Korean church is prepared in many ways to take part actively in volunteer work as it has a great capacity and it is easy to mobilize human and physical resources. Nevertheless it has failed to do an effective and active social volunteer work. It is be...
Korean church is prepared in many ways to take part actively in volunteer work as it has a great capacity and it is easy to mobilize human and physical resources. Nevertheless it has failed to do an effective and active social volunteer work. It is because the church could not make full use of the practical method of social work professionally and effectively and get out of the passive attitude and the eleemosynary mind. Therefore the social volunteer work of church, though from now on, should be approached systematically, professionally and rationally. In this respect, this study attempted to understand the relationship between the local community and the church once more and redefine the role of Korean church to the local community. To attain such purpose effectively, this study attempted to understand the believers' and pastors' participation in and recognition of social volunteer work with the emphasis on how to use the church resources to improve the local community welfare by analyzing the realities of church resources. It then tried to establish a desirable direction of church in the local community volunteer work, find out the role of church in the community multilaterally, and grope for a plan to activate the volunteer work. As for the method of research, theoretical knowledge was found out from the church documents and research data related to the Korean church's social volunteer work, and home and abroad books, dissertations and general research papers. The administrative data and various kinds of statistical data were used as a tool to draw out the reality and problem of church social welfare project.
Followings are the reality of Korean church that uses welfare resources for the local social welfare project and related problems that were identified in this study ;
First, the church does recognize the social welfare work, but practices insufficiently. It is absolutely because of pastors' lack of recognition.
Second, the budget of church for local welfare is absolutely insufficient and it is urgent to expand it.
Third, though there is much space for local social welfare in church, it is not used properly. Therefore it is necessary to arrange the plan of use.
Fourth, even in case of practicing local social welfare, the individual church-oriented service results in overlapping or concentration on a certain service. As a measure, the possible connection with neighboring institutions should be open and the informatization is urgent to use it effectively.
Fifth, the analysis of the reality of church program for local social welfare showed that the program is of small number, fixed and uniformly.
Sixth, as for the reality of programs by objects, children and juvenile object of protection were given priority, scholarship project of juvenile was universal and guidance, resting place, counseling and cultural space were lacking. Mission-home, kindergarten, nursery and study room are now under operation, but project for general children is insufficient.
Seventh, church does not have sufficient departments full charge of social volunteer work and its capacity of service is rather small. Individual church has a difficulty in budget operation and does not have any professional social welfare worker or, if any, little participation.
Eighth, the service carried out in the church is mostly a temporal event or project limited just to the church or church welfare facility. Therefore it is urgent to develop a professional program.
Lastly, the main object of church service is mostly believers and brethren, suggesting that a coordination is necessary with other institutions in the region.
Based on these findings, several proposals are presented as plans to activate the effective use of welfare resources, like human, institutional, financial, organizational and program resources.
First, the church, through overall participation in society, should solve the problems of community and take charge of the practical duty to formulate local community. Church leaders should renew their own consciousness of social welfare.
Second, it is required to establish a system of support integrating human, financial and institutional resources through the new recognition of social welfare project, informatization and organizational resources. It is also needed to establish interchurch coordination system.
Third, the connection with social welfare institution should be groped for, the social welfare activity of church should be networked, and the social welfare budget of church should be expand.
Lastly, professional service, effective program operation, the motivation and strengthened training of believers' social welfare activity and the supply of good quality welfare service through pastors specialized in welfare and professional workers are urgently demanded.
The finding shows that though with various limits and deficiency, Korean church is prepared with very good conditions and resources to practice local social welfare project. Therefore if the church is aware of the importance of its participation in the local social welfare and gives more professional support, the local social welfare through Korean church is expected to develop surprisingly.
In conclusion, it is expected that all the local churches should be used as a good resources for activating the local social welfare and participate in it as a tool of blessing the community it belongs to. Also it is expected to follow better researches.