at one time, but somewhere along the way they turned away (often for good reason). We want to let them know there is a new home for them...and a different kind of church than what they saw back then.

Our Samaria is the larger Asian American community. Asians who grew up here (or mostly here) share more in common with each other than with mainstream America. The same experiences, pressures, parental expectations...we find the lines between us blur very quickly.

We also see that there are very, very few churches concerned with reaching out to this growing group of young Asians. We want to be used by God to share His love and hope with them.

Finally, we see Living Word eventually being a reflection of the increasing diverse population of Dallas. We believe the traditional "all white" suburban churches will be the dinosaurs of the twenty-first century...slowly dying off while vibrant multiethnic fellowships take their place.

What do you think? This is new territory for us all, so we welcome your comments.




		How will Living Word carry out the mission statement above? Where will we begin? What will be our focus?
				In answering these questions, we should probably begin with a little history. Living Word began as a mission church of The Korean Church of Dallas. Almost right from the beginning, we attracted non-Korean members. And we were so excited about this, because the Gospel is not about race or even culture. The Gospel breaks down barriers, and joins diverse peoples into one loving family of faith.
		While we welcomed new members from many different backgrounds, we also saw a continuing need in the Korean American "second generation" community. As we moved out from under the wing of The Korean Church of Dallas to be an independent congregation, we were mindful of our unique position. We were the first English Ministry outside of the Northeast and California to do such a thing.
		We decided we would adopt a "progressive" approach to crossing ethnic and cultural lines, much the way the early church did. Our model for this is seen in Acts 1:8, where Christ tells His disciples: "You shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." We will begin with our Jerusalem, the people God has already placed in our circle of influence. On this personal level, we will share the Good News of God's love and forgiveness without thought of race or culture. Everyone is welcome at Living Word.
		At the same time, we do not want to neglect the opportunity to reach out to the Korean American second generation. This is our Judea, the people we may not know personally, but with whom we share a common background. So many of them attended Korean-speaking churches at one time, but somewhere along the way they turned away (often for good reason). We want to let them know there is a new home for them...and a different kind of church than what they saw back then.
				Our Samaria is the larger Asian American community. Asians who grew up here (or mostly here) share more in common with each other than with mainstream America. The same experiences, pressures, parental expectations...we find the lines between us blur very quickly. We also see that there are very, very few churches concerned with reaching out to this growing group of young Asians. We want to be used by God to share His love and hope with them.
		Finally, we see Living Word eventually being a reflection of the increasing diverse population of Dallas. We believe the traditional "all white" suburban churches will be the dinosaurs of the twenty-first century...slowly dying off while vibrant multiethnic fellowships take their place.
				What do you think? This is new territory for us all, so we welcome your comments.