This paper explores the role and contribution of children's ministry in the history of Albanian mission endeavors and then proposes how current Sunday school ministry can be improved to make a significant contribution to the overall Korean missions st...
This paper explores the role and contribution of children's ministry in the history of Albanian mission endeavors and then proposes how current Sunday school ministry can be improved to make a significant contribution to the overall Korean missions strategy in Albania.
First, what is the basis for Albanian Sunday school ministry?
For this, I researched the history of Christianity in Albania and its influence on the development of the nation as a whole.
Second, what is the influence of Sunday school ministry in the development of the Albania church during the last 15 years.
For this, I investigated the status of Albanian children in 4 churches that are running Sunday school. I then look at what ministry strategy, significance and results each church has had since running Sunday school, and evaluate the investigation.
Third, I suggest the importance of children ministry in church planting in Albania and offer more active and future-oriented alternative proposal, and I also propose the strategy and method to make evangelism in Albania more effective and to develop sustainable Albanian Sunday schools.
First I studied the overall history of Albania and the development of Christianity and Albanian children's ministry from a Biblical and missionary point of view.
Second, I interviewed Korean missionaries who are working or have in the past worked in the four study group Albanian churches which have a Sunday school.
Ⅱ. Study of the Albanian history and its missions history
Firstly in this chapter, I studied Albanian history, politics, and population.
Secondly, I explore how Albania transitioned from a state of being the first atheist nation in the modern world and how in 1998, freedom of religion became law.
The study on the history of Albanian Christianity
1st Period is when Paul, the first missionary, came to this region. Romans 15: 19 said that " by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ." Illyricum was the Roman name for Albania.
Thus Albania has had a Christian have a imedtoryorean missions statergy in Albania identity since that first Mission until the invasion of the Ottomans in 1385.
The second period of Albanian mission was when the British and Foreign Bible Society started the Albanian mission. Through their work a young Albanian, Gjerasim Qiriazi became a Christian. He distributed Bibles in Tosku(Albanian vernacular) so that Albania who lost their language liked to read the Bible in their own language.
The third period is the combined mission of AEP(Albania Encouragement Project) and VUSH(Vellazeria Ungjillore Shqiptare)from 1991.
The history of Korean missionary activity
The first Korean missionaries to Albania came from GMP in 1993 and now total about 20 missionaries working as pastors, doctors, pharmacists, athletes, teachers and so on in cities, and ghettos, and the countryside to multiply churches.
Ⅲ. Theoretical foundation for children ministry.
First, I studied the importance of children ministry through new and old testaments.
Second, I studied the foundation of church history by working on Sunday school history.
Third, I studied mission foundation.
Ⅳ. The status and evaluation of Sunday school ministry of the Albanian Churches
I researched the status of Sunday school through interview and investigation of 4 churches which were founded by Korean missionaries.
The names of the churches are as follows: Shtepja e Lumturishe church, Kisha Ungjllor church, Drita e Re church, and Gezini Qiellor church.
Ⅴ. The evaluation and alternative proposal for children's ministry.
In this chapter, I evaluate the results of the investigation of the interviews and research and propose an alternative plan for the growth of Sunday school and its contribution to the Albanian mission endeavor.