A study of the image of Koinonia in a church

More attention has been paid to koinonia in church recently, and this has to do with the current situation of life in the world in which exclusive blocs of economy are established and conflicts are increasing in socio-political, racial-ethnic, and cultural realms. Korean peninsula still remains divided ideologically while East and West (Young-nam and Honam) are in conflict in South Korea. It is undeniable that denominational splits and class conflicts are ongoing problems in Korea. Thus the church is situated in a more urgent need of koinonia in response to the segregations and conflicts at issue.

With a view to developing a creative image of koinonia in my church, I will first deal with the concept of 'habar', Hebrew term which comes closest to the Greek koinonia. Then, I will delve into the concept of koinonia in the context of the New Testament. Various dimensions of koinonia will be touched upon in this regard, i.e. fellowship with Christ, partnership among members, sharing one's life with one another, and mysterious union with Christ event in the setting of the Holy Communion. Then I will analyze the triune structure of koinonia from the ecclesiological perspective, i.e. the body of Christ, fellowship of the saints, and the people of God. I will show how these three concepts of the church serve to enrich koinonia in complementary relationship. This investigation will naturally lead us to consider the practical setting of ministry such as pastoral care, worship, pastoral home-visit, and mission.

With those consideration in mind, I will examine a model case of koinonia based on the Dorim Church which has undertaken a project for developing its local community. A variety of programs for senior citizens will be treated as a model of how to respond to the need of the local community. The example of the Seobu Church in Chunan will be also introduced with a focus on its social service program, cultural mission, and life-growing movement.

The church in which I am ministering, the Ongoeul Church, has a strong orientation toward koinonia. For the purpose of working out the ideal image of koinonia, I have developed a model of open worship in which the whole congregation participate more actively according to different occasions and needs. I have paid particular attention to organizing a special worship based on each family unit as I realized the importance of family in integrating the church members. This project also aimed to bring disbelieving family members in the church. Furthermore, I have dealt with various programs for the koinonia by, in, and for the local community, responding to the need of children and youths, and particularly 'the least ones’ in our neighborhood.