In 1995, The Christian Mission Torch Foundation began actively participating in the mission movement for unevangelized tribes. As part of the initiative in 1998 it established the Torch Trinity Graduate school of Theology, since then it has been identifying and inviting the local leaders to help develop them into international leaders and then sending them back to their countries. In 2007, it hosted WOGA Korea 2007 (Women of Global Action) and invited 1,200 women leaders from 85 countries to build them up as the local women leaders for evangelization of the tribes. As part of such a series of continued mission movements for the evangelization of these unreached tribes, it held the Korean Diaspora Mission Conference in 2014 and invited 3500 Diaspora leader from over 175 countries to build them up as local missionaries.
1. God who prepares for the Korean Diaspora Mission
The first official immigration was the migration to Hawaii, about half of these immigrants were made up of the Christians from Naeri Church. They were able to plant the first immigrant church in Hawaii and the immigrants that swept in until 1905 over a succession of 65 arrivals were able to largely settle into this church and community centered society, this carries a significant meaning with regard to God’s salvation history and the history of missions The reason for this is that the Hawaiian migrants eventually entered the mainland of the United States and spread across the major cities and the Korean communities that sprung from them have to this day been growing and advancing as church-centered communities.
The immigrants to Hawaii had to endure slave-like arduous labor and the reality that their home country was being colonized, as soon as they arrived they planted a church and were able to build a church-centered community and become united through nationalism and patriotism. The community grew increasingly stable after the arrival of the ‘picture brides’ which allowed for organized fund raising, sponsorship and support for the independence movements back home. Afterwards, the Korean immigrants held various jobs and positions and moved into the mainland of the U.S, settling as communities centered on nationalism, patriotism and the church. Today, the Korean immigrants living in the U.S have settled as the most exemplary Korean diaspora population, numbering over 2 million people and 3000 churches.
If we look at the Korean immigration history, prior to the immigration to Hawaii there were those who migrated from Hamkyung Province to the Northeastern region of China and the Maritime province of Russia. Although churches also expanded along with them, almost all were wiped out and only a small minority survived in the form of underground churches following the communization of China and Russia and the persecution of Christianity.
In spite of this, the Korean people are scattered all around the world as a diaspora of 7 million, living in over 175 countries. They have become a people recognized in their respective countries for overcoming difficult circumstances through diligence and hard work, they specialize in agriculture in China and the former Soviet Union and commerce in the US and South America. The biggest strength of the Korean diaspora is their fiercely competitive nature within the international community and their church-centered religious devoutness, intelligence and passion for educating their children that is similar to that of the Jewish people. The republic of Korea possesses an excellent cultural legacy that is just as rich as its history, through which it is stirring up a substantial cultural wind in various parts of the world. Based on its remarkable economic growth, as well as the amazing growth of the church during the past century, it has now gained the status as one of the world’s top 10 nations in terms of export and economic power and with over 20,000 missionaries sent from Korea, ranks 2nd in terms of world missions.
Today, the church-centered Korean communities have spread throughout central and South America, Europe and Australia, and it is believed that the ethnic Koreans residing in China and Russia, as well as the Korean immigrants living in Japan, will all develop into church-centered communities. At these end times, God will lift our nation up and use our people for his glory.