Understanding on Contextualization for Mission-Centered Leadership (사명 중심의 리더십 상황화 이해)

Understanding on Contextualization for Mission-Centered Leadership (사명 중심의 리더십 상황화 이해)
이승만의 대한민국 건국 뉴 리더십 책에 쓴
현대 리더들의
리더십 뿌리 -영어 소논문.
As evangelist John Robert Walmsley Stott claimed the broader mission view including evangelism and social activities, holistic mission approach was opened. Christians were thought as having a great influence through evangelical activities and social activities if they accommodate this broader mission view, which includes evangelism and social activities.(John R. W. Stott, Christian Mission in the Modern World,Tr. by Myung Hyuk Kim, 35-36.)
Herbert Kane interpreted mission as the salvation of souls and social service. He pointed out that the mission includes Church planting in the Bible and history, medical service, educational business, agricultural business as well as evangelism of redemptive proclamation of gospel. (J. Herbert Kane, The Christian World Mission; Today and Tomorrow, Grand Rapids; Baker House, 1981, 144.) Evangelism until the 19th century was limited mission to the act of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, but the modern evangelicals defined the concept of mission more comprehensive as adding another item: the social service.
Charles R. Taber skillfully compared contextualization with Indigenization. This indigenization tended to focus exclusively on cultural dimension of human experience. on the other hand, contextualization recognizes the importance of this dimension, but the situation of human beings includes social, political and economic questions such as wealth and poverty, power and nonpower, and privilege and oppression.(Charles Kraft, 61.: "Contextualization: Indigenization and/or Transformation," InThe Gospel and Islam.See: Don M. McCurry, ed. 1979, 143-150.)
The Word Among US,edited by professor Dean S. Gilliland at the Fuller Theological Seminary for Global Mission, provided the essence about various contextualization topics. In The Word Among Us, about the topic of evangelical sacrifice, Gilliland mentioned that contextualization is incarnational, and clarifies to meaning of the confession, which Jesus is the Lord for each countries and peoples. Contextualization theology is a way of understanding and accepting for listeners in leadership today, which it will pave the way for communication of the gospel. He expressed, contextualization clarifies what Christian evangelism in the sinful society meant and showed what obedience is needed regarding the gospel.(Kraft, 66.: Dean S. Gilliland ed., “Context Theology as Incarnational Mission," 9-31, 3.)

A. The Core Studies on Contextualization for Leadership
In the overseas field and community, the problem of the leadership transfer was one of the major challenges. In the case that wished to study the transfer of leadership, they transferred some through conflicts and some through cooperation with the leaders discussing the problem of contextualization for transferring leadership.
The leadership model to study considers Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his lifeas a ransomfor many.” Jesus's life in the bible was regarded as a basis and purpose of Church leadership. one model Jesus showed by coming to this earth wearing the human body was a served servant. Thus, Jesus lived a life of servant leadership, taught about spiritual leadership of the kingdom of God to his disciples. (Sung Hoon Myung, Creative Leadership,Seoul: Seoul Book, 1992, 48.)
As Augustine wrote in The City of God, a Church leadership as the kingdom of God was seen with the vertices of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.(Hoi Chang Kim, The City of God, The Earthly City, and The Church in St. Augustin's City of God ,Seoul: Sae Soon Pub., 1998, 139. Author Hoi Chang Kim expressed that Augustine established early Church view had claimed leadership of Church view as a kingdom of God in setting the peak of Jesus Christ of the cross and resurrection in his writings.) Today, leaders should accept it as a model, and it is necessary to have servant leadership with love.
Furthermore, the most beautiful thing in the leadership was Jesus commissioning for feeding God’s sheep through John 21:15-17. According to Luke 22:29, the greatest leadership transfer was the best result of servant leadership (Hoi Chang Kim,A Study of the Strategic Mission Policy for the Overseas Mission of Korea Evangelical Holiness Church: In Relationship to Contextualization of OMS Mission Leadership.D. Miss. Dissertation,Grace Seminary, IN, 2012, 91.), and which he kept said "I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me." For our agencies and churches, it was important to know the time of contextualization for transferring leadership that the Church is the Body of Jesus, and He is Lord of mission in the mission fields. With inter-cultural communication, workers with an incarnational attitude were needed to do mission activity to get respect and confidence as appreciating others and authorizing work.

