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담임목사 비전과 철학

  • 학력

    학사. 한국외국어대학교(영어)
    석사. 서강대학교(경제학)
    석사. 씨라큐스대학교(국제관계학)
    석사. 예일대학교(신학)
    박사. 씨라큐스대학교(정치학)


    담임목사 강원근 (Rev. David Wongeun Kang, Ph.D.)
    email wokang@gmail.com


경력

한국산업은행 (조사부, 7년 6개월 근무)
미국상무성 경제분석국 (Washington D.C.) 국부통계과정
세계무역기구 (WTO, 스위스 제네바) visiting scholar
미국 네이게이토 선교회 간사 역임
씨라큐스 대학교 네비게이토 개척 및 대표 역임
뉴헤이븐 연합감리교회 담임목사
커네티컷 주 한인교회협의회 회장
파트너 교회 연합회 부회장 2017년 ~ 현재
미주 웨슬리부흥전도단 단장 2017년 ~ 현재


목회철학

영원 경외의 삶, 심판과 상급을 바로보는 삶으로. 고후 4:18, 살전 2:19, 잠 1:7
재생산 그리스도를 닮은 완전하고 균형잡힌 자를 세움으로. 골 1:28, 엡 4:13, 눅 2:52
팀웍 같은 비전과 같은 마음과 같은 행동으로. 고전 10
능력 성령의 능력으로. 행 1:8
울림 세상을 울리고 깨움으로. 마 5:!3~16


목회사명 선언문

나는 영원한 나라와 최후의 심판을 바라보며 팀워크와 성령의 권능에 의지하여 완전한 자, 균형잡힌 자를 재생산하는데 내 일생을 번제로 드린다.


목회철학

균형사역 말씀, 성결, 전도, 성령, 사회참여, 세계선교의 조화추구
질적사역 공동체에 질적으로 헌신된 무리를 통하여 자연스런 양적 성장 추구
깊은사역 진리를 정확히, 깊이 이해하여 세상에 열정적이고 담대하게 전하는 교회 추구


원하는 목회자상

성도들이 생애를 맡길 만한 신뢰를 받을 수 있는 목회자


사역 최종 목표

죽어서 하나님의 심판대에 섰을 때 목자로서 칭찬받는 것


저서

Christian Social Movement Vitality: A Comparative Study of Evangelical Christian Political Activities in South Korea and the United States (VDM, 2009) 외 다수


CTS-TV 담임목사 인터뷰


Won-Geun kang is Senior Pastor of New York Plainview United Methodist Church. He studied in the U. S. (Yale University: M.Div., Syracuse University: Ph.D. in Political Science and M.A. in International Relations) and South Korea (Sogang University: M.A. in Economics, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies:B.A. in English). He worked as Economist at KDB (Korea Development Bank). He is the author of Christian Social Movement Vitality: A Comparative Study of Evangelical Christian Political Activities in South Korea and the United States, (VDM, 2009).

I had attended a church throughout my childhood. However, I did not discover the meaning of "salvation" until the spring of 1979 when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior in a church revival meeting. "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-12). These verses gave me assurance of salvation and changed my faith from a speculative one to an active one. The Holy Spirit gave me a strong desire to become holy like Jesus Christ. Confessing my sins and admitting my weaknesses as a sinful man, I exclaimed, "Lord, please purify me and teach me what I must do." While studying the Bible intensively, I became convinced that God wants me to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit and evangelism. I wanted to equip myself as much as possible to be used by God.

After arriving in the United States, I could enjoy "a free market of ideas." I believe that historically inherited religious traditions constrain or induce perception, decision, and action of a believer, thus limiting the degree of freedom s/he can exercise within her or his specific faith heritage. I grew up in a social milieu reflecting religious diversity: Christianity, Neo-Confucianism, Buddhism and Shamanism, the indigenous religion, were around me. In this situation, many times I had to compare the main teachings or values of Christianity with those of other religions. I believe this experience was very helpful for me to understand Christianity deeply and correctly. Another major factor, which influenced me in understanding church and society, was the ideological cleavage between the conservatives and the radical left, under the authoritarian regimes of the 1970s and 80s in Korea.

