Korea World Missions Association

Overview

The Korea World Missions Association is a council formed jointly by the mission boards of Korean denominations and overseas mission organizations. It is commonly known by its English abbreviation, KWMA. It describes itself as "the missions community of the Korean church for fulfilling the Lord's Great Commission." The Great Commission refers to Jesus' command to his disciples to proclaim the gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19–20). The association undertakes tasks that would be difficult for any single denomination or organization to carry out alone, such as compiling mission statistics, developing mission strategy, and providing care for missionaries. It is also reported to serve as the missions community's representative in matters involving the government.

Founding and History

• After the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the number of Korean missionaries going abroad grew rapidly. The association was formed to support their work effectively and to coordinate missions strategically.
• It was founded on June 25, 1990, at Somang Presbyterian Church. Its first president was the Rev. Kwak Sun-hee, and its first general secretary was the Rev. Jun Ho-jin.
• During the 2006 World Mission Conference, the Fourth National Consultation on World Evangelization (NCOWE IV) was held, at which the association announced the "Target 2030 Master Plan."
• In 2020 the association marked its 30th anniversary. When the spread of COVID-19 severely curtailed mission work, it formed an emergency response team and later held the Korea Mission Leaders Forum online.
• At its 35th regular general assembly, the association voted to reappoint Secretary General Kang Dae-heung to another term. The same assembly also selected the Rev. Joo Seung-joong as chair of the board of the incorporated association and the Rev. Hwang Sung-joo as president, among other officers.

Major Activities

• Statistics on Korean missions: Each year the association surveys and publishes data on the number of Korean missionaries and changes in that number, sending trends by organization, age distribution, and types of ministry. Since 2020 it has published statistics jointly with the Korea Research Institute for Mission (KRIM), so direct comparisons with earlier figures should be made with caution. As of the end of 2024, there were 21,621 long-term missionaries of Korean nationality serving in 171 countries. In addition, there were 516 short-term missionaries and 986 missionaries of other nationalities sent by Korean organizations.
• Target 2030: This is a movement to send 100,000 missionaries by 2030. The idea originated around 2004 in a vision shared by Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, InterCP, and others. The association states that it has since redefined the movement's direction under the name "New Target 2030."
• Unreached people group missions: Unreached people groups are ethnic groups that have not yet been reached with the gospel. The association has led mission movements focused on these groups.
• Cooperative projects: The association signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Association of Christian Counseling Centers on Heresy to respond jointly to heresies spreading on the mission field. It also signed an agreement with the Korea Denominational Mission Practitioners' Council to promote partnership missions centered on local believers.

Member Organizations

As of 2020, 15 Korean denominational mission boards and 143 mission organizations were members. The association's website reportedly lists about 200 bodies, including member organizations and affiliated, subsidiary, and partner agencies. Related institutions include the Korea Crisis Management Foundation, the Unreached People Group Mission Alliance, and the Missionary Kids Education Development Institute.

Assessment

Denominational newspapers and other observers regard the association's leadership of a mission movement spanning the entire Korean church as its greatest contribution. Its annual statistics serve as baseline data for the missions community. Recent statistics, however, have revealed the following trends:

• The number of long-term missionaries has declined steadily since 2020.
• The proportion of missionaries in their 50s and 60s is increasing, while the proportion of those in their 20s through 40s is decreasing.

These trends have led to projections of a possible shortage of core personnel within a decade or so. The actual number of missionaries also falls far short of the 100,000 set as the goal of Target 2030.