B. Understanding on Contextualization for Missional Leadership that Jesus Adapted on
Charles R. Taber published the article ‘Contextualization: Indigeni- zation and/or Transformation’in 1979. Taber compared indigenization with contextualization. He said that Contextualization is a try for using the achievement of indigenization, correcting the mistake and prejudices, and attempting to fill the gaps.(Kraft, “Development of Contextualization Theory of Western (Euro America) Missiology,” Appropriate Christianity: Incarnation and Principles of Contextualization,61.: Requotation "Contextualization: Indigenization and/or Transformation," InThe Gospel and Islam.See: Don M. McCurry, ed. 1979, 143-150.) He saw contextualization in a more complete sense. Gilliland said that contextualization was incarnational and contextual theology will open the way for com- munication of the Gospel as a method of understanding and acceptance by the listeners.(Gilliland ed., “Context Theology as Incarnational Mission," 1989-9- 31, 3.)
Stephen B. Bevans of conservative evangelicals published his book Models of Contextual Theologyin 1992.(Stephen B. Bevans, Models of Contextual Theology, Tr. by Hyung Keun Choi, 7.) Also, E. Hall, on the first his book The Silent Languagein 1956, dealt with the most effective way to identify hidden faces to even oneself through an attitude accepting other cultures seriously.(Hall, The Silent Language, Tr. by Hyo Sun Choi, Seoul: Han Gil Pub., 1999, 8-9.) This brought a big change to the local contextual understanding for establishing mission leadership.
Bevans thought that contextualization includes social, political, economic problems through a broad cultural understanding, on the other hand, indigization focus on the purely cultural dimension of human experience. Also, he thought that contextualization must be balanced.(Bevans, Models of Contextual Theology, 72.) And David J. Hesselgrave summarized about contextualization. Contextualization is faithfulness to the revelation of God (as it is suggested in the teachings of the Holy Bible), human message, the work of God, the Word of God and the will of God, He considered it as an attempt to deliver in a way to give a meaning to them in the cultural, existential situation.(Hesselgrave, Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally, Tr. by Seung Sam Kang, 146-47.
As seeing here, contextualization in leadership is a very important necessary working theology of spiritual understanding for overseas missionaries and all the evangelists. Sherwood G. Lingenfelter in Sharing Power Leadershipmentioned about cross-cultural contextualization for transferring leadership. He said that leadership was a very important issue in any application of the contextual principles, and through Protestant and Catholic mission history, it was a long challenge to teach new converts for planting new churches.
As he defined power sharing leadership, he said that a basis of suitable healing should have put Jesus in power and position, and seeking power would lead everyone to all kinds of temptation and evil. He emphasized that in seeking power, a life-changing power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ ability to change, and the living Word of God have to be focused to have power sharing leadership.(Lingenfelter, “Sharing Power Leadership: Revolution for Missional Church," Appropriate Christianity: Incarnation and Principles of Contextualization, 41.)
Continuously, he said that power sharing leadership is sharing power and responsibility to all people and letting them do the entrusted task. For contextual leadership, contextualization for transfrrring leadership was emphasized that leaders who want to share the power have to give up control.(Lingenfelter, “Sharing Power Leadership: Revolution for Missional Church," 445.)
And, local field-center adaptiveness was an important contextualization for leadership. About meaning equivalence contextualization,Kraft showed that personal relationship, when Christian defending people are personal, its meaning has been passed more easily compared to other methods. Thus, the key of contextualization is people having relationship with the adapter like key of communication.(Kraft, “Meaning Equivalence Contextualization," Appropriate Christianity: Incarnation and Principles of Contextualization, 272.) He claimed that the purpose of contextualization is seeing that the teaching meanings are expressed in the life of adapter. Those desiring to be effective in spreading Christianity need to be contextualized. It is important to learn adapter centered communication.(Kraft, “Meaning Equivalence Contextualization,” 275.)
For the communicated mission, control and long-term colonization of the ruling secular political framework can be relieved by thinking on the basis of leadership. In here, contextualization for mission leadership as a servant of the Jesus, is to have an incarnational certain attitude for reaching that land. Luke 2:41 showed that Jesus was grew up as the son of Joseph, worked with a carpenter’s job, and pursued a biblical life. He said “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” in the temple (Luke 2:46), He asked “Didn't you know I had to be in my father's house?” to his parents (Luke 2:46, 49) and verse 51, Jesus went to his home, served as a carpenter and “was obedient to his parents.”
Then, in public life, he showed the leadership as frames of serve, love, humility, suffering, and redemption to his disciples, who knew this fact. In Luke 22:29 he transferred to his trained disciples and ascended to heaven. It was an sign of truly serving person. This sixth frame of transferring leadership of Jesus was complete, and this leadership showed sharing the power with the peoples of God. That tasks is not my task, regulate his desires, and receiving was giving back. It suggested as a best conclusion of contextualization for transferring leadership to mission-centered leaders, who acknowledge the great task done by God and believe in the absolute sovereignty of God.

(From author's book: Rhee Syng-man Ph.D.'s Founder New Leadership of the Republic of Korea, 2019, Los Angeles, CA)

Dr. Hoi (John) Kim
(President of Unification Leadership Institute for Great Korean Peninsula)
(President of Concordia International University / Trinity University)