The appeal of radicalism in Korea, derived from the perception of an uneven distribution of the benefits of socioeconomic change, attracted many young students including myself. Witnessing student demonstrations on campuses, my concern was not always about a blessed "next" world but also about "present" issues of political and economic justice. My Christian heritage, which acclaimed political neutralism and evangelism, could not give me persuasive answers to the question of daily life. When I came to the U.S., however, I could take advantage of the opportunity to evaluate my faith heritage again.

After arriving in the U.S., I began to examine the various historical traditions of Christianity in order to have a more balanced perspective; I read books by, and about, the reformers, Catholics, evangelical and liberal Protestants, Pentecostals and atheists. I widened the scope, and enhanced the balance of my horizon of faith through reading books, such as, Streams of Living Water by Richard J. Foster, which identifies six traditions of Christian faith: contemplative, holiness, Charismatic, social justice, evangelical, and incarnational traditions. This book shows that even though we Christians love God and use same biblical vocabularies, the focus of expression of each tradition may be different. I learned that I should respect other Christians who are in different faith heritages.

Reinventing American Protestantism (Donald E. Miller), Culture Wars (James Davison Hunter), American Evangelicalism (Christian Smith), and The Restructuring of American Religion (Robert Wuthnow) all helped me understand American Protestantism. Also, reading Prayer and Temperament (Chester P. Michael and Marie C. Norrisey) broke down my narrow concept of prayer. Jack Deere's books, especially Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, deeply touched me and corrected my biased view on the Charismatic tradition. In particular, one course in my Ph.D. program, "The Logic of Political Inquiry," which introduced alternative approaches to explanation and theory, and Systematic Theology" in Yale Divinity School, which compares different approaches of Karl Barth and Karl Rahner, were greatly helpful to me in cultivating a capacity to accommodate different views. In addition, after studying the Christian Realism of Abraham Kuyper and Reinhold Niebuhr, I learned that Christian faith should be verified in action. Thomas Kuhn, Karl Popper, and Michel Foucault, however, taught me that I cannot be a truly free person, who has a perspective that is unaffected and independent from the influence of a particular ideological paradigm and social structure. I am just an incomplete human being who needs God's great grace. To me, God is the God of grace. God is the one who demonstrates God's own love by allowing God's own son Jesus Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). God is the one who chooses to love us first and frees us from our sins in God's infinite grace so that we may be free to choose God and love God. As the creator of our world, God not only renews, restores, and recreates our shattered lives and broken selves but God also stays close to us and with us as God continues God's work of creation in our lives today. God is love. And God commands me to make this love known to others.



Ministry
I am responsible for achieving my full potential. My Lord is, I believe, responsible for the breadth of my ministry (Mt. 25:14-30). I believe a ministry starts from personality. I need to allow the Lord to bring my total personality into conformity to His (Gal. 5:22-23; Ro. 8:29). I believe that the Lord tests us with degrees of responsibility (Ex. 23:30). I am diligently and faithfully carrying out the work given to me, and always think big, dream without boundaries (Mt. 25:21). I leave the results to the Lord (Ro. 8:28). Acceptance I do not criticize anyone and any group before I understand its thoughts or arguments sufficiently (1Co. 4:5; 5:12-13). I think that wherever two or three are gathered, conflict is in the midst of them. God, alone, is Judge; I am called to love, accept and forgive others (Lk. 6:37). But I should not waver in my basic convictions, whatever the opposition aroused or the sacrifice entailed.


Family
I believe my wife and children are my most important ministry (Gen. 1:28). Work for the kingdom of God should start from my family (1Ti 3:5). I spend time with, love and encourage my wife and children to the best of my ability. But my ultimate priority is the Lord (Lk. 14:26; Gen. 22:16-17). I believe"...each person [will be] judged according to what he [has] done" (Rev. 20:13). Each of my family members will be judged by his or her works.


Bible Verses Related to My Calling
Hebrews 6:10
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
John 12:24-25
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Isaiah 50:7
Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
John 21:15-19
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these " "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."... Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep... .Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news...
Matthew 6:31-34
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat' or 'What shall we drink' or 'What shall we wear'... your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
John 21:21-22
When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him " Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you You must follow me."
Deut. 28:1
If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.